Cuban Ballet Program

Born in Havana, Cuba, embarked on his ballet journey at the age of 8 when he joined the prestigious Escuela Nacional de Ballet in La Havana. His talent quickly garnered attention, leading him to represent Cuba in various international ballet competitions. Notably, he achieved an Honor Diploma in Varna in 1996 and a Silver Medal in Vignale Danza in Italy in 1994.

After completing his education, Howard joined the National Ballet of Cuba under the direction of Alicia Alonso. Over the course of two years, he performed numerous principal roles in classical ballets, including Don Quichotte, Swan Lake, Giselle, Coppelia, La Fille Mal Gardée, Paquita, and more.

In 1998, Howard’s exceptional skills caught the eye of Robert Berthier, the director of Jeune Ballet de France, leading him to move to Paris. This year marked significant achievements, with Howard winning a Silver Medal in the Paris competition and both a Gold Medal and Grand Prix in Luxembourg.

His success in Paris opened doors to ballet galas and collaborations with renowned dancers, earning him the title “Cuban Tornado.” Further accolades came in 1998 when he secured a Gold Medal and Grand Prix in the Joinville competition in Brazil.

At the age of 21, Howard joined the Royal Ballet of Flanders in Belgium, dancing principal roles in classical and modern productions. Noteworthy performances include 3 Mousquetaires, Romeo and Juliet, Bayadère, Carmina Burana, Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake.

His career continued to flourish as he explored different choreographic styles with companies like Leipziger Ballett and Dortmund Ballet in Germany. In 2015, Howard transitioned from performing to become an assistant and guest ballet teacher, contributing his expertise to various renowned companies worldwide.

In 2018, Howard ventured into choreography, creating a new classical version of Giselle for the Slovenian National Ballet. The premiere’s success led to invitations to perform at festivals in Italy, Germany, and Slovenia.

In 2021, he created “Alice in Wonderland” for the National Ballet of Portugal, which was broadcast on national TV.

Looking ahead, Howard plans to create a new ballet for the Annarella Ballet School in 2024, showcasing his dedication to nurturing future talents and exploring new choreographic horizons.

Howard Quintero Lopez’s multifaceted journey in ballet reflects his passion, talent, and commitment to artistic exploration and education.

Certified teacher and choreographer specializing in classical and character dance. In 2008, she graduated in the Art of Dance from the University of the Arts in Cuba, earning the Gold Certificate qualification. Thanks to this training, she had the opportunity to perform in the most important theaters in Havana.

In 2014, she published a book on the pedagogy and methodology of teaching classical dance by Fernando Alonso, the father of the Cuban ballet school.

As a classical dance teacher and choreographer at the Cátedra de Danza of the National Ballet of Cuba under the direction of Alicia Alonso for 6 years, she achieved the category of ‘first level’ as a ballet master. In 2013, she created a version of the ballet Snow White for the end-of-year performance, involving 300 students.

In 2008, she became part of the faculty at the prestigious National School of Cuba ‘Fernando Alonso,’ where she taught various academic disciplines, worked as a choreographer, and participated in international ballet academy competitions. Simultaneously, she taught classical dance at the Contemporary Dance Company ‘Rosario Cárdenas.’

Since her arrival in Belgium in 2014, she has been a resident teacher at the Brussels Conservatory of Dance under the direction of Menia Martinez, instructing in classical dance, pointe technique, character dance, repertoire, and as a rehearsal director.

Certified in Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) Level 3, with the highest level, a training method recognized by the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD).

She is a guest teacher in several schools in Belgium and participates in various internationally recognized workshops, preparing students for national and international competitions with success.

Barbora Hruskova, a French national and a virtuoso dancer, was born in 1972. Her journey in the world of dance commenced at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et Danse de Paris under the tutelage of Professor Christiane Vaussard. Additionally, she honed her skills at the San Francisco Ballet as a fellow. In 1990, she joined the Royal Ballet of Flanders as the prima ballerina, showcasing her talent in an array of performances including Stuart Sebastian’s Camelot, Rudolf Nureyev’s Don Quixote, Peter Anastos’ Cinderella, and various masterpieces such as The Nutcracker, André Prokovsky’s The Three Musketeers, Menia Martinez’s Giselle, Jan Fabre’s Swan Lake, and choreographies by luminaries like George Balanchine, Choo-San Goh, Ib Andersen, Maurice Béjart, Christopher D’Amboise, Violette Verdi, X.P. Wang, Danny Rosseel, and Maurício Wainrot.

Barbora Hruskova has been an integral part of the National Ballet Company (CNB) since 2003, holding the esteemed position of principal dancer. Her repertoire with CNB includes enchanting performances in Bach à L’Oriental, La Rosée, 5 Estações, D. Quixote in the role of Kitri, Swan Lake as Odette/Odile, The Nutcracker as Clara and the Sugar Plum Fairy , choreographed by Mehmet Balkan and Giselle in George Garcia’s Giselle.She has also graced the stage in productions like John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet, Fokine’s Les Sylphides, and diverse choreographies by Heinz Spoerli, Renato Zanella, Nacho Duato, George Balanchine, Vasco Wellenkamp, Mauro Bigonzetti, Jirí Kylián, Hans van Manen, Uwe Scholz, and Caetano Soto.

Under the artistic direction of Luísa Taveira, Barbora collaborated with choreographers Rui Lopes Graça, Olga Roriz, and Clara Andermatt. Her notable performances include leading roles in Bournonville’s La Sylphide, Ted Brandsen’s The Sleeping Beauty, and the Russian princess in Fernando Duarte’s Swan Lake. Beyond her accomplishments as a dancer, Barbora has ventured into the realm of Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis instruction, a complementary method of physical prevention and rehabilitation created by former dancer Juliu Horvath.

In 2015, Barbora made her mark with the debut and portrayal of the dancer in Tchaikovsky’s Left Leg, a production created and directed by Tiago Rodrigues based on her life story. This CNB production toured Portugal extensively from 2015 to 2019. Since March 2016, she has held the position of Ballet Mistress at CNB, contributing her expertise to the realm of dance education.

Born in Belgium, Emilie was passionate about classical ballet from an early age. She joined the professional dance program “choreographic humanities” in Dinant at the age of 12. She participated in several competitions in Europe and won various prizes during her schooling. At 18, she joined the Royal Ballet of Flanders, which marked the beginning of her career and the opportunity for her first roles. 7 years later Heinz Spoerli invited her to join the prestigious Zurich Ballet and offered her a contract as a soloist, sharing the opera stage with stars such as Paulina Semionova or Natalia Osipova.

Her career as a dancer led her to Germany at the Leipzig Ballet, one of the largest companies in Europe, where the famous choreographer Uwe Scholz created his best Ballets, of which she danced most of his masterpieces in collaboration with one of the most prestigious philharmonie in the world. She then leaves for the Dortmund Ballet, where the choreographer Jiry Bubeniceck will create for her, his Ballet inspired by the film The Piano Lesson, and she will perform the main role of Ada.

Finally Jacopo Godani, a choreographer who has greatly inspired her in her career, invites her to join the Dresden Frankfurt dance company previously known as the Forsythe Company in Frankfurt.

During her career, she danced many of the best-known classical ballets and worked with a multitude of choreographers and participated in the creation of many neo-classical and modern pieces.

Choreographer, docent and a performing artist born in Havana, Cuba in 1991. He received his early education in dance at the UAD Ballet Español de Cuba, under the direction of Eduardo Veitia. After graduating at the National School of Dance in 2011, he has since worked with Danza Contemporánea de Cuba and with choreographers Rosario Cardenas, Pepe Hevia, Julio Cesar Iglesias, Theo Clinkard, Lucy Suggate, Iris Reyes, Faizah Grootens, among others.

In 2022 he created Goyes’ka, a dance and physical theatre emergent project- based company and platform for interdisciplinary works and where he is delving into his own music and choreographic practice. His works have been featured in European and international festivals and contests such as Florence Dance Festival, Burgos & New York International Choreography Contest, LGBTQ Unbordered International Film Festival, Bevrijdingsdansfestival, Super Ball Amsterdam among others.Together to his creations, he gives dance lessons and workshops in relation to his creative process and new works.