“Heidy takes daily ballet class and performs 8 shows a week”
Since graduating in 2004 from the National Ballet School in Cuba, Heidy García has progressed through the ranks to become First Dancer at the Danza Contemporanea de Cuba. Not only has Heidy’s career taken her around the world, she has also worked with acclaimed choreographers from Mats Ek to George Céspedes. On top of this, her classical ballet background allows her to teach both ballet and Cuban Modern dance. You can catch Heidy performing in Ballet Revolución at the Peacock Theatre, Sadler’s Wells from 7-25 October. The Wonderful Wonderful of Dance caught up with Heidy to find out more about her life in dance.
From gymnastics to ballet…
Despite dance running in the family – two of her aunts were dancers – García admits “I was not a girl with a special predilection for ballet” and she began gymnastics at five before going to ballet school in Havana at the age of nine. It was this transition that led to her training at the Cuban National Ballet School before moving on to Danza Contemporanea de Cuba – a place she considered her second school for transforming her way with movements, “I feel really proud of that school and the classical training I had there.”
Becoming a dancer
Danza Contemporanea de Cuba was not the only experience that has helped shape Heidy as a dancer. Throughout her career Heidy has worked with a number of choreographers that have influenced her, but the opportunity to work with the acclaimed choreographer Mats Ek was a special one that, “allowed me to feel every movement, every situation on stage. I think his deep knowledge from theatre and dance make his work really different from others and I fully identify with it.”
It’s not surprising then to hear that Mats Ek’s choreography is one of her main inspirations in the dance world, alongside William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Pina Bausch, Rafael Bonachela and Itzik Galili and, of course, Ballet Revolución’s “Aaron Cash and the dynamic of Roclan Gonzalez [Chavez].”
With Heidy’s broad spectrum of influences, Ballet Revolución’s cross genre approach seems a perfect fit for her, “At this point of my career an opportunity to mix different styles is really good…I use the experiences from my classical and contemporary backgrounds and put it all together when performing for Ballet Revolución.”
Looking to the future
With Ballet Revolución Heidy takes daily ballet class and performs 8 shows a week, but with all this work she’s found time to complete her BA in Dance Arts. But there’s still more to come from Heidy, “I would like to develop my own projects, and I am also looking forward to a Masters Degree in Dance…I like musical theatre so it would be a challenge to try it, and [also] open my creativity in my own choreographies.”
Dance advice
As a teacher and a dancer, Heidy has sound advice for aspiring dancers: eat healthily, take regular class and make the most of rest, she also highlights the need to “deeply involve ourselves in what we are doing”. She advises young dancers to learn from each experience and from older dancers, and with modesty she advises “work hard to achieve what you want and what you are capable of doing.”
Ballet Revolución
Ballet Revolución is an explosive fusion of ballet, contemporary dance and hip hop from a company of talented Cuban dancers and live musicians. The cast of 19 dancers display their versatility in dance styles from classical ballet to contemporary dance and hip hop, combined with the unique blend of Cuban, African and Spanish influences.
Get in quick – book your tickets here!