illume productions

Información en Español

Carlos Acosta
Carlos grew up in the one of the poorest areas of Havana. He was a truant and petty thief who spent his days break-dancing. His truck-driver father, seeing his son's talent, pushed him into ballet school. Today, Carlos is a world-renowned dancer frequently compared to Baryshnikov, a budding impresario, and increasingly a pop culture idol. He performs internationally but -- always missing his family as he struggles to adapt to new worlds -- he must return to Cuba religiously to "recharge" his energy and spirit.

Photo: Carlos Acosta and his nephew Yonah

Septime Webre
Septime is the son of a Cuban mother and American father who were exiled after the Revolution. He is the Artistic Director of the maverick Washington Ballet. In 2000, his company is invited to participate in a Ballet Festival in Havana -- thus becoming the first American company to perform in Cuba in over 40 years. Webre's trip to the Festival with his siblings in tow becomes a moving rediscovery of his family's roots that deepens his own identity, as well as an artistic triumph.

Photo: Septime Webre

Alicia Alonso
The 82-year-old Alicia is a founder and Director General of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. A seminal figure in the world of ballet, she became a superstar with the American Ballet Theater in New York, only to lose her eyesight. Despite her blindness, Alicia defied her doctors and continued to dance. After the Revolution, Castro welcomed Alicia and her then husband Fernando, a pivotal figure in his own right, and financed their ballet company. They also joined forces to create a grass roots outreach program breaking class and racial barriers and fueling the current popularity of ballet in Cuba. For decades, Alicia's will and personality have held the Ballet Nacional together, but not without conflict. Today, many of Alicia's best dancers make the difficult decision to leave the company and Cuba.

Photo: Alicia Alonso

Other stories include those of Laura Urgelles, who defected from Cuba and joined The Washington Ballet, only to be told that she will not be permitted to return to the island to dance at the Festival; Lorna Feijóo, Cuba's prima ballerina who at the height of her career, leaves the Ballet Nacional for America, bringing with her a hallmark Cuban style marked by 'fire and surrender'; and Trey McIntyre, one of the youngest leading American choreographers of the 21st century, who creates a controversial Jazz/Blues ballet featuring a gay pas de deux that is performed in Cuba, a country with a recent history of severe homosexual repression.

Photo: Laura Urgellés