Cuban President Raul Castro acknowledged the significant role played by renowned Cuban dancer and professor Ramiro Guerra as the founder of and source of inspiration for Cuban modern dance.

In a message to Guerra on his 90th birthday, Raul Castro says that contemporary Cuban culture is proud to still count on such a renowned choreographer and researcher. The message was handed over to Guerra by Culture Minister Rafael Bernal at a gathering in the Havana-based Bertolt Brecht Cultural Center of close friends and outstanding Cuban performing arts celebrities who celebrated Guerra’s birthday.

While reading the message, Bernal said the acknowledgment by the Cuban President was a significant encouragement for Guerra to keep offering his experiences to new generations of Cuban dancers, committed to keeping the island’s position as a world dance power.

A documentary film on Guerra’s life and work opened a gala specially prepared for the occasion, in which participants enjoyed some choreographic works bythe National Folk Ensemble and the Santiago Alfonso Dance Company.

After the 1959, the renowned professor offered his useful experiences to the new Dance Department at the National Theater and later to the Cuban Modern Dance Ensemble and has left his imprint on the modern dance movement in Cuba.

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