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The outstanding choreographer and Cuban teacher of the time, Alfredo Velazquez, died last weekend in Guantanamo victim of an alleged homicide.
The 44 years old artist had an impressive career. He was the director of Danza Libre (Free Dance), Guantanamo’s main company, and a city that has the most consolidated chorographic movement in Cuba.
As its leader, Alfredo Velazquez followed the work of his teacher and American dancer Elfriede Mahler, who founded Danza Libre. This company is characterized by its folkloric and contemporaneous repertory.
His vast vocabulary, the beauty of his works and his deep implications were highlighted by the critics and the audience.
He never wanted to be the only choreographer of his company. He promoted creation among his dancers; in fact, Danza Libre has become an interesting choreographic lab, and offered staging of invited artists.
Thanks to him and his partners’ determination, Danza Libre performed on important sceneries in Cuba and abroad. Just an example: the company had a successful season at the Opera Royal House in London.
In Great Britain, Velazquez worked as choreographer in JazzXchange Company. In England he also gave classes of contemporaneous Dance. He used to be a habitual guest at American universities.
Among his works highlights Intimidad, from a poem written by Regino Boti, one of the most beautiful duets of his latest Cuban repertoire. He also assumed the great Afro Cuban tradition with pieces of great colors and imagination.
Velazquez studied during the 1980s in the National Modern and Folkloric School in Havana. He was founder dancer of the Professional Dance Company from Guantanamo, seed of Danza Libre. He graduated in Arts, and specialized in Contemporaneous Dance from the High Institute of Arts (ISA).
He was satisfied with his life and art. In an interview to our newspaper, he said: “I am an extremely happy person. I have always enjoyed what I have done. I look around and I feel pleased. We have done a lot for the artistic development in Guantanamo. There are still things to do. It inspires us to keep on working. But everything we do, is an action of full happiness.”
