top of page
International Dance Competition
THE JURY PUERTO RICO
2023 SEASON
Victor Gili | Dance Open America
Victor Gili was born in Havana, Cuba. She began her dance studies in 1982 at the Provincial
Ballet School of Havana and continued at the National Ballet School between 1987-1990
under the guidance of Alicia Alonso, Laura Alonso, Fernando Alonso, Josefina Méndez, Loipa
Araújo, Joaquin Banegas, Aurora Bosch, Marta Bosch, Ramona de Saá, Orlando Salgado,
Lázaro Carreño, Clara Carranco, Mirta Hermida, Pablo Moret, Rodolfo Castellanos, among other
outstanding teachers. In 1990 he began his professional career with the National Ballet of
Cuba under the technical and artistic direction of Alicia Alonso, a company with which he has
performed in different countries in Latin America, Europe, the United States, Canada, Africa,
Asia and Puerto Rico. as a guest dancer (1998-1999) under the direction of Lolita San Miguel
and Maria Carrera. He has participated in the workshop of the young guard and international
practical courses of the Cuban school of ballet (CUBALLET) held both in Cuba and abroad. He
has participated in prestigious ballet festivals, inside and outside of Cuba.
His great artistic record has allowed him to interpret a wide repertoire that includes leading
roles and soloists from the great romantic-classical tradition of the 18th and 19th centuries
such as: La Fille Mal Gardee (Colin and Mama Simone), Giselle (Albrecht and Hilarion) ,
Coppélia (Franz and Dr. Coppelius), Sleeping Beauty (Blue Bird and Prince Desiré), The
Nutcracker (The Knight of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Herr Drosselmeyer), Swan Lake (Prince
Siegfried and Von Rothbart), Don Quixote (Basilio, Espada, Father of Kitri, Sancho Panza and
Gamache), Magic Flute. He has danced numerous pas de deux such as: Diana and Acteón, Paso
de Tres, El Corsario, Festival of Flowers in Genzano, Nápoli, Paquita, El Reto and La Sylphide. In
addition, she performed an extensive neoclassical and contemporary repertoire by national and
international choreographers such as: Alberto Méndez, Alberto Alonso, Iván Tenorio, Gustavo
Herrera, Iván Monreal, Héctor Figaredo, Hilda Rivero, María Rovira, among others.
In 2003 he was awarded the "Distinction for National Culture" from the Ministry of Culture of
the Republic of Cuba and in 2007 with the "Alejo Carpentier Medal" from the Council of State
of the Republic of Cuba. In 2010, he joined the Puerto Rico Concert Ballet company as
Rehearsal Director and teacher at the Conservatory. He has also worked as a teacher and
rehearser in other companies such as ANDANZA, CODA21, Mauro Ballet and Sarasota Cuban
Ballet. In October 2019, Mr. Víctor Gilí returned to Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico to occupy
the position of Artistic Director of the company.
Ballet School of Havana and continued at the National Ballet School between 1987-1990
under the guidance of Alicia Alonso, Laura Alonso, Fernando Alonso, Josefina Méndez, Loipa
Araújo, Joaquin Banegas, Aurora Bosch, Marta Bosch, Ramona de Saá, Orlando Salgado,
Lázaro Carreño, Clara Carranco, Mirta Hermida, Pablo Moret, Rodolfo Castellanos, among other
outstanding teachers. In 1990 he began his professional career with the National Ballet of
Cuba under the technical and artistic direction of Alicia Alonso, a company with which he has
performed in different countries in Latin America, Europe, the United States, Canada, Africa,
Asia and Puerto Rico. as a guest dancer (1998-1999) under the direction of Lolita San Miguel
and Maria Carrera. He has participated in the workshop of the young guard and international
practical courses of the Cuban school of ballet (CUBALLET) held both in Cuba and abroad. He
has participated in prestigious ballet festivals, inside and outside of Cuba.
His great artistic record has allowed him to interpret a wide repertoire that includes leading
roles and soloists from the great romantic-classical tradition of the 18th and 19th centuries
such as: La Fille Mal Gardee (Colin and Mama Simone), Giselle (Albrecht and Hilarion) ,
Coppélia (Franz and Dr. Coppelius), Sleeping Beauty (Blue Bird and Prince Desiré), The
Nutcracker (The Knight of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Herr Drosselmeyer), Swan Lake (Prince
Siegfried and Von Rothbart), Don Quixote (Basilio, Espada, Father of Kitri, Sancho Panza and
Gamache), Magic Flute. He has danced numerous pas de deux such as: Diana and Acteón, Paso
de Tres, El Corsario, Festival of Flowers in Genzano, Nápoli, Paquita, El Reto and La Sylphide. In
addition, she performed an extensive neoclassical and contemporary repertoire by national and
international choreographers such as: Alberto Méndez, Alberto Alonso, Iván Tenorio, Gustavo
Herrera, Iván Monreal, Héctor Figaredo, Hilda Rivero, María Rovira, among others.
In 2003 he was awarded the "Distinction for National Culture" from the Ministry of Culture of
the Republic of Cuba and in 2007 with the "Alejo Carpentier Medal" from the Council of State
of the Republic of Cuba. In 2010, he joined the Puerto Rico Concert Ballet company as
Rehearsal Director and teacher at the Conservatory. He has also worked as a teacher and
rehearser in other companies such as ANDANZA, CODA21, Mauro Ballet and Sarasota Cuban
Ballet. In October 2019, Mr. Víctor Gilí returned to Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico to occupy
the position of Artistic Director of the company.
Rosario Suarez | Dance Open America
Regarded in Cuba as the greatest and most popular ballerina of her generation,
Rosario Suarez was universally known for the profound artistry, versatility, and innovation
with which she performed ballet repertoire. Among her many achievements, Rosario won
the gold medal at the International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria in 1970. Over
a remarkable twenty- seven year career with the National Ballet of Cuba, she performed
principal roles in over 50 countries, to worldwide critical acclaim. In 1991, the Cuban
Ministry of Culture awarded her with La Orden Por La Cultura Nacional, recognizing
and honoring her artistic achievements.
Born in Havana, Cuba, Rosario began her ballet training at the Province Ballet
School, then continuing her studies at the National School of the Arts, with teachers
Joaquin Banegas, Fernando Alonso, Alicia Alonso, Menia Martinez, Ramona De Saa,
Jose Pares, and Karemia Moreno. When Rosario was only fifteen years old, Fernando
Alonso, the director of the National Ballet of Cuba, invited Rosario to join the Company,
thus launching her nearly three-decade professional career, which included a fifteen-year
tenure as Principal dancer. Rosario was also a principal dancer of Ballet Theater of
Havana, under the direction of Caridad Martinez.
Rosario’s performances in Coppelia, Swan Lake and Giselle have brought her the
highest acclaim. However, her roles in works by Cuban choreographers, such as Tarde en la
Siesta and Rara Avis, were performances that have also been said to have set the standard
for future generations of dancers.
Rosario’s interpretation as Odette-Odile in Swan Lake at the Theater of Les
Champs-Elysees in Paris in 1983, was a highlight of her career, as well as her
interpretation of The Sylphide and The Scotsman at the International Cervantine Festival in
Guanajuato, and Giselle, at a historic performance at the Teatro Albeniz in Madrid, which
brought roaring audiences to their feet. At that time, Rosario established herself as an
artist in Spain, participating in a number of festivals and teaching throughout the city. In
2000, at the debut of Anna Pavlova: Diálogos del Alma, within the setting of the Dance
Festival of Madrid, she performed the famous Death of the Swan by Fokine. While in Spain,
she worked at the Conservatory Real in Madrid alongside Virgina Valero, as well as with
Victor Ullate, Goyo Montero, Juan Carlos Santa Maria, Raul Cardenes and Ramon
Oller, and many others.
Rosario’s career brought her to Miami, where she served on the faculty at New
World School of the Arts, under the direction of Daniel Lewis. She then established her
own company, Ballet Rosario Suarez, and an affiliated dance academy dedicated to the
preservation of the Cuban Style of Ballet. In 2002, she created her first choreographic
work, Cecilia Valdes, with great success. Her final performance took place in Miami in
2010, as the star of the ballet theater production “La Ultima Funcion,” based on a poem
by Abilio Estevez and directed by Lilian Vega. In 2012, Rosario was named one of the
top 100 Latinos in Miami with the greatest cultural impact.
Rosario’s career also took the form of film appearances, as she was featured in a
documentary directed by Marisol Trujillo, Mujer Ante el Espejo, inspired by the experience
of maternity of ballerinas; a short for the School of Cinematography, Two Gladys For You,
directed by Aaron Yelin; a documentary about Pablo Neruda, and Stolen Verses, by
Orlando Rojas. She appeared extensively, via modern interviews and archival
performance footage, in a documentary of her own life, directed by Orlando Rojas, Queen
of Thursdays, which won the award of Best Documentary at the Miami Film Festival.
Rosario is recognized as a versatile interpreter who builds her characters around
expressive musicality. Her constant search for freedom throughout the course of her
career has inspired her work, and she is an artist and performer who has reached critical
acclaim, winning over the hearts of audiences all over the world. In 2008, Rosario joined
the Miami Conservatory/Thomas Armour Youth Ballet, where she trained future
generations in her role as Ballet Mistress. She continues to travel and tour as a teacher
and coach for students internationally. Behind Rosario’s fame, experience, and technique
is an unbridled passion to affect change in her students and help them unearth their full
artistic potential.
Rosario Suarez was universally known for the profound artistry, versatility, and innovation
with which she performed ballet repertoire. Among her many achievements, Rosario won
the gold medal at the International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria in 1970. Over
a remarkable twenty- seven year career with the National Ballet of Cuba, she performed
principal roles in over 50 countries, to worldwide critical acclaim. In 1991, the Cuban
Ministry of Culture awarded her with La Orden Por La Cultura Nacional, recognizing
and honoring her artistic achievements.
Born in Havana, Cuba, Rosario began her ballet training at the Province Ballet
School, then continuing her studies at the National School of the Arts, with teachers
Joaquin Banegas, Fernando Alonso, Alicia Alonso, Menia Martinez, Ramona De Saa,
Jose Pares, and Karemia Moreno. When Rosario was only fifteen years old, Fernando
Alonso, the director of the National Ballet of Cuba, invited Rosario to join the Company,
thus launching her nearly three-decade professional career, which included a fifteen-year
tenure as Principal dancer. Rosario was also a principal dancer of Ballet Theater of
Havana, under the direction of Caridad Martinez.
Rosario’s performances in Coppelia, Swan Lake and Giselle have brought her the
highest acclaim. However, her roles in works by Cuban choreographers, such as Tarde en la
Siesta and Rara Avis, were performances that have also been said to have set the standard
for future generations of dancers.
Rosario’s interpretation as Odette-Odile in Swan Lake at the Theater of Les
Champs-Elysees in Paris in 1983, was a highlight of her career, as well as her
interpretation of The Sylphide and The Scotsman at the International Cervantine Festival in
Guanajuato, and Giselle, at a historic performance at the Teatro Albeniz in Madrid, which
brought roaring audiences to their feet. At that time, Rosario established herself as an
artist in Spain, participating in a number of festivals and teaching throughout the city. In
2000, at the debut of Anna Pavlova: Diálogos del Alma, within the setting of the Dance
Festival of Madrid, she performed the famous Death of the Swan by Fokine. While in Spain,
she worked at the Conservatory Real in Madrid alongside Virgina Valero, as well as with
Victor Ullate, Goyo Montero, Juan Carlos Santa Maria, Raul Cardenes and Ramon
Oller, and many others.
Rosario’s career brought her to Miami, where she served on the faculty at New
World School of the Arts, under the direction of Daniel Lewis. She then established her
own company, Ballet Rosario Suarez, and an affiliated dance academy dedicated to the
preservation of the Cuban Style of Ballet. In 2002, she created her first choreographic
work, Cecilia Valdes, with great success. Her final performance took place in Miami in
2010, as the star of the ballet theater production “La Ultima Funcion,” based on a poem
by Abilio Estevez and directed by Lilian Vega. In 2012, Rosario was named one of the
top 100 Latinos in Miami with the greatest cultural impact.
Rosario’s career also took the form of film appearances, as she was featured in a
documentary directed by Marisol Trujillo, Mujer Ante el Espejo, inspired by the experience
of maternity of ballerinas; a short for the School of Cinematography, Two Gladys For You,
directed by Aaron Yelin; a documentary about Pablo Neruda, and Stolen Verses, by
Orlando Rojas. She appeared extensively, via modern interviews and archival
performance footage, in a documentary of her own life, directed by Orlando Rojas, Queen
of Thursdays, which won the award of Best Documentary at the Miami Film Festival.
Rosario is recognized as a versatile interpreter who builds her characters around
expressive musicality. Her constant search for freedom throughout the course of her
career has inspired her work, and she is an artist and performer who has reached critical
acclaim, winning over the hearts of audiences all over the world. In 2008, Rosario joined
the Miami Conservatory/Thomas Armour Youth Ballet, where she trained future
generations in her role as Ballet Mistress. She continues to travel and tour as a teacher
and coach for students internationally. Behind Rosario’s fame, experience, and technique
is an unbridled passion to affect change in her students and help them unearth their full
artistic potential.
Adolfo de la Toba | Dance Open America
Adolfo De La Toba (Theacher, Dancer and Choreographer)
Originally from La Paz, B.C.S. Mexico.
He graduated from the MONTERREY SUPERIOR SCHOOL OF MUSIC AND DANCE of the NATIONAL
INSTITUTE FOR FINE ARTS in Mexico.
Was member of the companies BALLET DE MONTERREY (Monterrey, N.L.), CIA DE DANZA CLASSICA Y
NEOCLASICA DE JALISCO (Guadalajara, Jal), FDR DANCE COMPANY (HOLLAND) and CALIFORNIA BALLET
COMPANY (San Diego, CA. As Guest Dancer in their season of the 50th Anniversary).
His choreographies have been selected for national and international competitions (Mexico, the United
States and France), Gold medal winners, Best Choreography Winners and Selected for different national
and international festivals.
He has worked with renowned teachers and choreographers such as: Robert Hill (USA), Luís Serrano
(Cuba), María Elena Martínez (Cuba), Rosario Murillo (Mexico), Angélica Kleen (Mexico), Fernando
Domínguez (Netherlands), Edgar Zendejas ( Canada), Michelle Pogliani (Italy), Jared Nelson (USA), Galina
Álvarez (Cuba), Ana Torquemada (Mexico), Nicte Ha Escobosa (Mexico), to name a few.
As a Dancer he has interpreted principal roles from the traditional classical repertoire and neoclassical
and contemporary choreographies by choreographers: Jimmy Gamonet, Jorge Amarante, Yanis Pikieris,
Billy Chang, Septime Webre, Robert Hill, Rosario Murillo, Fernando Domínguez.
Grade Certification: 8th. Grade, Intermediate, Advanced 1 and Advanced 2 of the Royal Academy of
Dance.
Collaborator as a classical ballet teacher with the Lux Boreal Company (September-October 2017).
As a Teacher, he has been invited to numerous congresses and summer courses nationally and
internationally, giving master classes in Classical Ballet and Contemporary Ballet.
He was a guest teacher at the Contemporary Dance Workshop at the University of Guadalajara. (Mexico)
He was a ballet teacher at the Center for Dance and Stage Production of Baja California (CDPEBC) of the
Lux Boreal Company.
Since 2021 he has assumed the position of artistic director of the company BALLETS DE SAN JUAN.
Originally from La Paz, B.C.S. Mexico.
He graduated from the MONTERREY SUPERIOR SCHOOL OF MUSIC AND DANCE of the NATIONAL
INSTITUTE FOR FINE ARTS in Mexico.
Was member of the companies BALLET DE MONTERREY (Monterrey, N.L.), CIA DE DANZA CLASSICA Y
NEOCLASICA DE JALISCO (Guadalajara, Jal), FDR DANCE COMPANY (HOLLAND) and CALIFORNIA BALLET
COMPANY (San Diego, CA. As Guest Dancer in their season of the 50th Anniversary).
His choreographies have been selected for national and international competitions (Mexico, the United
States and France), Gold medal winners, Best Choreography Winners and Selected for different national
and international festivals.
He has worked with renowned teachers and choreographers such as: Robert Hill (USA), Luís Serrano
(Cuba), María Elena Martínez (Cuba), Rosario Murillo (Mexico), Angélica Kleen (Mexico), Fernando
Domínguez (Netherlands), Edgar Zendejas ( Canada), Michelle Pogliani (Italy), Jared Nelson (USA), Galina
Álvarez (Cuba), Ana Torquemada (Mexico), Nicte Ha Escobosa (Mexico), to name a few.
As a Dancer he has interpreted principal roles from the traditional classical repertoire and neoclassical
and contemporary choreographies by choreographers: Jimmy Gamonet, Jorge Amarante, Yanis Pikieris,
Billy Chang, Septime Webre, Robert Hill, Rosario Murillo, Fernando Domínguez.
Grade Certification: 8th. Grade, Intermediate, Advanced 1 and Advanced 2 of the Royal Academy of
Dance.
Collaborator as a classical ballet teacher with the Lux Boreal Company (September-October 2017).
As a Teacher, he has been invited to numerous congresses and summer courses nationally and
internationally, giving master classes in Classical Ballet and Contemporary Ballet.
He was a guest teacher at the Contemporary Dance Workshop at the University of Guadalajara. (Mexico)
He was a ballet teacher at the Center for Dance and Stage Production of Baja California (CDPEBC) of the
Lux Boreal Company.
Since 2021 he has assumed the position of artistic director of the company BALLETS DE SAN JUAN.
Lidice Nuñez | Dance Open America
Lidice Nuñez was born in Havana, Cuba. She studied and graduated from the National School of Art and the Superior Institute of Art of Cuba with Honors and became a first dancer and principal choreographer at the Contemporary Dance Company of Cuba.
She studied choreography in Paris under the auspices of the Brownstone Foundation and has the Ulpam Emshej Diploma Certification from the Hebrew University. She was a guest choreographer for the Mexico City Ballet Company, which was nominated for the Lunas Awards of the National Auditorium in 2017. She is also a member of the International Dance Council CID UNESCO.
Ms. Lidice has performed and created for several International Dance and Ballet Festivals in Havana and on worldwide tours.
Some of the most important international ballet and dance festivals include:
> International Dance Festival - Sintra, Portugal
> Dance Festival of Northwestfalia - Germany
➢ International Dance Festival - NRW, Germany
> International Festival - Padua, Italy
➢ II Dance Bienal, LE FENICE - Venice, Italy
> International Dance Season at the Harbourtfront Center -
Toronto & Ottawa, Canada
> Festival Les Meridiannes Toulouse, France
➢ International Dance Festival "Itálica" - Sevilla, Spain
> Netherlands Dance Festival - The Hague, Holland International Dance, among others.
Ms. Lidice was a professor at the Superior Institute of Art and at the National School of Dance in Cuba.
She is a member of the National Council of Performing Arts and also a member of the National Union of Cuban Writers and Artists.
Recently, she was invited to teach at the Feijóo Ballet school .
She has received numerous awards, including the high distinction awarded by the Ministry of Culture of Cuba: Distinction for National Culture, in addition to the First award for choreography and interpretation awarded by the Art Criticism. Her work as a choreographer is registered in the Book of Honor of the Great Theater of Havana, awarded by a jury that was chaired by the famous Alicia Alonso.
Dancers such as,Matthew Rushing- Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater ; Miguel Altunaga-Rambert dance Company; Victor Alexander artistic director of the Ruth Page Center; Cervilio Amador-National Ballet of Cuba-Cincinnati Ballet ; Yacnoi Abreu-Ballet Preljocaj; Maray Gutiérrez- Hedwig dances ; Alexis Fernandez- La Macana; Alain Rivero- LaMov; Yaday Ponce- Carlos Acosta dance, and many others, have danced Ms. Lidice’s choreographies.
She studied choreography in Paris under the auspices of the Brownstone Foundation and has the Ulpam Emshej Diploma Certification from the Hebrew University. She was a guest choreographer for the Mexico City Ballet Company, which was nominated for the Lunas Awards of the National Auditorium in 2017. She is also a member of the International Dance Council CID UNESCO.
Ms. Lidice has performed and created for several International Dance and Ballet Festivals in Havana and on worldwide tours.
Some of the most important international ballet and dance festivals include:
> International Dance Festival - Sintra, Portugal
> Dance Festival of Northwestfalia - Germany
➢ International Dance Festival - NRW, Germany
> International Festival - Padua, Italy
➢ II Dance Bienal, LE FENICE - Venice, Italy
> International Dance Season at the Harbourtfront Center -
Toronto & Ottawa, Canada
> Festival Les Meridiannes Toulouse, France
➢ International Dance Festival "Itálica" - Sevilla, Spain
> Netherlands Dance Festival - The Hague, Holland International Dance, among others.
Ms. Lidice was a professor at the Superior Institute of Art and at the National School of Dance in Cuba.
She is a member of the National Council of Performing Arts and also a member of the National Union of Cuban Writers and Artists.
Recently, she was invited to teach at the Feijóo Ballet school .
She has received numerous awards, including the high distinction awarded by the Ministry of Culture of Cuba: Distinction for National Culture, in addition to the First award for choreography and interpretation awarded by the Art Criticism. Her work as a choreographer is registered in the Book of Honor of the Great Theater of Havana, awarded by a jury that was chaired by the famous Alicia Alonso.
Dancers such as,Matthew Rushing- Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater ; Miguel Altunaga-Rambert dance Company; Victor Alexander artistic director of the Ruth Page Center; Cervilio Amador-National Ballet of Cuba-Cincinnati Ballet ; Yacnoi Abreu-Ballet Preljocaj; Maray Gutiérrez- Hedwig dances ; Alexis Fernandez- La Macana; Alain Rivero- LaMov; Yaday Ponce- Carlos Acosta dance, and many others, have danced Ms. Lidice’s choreographies.
bottom of page