Havana, March 24 (Prensa Latina) With a central event at its headquarters in the Cuban capital, the National School of Dance celebrated the 60th anniversary of its founding today.

Students, graduates from various generations, and long-time teachers were featured at the event, according to the National Center for Art Schools.

The event was attended by Ariadna Padrón, Director General of Artistic Development and Training at the Ministry of Culture; Elizabeth Castro, Director of the National Center for Art Schools (CNEArt); and other prominent figures in the cultural world.

Highlighting key moments in the institution’s development, its impact on Cuban dance, and the formation of the country’s artistic education were the main objectives of the event.

During the ceremony, several of the school’s founding teachers were recognized, including prominent choreographer Santiago Alfonso, winner of the National Dance Award, and the school’s Youth Company offered a showcase of their talent in a special presentation.

A discussion was also held, led by the secretariat of the Federation of Secondary School Students, with the history of the school as its central theme.

According to the CNEArt, the celebrations will continue next Wednesday with a special gala at the Miramar Theater in Havana.

In addition, a photography exhibition is planned to open at the school’s headquarters, along with the presentation of a commemorative documentary, produced in collaboration with students from the University of the Arts’ Faculty of Restoration.

With this program, the National Dance School celebrates six decades of excellent artistic and pedagogical work and reaffirms its commitment to the education of new generations and its contribution to the development of this activity in Cuba.

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Havana, March 21 (RHC) — Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez, on the occasion of International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, stated on X that Cuba will continue to confront all discriminatory practices.

The foreign minister reaffirmed on social media that Cuba honors the global fight against racism and for equality, and will continue to be a priority for the Cuban State.

On March 21, 1960, police opened fire and killed 69 people during a peaceful demonstration against the apartheid pass law in Sharpeville, South Africa. When proclaiming the aforementioned Day in 1966, the General Assembly urged the international community to redouble its efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination.

[ SOURCE:  PRENSA LATINA ]

Havana, March 17 (RHC) — The First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel, received American actor, director, and producer Kevin Costner, who is visiting the Caribbean nation to explore underwater archaeology, the Presidency of the Republic announced this Monday.

“It is a pleasure to meet you and your visit to Cuba is a source of enormous satisfaction.  You are greatly admired by the Cuban people, who have closely followed your stay in our country these past few days,” the President stated during the meeting at the Palace of the Revolution.

Costner expressed that he feels very good in Cuba and that he had dreamed of this project for some time.

The American actor referred to his special friendship with Cuban Alejandro Mirabal, an underwater archaeologist and prominent researcher.   “I have studied the Caribbean a lot,” he noted.   He commented that he was impressed by the Museo del Castillo de la Real Fuerza, both for its artifacts and its architecture.

During the pleasant conversation, the head of state invited him to visit Santiago de Cuba, whose bay holds a significant underwater heritage.

Kevin Costner previously visited Cuba in April 2001, where he met with the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, with whom he had a lively conversation, according to the press at the time.   On that occasion, he traveled to Havana to present the film “13 Days,” about the October 1962 Crisis, in which he played the leading role of Kenneth O’Donnell, John F. Kennedy’s collaborator at the time.

In a statement to the Spanish newspaper El País in 2015, the artist expressed his joy at the rapprochement between Cuba and the United States.

Camagüey, Cuba, March 23 (PL) The Pinar del Río volleyball players were proclaimed Cuban national champions here today, after sweeping Havana in the final with scores of 25-16, 25-22 and 25-14.

The Pinar del Río team, which only lost one set in the six matches played during the tournament, demonstrated overwhelming superiority in the final.

The inaccuracies of the Havana team paved the way for the representatives of Cuba’s westernmost province to take the title. Martha García and Lisbeysis Hernández were the standouts in Pinar del Río’s victory, the latter in particular, who deserved to be named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

Third place went to Cienfuegos, which repeated its performance from last year, this time after defeating Granma for the bronze medal, with scores of 25-13, 25-15 and 25-19, a performance that consolidates this province as one of the most consistent in the country in the women’s sport of high mesh.

The tournament highlighted the weaknesses and technical deficiencies in this sport in the country, which serves as a benchmark for evaluating and developing work strategies to raise the level of reserves for national teams in preparation for international matches, regardless of the players contracted abroad by the Cuban Federation.

The disappointment of the tournament was the host team, Camagüey, which, after being the defending 2024 champion, finished in last place, behind Santiago de Cuba, in both cases with poor and inconsistent performances.

With the conclusion of the tournament, Cuban women’s volleyball closes an important chapter in its calendar, as the national teams in their various categories begin preparing for upcoming international challenges.

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