Colombia’s salsa capital will put on its pointe shoes this week, with the city’s sixth International Ballet Festival set to begin June 3.
This year’s event, lasting from June 3-10 in Cali, will draw 146 artists and 13 dance companies from 12 countries around the world. It will be the festival’s first time featuring separate performances for the dance companies and their prima ballerinas or soloists.
Gloria Castro Martinez, the director of the Colombian Institute of Classical Ballet who organized the event, said she hoped to draw more than 100,000 visitors to the week-long festival, the only one of its kind in Colombia.
To help draw more crowds, Martinez has added more free public events and reduced-price tickets.
Although the dancing wraps up June 10, the festival’s more academic offerings will continue through the following week with a course in dance criticism for students, journalists and dance aficionados, taught by specialists Elisa Vaccarino of Italy and Patricia Cardona of Mexico. Acourse in theatrical lighting techniques taught by Carlos Repilando and Miguel Cabrera from Cuba will also be offered.
The festival kicks off June 3 at 6 pm at the Plaza de Toros de Canaveralejo with performances of The Minotaur and Act II of Swan Lake.
Ticket prices range from about $33 to $1.
For more event and ticket price information, call 555-3130. For ballet company descriptions, visit newspaper El Pais’ website. For a performance schedule, go to Colombian lifestyle website PlanB.
