Alena Leon Velazquez
Ballet
Alena León Velázquez was born and raised in Havana, Cuba. She began her dance training at the Alejo Carpentier School of Ballet. During her studies, she participated in national and international competitions, winning numerous prizes and awards. In 2000, León graduated from the internationally recognized National School of Ballet, part of the National School of the Arts (ENA), with diplomas as both Dancer and Professor of Dance. Upon graduation, and in search of new perspectives on the performing arts, she enrolled in Theater Studies at the Superior Institute of Art (ISA), completing a year of studies at the university.
Ms. León was a principal dancer in Cuba’s national modern dance company, Danza Contemporánea de Cuba, a leading international repertory ensemble. She worked with important choreographers including George Céspedes (Cuba), Julio César Iglesias (Cuba), Jan Linkens (Netherlands), Rafael Bonachela (Spain), Samir Akika (Algeria/ France), and Cathy Marsden (UK), touring to numerous world-class theaters and festivals, including the Gran Teatro de La Habana (Cuba), Tanzhaus Dusseldorf and Pumpenhaus Münster (Germany), Sadlers Wells and The Coliseum (London, UK), Teatro Malibran (Venice, Italy) Opera House Graz (Austria), and Bellas Artes Ciudad México.
Since 2007, Ms. León has focused exclusively on teaching the Cuban School’s ballet technique at all levels. She also leads classes and workshops in choreography, improvisation, modern and contemporary technique, and corporeal expression. She has also successfully prepared dancers for events such as International Competition for Students of Ballet (Cuba), Youth America Grand Prix (USA), National Dance Competition and Attitude Competition (Mexico), and Tanzolipm (Germany), where they have been awarded various special mentions and medals. Her goal in working with students is always to give them tools to develop their unique and authentic expressive qualities as a dancer, finding the creativity that emerges from the body.