The Camagüey Ballet is a gift that today prima ballerina Rosa María Rodríguez Armengol did not expect. The 10 years of her artistic life have surprised her with many opportunities that made her fall in love with dance.

Although she is the daughter of dancers, her first steps were in gymnastics, but her injury made her look at other paths and her parents, who saw her dancing skills gave her the boost she needed to awake her sleeping talent.

For them, she dances each work and she always thinks about their criteria, how much pride they feel in her path, the one that takes a lot of sacrifice, intense work and a great dedication that translates into respect for the public.

Her beginnings

At the Luis Casa Romero art school, then at the National Academy, far from home and from his home teachers, graduation came and his mother, the dancer Elda María Almengor, was touring Egypt, but her grandparents as guardian angels, were there to support her.

Tenderly, confesses that her grandfather is the number one admirer and does not miss a show for nothing in the world, from the front row they connect with a quick glance, which gives Rosa María the security of always doing better, because her lucky charm is there.

A Lucky Girl

At the end of school in the capital, she entered the Camagüey Ballet and a tour to France hastened her work, she did not have to wait like any recent graduate, she was immediately preparing in a play and many others have given her the joy of playing various roles.

Sharing dances with his mother is one of the experiences she has enjoyed the most, the gallery of his perpetual house in black and white, the images of those happy days, so it was with the Flower Festival in Genzano, Paquita, Swan Lake, Don Quixote and in the case of Giselle, played mother and daughter, but on pointe shoes.

She says that Elda María is her biggest critic, she is a very demanding teacher and has taught her a lot, but at the same time she recognizes that her achievements are due to her own effort and not because she is the daughter of dancers.

Gratitude

She owes her teachers, both in Camagüey and in Havana a lot, gratitude is little to express the love she professes for guiding her on the magical path of the Ballet, but the Camagüey Company is her second home, it is the eternal commitment to the dance and the public to whom she is thankful for.

A prize

She is never satisfied with the result of her dances, but the jury sees her differently, because not by chance in 2017 she was awarded the category of prima ballerina of the group, in addition to some medals that speak of her quality at work, while she waits for the forthcoming Mirror of Patience distinction.

The young dancer, also shares a love for teaching and teaches classes at the Vicentina de la Torres Academy, where the Camagüey Ballet young academy is located.

She is now preparing herself with the play Sheresade, where she plays that character from the story One Thousand and One Nights, which will premiere for the 54th anniversary in December.

Her passion

Rosa María cannot imagine life away from the scene, she is happy dancing and although she knows that a dancer’s career is short, she wants hers to be as diverse as possible, until today her leading role in Giselle is the role she has enjoyed the most, So she defines her career with one word: Passion.

Translated by: Aileen Álvarez García