CubaPLUS Magazine

Founded eight years ago as a dancer's dream, the Allegro Dance Academy is now a beautiful project dedicated to preparing children between the ages of 5 and 10 who love dance and who can become professionals in this beautiful art form, based on body expression, usually accompanied by music.

Just this Sunday, the academy's eighth anniversary celebration took place at the Teatro América in Havana. Students from the school and other guests attended, performing a magnificent show called “Around the World,” which included dances from numerous countries around the world.

Regarding this, CubaPLUS Magazine interviewed dancer and teacher Nilkia Fonseca, who gives her best every day, with love and dedication, so that future professional dancers can achieve their dream. 

“The academy was founded in 2017 by Kamila D. Chediak, a dancer, teacher, and member of UNESCO's International Dance Council (IDC). At the time, she only had one student, and as more students began to arrive, she needed to find a larger space, which was the Casa de Cultura in the Alamar neighborhood of Havana. For the past four years, the school has been located at the Arabm Union of Cuba, on Avenida Prado in Old Havana.”

Thus, the teacher continued, the project began to take shape. First, with choreographic productions and physical training for the girls we teach, who are very strong for their ages. We have to work hard and consistently so that the students can acquire the technique, with very technical goals, both in physical preparation and in ballet.” 

“We include technique through different activities and recreational activities so that they can reach them, since they are still very young,” she explained. 

So far, we have managed to get several girls to achieve their goal of entering the ballet school, and this year, one girl and one boy are in the process, and we expect two more girls to apply next year,” she noted. 

This young teacher, whose dream was also and achieved being a dancer, recommends that those who aspire to become one must be very persistent if their dream is to study ballet. “It is something difficult to achieve; it requires a lot of daily work, it requires a lot of support from their parents, and they need a very strong conviction that it is what they want in life.” 

“Many times, they will have muscle pain, sleepiness, they will want to swear and do other things that children do, typical of their age, but they have to limit those activities like riding a bike or rollerblading, because they have to take care of their body, which is. “ These lessons are not just about the art of dancing, but about the importance of learning how to dance. If they injure it, it could cut short their career and future,” he warned.

Regarding the future of the academy, he added: "Allegro Dance is a young project, although it has a great future ahead. We have many young girls who need to continue preparing so they can achieve their goal. There are others who don't aim to become professionals, but who are familiar with the project and see it as a way to relax and have fun. Parents are also interested in having their children participate in the project because, in addition to art, they are taught discipline, teamwork, and other social and cognitive skills that they can acquire through these classes.

"Our doors are always open to all children who want to be dancers or simply pursue an activity that will surely benefit them, in one way or another, in their future lives, "he concluded. 

For more information: https://www.instagram.com/allegro_dance_academy