USA & CANADA: 1- 877- 280- 2054 | 647- 351- 8191
Go to Authentic Cuba Travel® at authenticubatours.com
Go to Tours of Authentic Cuba Travel®
Contact Authentic Cuba Travel® at authenticubatours.com
Authentic Cuba Expert's Corner
Yane Marquez, Authentic Cuba Travel® Expert Travel Agent Hola! My name is Yane Marquez and I was born and raised in Cuba. After graduating from the University of Havana and the Tourism School of Cuba, I worked for over 10 years as a tour guide, translator and event organizer for Cuba's travel companies and organizations. I guided many groups attending Cuba's main international festivals, fairs and events. A few years ago, I moved to Canada where I have continued promoting Cuba’s tourism industry. I would be more than happy to answer any question you have about festival Cuba travel. Do not miss out!
Contact Me
Cuba's accomodation for this Cuba tour
Accomodation:
This Cuba tour offers the following Cuban hotels and Casas Particulares (Private Homestays):

5-Star Hotel
Quinta Avenida

by Valentin Hotels

Luxury Casa Particular
Private Cuban Residence

Destinations:
This Cuba tour travels to the following Cuban destinations:

Old Havana
UNESCO World Heritage Site in Havana City

Vinales Valley
UNESCO World Heritage Site in Western Cuba
How to go to the Cuba Ballet Festival from USA
About the Cuba Ballet Festival
The International Ballet Festival of Havana "Alicia Alonso", one of the world’s most prestigious dance festivals, takes place every other year and brings together many of the top Cuban and foreign ballet dancers. The non-competitive festival is designed to promote exchange between artists, critics, choreographers, business people and other professionals of the ballet world. The presentations include classics in the repertory of the world’s most famous companies to more modern choreographies. Some of the classics are Carmen, Don Quijote, Grand pas de deux Classique, Las Silfides, Coppelia, Theme and Variations, Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker. The numerous side activities are another attraction of the ballet festival. These include book presentations, conferences, movie showings and photography and painting exhibits. The festival has performances in several Cuban cities, but the most important venue is the capital, Havana.
How to Go?
Cuba Study Tours & Travel to Cuba from USA
US Cuba Study Tours & Travel
Authentic Cuba Travel® offers universities, colleges and schools from US, Canada and all over the world the best study trips to Cuba.

Business
Cuba Tours

HealthCare
Cuba Tours

Cultural
Cuba Tours

Nature
Cuba Tours

Religious
Cuba Tours

Architecture
Cuba Tours

US Cuba Educational Tours & Travel
Educational Travel to Cuba should be more than sunbathing in beautiful Caribbean beaches while sipping cold tropical drinks.

Spanish
Cuba Tours

Jazz
Cuba Tours

Ballet
Cuba Tours

Art
Cuba Tours

Sports
Cuba Tours

Dance
Cuba Tours

Cuba's Fire Festival

Cuba's Ballet Festival

JoJazz Havana Festival

Havana Art Biennial Cuba Tour

Havana Film Festival

Havana Jazz Festival

havana book fair

habano cigar festival

Official Ballet Festival of Havana 2024 Cuba Tour

Havana Ballet Festival 2024 Ballet Festival 2024 School of Ballet, Cuba Luxury Private Accommodation (Casa Particular) Discount Cuba Tours Cuba Tour Ballet Festival 2018 Eligibility for USA Cuba Travel USA Cuba Travel for US Schools USA Cuba Travel for US Organizations

Travel to Cuba for the 28th International Ballet Festival of Havana "Alicia Alonso" with Authentic Cuba Travel®
Unlimited Access to the Cuban Ballet World for as little as $2,999!


The Havana Ballet Festival Cuba Tour takes place from Oct 26 to Nov 2, 2024


Cuba Festival Travel | Referral Discount: $100

Tell A Friend!
Invite 1 Friend and Pay $2,899 only
Invite 2 Friends and Pay $2,799 only
Invite 3 Friends and Pay $2,699 only
Invite 4 Friends and Pay $2,599 only
Invite 10 Friends and Pay $0 only
And remember every person you invite
will also receive a $100 discount!


Authentic Cuba Travel® is pleased to present the official Cuba tour to the 28th International Havana Ballet Festival 2024 taking place from October 26 to November 2, 2024. The 28th Anniversary of the International Ballet Festival of Havana "Alicia Alonso" will take place from October 27, 2024 to November 5, 2024. With over twenty performances and several world premieres planned to take place at the Great Theatre of Havana, The Karl Marx Theatre and the Mella Theatre, the ballet festival is an incredible achievement when one considers the conditions and lack of resources faced by the theatres and company.

The energy and commitment of Alicia Alonso and her team made it all happened. Alicia Alonso’s tireless efforts combined with the permanent support from Cuban cultural institutions made it possible that today the National Ballet of Cuba shows with pride its very talented dancers capable of assuming an impressive repertoire that combines the most famous classical performances with the new trends.

Organized by the Cuba’s National Ballet every two years, the International Ballet Festival of Havana "Alicia Alonso" draws ballet dancers, choreographers and companies from all over the globe that turn Havana City into the mecca of classical dancing for a few days. Worth mentioning are companies such as the London Royal Ballet, the English National Ballet, the Scala de Milan and the Ballet del Teatro Colón, the American Ballet Theatre and the New York City Ballet; and renown ballet dancers such as Anette Delgado, Viengsay Valdés, Carlos Acosta, Sadaise Arencibia, Alejandro Virelles, Elier Bourzac, Ernesto Alvarez, Javier Torres José Lozada, Yanela Piñera, Yumiko Takeshima, Erina Takahashi, Jared Angle, José M. Carreño, Joaquin De Luz and many others.

Authentic Cuba Travel® warmly invites US Ballet Professionals, US Ballet Dancers, US Ballet Instructors & Coaches, US Choreographers, US Ballet Writers & Historians and other US professionals interested in the Cuba's Ballet Scene to attend the 28th International Ballet Festival of Havana "Alicia Alonso" 2024. The official Cuba tour will take place from October 26 to November 2, 2024.



The first festival was held in March, 1960, very soon after the foundation of the Cuba’s National Ballet and before the political conflict with the States had fully developed.

There were further festivals in 1966 and 1967, but from 1974 the festival has been held biennially every other fall. The festival has always been international in spirit, not just in name, welcoming foreign companies to perform their own ballets, and international dancers, to dance with the Cuba’s National Ballet and to perform pas de deux and solos both from the gala classic rep and individual pieces in one of the many 'mixed' programmes.

The 22nd International Ballet Festival of Havana opened with an official gala, attended by President Raul Castro and other political figures.

While the emphasis of the International Ballet Festivals of Havana may focus on ballet tradition, there are always some more modern choreographers, for example, the 2010 ballet festival included the Canadian Peter Quanz, in a new piece for the company, and David Dawson and Christopher Wheeldon in ballets brought by guest companies.

Our Cuba ballet tour will give you full access to all premieres, performances and biennial related venues taking place in Havana 2024.

Please, check the day-by-day itinerary below. Welcome Aboard!

Notice to US Conservatories of Ballet, US Ballet Schools, US Ballet Academies and Theatres, US Performing Arts Schools, and other Ballet Educational Institutions and Organizations from USA:



In January 2016, the US Government announced further enhancements to the 12 categories of authorized travel to Cuba that previously required a specific license (this is, lengthy applications to OFAC). Now travel to the Caribbean island is allowed under a general license (this is, self-completed paperwork with no application to OFAC needed).

After President Biden’s policy change on USA Cuba travel on June 9, 2022, the General License for Educational Activities remains in place. Accredited U.S. graduate or under graduate degree-granting institutions; U.S. Academic Institutions; and U.S. Schools can organize and sponsor an educational trip to Cuba for their students, faculty and staff under the General License for Educational Activities, provided that the trip meets OFAC guidelines; and that an employee or other representative of the organization escorts the trip to make sure such guidelines are followed by all participants.

US Conservatories of Ballet, US Ballet Schools, US Ballet Academies and Theatres, US Performing Arts Schools, and other Ballet Educational Institutions and Organizations from USA can organize and sponsor a trip to Cuba for educational activities. The purpose of the Cuba travel should be for:

_ the participation in a structured educational program offered for credit as part of a course of the sponsoring institution;

_ educational exchanges sponsored by Cuban or U.S. secondary schools involving secondary school students’ participation in a formal course of study or in a structured educational program offered by a secondary school or other academic institution, and led by a teacher or other secondary school official are authorized. This authorization allows for participation of a reasonable number of adult chaperones to accompany the secondary school students to Cuba.

_ attendance at non-commercial academic seminars, conferences and workshops related to Cuba sponsored or co-sponsored by U.S. academic institution.

_ non- commercial academic research related to Cuba for the purpose of obtaining a graduate or undergraduate degree;

_ the participation in a formal course of study at a Cuban academic institution provided that credits will be accepted toward the student’s graduate or undergraduate degree;

_ participation in a 10-week structured educational program in Cuba as part of a course offered at the U.S. institution;

_ participation in a formal 10-week course of study at a Cuban academic institution, provided the formal course of study in Cuba will be accepted for credit toward the student’s undergraduate or graduate degree at the U.S. institution;

We take care of all details both in North America and in Cuba, including VISA and flight arrangements to Cuba's main destinations via USA ports (Miami, Tampa, New York, Los Angeles, or other) or through third countries like Canada and Mexico. Authorized US organizations can travel through a third country subject to the same restrictions and requirements as those flying directly from USA.

At Authentic Cuba Travel®, we have been organizing such educational and cultural travel experiences from the United States of America for years with great success.


Notice to US Ballet Theatres, US Ballet Companies, US Centers for the Performing Arts, US Ballet Organizations, US Dance Teacher Associations, US Dance Councils, US Dance Academies, and other Ballet & Dance Institutions from USA:



US Ballet Theatres, US Ballet Companies, US Centers for the Performing Arts, US Ballet Organizations, US Dance Teacher Associations, US Dance Councils, US Dance Academies, and other Ballet & Dance Institutions from USA can organize a trip to Cuba under the provisions of the General License for Educational Activities, the General License for Group People-to-people Educational Travel, the General License for Support for the Cuban People, the General License for Professional Research, the General License for Semi-Professional & Amateur International Sports Competition, the General License for Humanitarian Projects, the General License for Activities of Private Foundations or Research or Educational Institutes among others. Certain conditions are to be met to comply with OFAC General License requirements for each category of USA Cuba travel though.

The mission of your organization and the objective of your trip to Cuba determine under what general license you can travel to Cuba legally. In general, most trips should consist of a full-time schedule of activities intended to promote the exchange with the ordinary citizens of Cuba. This full-time schedule must also include educational activities that result in meaningful interaction in between U.S and Cuban nationals. Free time in excess or regular tourists' activities are not permitted.

We take care of all details both in North America and in Cuba, including VISA and flight arrangements to Cuba's main destinations via USA ports (Miami, Tampa, New York, Los Angeles, or other) or through third countries like Canada and Mexico. Authorized US organizations can travel through a third country subject to the same restrictions and requirements as those flying directly from USA.

At Authentic Cuba Travel®, we have been organizing such educational and cultural travel experiences from the United States of America for years with great success.

Not a dance professional? Go to Cuba legally from USA



  • Cuba Real Tour 3Havana, Las Terrazas & VinalesMar 9- Mar 16, 2024Book Now
  • Cuba Real Tour 4Havana, Las Terrazas & VinalesApr 6- Apr 13, 2024Book Now
  • Cuba Real Tour 5Havana, Las Terrazas & VinalesMay 11- May 18, 2024Book Now
  • Cuba Real Tour 6Havana, Las Terrazas & Vinales Jun 8- Jun 15, 2024Book Now
  • Cuba Real Tour 7Havana, Las Terrazas & Vinales Jul 6- Jul 13, 2024Book Now
  • Cuba Real Tour 8Havana, Las Terrazas & VinalesAug 10- Aug 17, 2024Book Now
  • Cuba Real Tour 9Havana, Las Terrazas & VinalesSep 7- Sep 14, 2024Book Now
  • Cuba Real Tour 10Havana, Las Terrazas & VinalesOct 5- Oct 12, 2024Book Now
  • Cuba Real Tour 11Havana, Las Terrazas & VinalesNov 9- Nov 16, 2024Book Now
  • Cuba Real Tour 12Havana, Las Terrazas & VinalesDec 26- Jan 2, 2025Book Now
  • Cuba Real Tour 1Havana, Las Terrazas & VinalesJan 11- Jan 18, 2025Book Now
  • Cuba Real Tour 2Havana, Las Terrazas & VinalesFeb 8- Feb 15, 2025Book Now

  • Just a US traveler looking to go to Cuba on Support for the Cuban People tours?

  • Cuba Engage 3Havana, Bay of Pigs, Trinidad..Mar 9- Mar 16, 2024Book Now
  • Cuba Engage 4Havana, Bay of Pigs, Trinidad..Apr 6- Apr 13, 2024Book Now
  • Cuba Engage 5Havana, Bay of Pigs, Trinidad..May 11- May 18, 2024Book Now
  • Cuba Engage 6Havana, Bay of Pigs, Trinidad..Jun 8- Jun 15, 2024Book Now
  • Cuba Engage 7Havana, Bay of Pigs, Trinidad..Jul 6- Jul 13, 2024Book Now
  • Cuba Engage 8Havana, Bay of Pigs, Trinidad..Aug 10- Aug 17, 2024Book Now
  • Cuba Engage 9Havana, Bay of Pigs, Trinidad..Sep 7- Sep 14, 2024Book Now
  • Cuba Engage 10Havana, Bay of Pigs, Trinidad..Oct 5- Oct 12, 2024Book Now
  • Cuba Engage 11Havana, Bay of Pigs, Trinidad..Nov 9- Nov 16, 2024Book Now
  • Cuba Engage 12Havana, Bay of Pigs, Trinidad..Dec 26- Jan 2, 2025Book Now
  • Cuba Engage 1Havana, Bay of Pigs, Trinidad..Jan 11- Jan 18, 2025Book Now
  • Cuba Engage 2Havana, Bay of Pigs, Trinidad..Feb 8- Feb 15, 2025Book Now

  • Are you a US K-12 teacher, university or school professor? Check these tours!

  • Cuba Education Tour 1Havana, Cienfuegos & Trinidad Feb 24- Mar 2, 2024Book Now
  • Cuba Education Tour 2Havana, Cienfuegos & Trinidad Mar 2- Mar 9, 2024Book Now
  • Cuba Education Tour 3Havana, Bay of Pigs, Santa..Mar 9- Mar 16, 2024Book Now
  • Cuba Education Tour 4Havana, Las Terrazas & Vinales Mar 16- Mar 23, 2024Book Now
  • Cuba Education Tour 5Havana, Cienfuegos & Trinidad Jun 8- Jun 15, 2024Book Now
  • Cuba Education Tour 6Havana & Santiago de Cuba Jul 6- Jul 13, 2024Book Now
  • Cuba Education Tour 7Havana, Las Terrazas & Vinales Jul 13- Jul 20, 2024Book Now
  • Cuba Education Tour 8Havana, Cienfuegos & TrinidadAug 10- Aug 17, 2024Book Now
  • Cuba Education Tour 9Havana, Cienfuegos & TrinidadDec 26- Jan 2, 2025Book Now
  • Cuba Education Tour 10Havana, Bay of Pigs, Santa.. Dec 26- Jan 2, 2025Book Now
  • Cuba Education Tour 11Havana & Santiago de Cuba Dec 26- Jan 2, 2025Book Now

  • Havana Ballet Festival
    Cuba Tour Highlights:

    • Professional Research General License OFAC Compliance.
    • Full-Time Schedule of Professional Research Activities.
    • 7 nights at Hotel Presidente (E) or Melia Cohiba (P) breakfast included.
    • Daily Attendance to Ballet Festival Venues & Events.
    • Luxury 24/7 Dedicated Air-conditioned Motor Coach and Driver.
    • An Expert Cuban English Speaking Guide and Translator
    • Support from Authentic Cuba Travel®' Staff in Cuba and Canada.
    • 11 Meals Included: 8 Breakfasts, 3 Lunches.
    • Tour of UNESCO World Heritage Site, Havana Historical Centre.
    • Travel to UNESCO World Heritage Site, Vinales Valley.
    • Unlimited access to venues of the Havana Ballet Festival, 2020.
    • Pre-arranged Seating at Havana's Ballet Festival main Theatres.
    • Lunch hosted by world renowned Cuban artists Jose Fuster.
    • Attend Art Show & Side Activities of Havana's Ballet Festival.
    • Guided tour of Partagas Cigar Factory, founded in 1845.
    • Rub shoulders with Cuban & international Renown Ballet Dancers!
    • Visit to Cuba's National Art Schools.
    • Private visit to the National Ballet School of Cuba.
    • Guided tour of the Museum of Fine Arts' Cuban Collection.
    • Free time in the famous Handicraft Market of Old Havana.

    GENERAL LICENSE FOR PROFESSIONAL RESEARCH CUBA TRAVEL



    US Ballet Professionals, US Ballet Dancers, US Ballet Instructors & Coaches, US Choreographers, US Ballet Writers & Historians and other Ballet Professionals from USA interested in conducting professional research on Cuba's Ballet Scene can travel to Cuba under the provisions of the General License for Professional Research.

    CATEGORY: General license for Professional Research and Professional Meetings- 31 C.F.R. § 515.564(a)(1) of the current Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) regulations.

    The travel- related transactions set forth in § 515.560(c) and such additional transactions as are directly incident to professional research are authorized, provided that:

    (i) The purpose of the research directly relates to the traveler’s profession, professional background, or area of expertise, including area of graduate-level full-time study;

    (ii) The traveler does not engage in recreational travel, tourist travel, travel in pursuit of a hobby, or research for personal satisfaction only; and

    (iii) The traveler’s schedule of activities does not include free time or recreation in excess of that consistent with a full-time schedule of professional research.

    We provide our US travelers with all the required documentation to ensure they are in compliance with 2022 Biden administration’s rules on Cuba travel under the US Cuba Travel category: Professional Research and Professional Meetings. US travelers can choose to depart to Cuba from any US port of their choosing.

    Cuba's National Ballet - Ballet Festival Cuba Tour 2018. The National Ballet School of Cuba has come to be known as one of the finest centers for classical ballet training in the world. It has produced such dancers as Jose Manuel Carreno, Adiarys Almeida, Rolando Sarabia, Viengsay Valdes, Osiel Gounod, and Lorena Feijoo among many others. The school has a reputation for producing dancers that hold high standards in ballet technique and perform with a great level of authority, artistry, passion, and style.
    Cuba's National Ballet School- Ballet Festival Cuba Tour 2018. The Cuba Ballet School’s facilities are some of the most beautiful in the world with the National Ballet School of Canada and The Royal Ballet School in close competition. The sustained success of the Cuban National Ballet should come as no surprise when you take into account the fact that there is a school affiliated with the ballet which is the largest ballet school in the world. There are about 4300 students at the Cuban National Ballet School at any one time, a cohort that the school can select from the approx 50,000 people who apply to the school every year.
    Great Theatre of Havana - Havana Ballet Festival 2018. Enjoy a guided tour of the Great Theater of Havana, home of the Cuba's National Ballet and main venue of the International Ballet Festival of Havana "Alicia Alonso" . Performers here have included the great ballerinas Fanny Elssler and Anna Pavlova, the major opera singer Enrico Caruso and the great actresses Sarah Bernhardt and Eleonora Dusse. The theater is also used by Havana's flamenco ensemble and by the opera company.
     Cuba Ballet School- Havana Ballet Festival 2018. The Cuba Ballet School is known for producing strong technicians and education by this institution guarantees an ability to showstop. The male students produced by the school are well known for their turns and jumps. They are known for doing many pirouettes and highly spectacular, unconventional leaps. Cuba ballet education is integral: Cuban students get French- because the steps are taught in French; you get piano; you get history ... and if you don't pass any given subject, you don't go to the next level. They are exposed to many cultural aspects. They study Cuban modern dance, social dance. Cuban ballet dancers are very well versed in the language of the body, which gives them an incredible sensibility that gives warmth to the audience.
    Guided tour of Cuba's National Art School Guided tour of Cuba's National Art School. Meet with Cuban art students and professors. The schools were designed and built by architects Cuban Ricardo Porro and the Italians Roberto Gottardi and Vittorio Garatti from 1961 to 1965, in the former affluent neighbourhood of Country Club Park (today known as Cubanacán), specifically on the grounds of the Havana Country Club golf course.
     Ballet New York- Havana Ballet Festival 2018. Organized by the Cuba’s National Ballet every two years, the International Ballet Festival of Havana "Alicia Alonso" draws ballet dancers, choreographers and companies from all over the globe that turn Havana City into the mecca of classical dancing for a few days. Worth mentioning are companies such as the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre, London Royal Ballet, the English National Ballet, the Scala de Milan and the Ballet del Teatro Colón, the American Ballet Theatre and the New York City Ballet.
    Day 1. Saturday 26 October 2024.
    Hello Cuba
    Arrival at "Jose Marti" International Airport in Havana City.

    You are welcomed by your Cuban guide and bus driver for the entire tour.

    Transfer to your Luxury Casa Particular or Quinta Avenida Hotel.

    Private group check-in.

    Breakfast is complimentary from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
    Day 2. Sunday 27 October 2024.
    Havana
    Morning: guided walking tour of UNESCO World Heritage Site, Old Havana.

    Visit to the Cathedral Square, named after the masterpiece of Cuban baroque architecture: the Cathedral of Havana built by the Jesuit order.

    The Cathedral's baroque facade is simultaneously intimate and imposing, and one of the two towers is visibly larger, creating a pleasing asymmetry. As with many churches in the city, the building material of Havana Cathedral includes coral, cut and hauled from the edge of the sea by slaves. Look carefully and you'll see fossils of marine flora and fauna in the stone of the cathedral.

    Visit to Square of Arms, ancient military parade ground for Spanish soldiers and surrounded by impressive buildings such as:

    Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, the former official residence of the governors (Captains General) of Havana, Cuba. It is home to the Museum of the City of Havana. It houses exhibitions of art and historical artefacts and many of the rooms are preserved with their original Colonial decoration.

    Palacio del Segundo Cabo. The seat of the second authority of the island. Today it houses important publishing concerns.

    Castillo de la Real Fuerza. The second oldest fortress built by the Spaniards in the West Indies. The castle was recently renovated and reopened in June 2008 to hold the impressive maritime museum. Well laid out exhibits chart Spain and Cuba's naval history.

    Welcome Lunch: a new wave of paladares (privately-owned restaurants) has recently swept the Cuban dining scene offering excellent food and charming ambient. Today we’ll enjoy a welcome lunch at the stylish Paladar San Cristobal, one of Havana's top ten private restaurants.

    Visit to Plaza Vieja, the only civic square of colonial times. Notice it doesn't have a church or government building around. Here we will visit important institutions for visual arts.

    Continue walking tour onto San Francisco Square, named after the Convent of San Francisco, this square was conceived in 1628, with the objective of supplying water to the ships trading with the metropolis. For many years it also served to stockpile the goods arriving from the harbor.

    Chronicles of the time say that the square had a busy commercial life. The people, in humble carts or afoot, sold and bought a variety of goods. It’s important to know that through this place the Spanish immigrants arrived to Cuba.

    Free time in the famous handicraft market of Old Havana, located inside the Almacenes de Depósito San José, an old warehouse on the harbourside where you can purchase all sorts of crafts and souvenirs by local artisans.

    Return to your private rental accomodation.

    Evening: attend ballet performance at the Great Theatre of Havana, Karl Marx Theatre, National Theatre of Cuba or Mella Theatre. Your tour guide will provide you with tonight's tickets for the pre-arranged venue of the International Ballet Festival of Havana "Alicia Alonso" (taxi cost, not included). All theatres are within 10- 15 minute drive from your hotel.
    Day 3. Monday 28 October 2024.
    Day trip to Vinales Valley
    Day tour to Vinales Valley, containing the most spectacular scenery in Cuba and some of the most interesting and varied geological formations on the island. The valley is particularly famous for its great freestanding rock formations called mogotes.

    Visit local tobacco growing farms and meet with local farmers that have been passing from generation to generation the secrets of growing the best tobacco in the world.

    Visit to Mural de la Prehistoria, a huge painting on the side of a Mogote.

    We will enjoy a delicious traditional countryside lunch at the privately-owned bar-restaurant Paladar Yuri & Nino, El Campesino. Yuri is a young woman entrepreneur who started this small restaurant that has expanded into a large establishment. Yuri and her family work hard to create delicious and plentiful food that comes with a beautiful mountain view.

    After lunch we will visit the Cueva del Indio, used by the Guanahatabey Amerindians as a burial site in ancient time, and as refuge from the Spaniards for both Indians and Black slaves alike. We’ll take a short boat ride on the subterranean river running through the cave.

    Explore Viñales town at your leisure: its open-air craft market, Parque Marti, town church, and other interesting sites of this charming colonial hamlet.

    Visit Carmen and Caridad Miranda’s botanical garden, called the Viñales Botanical Garden. The two widows maintain a garden full of fruits, orchids and medicinal plants.

    Return to Havana city.

    Evening: attend ballet performance at the Great Theatre of Havana, Karl Marx Theatre, National Theatre of Cuba or Mella Theatre. Your tour guide will provide you with tonight's tickets for the pre-arranged venue of the International Ballet Festival of Havana "Alicia Alonso" (taxi cost, not included). All theatres are within 10- 15 minute drive from your hotel.
    Day 4. Tuesday 29 October 2024.
    Havana
    Morning: guided tour of Cuba's National Art Schools (ISA). ISA professors are all active visual artists, art curators or art critics. The faculty of visual arts provides a combination of theory and practice designed for students serious about pursuing artistic achievement through concentrated study.

    Study at the Institute is comparable to conservatory work in the United States. This is a great opportunity to exchange with the new generation of Cuban visual artists. Meet with students and professors.

    We are now "leaving" Havana and entering Fusterlandia, the studio, residence and wild kingdom of José Rodriguez Fuster, one of the most important Cuban ceramists and painters today. Lunch hosted by Jose Fuster.

    Afternoon: Free to attend art shows, exhibits by the Cuban Film Industry, lectures and all cultural events related to the 26th International Ballet Festival of Havana "Alicia Alonso" . There would be more than dozen cultural events happening in the city around the ballet festival of Havana.

    Evening: attend ballet performance at the Great Theatre of Havana, Karl Marx Theatre, National Theatre of Cuba or Mella Theatre. Your tour guide will provide you with tonight's tickets for the pre-arranged venue of the International Ballet Festival of Havana "Alicia Alonso" (taxi cost, not included). All theatres are within 10- 15 minute drive from your hotel.
    Day 5. Wednesday 30 October 2024.
    Havana
    Morning: visit to the National Ballet School of Cuba has come to be known as one of the finest centers for classical ballet training in the world. It has produced such dancers as Jose Manuel Carreno, Adiarys Almeida, Rolando Sarabia, Viengsay Valdes, Osiel Gounod, and Lorena Feijoo among many others. The school has a reputation for producing dancers that hold high standards in ballet technique and perform with a great level of authority, artistry, passion, and style. Exchange with professors and students.

    Lunch on your own.

    Afternoon: free to attend art shows, exhibits by the Cuban Film Industry, lectures and all cultural events related to the 26th International Ballet Festival of Havana "Alicia Alonso" . There would be more than dozen cultural events happening in the city around the ballet festival of Havana.

    Evening: attend ballet performance at the Great Theatre of Havana, Karl Marx Theatre, National Theatre of Cuba or Mella Theatre. Your tour guide will provide you with tonight's tickets for the pre-arranged venue of the International Ballet Festival of Havana "Alicia Alonso" (taxi cost, not included). All theatres are within 10- 15 minute drive from your hotel.
    Day 6. Thursday 31 October 2024.
    Havana
    Morning: guided tour of the Museum of Fine Arts' Cuban Collection where we see the evolution of Cuba's visual arts over the last 300 years. The collection accounts for the richness of our Spanish, French, Chinese, African cultural roots.

    Lunch on your own.

    Afternoon: free to attend art shows, exhibits by the Cuban Film Industry, lectures and all cultural events related to the 26th International Ballet Festival of Havana "Alicia Alonso" . There would be more than dozen cultural events happening in the city around the ballet festival of Havana.

    Evening: attend ballet performance at the Great Theatre of Havana, Karl Marx Theatre, National Theatre of Cuba or Mella Theatre. Your tour guide will provide you with tonight's tickets for the pre-arranged venue of the International Ballet Festival of Havana "Alicia Alonso" (taxi cost, not included). All theatres are within 10- 15 minute drive from your hotel.
    Day 7. Friday 1 November 2024.
    Havana
    Morning: visit to Partagas Cigar Factory, founded in 1845 by Spaniard Don Jaime Partagas. Don Jaime owned many of the best plantations in the Vuelta Abajo tobacco-growing region of Cuba and being able to choose from among the finest tobaccos on the island made the brand Partagas incredibly successful.

    Don Jaime is also believed to have experimented with various methods of fermenting and aging tobacco and is legendarily credited with hiring the first lector to read to and entertain the cigar rollers as they worked. Before and after the Revolution, the Cuban-produced Partagás has been one of the most revered and highest-selling brands of cigars in the world.

    Lunch on your own.

    Afternoon: free to attend art shows, exhibits by the Cuban Film Industry, lectures and all cultural events related to the 26th International Ballet Festival of Havana "Alicia Alonso" . There would be more than dozen cultural events happening in the city around the ballet festival of Havana.

    Evening: attend ballet performance at the Great Theatre of Havana, Karl Marx Theatre, National Theatre of Cuba or Mella Theatre. Your tour guide will provide you with tonight's tickets for the pre-arranged venue of the International Ballet Festival of Havana "Alicia Alonso" (taxi cost, not included). All theatres are within 10- 15 minute drive from your hotel.
    Day 8. Saturday 2 November 2024. Departure
    Early morning departure to Havana City International Airport for departure.

    Want to Take Your Students to Cuba?

    Cuba School Tours
    Do not wait any longer. Now is the time to start planning the next Cuba tour for your students. Your students will consider traveling to Cuba an experience of a lifetime. They will come home optimistic and inspired by fresh perspectives on what is possible not only personally but also socially. Request a custom-made Cuba Educational Trip and complimentary no-obligation Quote for your students, and check some of the resources we put at your service. Request School Tour to Cuba Now!

    Check Our Most Popular Cuba Study Trips

    Biography of Alicia Alonso



    Alicia Alonso, who is director and choreographer of the Cuban National Ballet, was born in Havana, where she began studying dance in 1931. She made her professional debut in the United States of America in 1938 after training with Enrico Zanfretta, Alexandra Fedorova and other teachers at the School of American Ballet.

    A year later, she joined the American Ballet Caravan, predecessor of the New York City Ballet of which she became a member of in 1940. It was beginning one of the greatest periods of her career, in which she interpreted roles in the great romantic and classic works alongside Mikhail Fokine, George Balanchine, Leonide Massine, Bronislava Nijinska, Antony Tudor, Jerome Robbins and Agnes de Mille.

    She was the star of world premières of works such as Undertow, Fall River Legend and Theme and Variations. During this period she also danced as a prima ballerina in a many countries in Europe and the Americas.

    She was keen to foster ballet in Cuba and in 1948 founded the Alicia Alonso Ballet Company, now the Cuban National Ballet, which she still directs. Her choreographies of great classics (such as Giselle, Grand Pas de Quatre, La Bella Durmiente del Bosque and La Fille mal gardée) are world-renowned and have been staged by the Ballets of the Operas of Paris, Vienna and Prague, as well as the Ballet San Carlo in Naples and Milan's La Scala.

    Alonso, who admits to two great passions, "dancing and life," has honorary doctorates from Havana University and the Polytechnic University of Valencia (Spain). In June 1999, UNESCO awarded her its Pablo Picasso Medal for her outstanding contribution to dance.

    As director and leading figure in the Cuban National Ballet, she has been an inspiration and guide to a new generation of Cuban ballerinas who have won a distinguished place in world ballet.

    Help & FAQ at authenticubatours.com
    Authentic Cuba Travel® at authenticubatours.com
    Go to Tours of Authentic Cuba Travel®
    Contact authenticubatours.com
    memberships_authentic_cuba_travel