Cuban Dancer Jose Manuel Carreño Planning Flamenco Debut

HAVANA TIMES, April 18 — The Cuban dancer Jose Manuel Carreño will debut as a flamenco dancer during the gala for the 25th anniversary of the Spanish Ballet of Cuba, which begins Thursday in this capital, reported the Prensa Latina news agency.

Carreño will again perform the role of Don Jose in the work Carmen, but this time in its flamenco version.

For the celebrated dancer, 43, it is a “big challenge to change classic ballet shoes for a pair of boots, but I’m happy and anxious. It’s amazing how difficult it is to master the art of flamenco,” he explained.

After a 25-year career, 16 of them with the American Ballet Theatre, this was a dream come true. However his goal remains to “start my own company and achieve another of my big dreams: to appear in a Broadway musical,” he said.