There are deaths that give eternal light, and there are deaths that leave a void that nothing fills, Martí said.
With a bit of both perceptions, Camagüey bid farewell this Sunday at the UNEAC headquarters to José Antonio Chávez Guetton, one of the most emblematic dancers and choreographers of performing arts in Cuba.
The news of his passing shook the cultural sector from the early hours of Sunday morning.
His ashes were received at the Provincial UNEAC headquarters to pay tribute with well-deserved flowers, the dance of his disciples, and aMartí exhibition in the background, just as he would have wanted.
The event was attended by Walter Simón Noris, President of the Provincial Defense Council; Armando Pérez Padrón, Provincial President of UNEAC; Kenny Ortigas Guerrero, Provincial Director of Culture, and other artists, family, and friends who offered their last words of farewell to the maestro.
Although he was born in Holguín, Chávez found in Camagüey his adopted land and the space to develop an exceptional career. Before dedicating himself to dance, he undertook diverse tasks: he delved into visual arts, worked on literacy in Santiago de Cuba, and studied theater with Raquel and Vicente Revuelta.
His choreographic legacy with the Ballet of Camagüey, the company he dedicated four decades to, includes fundamental works such as Ofelia, his first creation; Fidelio, considered transgressive for its treatment of nudity in Cuban dance.
His creative genius also gave life to pieces like Danzoneando, Arias, and his full version of the romantic ballet Giselle, to which he managed to give a peculiar charm without betraying its traditional codes. For this career, he received the National Dance Prize in 2023, a recognition for a lifetime devoted to art.
Thus, Camagüey bids farewell to the son who devoted his career to enriching the city’s culture, a maestro whose small stature concealed a towering figure in Cuban dance. His legacy will remain engraved in the collective memory of the island.
