Midsummer Night's Dream welcomes guest artist from National Ballet of Cuba

The guest artist for Next Generation Ballet’s upcoming production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream hails to us from the National Ballet of Cuba.

Hoping to make a better life for himself here, Nieser Zambranan recently defected to the United States while on tour with the Cuban ballet company in Canada. Staying with relatives in Tampa, he came to the Patel Conservatory to train.

He will perform the lead role of Puck in the full-length adaptation of Shakespeare’s fantasy set to the music of Felix Mendelssohn, with choreography by Richard Cook.

“Nieser is a huge young talent and we are thrilled to help him with his transition from Cuba including him in our amazing production,” said director Peter Stark.

Zambranan studied ballet at the National Ballet of Cuba School where he won a silver medal at the National Competition in Havana. He joined the National Ballet of Cuba in 2007 where he danced in many classical ballets including Swan Lake, Giselle, Coppelia and Don Quixote. Zambrana was also a principal guest artist with the National Ballet of Venezuela where he danced the Cavalier in Nutcracker and the Torero in Carmen.


Come see Zambranan alongside Next Generation Ballet dancers and students from the Patel Conservatory Youth Ballet in A Midsummer Night's Dream on May 14, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. in Ferguson Hall at the Straz Center in Tampa.