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The Hermanos Saíz Association, an organization that brings together the young artistic and intellectual avant-garde of Cuba, has conferred the Ramiro Guerra Interpretation Award in Contemporary Dance to Marta Ortega and Carlos Luis Blanco, dancers who are part of the cast of Acosta Danza.

The award is given each year to dancers who, along with their excellent professional performance on the scene, have shown an increasing artistic development and a great spirit of self-improvement. Along with Ortega and Blanco were awarded the Ramiro Guerra Prize in the category of folkloric dance Gisbel Pozo, from the company Raíces Profundas and Leiván García member of the Conjunto Folklórico Nacional de Cuba, together with a special award given to the dancer Julio César Rodríguez Azahares, a student at the Higher Institute of Art.

The jury - presided by the teacher Lilian Chacón, and integrated by the teachers Manolo Micler, María Borroto, Noel Bonilla and Andrés de Abreu - made his analysis taking into account the professional performance of the dancers during the year that ends.

Marta Ortega was born in Havana and studied at the ballet school Alejo Carpentier and at the National Ballet School. He graduated from the Escuela Nacional de Danza in 2008 and became part of the cast of Contemporary Dance of Cuba. In this company, he danced works by Mats Ek, George Céspedes, Rafael Bonachela, Jan Linkens, Itzik Galili, Pedro Ruiz, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Carlos Acosta and Billy Cowie, among other choreographers. She graduated from the University of the Arts of Cuba (ISA). He has performed on stages in Italy, United Kingdom, Holland. Mexico, Spain, the United States, Australia, France, Germany, Switzerland, among others. Since 2015, he is part of Acosta Danza, a company directed by Carlos Acosta. He has danced choreographies such as Around there is nothing (Alrededor no hay nada) and Imponderable, by Goyo Montero; Carmen and Tocororo Suite, by Carlos Acosta; Babbel 2.0, by María Rovira; Derrumbe, by Miguel Altunaga; Twelve by Jorge Crecis; Avium, by Ely Regina Hernández and Nosotros, by Beatriz García and Raúl Reinoso. His recent interpretation of the Mermaid duo - of the Belgian Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui -, accompanied by Carlos Acosta, assured him the applause of the specialized critic of the United Kingdom.

For his part, Carlos Luis Blanco was born in Pinar del Río. He completed his dance training at the National School of Art. He was part of the cast of the Corpus company, Spíritu, Alma, directed by Tangin Fong. In 2009 he became part of the dancers of Contemporary Dance of Cuba, under the direction of maestro Miguel Iglesias. He has danced choreographies by Eduardo Rivero, Rafael Bonachela, George Céspedes, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Kenneth Kvamstrom, Jan Linkens, Itsik Galili, Norge Cedeño, Juan Kruz Díaz de Garaio, Julio César Iglesias and Carlos Acosta. He has performed in stages in France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Colombia, Switzerland, Holland, Mexico, the United States and in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. In 2015 he obtained the Male Performance Award from the UNEAC and he became part of Acosta Danza. He has integrated the cast of pieces such as Faun by Sidi Larbi Sherkaoui; Around there is nothing (Alrededor no hay nada) and Imponderable, by Goyo Montero; From end to end (De punta a cabo), by Alexis Fernández (Maca); Carmen and Tocororo Suite, by Carlos Acosta; Twelve, by Jorge Crecis; Belles Lettres, by Justin Peck; Babbel 2.0, by María Rovira and El cruce sobre el Niagara, by Marianela Boán, a duo for which her performance was praised by the main dance critics of the United Kingdom.

The Ramiro Guerra Interpretation Prize will be awarded at five o'clock in the afternoon of today, Friday, December 15, at the headquarters of the Hermanos Saíz Association in the Cuba Pavilion at La Habana.