Lorna Feijóo

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Lorna Feijóo
Born1974/1975 (age 46–47)
Havana, Cuba
EducationCuban National Ballet School
Spouse(s)
Nelson Madrigal
​
(m. 2000)​
Former groupsBoston Ballet
Cuban National Ballet
Cincinnati Ballet
Websitewww.feijooballetschool.com

Lorna Feijóo (born 1974 or 1975)[1] is a Cuban former ballet dancer. Her career started at the Cuban National Ballet, where she rose through the ranks. She left Cuba in 2001, then spent two years with the Cincinnati Ballet, before joining the Boston Ballet in 2003, where she remained as a principal dancer until she retired. Her sister, Lorena Feijóo, was also a ballet dancer.

Early life and training[]

Feijóo was born in Havana.[1] Her mother was danced with the Cuban National Ballet and later a ballet teacher, and her father was an actor. Her sister, Lorena Feijóo, would later be a principal dancer of the San Francisco Ballet.[2] Lorna initially wanted to "just do a bit of everything and decide later," but was "mesmerized" by seeing her sister dance and decided to do the same.[3] Her mother initially discouraged her to pursue ballet, fearing competitions between the sisters, and advised her to choose modern dance instead,[2] though at age ten, Lorna sneaked into a Cuban National Ballet School audition and was accepted.[4] Under the direction of Cuban National Ballet founder Alicia Alonso,[3] she received Russian, French, American and Cuban styles trainings.[4] Lorena left Cuba while Lorna was a student.[2]

Career[]

Feijóo joined the Cuban National Ballet when she was eighteen.[5] She made her company debut in Swan Lake at the National Theatre of Cuba.[6] By then, Alicia Alonso had finally retired from performing and women were given more opportunities.[7] She rose through the ranks, and received critical acclaim for her performances in both Cuba and on international tours, including in Swan Lake and Giselle. In return, she was allowed to perform with a ballet company abroad.[5]

The Joffrey Ballet, a company based in Chicago, where her sister was dancing at the time, once offered a guest contract to Feijóo, but was unable to join due to visa issues.[5] Instead, in 1997, she and Nelson Madrigal, her colleague and future husband, performed with Ballett Zürich, directed by Heinz Spoerli, as a guest for a year, and met ballet master Mikko Nissinen. They returned to Cuba after their contracts ended.[7][8] In 2000, she was coached by former New York City Ballet principal dancer Merrill Ashley for Balanchine's Ballo della Regina.[2] In 2001, Feijóo and Madrigal, now married, left Cuba and joined Cincinnati Ballet. Victoria Morgan, the company's driector, spotted her in Havana. In Cincinnati, one of the ballets the couple danced was Balanchine's Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux.[7]

In 2003, Feijóo joined the Boston Ballet as a principal dancer.[1] Nissinen, who had become the artistic director of the company, had tried to hire Feijóo since he assumed the role.[9] In 2004, Lorna and Lorena Feijóo performed together for the first time, in a one-night-only Boston Ballet performance of Swan Lake, with Lorna as Odette and Lorena as Odile, roles normally performed by the same dancer. Madrigal partnered both of them.[4] At the company, in addition to classical, she also danced works by George Balanchine, John Cranko, Jiří Kylián, William Forsythe, Val Caniparoli and Peter Martins.[6][7]

Outside of the Boston Ballet, Feijóo had also performed with The Royal Ballet,[7] American Ballet Theatre[3] and New York City Ballet. With the latter, she and then-San Francisco Ballet principal dancer Gonzalo Garcia performed Balanchine's Ballo della Regina, for Balanchine's centennial celebration.[10] In 2008, the Feijóo sisters appeared on Sesame Street, dancing Caniparoli's Lambarena.[11] In 2011, the Feijóos and American Ballet Theatre principal dancer José Manuel Carreño performed a specially choreographed version of Swan Lake on Dancing with the Stars.[12] Alonso gave Feijóo an open invitation to perform in Cuba.[4]

Feijóo remained in the Boston Ballet until her retirement. She went on to direct the Feijóo Ballet School in Dickinson, Texas, and taught at Carlos Acosta's Acosta/Danza in Havana as a guest teacher.[13]

Personal life[]

In 1997, Feijóo began dating fellow Cuban dancer Nelson Madrigal, who would also be a principal dancer with the Boston Ballet. They married in 2000.[8]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Lebovits, Susan Chaityn (February 12, 2008). "Dance partners". The Boston Globe.
  2. ^ a b c d John, Suki (October 9, 2005). "On Separate Coasts, a Sisterly Pas de Deux". New York Times.
  3. ^ a b c Martinez, Nicole (August 7, 2015). "Ballerinas Lorna and Lorena Feijóo Talk Sibling Rivalry, Star Quality, and Leaving Cuba". Miami New Times.
  4. ^ a b c d "Ballerina sisters are winning raves on both coasts". Deseret News. December 4, 2005.
  5. ^ a b c Levin, Jordan (December 20, 1998). "Equal, but Separate". Los Angeles Times.
  6. ^ a b Hernandez, Nelson (January 13, 2013). "Lorna Feijóo: One of the Cuban Ballet Greats". Havana Times.
  7. ^ a b c d e Roca, Octavio (2010). Cuban Ballet. p. 144-156. ISBN 9781423615408.
  8. ^ a b "Romance in Dance: Seven Personal Pas de Deux". Dance Magazine. July 20, 2007.
  9. ^ Temin, Christine (May 19, 2004). "Couple are a perfect match for 'Swan Lake'". The Boston Globe.
  10. ^ Kisselgoff, Anna (May 15, 2004). "Ballet Review; Two Guests Uncover a Different Side of Balanchine". New York Times.
  11. ^ Hellwig, Rachel (September 7, 2017). "#TBT: Ballet on Sesame Street—Suzanne Farrell, Angel Corella, Misty Copeland and More!". Pointe Magazine.
  12. ^ "José Manuel Carreño and the Feijoo sisters on Dancing with the Stars". Gramilano. April 13, 2011.
  13. ^ Singer, Toba (December 18, 2018). "Inside Acosta/Danza, Where Risk Meets Reward". Pointe Magazine.

External links[]

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