Vida Y Danza Cuba - Life & Dance (2008)

VIDA Y DANZA CUBA is a one-hour documentary describing the career of the talented Cuban choreographer Lizt Alfonso. Lizt's controversial idea was to create a dance company comprised entirely of women. She did this during the very difficult time of the collapse of the Soviet Union, which left Cuba bereft of assistance. Despite these difficulties, Lizt's company survived, and she became a Cuban hero who toured the world as a cultural ambassador for Cuban culture. She went on to establish a dance school that today numbers over 900 students. Lizt's international reputation came to the attention of Toronto impresario David Mirvish, who commissioned her to create a dramatic musical to debut at the inaugural 2007 Luminato Festival in Toronto. With Canadian director Kelly Robinson, she created "Vida!", the story of a woman's life from the 1920's to the present, which in turn traces Cuba's own narrative through these times. To play the pivotal lead role, the legendary balladeer Omara Portuondo was cast, and was accompanied by Lizt's company of dancers and musicians, Danza Cuba.