Perhaps few know as Rubén Darío Salazar, director of Teatro de las Estaciones, the springs that awaken delight, laughter, relaxation in human beings. In his case, that enjoyment has other dimensions, because no one doubts that his works, in addition to fleeting sensations, generate knowledge that will accompany children and adults throughout their lives. These teachings reveal the best of humanity-childhood, friendship, tolerance-in such surprising and wild ways that they seem genuine discoveries, as if those values had not always existed and were a theater scene the medium of birth.
As always, a bright smile and the dynamism of a certain angel ‘jiribilloso’ prevents you from staying a single minute at rest. He receives me surrounded by puppets, a Cuban flag and a reproduction of Tropical Gitana, the most representative painting of the great Victor Manuel; and while he directs an essay and organizes programs, he exercises another of his talents: the word.
“In terms of human life 25 years is very young, but theater is like dogs, so that stage actually represents half a century. In that time we have explored several forms of creation: we work with the painting of Alfredo Sosabravo, the music of such disparate authors as Debussy, Stravinsky, Lecuona, Tchaikovsky, Elvira Santiago and not even the popular we have banished, because in the show Cuento de love in a baroque neighborhood we use the music of William Vivanco and the Failde Orchestra and in Song to be with you, another of our plays, we were awarded the beautiful voice of the soprano Bárbara Llanes.
“We also collaborate with the world of ballet and dance: we play Claude Debussy’s box of toys, with a dancer and choreographer such as Lilian Padrón. We do not have any limits; only those imposed by our conception of art, to open our altarpiece to other roads, other worlds, other experiences. ”
In the reflections forced on birthdays, the evocation of Dora Alonso, the creator of that Cuban-born infant with straw-colored hair, and one of the muses who most frequently visit Rubén Darío cannot be absent:
“If there was an inclusive person, without racial prejudice or for any other reason, it was Dora Alonso. A Havanan school for autistic children bears his name and that is no coincidence. She is an immeasurable woman and since she had no children, she devoted all her attention to the children’s world. He was able to show them the magic, the most amazing stories without losing the roots, the cubanía, the patriotism: it made us dream with our feet on the ground.
“From her we learned pride for the national flora and fauna, for our language and was a friend of Teatro de Las Estaciones. She visited this venue and we dedicated three shows to her, including Una niña con alas, which we premiered when we turned 15 years old. At that time we had toured the island with the Pelusín and birds and in many places they did not know who this writer was. One talked about The Blue Coachman and they knew him, but they did not associate her with her author. It seemed incredible to me that in Cuba some infant did not know it only by mentioning it; to Dora we owe the sense of Cubanism in literature for children. So I gave myself the task of experimenting with his poetry, taking it to the scenic creation and we did it. It is a delivery to promote reading where, for example, highlights the guayabera in the design of costumes. The same can be presented in a theater than in the street.
“Her literary and artistic work also has a lot to do with Teatro de las Estaciones, because she was a teacher in involving the family, the parents in those many stories that she told. When working for children it is loyal to extend the destination also to adults because the family is always present as part of the accompaniment that this first stage of life requires. Parents come to the theater and for me there is nothing worse than getting bored or losing interest. There is also another important factor: they have to feel alluded to because they are the decision makers, on them the happy childhood of their children depends almost entirely. ”
The anniversary celebration involves many good friends:”The young audiovisual producer Marcel Beltrán is in charge of finishing the festivities with a documentary that lasts 25 minutes. We have also set up networks to other countries with the invitation to personalities that can contribute to our genre, not only to the group, other visions. ”
With his characteristic wit, Darío creates the singular metaphor: “I believe that in this time our collective, those that are, those that are not and those that will come, have dedicated themselves to be that ‘angel of the jiribilla’ that transits over mountains, rivers, seas, ships, planes and wheelbarrows doing what we like the most – look not only at what we know how to do, we are always learning – it is punctual, and it is theater. That güije or Elegguá without control what he did was have fun and live the constant adventure of creation, a wonderful act that he experiences every day. However, the task is not only enjoyment, but also and most of all, commitment. ”
.photos of the author
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