Minister of Culture Meets Dance Schools and Company Directors to Discuss Plans for New Schools

Minister of Culture Meets Dance Schools and Company Directors to Discuss Plans for New Schools
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 10/6/2012

Directors of dance and ballet schools held a meeting with Minister of Culture, José Antonio Rodríguez, in which they discussed the need to work for better national expression in dance.

“Since time immemorial, culture is less and less appreciated. With us, it is the only thing we have to be competitive. Nothing has more value than what is ours and no one can value it more than we can.”

Minister Rodríguez, since he assumed the post of Minister of Culture, has been seeking to promote an artistic expression that resonates with Dominicans, whether classical or popular, he explained to the dance and ballet teachers at the meeting. His essential suggestion, he said, would be to work to “render value to Dominican culture.”.

Placing a high value on the national culture is one of the pillars of President Danilo Medina’s government program, he said, as well as inspiring the creative work of artists. The meeting with members of the dance and ballet academies from around the country took place in the Ramón Oviedo art gallery.

“Since time immemorial, culture is less and less appreciated. With us, it is the only thing we have to be competitive. Nothing has more value than what is ours and no one can value it more than we can.”

He spoke about the need to wake up and about being competitive and creating, soon, a repertory “to appreciate what we are and what we have as a people.”

He stressed the importance of preserving cultural elements and values such as the Chuinerosof Baní and the SonerosofBorojol, just to mention two cases that are losing what they have cultivated over the years.

He insisted that it requires value and appreciation of the culture of dance and that it should be done in a monolithic way. He stressed that what unites people is Dominican culture, which belongs to everyone.

Also speaking at the meeting was the teacher, Carmen Heredia de Guerrero, who was in favor of the idea of elevating what is Dominican without leaving out the classical. On the other hand, Mari Lois Ventura said it was urgent to create the Municipal Balletof Santiago and to prepare pianists to play for dance in as well as to organize the dancing in a general way.

Patricia Ascuasiatisuggested that there should be general education in the area of dance, and a method for creating marketing structures for Dominican artwork. She said there should be registration and conservation of the repertories and a division in the schools for popular dance and for learning techniques from teachers at the schools.

Eduardo Villanueva added that it is necessary to form a repertory from national music themes due to the fact that there is no archive or register for this.

Mónica Despradeladded that it is necessary to collate and organize dance repertories in order to strengthen and replicate dance programs, making sure that the natural resources are credited with being original and Dominican.

Some of the others who spoke at the meeting were MarianelaBoan, Marilín Gallardo and Ninoska Velásquez

The Minister of Culture meets with members of the dance and ballet schools

The Minister of Culture and directors of dance companies from around the country