Osiel Gounod

Osiel Gounod (Foto Nancy Reyes)

Osiel Gounod

Premier Dancer

He began his ballet training at the Vocational Art School in the city of Matanzas, and continued them at the National School of Ballet, under the guidance of outstanding professors, among them, Erín Nieto, Ana Julia Bermúdez, Normaría Olaechea, Martha Iris Fernández, Elena Canga and Ramona de Saá.
During his school period he was the recipient of important awards, as the Silver and Gold medals in the International Competitions of the Havana Academic Encounters for the Teaching of Ballet.
In 2008 he won the Silver medal in the International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria.
That same year he joined the cast of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba, under Alicia Alonso’s artistic-technical direction. In 2008 he was also awarded the gold medal in the World Ballet Competition of Beijing, in the People’s Republic of China.
In 2011 he was promoted to the category of Principal Dancer.
His repertoire includes soloist roles of the great romantic-classical tradition of the 19th century and contemporary works of Cuban and foreign choreographers.
He is considered one of the most valuable male exponents in the youngest generation of dancers of the Cuban school of ballet.  Due to his technical-artistic performance he was promoted to Premier Dancer in 2013.

Reviews:
In Swan Lake: «Osiel Gounod caught the audience with his careful interpretation work and the technique he deployed, mounted on his grand jetés, and turns with great strength in the coda of the third act where he showed all his bravura.»
Toni Piñera. Granma. Havana, 2011

«Osiel Gounod […] he has a great scenic presence full of life and very safe jumps and turns.»
Wendy Perron. Dance Magazine. United States, 2011

In Coppélia: «Osiel Gounod showed his spectacular jumps with very strong and quick legs.»
Laura Bleiberg. Los Angeles Times. United States, 2011

«… Osiel Gounod, whose outstanding performance as Franz in Coppélia not only showed incredible turns and elevation but also a magnetic personal charm.»
Lisa Jo Sagolla. BACKSTAGE. United States, 2011

In Cinderella: «Osiel Gounod, of remarkable bravura and presence.»
Julio Bravo. ABC. Madrid, Spain, 2011

In Don Quixote: «The show-stealer of the night was principal dancer Osiel Gounod, during his solo in the show finale of the Don Quixote suite […] He made inhumanly high and controlled leaps that looked effortless.  And his spins were so speedy that I lost count at 27 in a row.»
Amy Smart. Times Colonist, Canada, 2012.

In Don Quixote: «When Gounod danced, he wasn´t just following choreography. He turned into dance itself.»
Kevin Griffin. The Vancouver Sun. Canada, 2012.

In Coppélia: Osiel Gounod, brimming with technique and youthful joy, motivated the rest of the cast, with the energy and that capacity of his dance that is able to make disappear before the audience’s eyes the difficulties inherent to all executions, with his perennial smile.
Toni Piñera. Granma. Havana. Cuba, 2012

 

El lago de los cisnes [Osiel Gounod] Foto Nancy Reyes