Alina Abreu to premiere ballet La Ciguapa in Santo Domingo

Veteran Dominican dancer, educator, and choreographer Alina Abreu will mark her 40-year career with the world premiere of her original full-length ballet, ‘La Ciguapa: Una leyenda de amor’. The production is scheduled to run from November 13 to 15, 2026, at the Eduardo Brito National Theater in Santo Domingo.

The ballet adapts Dominican folklore, specifically the myth of the ciguapa—an elusive mountain creature with flowing hair and backward-turned feet. Set in the Central Mountain Range during a 1950s coffee harvest, the story follows an impossible romance between the legendary creature and a mortal man named El Pilonero.

To portray the creature's unique anatomy, the production utilizes specialized choreography and pointe work. The performance features an original orchestral score by Maestro Junior Basurto Lomba and is directed by Waddys Jáquez. Lead dancers include Laura Isabel Fernández as La Ciguapa and Alexander Duval as El Pilonero.