Ep. 86- Luis Javier Fuentes

Questions asked in this episode: 

• Cuba Ballet School (2:08)  

• What advice to dancers who are hearing they’re not good enough or not going to fit in? (8:31)  

• What was your hardest no, your hardest rejection? (10:47)  

• Sacrifice & perfection (15:47)  

• [Nuvo Dance Convention] What are the things that you notice as you sort of step into this more competitive, jazz-contemporary scene? What are the things that you noticed right away? (25:25)  

• What are some of the best things that you have done for your body to to lengthen your career, to give yourself a long, thriving career? (27:08)  

• What is the best thing that you have done for your brain- to keep a positive mindset, to keep a healthy brain? (29:35)  

Luis Javier Fuentes Bermudez de Castro graduated as a ballet dancer and teacher at Cuban National Ballet School with Golden Award. After a practice period at Cuban National Ballet, he joined Prodanza Dance Company in Cuba as a principal dancer and company teacher before he moved to Johannesburg and joined Joburg Ballet as a soloist and company teacher. He was awarded in renowned international competitions. Luis Javier always wanted to develop his skills as a teacher and he trained professional ballet dancers as well as young dancers in Cuba and Johannesburg. In 2016 he moved to USA to work as a ballet teacher at The Art of Classical Ballet School, Florida Classical Ballet, Sarasota Cuban Ballet School, North Broward Preparatory School, Ballet East, among others. He is part of Nuvo Dance Convention and Radix faculty.