Lorena Feijóo

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Cuban ballet dancer

title: "Lorena Feijóo" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1970s-births", "living-people", "dancers-from-havana", "cuban-ballerinas", "san-francisco-ballet-principal-dancers", "joffrey-ballet-dancers", "cuban-national-ballet-dancers", "prima-ballerinas", "20th-century-cuban-ballet-dancers", "21st-century-ballet-dancers", "cuban-emigrants-to-the-united-states", "cuban-expatriates-in-mexico", "cuban-expatriates-in-belgium", "year-of-birth-missing-(living-people)"] description: "Cuban ballet dancer" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorena_Feijóo" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Cuban ballet dancer ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox dancer"]

FieldValue
nameLorena Feijóo
birth_date
birth_placeHavana, Cuba
educationCuban National Ballet School
occupationballet dancer
spouse
children1
website
current_groupBay Area Houston Ballet & Theatre
former_groupsSan Francisco Ballet
Cuban National Ballet
Royal Ballet of Flanders
Joffrey Ballet
::

| name = Lorena Feijóo | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = | birth_place = Havana, Cuba | nationality = | citizenship = | education = Cuban National Ballet School | occupation = ballet dancer | years_active = | height = | spouse = | partner = | children = 1 | website = | current_group = Bay Area Houston Ballet & Theatre | former_groups = San Francisco Ballet Cuban National Ballet Royal Ballet of Flanders Joffrey Ballet | dances = | module =

Lorena Feijóo (born ) is a Cuban former ballet dancer. Her dance career started in 1988 at the Cuban National Ballet, but left Cuba two years later for more opportunities. After stints at Ballet de Monterrey, Royal Ballet of Flanders and Joffrey Ballet, she joined the San Francisco Ballet in 1999 as a principal dancer, and retired in 2017. She then became an associate artistic director of Bay Area Houston Ballet & Theatre. Her sister, Lorna Feijóo, was also a ballet dancer.

Early life and training

Lorena Feijóo was born in Havana. Lorena became interested in ballet after watching her mother. However, her mother initially discouraged her to pursue ballet because ballet training in Cuba is "very competitive, the hours are grueling." At age nine, when she was old enough, One of her frequent partners at the school was José Manuel Carreño, who became a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre. She graduated at eighteen, having trained as both a dancer and a teacher.

Career

In 1988, at age eighteen, Feijóo joined the Cuban National Ballet. After spending a year in the corps de ballet, she was cast in solo and principal roles, but less often than she expected, In 1990, at age 20, she left the company and Cuba as Alicia Alonso restricted Feijóo's opportunities to perform abroad. She recalled Alonso telling her, "Lorena, either you're in or you're out. You choose." She chose to leave Cuba, and was granted a visa by the Ministry of Culture to leave the country without defecting. Despite other dancers' efforts, she had not perform in Cuba since, even though several other Cuban dancers who went abroad were able to return. She added Alonso's preference of classical ballets is also a reason for her departure, but not politics.

In 1991, she joined Ballet de Monterrey, ran by Ann Marie DeAngelo, where she worked with former American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Cynthia Gregory, followed by two years in Belgium as a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet of Flanders. In 1995, Feijóo moved to the United States to join the Los Angeles Ballet, but never performed with the company as it went bankrupt and disbanded. DeAngelo, who had become the associate artistic director of the Chicago-based Joffrey Ballet, recruited Feijóo. She remained in the company for four years, and left when she found herself "repeating the same repertory."

In 1999, she was hired by the San Francisco Ballet. She was initially offered a soloist contract but Helgi Tomasson, the artistic director of the company, allowed her to join as a principal dancer after Evelyn Cisneros and Sabina Allemann both retired the same year.

Outside of the San Francisco Ballet, Feijóo had performed with the Bolshoi Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami. In 2005, Lorena acted for the first time in Andy García's film The Lost City as a Cuban nightclub dancer, with the dance sequence choreographed by herself with her mother's assistance. In 2008, the Feijóo sisters appeared on Sesame Street, performing Caniparoli's Lambarena. In 2011, the sisters and José Manuel Carreño performed a rendition of Swan Lake on Dancing with the Stars.

In 2017, her final year in the San Francisco Ballet, Feijóo was also tasked with coaching other dancers. Later that year, she performed in two San Francisco Opera productions, in Verdi's La traviata and the world premiere of Adams' Girls of the Golden West as Lola Montez.

Personal life

Feijóo was married to fellow principal dancer Vitor Luiz for seven years before they divorced.

References

References

  1. Howard, Rachel. (March 21, 2005). "Lorena Feijoo followed mom's pointe steps and soared on her own. Now the two are reunited.". SF Gate.
  2. Martinez, Nicole. (August 7, 2015). "Ballerinas Lorna and Lorena Feijóo Talk Sibling Rivalry, Star Quality, and Leaving Cuba". Miami New Times.
  3. Ulrich, Allan. (April 11, 2017). "Feijoo taking her final steps at SF Ballet". San Francisco Chronicle.
  4. Roca, Octavio. (2010). "Cuban Ballet". Gibbs Smith.
  5. Bauer, Claudia. (April 1, 2016). "What Do Changing U.S.-Cuba Relations Mean for Cuban Ballet?". Pointe Magazine.
  6. Levin, Jordan. (December 20, 1998). "Equal, but Separate". Los Angeles Times.
  7. Ulrich, Allan. (April 11, 2015). "Yuri Possokhov's 'Swimmer' adds a jolt to S.F. Ballet season". SFGate.
  8. (December 4, 2005). "Ballerina sisters are winning raves on both coasts". Deseret News.
  9. John, Suki. (October 9, 2005). "On Separate Coasts, a Sisterly Pas de Deux". New York Times.
  10. Hellwig, Rachel. (September 7, 2017). "#TBT: Ballet on Sesame Street—Suzanne Farrell, Angel Corella, Misty Copeland and More!". Pointe Magazine.
  11. (April 13, 2011). "José Manuel Carreño and the Feijoo sisters on Dancing with the Stars". Gramilano.

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1970s-birthsliving-peopledancers-from-havanacuban-ballerinassan-francisco-ballet-principal-dancersjoffrey-ballet-dancerscuban-national-ballet-dancersprima-ballerinas20th-century-cuban-ballet-dancers21st-century-ballet-dancerscuban-emigrants-to-the-united-statescuban-expatriates-in-mexicocuban-expatriates-in-belgiumyear-of-birth-missing-(living-people)