Aureo Andino - Guest Artist

AUREO ANDINO

Mr. Andino started his studies in Jazz and modern dance at the Academia de Artes del Señorial with professor Waldo Gonzales. He was part of the cast of The King and I and at 13 joined the company of Danza Jazz de Puerto Rico where he danced in both productions of Carmina Burana. After this he began training in classical ballet at the Ballet San Juan with Ana Garcia, Noel Cruz, and Lourdes Ortega and in 1994 he joined the Puerto Rico Ballet School. During this time he became part of the company of Ballet Teatro Municipal de San Juan where he worked under the instructions of Miguel Campaneria, Vannesa Ortiz and Rosario Galán for the performance of Bella Durmiente, Amor Brujo, Estampas del San Juan que yo Ame, among others.

He has been a guest in principal roles with RMT Ballet in Haiti where he performed Graduation Ball and Beauty and the Beast, also with Ballet Royal in Bayamón, El Angel de la Navidad and Snow White, in Academia de Lillian Cátala, Los Cuentos de Anderson and Alice in Wonderland, and in Ballet Señorial de Ponce, Corazón Salvaje, among others.
He has been member of the company of Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico since 1996. In the company he has distinguished himself through the roles of Zuñiga in Carmen, Mouse King and Russian in Nutcracker, and Japanese Spear Dance from Tribute to Ruth St. Dennise. He has performed with the company in Puerto Rico and in Taiwan, Egypt, Aruba and the U.S.A.

Guest Artist Spotlight: Aureo Francisco Andino Bertieaux

Aureo is a long time professional dancer for CYB. His wife, Marena, also dances for CYB along with several dancers from his company, Mauro Ballet.
The relationship we have with Aureo and his company is essential and beautiful to CYB’s The Nutcracker.

CYB: What makes your long time relationship with CYB special or meaningful to you?

Aureo: Over the years CYB has become an extended family. Through the years I have been able to see the company grow and evolve. I have seen countless dancers develop and go through the ranks of CYB. When I first came to dance with CYB, I was enamored by Mrs. Porter’s love, passion and enthusiasm for the company. I also loved her artistic vision in bringing different classics and stories to life. The rapport that has been created backstage also makes every visit to CYB a memorable one. The care from the hospitality crew, the attention from the wardrobe department, and even the technical crew at CPCC’s Halton Theater have become a part of the experience. Apart from the professional experience, there are also people in Charlotte that I met through CYB, but have become much more than acquaintances and have become an important part of my family: the Delgadillo family who have housed me, my family, and most of my crew for the past 10 years; Madonna Ford and her family; the Cutronas, and of course Mrs. Porter and her family.

CYB: As with all performing arts, this year has been a challenge. What is your studio doing to make it through limited productions this year during the pandemic?


Aureo: In our studio we have continued to teach all of our classes. We added cameras on all the dance rooms to give the parents the option to have their children come in for class (with limited occupancy per room) or have them take their classes live from home through our digital platform. We completely redid our website and digital presence to accommodate for this and both Marena and I spent a considerable amount of time preparing the infrastructure for it to work during summer. In terms of performances, the company has kept active. We have kept our daily training and rehearsals and have created various new pieces that we have showcased through our digital platforms. Among them are Re-Conexion: https://youtu.be/GGD8qzIGUI8, the first digital piece we created during the pandemic; and Mauro de exibicion: https://youtu.be/VTE5stiuXXA, a collaboration we did with the Puerto Rico Art Museum.  Also, most of our dancers and students have enrolled in online ballet competitions in an effort to keep the dancers engaged and ballet relevant and challenging.

CYB: What is your favorite role in The Nutcracker to dance? What is your favorite role to watch?

Aureo: It depends on the version. In CYB’s The Nutcracker,  it has to be the Mouse King. It’s a fun yet challenging role. From all of the Nutcrackers that I have ever done, it would be the Arabian Variation. The intricate partnering and the connection with your partner make it magical for me. If talking about anyone on my team, I’d have to say that my favorite is Marena doing Sugar Plum, but I would be biased. Although I have to say that Odemar’s toy soldier, I have yet to see any other dancer in the world come close

CYB would like to thank Aureo and all his dancers for their continued support and helping us Preserve The Legacy!