OSIEL GOUNEO

Born in Cuba, he began his ballet training in 2005 at the Cuban National Ballet School in Havana. He joined the Cuban National Ballet in 2008, rising to Principal Dancer in 2011. Then he danced with the Norwegian National Ballet for three years. He has participated in several international competitions and in 2008 he won the gold medal both in the Cuban Grand Prix and the Beijing International Ballet Competition, as well as the silver medal in the Varna International Ballet Competition (Bulgaria). In 2013, he was named Best Newcomer on the international dance scene in the annual Positano Awards. In 2016, he joined the Bavarian State Ballet as a Principal Dancer, performing on prestigious stages worldwide, including the Bolshoi Theatre, Paris Opera and Lincoln Center. Notably, he performed Romeo (Romeo and Juliet) with the Paris Opera Ballet in 2021. In 2024, he co-authored the book Black Romeo with Thilo Komma-Pöllath.