Rolando Sarabia.

Expectations are high for Cuban dancer Rolando Sarabia, 23, who joins Houston Ballet as principal dancer this month. Touted as the "Cuban Nijinsky," Sarabia took class with the company and had a chance to see Stanton Welch's new Swan Lake. "I am looking forward to dancing new contemporary and neo-classical works to strengthen myself as an artist and I am excited to work with Welch," says Sarabia. "I hope that Houston audiences will embrace me as one of their own." He made his Houston debut at International Stars of Cuban Ballet this past July to an enthusiastic crowd.

Sarabia left Cuba in 2003 when Ballet Nacional de Cuba refused to allow him to join the Boston Ballet, where his younger brother Daniel is currently a corps member. In July 2005, Sarabia defected via Mexico, where he had been teaching with permission from the Cuban government, and joined the McAllen Ballet in McAllen, TX.

Along with his gold medal at the 1998 USA IBC, Sarabia has received top honors at competitions in Paris and Nagoya, Japan. He was trained by Rolando Sarabia (his father), Magaly Suarez, Alicia Alonso, and Lazaro Carreno at the National Ballet school in Havana. He joined Ballet Nacional in 1999 and was promoted to principal in 2000. His repertoire includes the lead roles in Don Quixote, Coppelia, Giselle, Swan Lake, and The Sleeping Beauty. Welch, artistic director of Houston Ballet, said, "He's a beautiful dancer, and dynamic, with a strong stage personality."