HAVANA, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Famed international dancers have confirmed their participation at the 26th Alicia Alonso International Ballet Festival in Havana, local media reported on Friday.

The festival, scheduled to run from Oct. 28 to Nov. 6, is considered one of the world's most important dance events.

American dancer Rasta Thomas, ranked by experts as one of the best of his generation, told the daily Juventud Rebelde the festival will feature some of the world's finest principal dancers and soloists.

Lucky attendees will see performances by Joaquin de Luz from the New York City Ballet and Camila Bocca of the Colon Theater Ballet of Buenos Aires, among others.

The renowned Grand Theatre de Geneve ballet company will be in attendance, as will Prague's National Ballet company.

The Caribbean island nation is home to one of the foremost dance companies in the world, the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. Due to Fidel Castro's support, ballet is extremely popular in Cuba.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the stage debut of Alicia Alonso, the iconic Cuban ballerina who played a key role in the growth of ballet's popularity on the island.

In addition to performances, the festival includes conferences, exhibitions and classes for aspiring dancers. Enditem

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