Arionel was born in Cuba, where he began his ballet training at the National Ballet School of Cuba under the guidance of Laura Alonso and Ivan Monreal. His early career was marked by a series of prestigious roles with Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet, including performances in Balanchine's Serenade, Ballo della Regina, Allegro Brillante, and Concerto Barocco.
During his time in Canada, Arionel also gained recognition for his roles in Jiri Kylian's Symphony in D, John Neumeier's Nutcracker, Rudi van Dantzig's Romeo & Juliet, and Galina Yordanova's Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty.
In 2004, Arionel joined English National Ballet as a Principal dancer, where he has since danced the principal roles in all the major Classical repertoire, including Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, Nureyev's Romeo & Juliet, and Giselle, with Albrecht being one of his favorite roles.
Arionel has also had the opportunity to perform in a variety of other productions, including Kenneth MacMillan's Manon, in which he danced both Lescaut and Des Grieux. His achievements include winning the gold medal in Brazil's International Ballet Competition in 1994 and the gold medal in the New York International Ballet Competition in 1996.
More recently, Arionel has been seen dancing in Carlos Acosta and friends in Valencia, and in the London Coliseum. He has also guested in venues around the world, often performing with international ballet star Evelyn Hart.
Some of his recent performances include Wayne Eagling's Duet at the Prague International Festival with English National Ballet's star dancer Daria Klimentová, and in December 2009, he performed with Teatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro in The Nutcracker. In 2011, he appeared at the Opera House in Georgia in Giselle and Don Quixote, and has since had engagements with Julio Boca Company in Makarova's Bayadere and with Luciano Cannito in Carmen in Italy.
