Defected ballerinas - We had no future in Cuba

Posted on Tuesday, 06.10.14

Defected ballerinas: We had no future in Cuba
BY CHRISTINE ARMARIO
ASSOCIATED PRESS

MIAMI -- Some planned their exodus months in advance. One said she
decided to flee at the last minute.

The seven dancers with the Cuban National Ballet who defected after a
performance in Puerto Rico said Tuesday they all came to the same
realization: They had no future in Cuba.

"In Cuba, there is a lot of monotony," Carlos Ignacio Galindez said. "In
every sphere: Sports, arts, engineering, computer science. And as a
professional, you always feel a bit stuck."

"It's something that bothers the youth in Cuba today," he said.

On Friday, the dancers performed works in San Juan from "Giselle," "Don
Quixote," "Swan Lake," and other classical pieces that the Cuban
National Ballet has received international praise for perfecting. Then,
in groups of two and three, they asked for their passports.

Raisel Cruz said he explained that he wanted to take out money. He
didn't mention he was leaving.

A Cuban painter living in Puerto Rico, Williams Carmona, picked the
ballerinas up from their hotel and helped arrange their flights to
Florida, the dancers said. In total, eight defected, four women and four
men, all in their early to mid-20s in a career known for being
notoriously short.

One dancer remains in Puerto Rico; the other seven have arrived in Miami.

On Tuesday, they practiced with the Cuban Classical Ballet, a company
created by another exile dancer, Pedro Pablo Pena, who fled the island
in 1980. In a large white house with stately columns in Miami's Little
Havana, the dancers performed grand pirouettes, circling rapidly in
place as they pointed their toes.

"This is the platform for the Cuban dancers exiled in the United
States," Pena said.

Pena has taken in 25 to 30 Cuban National Ballet dancers since creating
his company six years ago. A group of seven that arrived last year have
all since found work in U.S. ballet companies.

The Cuban National Ballet is led by Alicia Alonso, 92, a former prima
ballerina who has been closely aligned with Fidel Castro. Ballet dancers
in Cuba earn, on average, no more than $30 a month. Despite the
company's prestige, dancers have defected on nearly every international
tour.

"The dancers exiled because they want freedom, personal freedom and
opportunity," Pena said.

Asked specifically about politics, the dancers hesitated.

"We are artists," Monica Cruz said. "Politics does not interest us."

Follow Christine Armario on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cearmario

Source: MIAMI: Defected ballerinas: We had no future in Cuba - People
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http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/06/10/4170137/defected-ballerinas-we-had-no.html