Swan Lake in the Caribbean: Cuban ballet’s 60th anniversary
Published 08 November, 2008, 08:53
Cuba's national ballet, one of the world's best, has turned 60. It’s not a lot in ballet terms, but it is a lifetime for Cuba. 60 years ago the island was an artistic desert – but it’s now considered to be one of the ballet capitals of the world.
For two weeks Havana has been buzzing with the world's top dancers and it wasn't salsa they wanted to watch.
With classics like Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and Giselle, they stormed stages all over old Havana.
This elitist form of art hasn’t always been welcome in Cuba. Its founder and 'prima ballerina assoluta', Alicia Alonso, had left Cuba in the 1950s in protest against the way authorities treated the troupe.
Ironically it was after the 1959 Revolution that it received a boost from Fidel Castro, a long-time friend of Alonso.
Fidel’s brother – Raul Castro who is now Cuba’s President – has also paid tribute to Alicia. Now almost 88 years old and nearly blind, she continues directing and producing.
With a heavy influence of Russian and European ballet traditions, Cuban ballet has gained an acclaim of its own – it's known as expressive, sensual and flawless.
But with greater success come greater problems. A talent drain is a big problem in Cuba, and just like doctors or athletes, ballet dancers are the hottest exports Cuba can offer.
Forty out of a hundred dancers have defected while on tours abroad over the last few years.
Some, like Carlos Acosta, who grew up in Havana and is now called the best dancer in Britain's Royal Ballet, makes $10,000 a performance. Compare that to $100 a month the top dancers make in Cuba.
“I received many offers to dance abroad, but I stayed here because of the way Cubans work and dance, our virtues, the ballet tradition I identify myself with. This is my country, this is where my family is,” says prima ballerina Viengsay Valdes.
For most Cuban dancers ballet is not a job, it’s a privilege. The national school of ballet, opened by Fidel Castro, sees 500 ballet graduates every year. With only 100 dancers in the national troupe, thousands are left out of the loop. And every spot is fiercely fought over.
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