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 | | From: | pedro martori | | Subject: | [CubaVerdad] Digest Number 1049 | | Date: | Sun, 23 Jan 2005 01:58:06 -0500 |
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From:
To:
Subject:
Date: Friday, January 21, 2005 5:21 PM
There are 6 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Obese Dancers Break Stereotypes in Cuba
From: "PL"
2. EU mustn't reward unrepentant dictator
From: "PL"
3. Shipment of state-bred dairy cattle leaves area for Cuba
From: "PL"
4. Rice names 'Outposts of Tyranny'
From: "PL"
5. In a country famed for its cigars, Cuba adds no-smoking rules
From: "PL"
6. Cuba decides to disregard GDP rankings
From: "PL"
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Message: 1 =20
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2005 20:46:59 +0100
From: "PL"
Subject: Obese Dancers Break Stereotypes in Cuba
Posted on Wed, Jan. 19, 2005
Obese Dancers Break Stereotypes in Cuba
ANNE-MARIE GARCIA
Associated Press
HAVANA - Cuban ballet dancers in white glide across the floor,=20
executing an airy blend of pirouettes and back stretches. Within =
seconds,=20
spectators are captivated, quickly forgetting what at first they =
couldn't=20
overlook - most of the dancers weigh more than 200 pounds.
Six dancers between the ages of 23 and 41 make up the island's=20
Voluminous Dance group, which has presented about 20 works and is =
preparing=20
its current show, "Una muerte dulce," or "A Sweet Death," for the =
spring.
"It's incredible how they utilize their roundness," Mirta Castro, =
a=20
tourist from Costa Rica, said as she watched the dancers rehearsing in=20
Havana. "It breaks free of the belief that dance is only for slender=20
people."
That is exactly the taboo Juan Miguel Mas, the group's director,=20
wanted to shatter when he created Voluminous Dance in 1996. He called=20
together dozens of overweight people in Havana to a formal dance =
audition=20
where he looked for inner spark, eagerness and motivation.
"We obese people also need to express ourselves with our bodies," =
said=20
Mas, who is also a dancer in the group. "We feel (our bodies), we =
command=20
them and we enjoy them just like any other human being."
While obesity is not a major problem in Cuba, where fast-food=20
restaurants are almost nonexistent, the country is beginning to face =
some of=20
the same health challenges confronting most of the world.
In the late 1990s, the government began urging Cubans to get more=20
exercise and eat more fruits and vegetables in addition to their typical =
diet of rice, beans and meat. Last year, the island's sports institute,=20
which manages Cuba's elite athletes, launched a campaign to encourage=20
exercise and sports among the general population.
Mas, who weighs more than 300 pounds, first appeared on stage with =
Cuba's Contemporary Dance troupe as a giant baby in the lead role of a =
1989=20
production called "Absurdo," or "Absurd." He is the only member of=20
Voluminous Dance, or Danza Voluminosa, who danced professionally before =
the=20
group's creation.
Dancers in the group have come and gone over the years, Mas said.=20
Money is scarce, and as an independent project, the group often =
scrambles to=20
find rehearsal space and generate interest in their performances.
The group is not officially recognized by Cuba's cultural =
ministry, so=20
none of the dancers receive full salaries from the socialist state; =
instead,=20
they earn some money for each contract. Mas said he thinks the reason=20
there's been no formal endorsement for the group is that most of the =
dancers=20
have not received dance training from the state.
"We desperately need support," said Mas, who added the group is =
the=20
only one of its kind in Cuba and, he believes, in the region. "Ours is a =
project that could reach thousands of people all over the country."
In a studio in Havana's Teatro Nacional, the dancers move with =
grace=20
and sensitivity, surprising onlookers with their elasticity. Their leaps =
are=20
limited, but arm motions are expansive and elegant.
The room becomes electric when the dancers suddenly drop to the =
floor=20
and begin to roll over each other, as if part of a wave. The task =
appears=20
effortless despite intense, passion-filled expressions on their faces.
"Our work is not just art, it also has a social aspect," Mas said. =
"We=20
approach obese people to help them find a physical and emotional =
equilibrium=20
and rescue their self-esteem."
Barbara Paula Valdes, 27, said she feels transformed after two =
years=20
with Voluminous Dance.
"I changed how I walk, how I talk, the way I relate to people," =
said=20
Valdes, who weighs 275 pounds. "I had an artist hidden inside me and =
didn't=20
realize it."
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/10682508.htm
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