Havanna Blues
Posted by: Seaquist Dance Marketing on 08.Mar.2011 22:32
Havanna Blues
By: Paul Seaquist
La Habana is a tired city. It looks old and crippled. Strangely enough it is vibrant and full of life. Slow yet alive. Life and death walk hand in hand at the Malecón every evening.
Life is but one contradiction in this paradise of the Caribbean. Vladimir Malakhov and I were invited to take part of this year´s 22nd version of the Festival de Ballet de La Habana. Being an invitation from Mrs. Alicia Alonso herself and the fact that she was celebrating her 90th birthday, it seemed like a good reason to also add our names to the already distinguished guest list. And it surely was.
As in all experiences we face in life there are many angles to every story. In this column I could devote my space writing about how well treated and taken care of we were by the organization of the event, of how interesting the city is, or how incredible sharing a few moments of relaxed chat with Mrs. Alonso was. Nevertheless, I believe Ill focus my intent regarding my impressions of the ballet reality of the island.
The National Ballet of Cuba´s headquarters are located inside a blue and white colonial, two story house in the middle of a quiet street in the neighborhood of El Vedado. There are four studios in the building, two of them with -out of tune- pianos, and old soviet made stereo systems. The ceilings are high. The floors are wooden and hard.
It is a loud place, dancers come and go from one studio to the other, in a jovial and casual manner, sweat dripping off their bodies, cigarettes in hand, happy and aloof, young and invincible.
It is difficult, yet not impossible, to imagine that some of the most sought out names of ballet have come out of this place. Big names as Carlos Acosta and José Carreño did their ballet training and early steps in this atmosphere. They’ve both had long and fruitful careers. I go back to younger raw talent as Rolando Sarabia, the Feijoo sisters, or the new San Francisco Ballet Principal Taras Domitro also were part of this environment, of this protected World… yet left it as soon as the chance arose.
I’ve many times, wrongly I understand now, have blamed the political situation in Cuba for this continuous out-pour of dancers but have come to re assess my position. It is true that the Castro regime is an already unsustainable utopia and no doubt a more than powerful reason to want to escape the country, nevertheless Ill leave this analysis to political experts who will surely have a more lucid view on the situation than myself. I will focus better on my area of expertise: Ballet.
I came to understand that the main reason of dancer defection comes from a serious lack of challenges and stimulus for the artists. It is true that when looking at the media of the National Ballet of Cuba, the talent, if not the body lines, is obvious. It is true that circus and big jumps is almost a must to be considered worthy of respect in a company of this sort. Pirouettes are abundant, double or triple cabrioles an everyday feast, balances on point in any or every possible moment of a variation another apparent necessity. Yet how many pirouettes or big jumps or balances can you see before getting extremely bored (?).
A solid career is scarcely built on the before mentioned skills; there must be something more to ballet than tricks, and normally serious dancers try to escape the “trick category” as soon as a deeper understanding of the art and style are made.
Nevertheless, it is difficult to escape this category in Cuba since there is nothing to rest it on. In a country where the repertoire is based on a few and only a few pieces, and pieces which are constantly performed over and over again. How many Don Qs, Sleeping Beauties, Giselles, Swan Lakes can a dancer do before drying up artistically, emotionally, technically?
The festival shined with the dancers that shine everywhere and all the time: Vladimir Malakhov received standing ovations both nights he performed his version of Dying Swan; Roberta Marquez and Steven Mcrae were impeccable in Sleeping Beauty 3rd Act pas de deux; Tamara Rojo´s artistic power was evident in Macmillan´s Farewell, Carlos Acosta shined in Maliphant´s Two; Jose Carreño sweet and sexy in Sinatra Suites.
But I felt touched and saddened by the Ballet Nacional de Cuba going over their every day routine, by pieces choreographed specially for the occasion which looked ancient and old, by the hunger in the eyes and bodies of willing dancers, of talented dancers, of dancers who will eventually escape leaving behind crying families, friends, their life as they knew it. I felt sad by the intransigence of a system, of an Artistic Director who hasn’t seen a ballet since the 1950 hence not developed since then, by the lack of knowledge, lack of vision…
As I said, La Habana is a tired city… Life is but one contradiction in this paradise of the Caribbean.
Male cuban dancers are famous for their excellent turns and jumps and i think somehow their closed society creates a (healthy) competitive environment where the tricks are the things that "everybody" can do.