BIGstory

the

ance is all about balance, Giselle, at age 5. A former music and dance critic for �e
so there is a certain beau- Washington Post, he is currently the Chair of the arts and
ty in the fact that Octavio philosophy department at Miami Dade College.
Roca‘s new book, Cuban �rough his book, Roca, who came to the U.S. at age
Ballet, opens with forwards 12, examines the history of ballet on the island, as well as
wri�en by the founder of the Cuban the impact wave a�er wave of Cuban dancers and teach-
National Ballet, Alicia Alonso, a supporter ers have exerted on the world of dance.
of Fidel Castro, and by Mikhail Baryshnikov, the most fa- Roca took some time to share with PODER HIS-
mous anti-communist Soviet defector in the world. PANIC what inspired him to write his book. “Ballet and
“�ey both care about ballet deeply, and they are Cuba have always been close to me, and this is one book
both geniuses,” Roca explains. that you could say I’ve been working on for 30 years,” he
For Roca, 60, the book is a labor of love. His mother explains. “I mean, I’ve have done other things, but this
was a dancer in Cuba, and he recalls seeing his �rst ballet, one is really, really personal.”

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 Cuban dancers are making their
mark on the world of ballet. Octavio Roca
wants you to know why

artistic horizons—they kept their own ban, as a Cuban American and a Hispanic,
Russian identity, and they also trans- with all the talk now against immigration
formed American dance. and so much prejudice and ignorance
Well, that’s what’s happening right against Hispanics, it’s good to remind
now—it’s happening with the Cubans. everyone, but remind ourselves in par-
It’s a great source of Hispanic pride for ticular, what major contribution Hispanics
me... Dance is thriving inside Cuba, and make—have always made—to American
it’s gorgeous. But at the same time, for culture. Every wave of immigrants brings
many, many reasons including politi- its own gi�s. We happen to be bringing
cal, a lot of dancers have le�. Beginning this one right now. And American dance,
[Historical with the big 1966 defection of 12 fa- in particular, is the recipient of a lot of this
photo of class at mous dancers in Paris and up until the gi�. I think it’s a very good thing. You know
Havana’s Cuban most recent one, Taras Domitro, just how they talk about this country being a
School of Ballet] last year, they leave and they �nd jobs [Alicia
melting pot? Alonso
I don’t want to melt. I don’t
immediately because they are good. performing
know anybody whoGiselle] wants to melt, frank-
So, what’s happening today, in the ly—and Cubans really don’t.
[PODER HISPANIC] Why this book front ranks, in the middle ranks, and So, we come here and we try and stay
and why now? more important as teachers, you find Cuban. I think it’s very touching to watch
[OCTAVIO ROCA] Because this is Cubans everywhere—at the American these dancers remain Cuban—and you can
the right moment in Cuban culture and, Ballet Theatre, at New York City Bal- tell they are, no ma�er what you’re dancing.
frankly, American culture, as well. As let, San Francisco Ballet, Miami City Mikhail Baryshnikov notices that; he writes
we speak, Cubans are very much in the Ballet. My God, [even] at the London in the introduction to my book, ‘You can’t
same position that Russians were in the Royal Ballet Covent Garden, where help noticing a Cuban dancer when he
70s and 80s. �e Russians, when they Carlos Acosta is king—we’re there. comes into the studio.’ I mean you can tell.
le� the Soviet empire and were going We seem to be everywhere. For a lot of reasons, artistic and a ma�er of
everywhere, they in�uenced dance tre- soul, they can dance with their whole bod-
mendously with people like Makarova, [PH] Why did you think it was important ies, they dance with their whole soul, and
and Nureyev and Barishnikov. By leav- to write this book? you can tell who they are. But as they do
ing for various reasons—most of them [OR] I think this book is particularly im- that, the electrical thing that’s going on is
in search of freedom, in search of new portant right now because, for me as a Cu- that the more you try to keep your identity,

PODER HISPANIC MAGAZINE 8 OCTOBER/NOVEMEBR 2010 [Link] • 59

 the more you are or the United States has a huge in�u- [OR] Well, dancing is very personal,
at the same time ence, they are huge countries... We and I do write about that in the book.
building a new [in Cuba] are not. �ere’s not a lot of And it’s not just ‘despicable U.S.A.,’
identity in a new us, and the in�uence Cubans have in it’s despicable Belgium, as well. Danc-
country. And the dance today is completely dispropor- ers leave for the same reason I le� and
[Sisters Lorena Feijoo of San Cuban Ameri- tionate to the size of the island. everybody else leaves—because they
Francisco Ballet and Lorna can identity, the I think it’s a miraculous thing, would like to be free, and they’re not
Feijoo of Boston Ballet] Hispanic iden- and there are a lot of reasons for that. in Cuba. But to the company’s credit,
tity, in dance, is �e main ones really are that Cuba one thing I will say for Alicia Alonso,
very, very strong has always been [a country of] danc- is that no ma�er what you say about
right now. And I ing people and dancing ma�ers to us, Cuba right now and its oppressive
wanted to cele- and it ma�ers deeply. Alicia Alonso Stalinist regime, what the company
brate that in this says that in her introduction to my does, it does very well, and what it
book. book, and she is right. Alicia herself does is the classics.
and her husband, both started in In other words, when you see
[PH] You know, here in New York with Anthony Tudor and the Cuban National Ballet, you see
Miami, of course, some with George Balanchine, and that Giselle. When you see Swan Lake,
Cubans don’t like to give combination is interesting because when you see Sleeping Beauty, you
credit to the Cuban govern- Tudor, who was English but also an see the great ballets of the repertory.
ment for anything. �at’s under- immigrant in the United States, is one You do not see propaganda when
standable... of the great uncelebrated geniuses of you see Cuban ballet, you see ballet,
[OR] Well, I certainly give credit ballet. He made ballet psychological. and that’s all you see. �e Cuban Na-
where credit is due. I always have to And the lesson from Tudor, among tional Ballet is completely a thing of
remember though, that what is now many that the Cubans learned, is that integrity when it comes to the art of
the Ballet Nacional de Cuba, the Cu- you never just dance a piece, you take dance. Baryshnikov himself points
ban Ballet, began in 1948. �at’s two on a role. Every Cuban dancer is an that out in my book. Cubans respect
or three administrations before the actor, and they believe the character dance from a very early age and they
Cuban Revolution. And it’s going to they are dancing. �e Cuban teaching know it’s a privilege to be part of this
be there well a�er the Cuban Revo- method, the pedagogy they have over art, and they take it very seriously.
lution, very much the way that the there, is that you don’t just learn the And when you see that company
Bolshoi was there before the Soviet steps. You learn how to build a char- dancing Giselle, it’s not a communist
Revolution and is there right now and acter the way actors do. �ey have Giselle, it’s not a right wing Giselle, its
thriving a�er the Soviets have fallen. that in common with the English just Giselle, the way it’s meant to be
It’s a cultural tool of Cuba.... �e big- frankly, and with the French—not a danced, and it’s Cuban.
gest miracle though—and this is one lot of other people. And same goes with the Cuban
thing I really wanted to celebrate in And in a world like today where dancers abroad; they are exiles but
the book—is so much is homogenized, and all they are not actually doing anti-Cas-
that one can the artists look the same, it’s a thing tro propaganda, they’re dancing.
understand how of joy to have dancers who look like What’s interesting is there are so
a country like who they are... �ey look Cuban and many of them and, they’re every-
Russia or France that’s great and that’s part of the story where, in every major company. You
of the book. �nd so much of the world today in
the 21st century dancing with a Cu-
[PH] One must consider some of the ban accent. I think that’s lovely...
political aspects. �ey do such a great What they do there [in Cuba],
job training dancers in Cuba, and yet they do with very li�le, except they
the dancers leave. I imagine every time have a lot of talent. �ey have very
that happens, the government li�le in the way of supplies and things
makes some noises, you dancers take for granted, like shoes.
know, ‘Despicable U.S.A., And they are amazing. I mean, it’s
once again stealing from us.’ I heartbreaking and beautiful to watch
[Lorena Feijoo guess the reasons for leaving are very them dance. It is still like that, and it’s
and Joan Boada] personal ones? always been like that. z

60 • [Link] PODER HISPANIC MAGAZINE 8 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2010