http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=1419&e=2&u=/ap/20050...
By ANNE-MARIE GARCIA, Associated Press Writer
HAVANA - Cuban ballet dancers in white glide across the floor,
executing an airy blend of pirouettes and back stretches. Within
seconds, spectators are captivated, quickly forgetting what at first
hey couldn't overlook - most of the dancers weigh more than 200 pounds.
Six dancers between the ages of 23 and 41 make up the island's
Voluminous Dance group, which has presented about 20 works and is
preparing its current show, "Una muerte dulce," or "A Sweet Death," for
the spring.
"It's incredible how they utilize their roundness," Mirta Castro, a
tourist from Costa Rica, said as she watched the dancers rehearsing in
Havana. "It breaks free of the belief that dance is only for slender
people."
That is exactly the taboo Juan Miguel Mas, the group's director, wanted
to shatter when he created Voluminous Dance in 1996. He called together
dozens of overweight people in Havana to a formal dance audition where
he looked for inner spark, eagerness and motivation.
"We obese people also need to express ourselves with our bodies," said
Mas, who is also a dancer in the group. "We feel (our bodies), we
command them and we enjoy them just like any other human being."
While obesity is not a major problem in Cuba, where fast-food
restaurants are almost nonexistent, the country is beginning to face
some of the same health challenges confronting most of the world.
In the late 1990s, the government began urging Cubans to get more
exercise and eat more fruits and vegetables in addition to their
typical diet of rice, beans and meat. Last year, the island's s****ts
institute, which manages Cuba's elite athletes, launched a campaign to
encourage exercise and s****ts among the general population.
Mas, who weighs more than 300 pounds, first appeared on stage with
Cuba's Contem****ary Dance troupe as a giant baby in the lead role of a
1989 production called "Absurdo," or "Absurd." He is the only member of
Voluminous Dance, or Danza Voluminosa, who danced professionally before
the group's creation.
Dancers in the group have come and gone over the years, Mas said. Money
is scarce, and as an independent project, the group often scrambles to
find rehearsal space and generate interest in their performances.
The group is not officially recognized by Cuba's cultural ministry, so
none of the dancers receive full salaries from the socialist state;
instead, they earn some money for each contract. Mas said he thinks the
reason there's been no formal endorsement for the group is that most of
the dancers have not received dance training from the state.
"We desperately need sup****t," said Mas, who added the group is the
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
and sensitivity, surprising onlookers with their elasticity. Their
leaps are limited, but arm motions are expansive and elegant.
The room becomes electric when the dancers suddenly drop to the floor
and begin to roll over each other, as if part of a wave. The task
appears effortless despite intense, passion-filled expressions on their
faces.
"Our work is not just art, it also has a social aspect," Mas said. "We
approach obese people to help them find a physical and emotional
equilibrium and rescue their self-esteem."
Barbara Paula Valdes, 27, said she feels transformed after two years
with Voluminous Dance.
"I changed how I walk, how I talk, the way I relate to people," said
Valdes, who weighs 275 pounds. "I had an artist hidden inside me and
didn't realize it."
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