San Francisco Frontiers - Show must go on for ballerinas in crisis-hit Cuba

Twirling and pirouetting as a soloist with the National Ballet of Cuba (BNC), the usually shy 25-year-old transforms into a commanding performer onstage.

Rojas nabbed the coveted position a year ago, but it hasn't been easy.

The Afro-Cuban dancer is balancing a pivotal moment in her career with fuel shortages that have drastically curtailed Cuba's cultural scene, along with every other walk of life.

"It has been a bit difficult," she told AFP.

"The blackouts sometimes keep me from getting any rest, but I always do whatever I can. I get up and tell myself that I can do it, and I keep moving forward."

- 'This is what we love' -

Ballet has featured prominently in Cuban cultural life since the 1959 Revolution, which democratized access to the arts.

Overseen by the late ballet legend Alicia Alonso, the country developed its own school and proudly maintains one of the world's most prestigious companies.

Rojas has become a star of the scene and received enthusiastic accolades from the hard-to-please crowd following her role as Swanilda, the heroine of the comedic 1870 ballet "Coppelia."

"Bravo, Kamila!" the audience cried after a flawless sequence of turning jumps during an April performance at Havana's National Theater.

Born in Jesus Maria, a working-class neighborhood with a strong Afro-Cuban influence, Rojas' life was imbued with song and dance from day one.

With a mother who danced in a folkloric group directed by her father, their daughter's decision to pursue pointe work over the family tradition surprised everyone.

Now, her enduring passion has encountered countless obstacles as a result of the severe fuel shortages in US-blockaded Cuba.

Every day, Rojas looks for a way to get to her dance studio, located in the Vedado neighborhood five kilometers (three miles) away from her home.

"If necessary…I'd come on foot," said the young dancer with angel wings tattooed on her back.

Company buses are now only available on performance days due to fuel shortages.

Previous all-day rehearsals have also been scaled back to just four hours, as a way to save electricity and give the dancers time to get home.

"But the demand on us is the same," said Rojas.

"We all want to be here, because this is what we love," she added as she prepared for a practice session.

- 'Out of reality' -

A lack of sleep makes the challenging work even trickier.

At night, the use of air conditioning or even a fan to offset the intense summer heat has become impossible due to outages. Mosquitos also have to be reckoned with.

But "when I dance, I forget everything," said Rojas.

"Anything can happen, but my thing is dancing."

BNC director and prima ballerina Viengsay Valdes, 49, takes pride in this attitude that prevails across the company.

"They have a lot of talent and a real desire to dance, and that is essential," she said.

Despite a slump in Cuba's cultural activity, the Ballet has forged ahead with rehearsals and performances.

"The dancer needs the stage," said Valdes. "If they stop, that body has to be trained all over again."

The efforts have not gone unnoticed -- the theater's 2,000-seat hall almost reaches capacity during shows, whose schedules have been adjusted depending on electricity availability.

Elegantly dressed spectators arrive, either taxied by bikes or motorcycles or on foot, in defiance of the punishing heat and lack of relief.

"You sit there watching the ballet, in the middle of Havana, with so many problems, and it's like a bubble that takes us out of reality," said Teresa Betancourt, a 52-year-old teacher, after attending a performance.

"It's strange, but beautiful," she said.

Q.Taylor--SFF