Danza Voluminosa.(Voluminous Dance)

[cubanmiamiboy]

Moderator NOTE: The following post by cubanmiamiboy has been moved from "Links." The article and the topic definitely deserves a thread of their own.

James McKinley in the International Herald Tribune on a company of fat dancers:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/07/29/news/journal.php

Danza Voluminosa. What an inspirational story. I saw the works of this company back in 2001 in Havana, and i clearly remember how amazingly light was the dancing of its members. They were clearly well trained.

[bart]

A really fascinating article, and one that was quite touching.

I was especially interested in the way it talks about the special dancing qualities of obese dancers:

The dancers' movements are oftenslower than those of their slender colleagues. These dancers favor limbs swinging in pendulous aracs and wavelike motions that seem to ripple through their bodies. They seem to grip the floor rather than to abandonit, keeping a low center of gravity, often crouching or dancing while kneeling or lying on the ground.

Cubanmiamiboy, can you tell us more about them?

[cubanmiamiboy]

quote]

Cubanmiamiboy, can you tell us more about them?

It was back in Havana 2001, when i went to a performance of Danza Voluminosa, (Voluminous Dance), which i had some reference from a friend who had told me about a little, and also from having seen his director Juan Miguel Mas dancing in a contemporary dance company before. Now, I had been told that they were not a "typical" dance company in terms of weight..( i knew that Mr. Mas was a little over what is considered "normal" for a dancer), but when i saw him i was shocked at first. HE WAS OVERWEIGHT!, and little did i know that they were all actually OBESE. I also noticed lots of surprised faces around me, and i most confess it took me a little bit to get used to the physique of the dancers. Then i tried to concentrate on the story. They presented "Fedra", the tragic griek myth of this woman who loves Hipolitus, the son of her husband Teseus. Now, they did it in a way where they mixed this classic story with afro-cuban mythology, identifying the role of the griek Afrodita with Oshun, the yoruba goddess of love and sex. At the end, they danced to the resurrection of Fedra and Hipolitus in a climax of caribbean rythms and music WHERE THE HEAVIEST OF THE FEMALE DANCERS HAPPILY SHOWED UP WEARING MULTICOLOR BATHING SUITS !. It was very colourful and vibrant, and their happiness, along with the flokloric music, was contagious. Now, it is true that their leaps and jumps were limited, of course, but on the other side, their arm movements were elaborated and elegant. I also remember that at first, when the courtains went up, some people laughed in disbelieved, but after a while the laughing stopped and the general feeling and atmosphere started to change. By the end EVERYBODY was enchanted with the work, and the whole theatre gave them a rounded extended applause along with lots of "Bravos"...I would say that the average weight of the dancers was around 100 kg. It was moving to see them bowing over and over, all sweaty and exhausted, but with such proud faces. I also remember obese people from the public being moved also, screaming and clapping like crazy. It was really magical.

I never saw them dancing again...and never heard of them again until now. It makes me proud to know that this non typical cuban company is still working hard out there, and that they are still sending their message of capability, acceptance, and humanity within the very competitive, and sometimes even ferocius, world of dancing. BRAVO!!

[Leigh Witchel]

Thank you for that report, Cristian. It really helped me understand more about the group - good job.

[dirac]

A good article about the company here.

A decade later, and with a faithful audience that fills theatres whenever they perform, things are not easy for Danza Voluminosa, and Mas complains of a lack of "institutional" support.

The company lacks an established place to practise, and since its dancers are not professional they do not receive a salary which has already caused several of them to leave the group.

"This is not a project for people to say 'poor things,' and we do not want to be excluded. We want to compete with the rest and to show what we can do. We are not going to be the poor little fat guys forever, that is not at all interesting or worthy," Mas says.

[bart]

Wonderful article! Thank you, dirac. I was especially impressed by the way in which membership in this company gives a sense of belonging, and offers a road both to self-acceptance and to making healthy choices. It's one more powerful example of the way that access to artistic training and performance add so much to human life. Another reason to "support the arts!"

"Obesity is an illness. We are not in favour of obesity. On the contrary, we try to make those people seek a physical and mental equilibrium, a harmony," Mas says.

He explains that a specialist doctor supports the group and advises them on nutrition and exercise.

Mas dreams of turning Danza Voluminosa into a broader project, with "therapeutic" workshops to help overweight people.

There is one thing that all members of Danza Voluminosa agree on - the group has given every one of them internal strength.

[papeetepatrick]

Thank you for that report, Cristian. It really helped me understand more about the group - good job.

Good job indeed, Cristian! and I hadn't seen it when you wrote it 3 months ago, so thanks to dirac for putting up a new article which I haven't had time to read yet. This is quite fascinating, and I had no idea anything like this existed--one of the few examples of something that is both 'inspiring' and 'inspirational', which is not so frequent an occurrence.

[cubanmiamiboy]

Thank you for that report, Cristian. It really helped me understand more about the group - good job.

Good job indeed, Cristian! and I hadn't seen it when you wrote it 3 months ago, so thanks to dirac for putting up a new article which I haven't had time to read yet. This is quite fascinating, and I had no idea anything like this existed--one of the few examples of something that is both 'inspiring' and 'inspirational', which is not so frequent an occurrence.

My pleasure. I'm happy to spread the word on the works of this wonderful company. As i said earlier, these dancers are truly professionals, and i wish them the best . Good luck! thank you, dirc, for the link..

[bart]

Here's another story on Danza Voluminosa, from the Palm Beach Post/ Cox News Service. (Thanks, dirac, for reminding me of this thread.)

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/...allet_0527.html

Says founder and choreographer Juan Miguel Mas:

This January we shared the stage with three thin dancers in a production called Alliances," Mas said. "We looked for alliances between these types of bodies, in the end creating one body with the bodies of six dancers. It was a call for respect of our differences, not just between body types.