Beverly

The DIARIO LAS AMÉRICAS may indeed have a political agenda (re: Cuba). I'm not sure. My friend who attended the performance said there were palpable political undertones to the pre-performance announcements. This may account for the omissions you note, bart.

Here is another Spanish-language article about this performance.

http://www.diariolasamericas.com/Viernes/2..._Cultura_02.htm

I wish I had gone to the performance! My friend gave me a heads up about the show (after the fact) and the reviews, but hasn't translated them for me yet.

I have long been a visitor to Ballet Talk but have never registered or replied to a topic. When I saw this thread, though, I had to comment.

Asking "Why are Asians so good at ballet?" is a RACIST comment and in my opinion has no place on a bulletin board dedicated to the "civilized" discussion of ballet. I am aghast that the administrators did not remove this post as soon as it appeared. On the contrary, they validated the question by responding.

If you would like to inquire as to why INDIVIDUALS with a strong work ethic succeed over those who do not (a point so obvious as to not need stating) then that is one thing. But linking the question to ESSENTIALIST qualities such as ethnicity, which lumps all individuals of one "sort" into a specific category, is appalling -- even if you believe you are paying a compliment! I have asked several colleagues at the university I teach how they feel about this and they were all equally alarmed that such a topic could enjoy a public forum.

If you doubt me, consider if this is a racist question: "Why are blacks good at basketball?"

I urge the adminstrators to close this topic immediately.