Mikelib this is the story of the ballerinas show we saw on PBS. Mirror Dance is titled and was produced by Independent Lens. BTW the sister that stayed in Cuba did not become the head of the Cuban ballet since the head is and probably will always be , even after death , Prima Ballerina Assoluta Alicia Alonso ( I do not like this kind of god sacred treatment either but after talking about Cuban Ballet and Alicia Alonso in particular with Foreing Classic Dancers I kind of start appreciating why in Cuba she is treated like a god). The sister became the head of the School of Cuban Ballet which is by far a very important roll since it guarantees the furure generation of high quality dancers (New York ballet fans probably remember names like Jose Manuel Carreño and Carlos Acosta who untill recently were members of the American Ballet Theater, dancers retire at 35 I think). For more info on the documentary read along.
MIRROR DANCE is the story of Cuban-born identical twins Ramona and Margarita de Saá, who become estranged through politics when one moves to the United States and the other remains behind. Though separated for almost 40 years, both continue to share a passion for dance. Shot in the United States and Cuba over a period of four years, the film reveals some of the complexities of the sisters’ relationship: the worlds in which they live, the choices each has made and the conflicts each has endured. Set within the context of the turbulent dynamic between the two countries, MIRROR DANCE focuses on the twins’ story of division, difference and ongoing efforts at reconciliation. It is a universal story that speaks to the personal pain, loss and waste that can result from international hostilities.
Ramona and Margarita knew they wanted to be ballerinas. At age 11, they were dancing with prima ballerina Alicia Alonso and were being mentored by master teacher Fernando Alonso. Enter the 1959 Cuban Revolution. Fidel Castro pledged a strong commitment to the arts, especially ballet, a commitment that continues to this day.
Margarita flourished in the system, rising through the ranks from corps de ballet to prima ballerina. She married John White, an American who was recruited by Alicia Alonso to dance with the newly formed National Ballet of Cuba. Ramona married Santiago Bello, one of Castro’s close associates.
The Cuban revolution
Using old family photographs and archival footage of their days as young dancers in Havana, including footage of Margarita performing in Enrique Pineda Barnet’s film
Giselle, MIRROR DANCE introduces viewers to the sisters and their worlds. In addition, archival and Super 8 footage recalls Havana in the turbulent ’50s and early ’60s when the twins were growing up, during their respective courtships and marriages and through the political events leading up to their dramatic separation. A soundtrack that mixes original music composed by Cuban-born Elio Villafranca with traditional ballet music further evokes the era.
Following their marriages, the twins began to grow apart. In 1964, concerned about the changing political environment, Margarita, her infant son and her husband—now a ballet master—made the painful decision to leave their life, careers and family in Cuba. Ramona remained in Havana. A self-described “revolutionary woman,” she was dismayed by her twin’s lack of commitment to the revolution. Believing Margarita was a traitor, Ramona refused to have contact with her.
Margarita at her Academy of Ballet in Philadelphia
Ramona at the National School of Ballet in Cuba
Top photos, L-R:
On tour with the National Ballet of Cuba
Margarita and Ramona are reunited
The twins with their first-born sons, 1963, Havana
In the 40 years since the sisters’ separation, Margarita and John opened a small dance academy in Narberth, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia, where they remain committed to helping young dancers pursue their dream. Ramona became director of the Cuban National Schools of Ballet. It was not until 2000, after being approached by the filmmakers, that Margarita began to think seriously about returning to Cuba.
In the film, Margarita reflects, “When I left Cuba I didn’t just lose my biological family, I lost something very special to me—the National Ballet of Cuba. I lost two families.” Despite pouring her heart into her work and trying to create a new ballet family in the United States, she remains haunted by memories and loss.
In Cuba, the film follows Ramona in her routine as the sole woman who determines the fate of every aspiring dancer in the country, and viewers experience the all-encompassing, government-endowed National School of Ballet.
Finally, on February 28, 2004, Margarita, her husband, John, and her daughter, Melinda, depart for Havana. In a touching scene at José Martí Airport, Margarita, Ramona and their brother, Jovito, are finally reunited.
Still, the short visit between the twins remains guarded. On Margarita’s last day in Havana, a visit to their parents’ grave helps the twins put the loss of the past 40 years into some perspective. The desire to recover their past relationship exists, but as Margarita reflects, it will be work. “The ice has been broken to continue this relationship. But we have to work at it, in person.”
But once again, politics intervene in the twins’ relationship. In June 2004, the U.S. government tightened travel restrictions to Cuba. Now Margarita must wait until 2007 to see her sister again. Like the ongoing political situation between the United States and Cuba, the twins’ story still awaits an outcome.
Filming of MIRROR DANCE was completed in 2004. The filmmakers report that as of October 2005, both Margarita and Ramona were still deeply immersed in ballet. Margarita continues to run the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet with her daughter Melinda Pendleton and her husband John White, and Ramona continues her demanding job as the director of the Escuela Nacional de Ballet in Cuba. They keep in touch, primarily through email, and are anxiously awaiting a time when they can see each other again.
