Tough Steps
Tough Steps
Text and Photo: Jessica Cruel
Magazine Bolivian Express
A little girl in La Paz gets a pair of ballet shoes for Christmas. She grows up taking classes in classic dance and danza folklórica. She spends ten years studying her craft. She graduates and finally becomes a ballerina, but has nowhere to showcase her art professionally and no certificate of accomplishment. Carmina De la Torre Benitez and Paulette Galarza Torrico are both that little girl and they are fighting to do what they love – bailar.
To be an artist in Bolivia is to be a fighter. At least that was the premise of the performance ‘Sonarte’ - an independent production performed, choreographed and financed by five dancers. Maria Guzman and Miguel Marin of Santa Cruz, and Maria Rivera of La Paz joined Carmina and Paulette to create a play about the arts.
“What united us was dance,” they tell me. “We are individuals who have come together to share what we do, and to show that there really are people who are dedicated to this and that can make independent productions.”
Paulette and Carmina used to be members of the Ballet Oficial de Bolivia. However the troupe disbanded in protest. “We were tired of not being paid, not being treated well, and a lot of things. There were 15 dancers and only three were paid. It’s beautiful but we gotta eat,” says Paulette. Whereas the school of dance makes a profit, the official company was considered an expense. Unfortunately even the students at the school are disheartened and only three graduate per year.
“The government does not support culture and art, and now there is much less than before. Although it has opened a culture ministry, that ministry is not clear what it wants to do with Bolivian culture and there is no real support for the national ballet,” says Carmina.
In ‘Sonarte’, which means “blowing” in Spanish (as in blowing one’s nose), the dancers combine theatre and choreography to present the plight of the Bolivian dancer. The costumes are modest workout clothes and the props are minimal.
“The argument we address is the struggle of the artist, as part of society and as a professional, who is notusually recognized here. Here, if you do art, it is a hobby. But there are people, not only in La Paz, who are dedicated to working professionally in this,” says Carmina.
‘Sonarte’ was choreographed ’hands off’, and every dancer had the opportunity to express their struggle. Some of the joint pieces play like fight scenes from a movie, and the stage becomes a boxing ring. The competition between dancers for the spotlight and the difficulty of being under constant scrutiny is all expressed in this dance experiment.
“You always want to touch the people, the piece is funny, but at the same time the content is strong,” says Carmina. “But you can always go further, and I think that if we go on to work with other people the idea is going to evolve. Each dancer will come to the project with their own vision of the fight and that will make it change.”
Carmina and Paulette did face challenges organising their first independent production. All the money came from their personal savings because they couldn’t find sponsors. When they went to the Minister of Culture, he insisted that all the money was gone. To be recognised officially by the government the dancers would have to form an official company, which involves legal admin and more money. Another problem they faced was a struggle to get access to theatres to perform in and to publicise the event. “In terms of money, we lost, but in art we gained. The people who worked with us, they know the process and they didn’t ask for money,” says Carmina.
Despite the complications of being a dancer in La Paz, the women are not going elsewhere. Carmina and Paulette want Bolivia to have better representation in the global dance arena but right now they are focused on creating a local movement. In the future they hope to make ‘Sonarte’ an annual collective show, to be performed in cities across Bolivia. They also hope to teach contemporary dance workshops to other performers.
“Sharing. Not showing yourself, but sharing through dance: that is our thing,” says Paulette.
We sat on the floor of a dance studio with cracked mirrors and plastic floors, rusted bars and foggy windows. This is the economic situation for the arts in this society. When I think back to my dance classes in the United States, with mirrors on every wall, wooden bars and polished hardwood floors, it reminds me that to be a dancer is a privilege, but in Bolivia to dedicate yourself fully to dancing involves bearing the burden of your passion.
“Dancing for me is what I am,” Paulette tells me. “I understand life thanks to dance. Sometimes it is like a drug, you can’t leave it even when it damages you. You can’t because it is part of you.”
"Content from the Bolivian Express, Bolivia's foremost english-language publication. They offer 1-3 month long journalism internships ideal for anyone interested in magazine production and Bolivian culture (typically language students and people spending their gap year in South America). Applications to take part are open all year round. Find out more at www.bolivianexpress.org"
