Jesús Arias Pagés

Dancer

Jesús spent his childhood in Guáimaro, Camagüey, according to him, "a country town." The truth is he never imagined he would become a dancer. "Not even in my dreams. I was never a child who dreamed much. I don't think I had any special sensitivity or anything like that. I was an ordinary child. Besides, no one in my family is in the arts. It all happened by chance. One day I was at school and a teacher from Camagüey came to do aptitude tests. I presented myself just to present myself. I passed. My mother doubted at first, she knew there were many prejudices about dance, she feared they would hurt me. But in the end they supported me. My father didn't want to define my future, that had to be my own decision. And I went to Camagüey to study."

He started studying Classical Ballet but "At some point I realized my body had more to do with contemporary dance. That is, I did everything I had to do at school, in terms of academic dance. But I felt freer and more capable when I danced more modern choreographies. After graduating I joined the Endedans ballet, which Tania Vergara directs. I think it was lucky. I'm still here...

"Dance serves many purposes, I suppose. But in my case it has helped me lose some of my fear, to face life's obstacles. I've had to dance very difficult things, shocking things for me. The boy who grew up in Guáimaro perhaps wouldn't have taken them on. But the trained dancer had to do it. I told myself: it's the only way to grow. Now I look back and I feel that dance has made me a fuller person."

Those who know me know the hard work I've been through. For a while I even had to travel every day from Guáimaro to Camagüey. It's far, I had to wake up early, take overcrowded buses, arrive uncomfortable. And when I was at home, I helped my family. I felt that was my responsibility. I'd arrive at school and the other boys would say to me: you're very tanned, did you go to the beach? Actually I had been in the countryside, working from sunrise to sunset. Some of my classmates had no idea about those things...

Now I live with Lisandra Gómez, my partner, who is also a dancer at Endedans. That helps a lot, of course. In any case it's an important city. But I feel we're still at a disadvantage, at least compared to Havana. Few people come to Camagüey to stage choreographies, to do workshops. We've been lucky that important choreographers have come to stage their works. That's why one has to make the most of the experiences, the opportunities.

I really enjoyed doing La Carmen, Tania's choreography based on the famous story. I think it marked a before and after in my career, and in my way of seeing dance. I did everything: I was a townsman, a transvestite… I finally interpreted Carmen and lastly I took on the role of José. Each character demanded very particular things. Seeing and dancing the work from so many points of view enriched me. I think it's a very rewarding work...

He won the Uneac Choreography Award