A day at the circus

A day at the circus

Havana, Cuba
11 images
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Inside an abandoned movie theatre on a noisy avenue in a working-class section of Havana, some 70 Cuban children as young as nine are pursuing their dream of joining the circus.

The circus is a lucrative career path and a rare opportunity for Cubans to make real money on the communist-led island.

Cuban circus artists abroad make at least $1,000 a month, a relative fortune compared to the meagre salaries back home.

. HAVANA, Cuba. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

During training, aspiring acrobats climb a rope while young jugglers toss pins back and forth, and others take turns on the trampoline or parallel bars.

No one seems to mind the dilapidated conditions, at least as long as the weather is dry. Several corrugated tin laminates are missing from the roof, exposing the sky.

. HAVANA, Cuba. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

On a recent day the program included physical exercise, from push-ups to chin-ups to running, with most of the students dressed in leotards.

The Cuban National Circus tours as a company and also hires out its talent to companies such as Ringling Brothers and Cirque du Soleil.

. HAVANA, Cuba. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

Even though the Cuban state takes a cut of their salaries, the circus gives students a clearly defined profession, says Jose Manuel Cordero, spokesman for the Cuban National Circus.

"They know that in the circus they have a future as a person, as an artist," Cordero says. "They can triumph doing what they love."

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Slideshow

A circus performer practises his act.
. HAVANA, Cuba. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

A circus performer practises his act.

Lena Dias, 24, (top) and Karelis Gamboa, 20, practise during a training session.
. HAVANA, Cuba. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

Lena Dias, 24, (top) and Karelis Gamboa, 20, practise during a training session.

A young girl performs with hoops during training.
. HAVANA, Cuba. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

A young girl performs with hoops during training.

Actress Mercedes Miranda, 46, gets ready to perform in "The Queen of the Crocodile Dance”.
. HAVANA, Cuba. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

Actress Mercedes Miranda, 46, gets ready to perform in "The Queen of the Crocodile Dance”.

Children warm up during a training session.
. HAVANA, Cuba. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

Children warm up during a training session.

Eight-year-old Samuel Amador practises with hoops.
. HAVANA, Cuba. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

Eight-year-old Samuel Amador practises with hoops.

A trainer watches young performers practise.
. HAVANA, Cuba. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

A trainer watches young performers practise.

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