When Mauricio Vergara was growing up in Tijuana, Mexico, he wanted to be a singer. He dreamed of being on the “American Idol” television program or on the same stage as a backup singer to pop star Britney Spears.
He didn’t reach those stages, but he made it to the stage as a performer anyway. Vergara is a professional dancer with Ballet Tucson.
“I feel like I am back home,” said the bilingual, 27-year-old Vergara, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Mexico.
Tijuana’s loss became Tucson’s gain.
In September he joined the local ballet company after stints in Mexico City, Tijuana, San Diego, New York City and most recently in Montgomery, Alabama.
When his last company dissolved, Vergara went looking for a new home and auditioned in Los Angeles. As chance would have it, overseeing his audition was Mary Beth Cabana, the founder and artistic director of Ballet Tucson.
Vergara, with his radiant smile, beaming personality and upbeat presence, danced his way into her artistic heart.
“I just fell in love with this guy,” said Cabana at the busy ballet studio on South Tucson Boulevard. “I had to have him.”
Tucson, with its large and growing Latino population, and home to a large number of Latino artists, musicians and performers, is a match for Vergara. He is one of a growing number of professional Hispanic male ballet dancers across the country.
Cabana said the number of Hispanic men in ballet has grown in the past 20 years. Like Vergara, they come from abroad: Cuba, Venezuela, Argentina, among other countries. While ballet does not have the cache in this country, Cabana said ballet “is understood and revered” in some Latin American countries “as an authentic art form.”
Vergara understands ballet’s lack of appeal among most people. Popular culture overwhelms ballet and the dance is seen as “outdated and boring.” Vergara strongly disagrees.
Ballet is an appealing art, graceful and athletic, visually stunning. And today’s ballet, while based on classical technique, is wide ranging and eclectic, Cabana said. “We have to do everything,” she added.
Vergara realized ballet’s allure and power when he was approaching 17. He had been dancing hip-hop and singing pop songs.
A dance teacher suggested Vergara take ballet lessons to learn the basics. Vergara, who had not been exposed to ballet, initially balked but followed the advice.
It wasn’t long before Vergara experienced a visceral transformation. He emotionally and physically connected with ballet. He discovered the beauty in its movements. He found resonance in its fluidity. More important he discovered himself.
“I felt alive,” said Vergara. He blossomed, he added, using the Spanish word brotó.
Unfortunately his parents didn’t share his new-found enthusiasm. His father, a doctor, and mother did not see ballet as a potential career for their teenage son. Neither could they envision their son, in tights, jumping, twirling, and holding and lifting ballerinas.
Despite their opposition, Vergara turned his full attention to ballet. He practiced and practiced and practiced. He developed discipline and devotion. While he discovered his passion, Vergara believed that he was arriving late to the rigorous life of a ballet dancer.
Still, without his parents’ blessing, he persevered. “I wanted to dedicate myself,” he said.
When he was 20 years old, Vergara earned his first contract with California Ballet in San Diego, his birth city. Just as important, his divorced parents saw him dance. His father saw him in “The Nutcracker” in San Diego and his mother saw him dance perform in Tijuana the grand pas de deux in the second act of “Swan Lake.”
His mother cried. His father fought the tears. He had gained their support.
Vergara joined Ballet Tucson at a good time. The company is nearing its 30th anniversary. Cabana has plans for wider dance programs, including more Latino themes. She said Vergara’s future is bright and unlimited because “he’s hungry for it.”
His hunger for ballet is clear as he waxes about the dance and his dreams. He wants the lead role in “Giselle,” the mid-19th century French classic. He wants to perform on the stages of Radio City Music Hall in New York City and the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City.
And he wants to mentor future male ballet dancers, and serve as a role model. Vergara wants to tell them dancing ballet beats standing behind Britney Spears any day.
