William A. Weathers
The Cincinnati Enquirer
and Kathy Valin
Enquirer contributor

Two former members of Cuba's national ballet company who defected to the United States have gained political asylum and have contracts with the Cincinnati Ballet, their Miami immigration attorney said Wednesday.

Adiarys Almeida and Cervilio Amador, former dancers with the Ballet Nacional de Cuba, were recently hired by the Cincinnati Ballet, attorney Willy Allen said. A third member of the Cuban ballet troupe - Gema Diaz - is scheduled to audition for the Cincinnati Ballet today, Allen said.

Victoria Morgan, artistic director for the Cincinnati Ballet, said Wednesday that adding the dancers is not yet a done deal.

"We have indeed sent them contracts, but we haven't got them back yet," Morgan said of two of the Cuban dancers. She confirmed that a third dancer is scheduled to audition today.

While reluctant to discuss the signing before the deal is official, Morgan said signed contracts would mean the Cincinnati Ballet would be adding "two fantastic dancers."

Amador, 20, and Diaz, 21, defected while the Cuban troupe was in Daytona Beach in October. A few days later, Almeida left the company in New York. They have spent the past four months in Miami attending dance classes and performing.

According to Allen, immigration authorities accepted the three asylum applications because they consider the Ballet Nacional de Cuba to be a political pawn of the Cuban government. Immigration authorities determined that defecting from the ballet was the equivalent of rejecting the government.

The dancers were able to demonstrate that if they returned to Cuba, they would be persecuted, Allen said.

Allen said he encouraged the dancers to come to the Queen City, rather than stay in Miami, so they can have room to grow artistically and better learn the language and the culture. Cincinnati, he said, is in "the great belly of the U.S."

The Associated Press contributed.