November 15, 2004
Members of Cuban Troupe Say They Will Seek Asylum
By NICK MADIGAN
 
AS VEGAS, Nov. 14 - In what appears to be the largest mass defection of Cuban performers to date, 44 dancers, singers and musicians, here to stage a revue, plan to seek political asylum in the United States, troupe members said on Sunday.

Most of the artists intend to deliver their applications for asylum personally on Monday morning at the Federal Building here, the performers said in interviews in an auditorium at the Stardust Resort and Casino, where their "Havana Night Club" revue is booked for a three-month run.

Seven other members of the ensemble have already sought asylum from United States officials in Berlin; those performers were due to travel to Las Vegas in time for the show's opening on Tuesday.

"The only thing we regret is that our families in Cuba may suffer," Puro Hernández, 31, the troupe's musical director, said in Spanish. "But the Cuban government left us no choice - they put us between the sword and a wall."

nytimes.com