March
30, 2003 -- spiritual salsa experience in Cuba
I am surprised to see no entry of dancing in Cuba since I am
sure there is interesting stories of dancing there that would be worth
sharing. Two weeks after being back from Cuba, I still wake up with
the same feeling of excitment, anticipation and euphoria that I felt
as we landed on the island. Keep in mind that for this trip, I had not
decided myself of the destination, I was to attend a wedding there,
so we were in Cayo Coco, an island off Cuba, so I can just imagine what
it would have been like to be in La Havane or Varadero because I am
well aware that this place is very very touristic The first few days
I was simply feeling pure joy of hearing salsa non-stop day and night.
Beside the pool, on the beach, I would just listen to the rythms and
look at the wonderfull white sand and blue sea and think I was in heaven.
But as the days went by, I noticed that at night, the disco played more
dance music than latin, and that the cuban workers left pretty early,
so I started to ask around to where I could really live a cuban dance
experience. After starting to hang out with the performers and entertainers,
they told me to follow them on a thursday night. Off we went to this
off complex cuban club. I will remember this night forever. Funny thing,
the place is called Salsateca and the dance floor is very similar to
the one of Salsatheque in Montreal, but more dancable.
When I got there, music was playing not very loud in the backgroud,
so the customers where just hanging around hugging, kissing, talking.....
happy to see one another.... I could already feel the energy of the
place going up. At the stroke of midnight, the lights go out, and there
on this big stage comes a band of about 15 musicians that start playing
this wicked mix of son, mambo, salsa and cumbia. I was in awe, the music
had not started yet, and everyone was on the dance floor. I saw people
moving there body like I have never seen in my 5 years of dancing. Most
were not even dancing in couples, but just standing facing the band
and moving to every possible beat of the amazing music. No showing off,
no bored dancers, no choreographed moves, no routine feeling( like the
one I have been seeing and feeling in the last months of going to Courthouse).
There was not one person left sitting in the club, every one was either
on the dance floor, standing on a the steps to the dance floor, or just
dancing right there at there tables.
At that moment I realised that I know very little of what these people
are expressing through there music and dancing and that being canadian,
and saying that through salsa I am expressing who I am has nothing to
do with what I saw in Cuba. There history, there way of life, there
battles, there fight for freedom is lived every time they move to the
music, so much more than what I can begin to epress myself. Through
this experience, I have changed my view of cuban dancing (having learned
NY style salsa), and I will never never read this sentence the same
way again " You guys are not feeling the music, you show no joy
of dancing, you dance through choreographed routines but have no real
interpretation of the music, maybe it is because you don't understand
it". Thanks to new cuban friends, I have once more grown in my
salsa experience and through your generosity I have come back with a
new appreciation of my dancing. Renee generosity
I have come back with a new appreciation of my dancing. Renee
March 31, 2003 -- Experience in Cuba
First
of all, Rose, this is a great web site! There's a wealth of information
in your site, and I look forward to exploring it more.
I agree
with on of your reader's experience in Cuba. Cuban dancing is very beautiful
and just like any other country has its share of good and bad dancers.
I disagree,
however, that Cuban dancing is not choreographed and no one shows off.
I have been to Cuba 7 times (not just the tourist areas), and I could
tell you that even amongst the locals you have your "clicks,"
and "elite" groups. This is not a "dancing" issue
but a human issue. Every body rotation, shake, etc. and basic step is
choreographed, regardless whether you learn it through watching or school
instruction. While dancing may be intrinsic talent for some, people
stil need some kind of instruction to learn. Cuba in fact has one of
the most progressive instructional dance schools in the world, and some
of my dancer friends of Paris have taken lessons there from the some
of the teachers they have.
My point
is not to put Cuban dancing down or the music as I LOVE the Cuban rumba
and their traditonal folkloric dances, but rather to point out that
every country has their own problems in their own dancing scene.
Although
I grew up in London, I agree that most North Americans and Europeans
may never feel the same way Cuban's feel and dance their music, but
it is dead wrong to assume that what other feels outside of Cuba is
of no value and people should be more careful and how they address their
opinion. My background involves Lindy Hop, and I'm relatively new to
Salsa, but there's also a lot of exhiliration felt whenever two people
are connected doing fantastic turn patterns and dips and flips, which
some people who never dance complicated turn patterns may or may never
experience. Dancing is a subjective experience, and Cubans are entitled
to express their love of dancing and music the way they want to. The
same goes with the Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and so forth.
Again,
Rose, great site! -- Agosto
Dear Agosto, thanks for writing in and I would
love to find out how you "surfed over to our site" for the
first time. Regarding your comments about dancing, you've hit one of
the nails on the head... I've also been involved alittle in different
dance scenes in Toronto, such as Argentine Tango, ballroom and swing,
talked to different dancers from different cities/countries; and this
"problem" is prevalent everywhere -- nothing new to write
home about, just a different story in each city or country; and as I
stated in my column, these discussions should be about expressing the
different styles of dance and what's so special about it, not about
which style is better... that is all personal preference and/or "what
you grew up with". That's why I'm glad Renee wrote about her experience
of cuban dancing... she appreciated their style for what it was... not
why she thinks it may be better... that's personal preference. Rose