I stayed Caba for around one month from August 13th to September 14th.
After stayed in NYC for 2 years, I decided to stop by Cuba before I go back to Japan.
I have 3 reasons why I want to stay in Cuba,
Firstly
I wanna see the real social dance culture in Cuba,
I like street dance( especially I like house dance), I believe street dance is from social dance, people jamming and share their vibes. But currently I saw the dancer who don’t share the energy in dance party, they just show their technique, and I feel they miss something,,, In NY and Japan, I always thought I want to know what is social dance, why we dance socially, what’s the spirituality of that?
I researched about social dance history, and I am interested in Cuba, their music and dance culture is exactly what I want to see,
I thought THIS IS IT.
Secondly
I also want to practice by myself, and find my own dance style, because I just finished dance program in NY begore I am here Cuba, and then my brain is just packed so many information, I just need to take time for myself to digest every information I absorbed in NYC and think about who I am as artist.
Thirdly
I want to see people’s culture,
I am originally from Japan, I jumped out of Japan 2 years ago because I was just tired of the culture that is so stressful.
I thought people need something creative, because their life is so much working,, and they don’t have time to enjoy themselves.
I decide I really wanna create the place though dancing to people just express and feel who they are.
In Cuba, people’s life is close to culture like music, dance and art. The life is not tensed like Japan. I want to see the people’s life and their life value.
Cuba is perfect place for me, limited internet, limited food, everything very limited,,
My life is getting so simple in Cuba, just Dance, eat, and sleep.. that’s it…
I feels like Cuba is temple, very meditative place, and I can concentrate on myself.
This is the place I stayed,( the picture bellowed) I stayed in Artist Residency (Unpack Studio)
This is the food mostly I ate.
My life routine is
Wake up morning→going to local café, drinking strong coffee, talk with 2moms who work with cafe, and learn Spanish.→start practice by myself with the dance notes I took in NYC,( like contemporary, modern, ballet, and street dance’s isolation)→taking Cuban dance class like Rumba, Mambo, cha cha cha, Son, and Salsa→dance practice again→going caffe and study Spanish and write down about my dance→eat dinner in local restraint →go to salsa party at night
In Cuba, I have to feel relax, because so many things are unscheduled and so many unpredicted things happen, and that makes my life excited and happy.
I thought life should be not structured much, because life is destiny, we have so many interactions with others everyday, we don’t know what happen tomorrow, or even in 1 hour. Just Be open our mind, and allow to be myself, and enjoy the destiny.
In NY and Japan, I was so structured person, I like to make schedules every hour or every minutes, that makes my opportunities limited, we need to be flexibility, try to be open always.
‘Tranquila!’ the word always I heard in Cuba means don’t worry or calm down.
They always said that word and made me relax.
Now I really believe life is simple, just do what we need, and be relax.
Cuban life is not rich, but they have a very warm mentality to satisfy their life.
I was afraid to go back to Japan, but the life in Cuba makes me relax, I don’t need to think too much, not structure too much, just be calm down and do what I want, and then my time will come.
That is the things I learned in Cuban life.
2 madams in Caffe!! Their sandwiches and caffe is absolutely RICO! ( tasty!!) My spanish professor too!!
As dance aspect
I learned a lot dancing.
Especially I was so amazed their dance culture, I always went to dance party at Hotel Florida or 1830, and I try to explore the dance culture in Cuba, exactly almost Cuban people can dance, the people who can’t dance well is tourist.
And they definitely enjoy dancing and communicating through dancing!! It is not just showing their technique, more sharing energy and more sensual.
People believe more instinctual feeling rather than just practicing count or bunch of step, people looks learn dance from party or practical dance communication in dance party.
The energy is so warm, happy, not competitive.
I also explore Cuban dance through studying dance classes. Each music like rumba music, son, salsa, is very different sensation, and the idea is very interesting for me.
The count is especially interesting part, in each music style, the strength of the count is different, and I realize even just changing the strength of the count, the dance looks so different.
And even in dance class, dance is from intinction, not thinking too much, just dance and feel it, body already know the beat, I feel like that.
Even just practicing by myself, I always try to move whatever I want to and follow my instincts.
In NYC, I do street dance and modern dance. Although some people said dancer have to concentrate on 1 style, I don’t think so. Dance is dance, why we have to separate it, just absorb what we want and just explore and move I want. Art is myself, I am not gonna be 1 specific style dancer, I am just dancer, artist, I don’t wanna be structured dancer. I create my dance, Just DANCE and show my ART.
Concentrating on my dance everyday is wonderfully lonely experience, I love that.
And the most important things I learned in Cuba is how universal sense( humanity) is important and how cultural difference is important.
I have cultural shocks in Cuba, but I also feel universal sense and humanity in Cuba.
People surrounding me in Cuba are very beautiful, of course our language, back ground is different, but definitely we are same human.
I really feel that when the hurricane ‘Irama’ came, we didn’t have no water, no electricity and no information for around 4 days, but people treat me so well, even my Spanish level is infant , they try to understand what I am saying and just be with me. I was so amazed how people is strong even the disaster came, people know how to share the food, help each other and know how to enjoy their life even after disaster.
I ,Japanese, we are developed country but every time just busy for our planned life, and if they are out of the plan, people can’t deal with that. I feel that people should re-understand we are human, we are not robot, we should be flexible and try to feel others and be corporate always. Cuba is not like Japan, they are humans.
Through this hurricane disaster, I really realize we human are beautiful, we have same universal humanity and we never forget about that.
I decide I really want to exchange and collaborate more international artist to make sure we have universal human sense. We also have cultural difference, but that is interesting part in the world, because without culture and art, human life is so boring, we are not robot.
Through staying Cuba, I thought artist should collaborate and makes the new chemistry.
I definitely come back to Cuba to collaborate artist!!
My journey never stop!
Thanks Unpack studio for allowing me to stay!
YOU GUYS really help me! And change my life!
Special Thanks to Laura! (The girl who is in CUBA), we already nice friend as artist too.
I am so excited to collaborate with her too!!
THANKSYOU
I made a poetry in CUBA called UTOPIA ,with dancing and beautiful view in CUBA.
