Cuba Report. Mayu Shirai

I stayed in Cuba for around one month from August 13^th to September 14^th. After staying in NYC for 2 years, I decided to stop by Cuba before going back to Japan. I had 3 reasons why I wanted to stay in Cuba:

First
I wanted to 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 wanted to know what social dance is, why we dance socially, what’s the spirituality of that?

I researched about social dance history, and I am interested in Cuban dance culture, their music and dance culture is exactly what I wanted to see. I thought THIS IS IT.

Second
I also wanted to practice by myself, and find my own dance style, because I just finished a dance program in NY before coming to Cuba, and my brain was just packed with so much information, I just needed to take time for myself to digest every information I absorbed in NYC and think about who I am as an artist.

Third
I wanted 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 decided I really wanna create the place through dancing for 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 wanted to see the people’s life and their life value.

Cuba is a 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 ii!

I feel like Cuba is a temple, very meditative place, and I can concentrate on myself.

My life routine was:

Wake up morning→going to local café, drinking strong coffee, talk with 2 moms who work in 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 to café and study Spanish and write down about my dance→eat dinner in local restaurant →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 think life should not be structured much, because life is destiny, we have so many interactions with others everyday, we don’t know what happens 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 such a structured person, I like to make schedules every hour or every minutes, that makes my opportunities limited, we need to be flexible, 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 relaxed, I don’t need to think too much, not structure too much, just be calm and do what I want, and then my time will come.

That is the things I learned in Cuban life!

As dance aspect

I learned a lot dancing.

Especially I was so amazed by their dance culture, I always went to dance parties at Hotel Florida or 1830, and I tried to explore the dance culture in Cuba, exactly almost all Cuban people can dance, the people who can’t dance well is tourist. And they 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 steps, people looks learn dance from party or practical dance communication in dance party. The energy is so warm, happy, not competitive.

Dance party video at 1830

I also explored 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 instinct, not thinking too much, just dance and feel it, body already know the beat, I feel like that.

Cuban Percussion Class

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 how 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 a 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 ‘Irma’ came, we didn’t have 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 after 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 a 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 robots, we should be flexible and try to feel others and be cooperative always. Cuba is not like Japan, they are humans.

Through this hurricane disaster, I really realize we humans are beautiful, we have same universal humanity and we never forget about that.

I decided I really want to exchange and collaborate more with international artists to make sure we have universal human sense. We also have cultural differences, 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 make new chemistry.

I definitely will come back to Cuba to collaborate with artists!!

My journey never stop!

This is the video I made in CUBA, I write Poetry, speak and dance.