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Dance enthusiast John Onigbinde tells of how a chance conversation led him to discovering the joy of studying Afro-Cuban dance in Guantanamo, eastern Cuba.
HAVING studied in Nigeria for some time, I became interested in the culture of Latin America as there are lots of similarities between the Yoruba tradition from West Africa and South American traditions.
I decided to start by visiting Cuba, and as I was unsure where to start, a friend from the Samba school I am with, informed me of Cathy Coker who had visited Guantanamo.
She told me about the courses with Danza Libre in the Guantanamo, in the far eastern part of the country. Being an enthusiastic dancer, this was great. Cathy sorted out the arrangements to meet in Cuba, while I did the reservations. The flight was from Gatwick to Havana, and then a connecting flight to Guantanamo, from where it pretty easy getting a taxi to my hotel.
Within hours of settling down at the hotel, I contacted Afredo Velazquez, the director of the company. The following day I met the group and started classes straight away. However, as I went out of season I was the only student they had.
Classes always started with some stretches, a quick warm up, some standing and then floor work. After this Alfredo took the class in contemporary dance routines. The music was provided by two drummers and a solo female vocalist, which was extremely inspirational. And although I had been to quite a few dance classes in the past, nothing compared to this, as I actually felt high on there harmonies.
After this I had a session with the drummers learning how the folklore music is formed. Then we continued the class with folklore techniques in vodu, gaga, bordou and these were taken by different members of the group.
Once the classes had finished I had time to relax, and by this time I always certainly needed a break. Whilst there, I saw performances by various companies in Guantanamo, a talk on the arts and a traditional ritual which I thought was very important, as it showed how the traditions have been maintained until now.
At the show there was a performance by a changui band playing the son, bolero and changui music, we were then moved to a different location where we heard a short lecture before questions were taken from the audience.
Afterwards, we were shown shrines from the days of migration from Haiti and beyond. Then there was a performance by a folklore company which was flirtatious, energetic and very fast. Although I had done some of the moves in class I was certainly no match for there vigour.
Apart from dancing, I took time to see the province and had great laughs on my own, and with some friends at times. I made a visit to the Salcines Palace and learned about Guantanamo, the stone museum, the arts school and attended one of Guantanamo's carnivals while it was on.
It was upsetting leaving as I had a great time and found everybody friendly and very generous even though things were difficult for them due to the embargo. However, I have made up my mind I am definitely going back sooner rather than later.
To find out more about Danza Libre contact Jane King on 0171 602 1620