2022 - We're Back!
Shall we mention 2021?
Oh alright, if you insist.
Everything was planned - down to the the final tied shoelace and the water bottles filled in readiness.
And THEN - yeah, Lockdown. So cancellations and bitter disappointment all around.
But that was last year. This. THIS, is 2022, and we SHALL dance from the very depths of our souls.
Because dance creates endorphins - a happy drug - and in this crazy world, that's something we all need.
2022 - Beyond Rueda
Cha Cha Cha; Son; Rumba - so many Cuban styles that move the soul and lift the spirit. Afro-Cuban - which speaks to the pieces of Africa that dwell in the heart of me and cannot be shifted.
These.
These are movements that speak of love; that communicate joy and laughter. This is how your body expresses attraction; mischief and yes, sadness and loss.
Because dance - in it's original form - is the poetry of our souls, expressed through movement.
A couple of years back one of the instructors at the Aoteroa Cuban Festival in Rotorua spoke at length about the Orishas - and how they connect to the movements in Cuban dance. As feet around me fidgeted to get up and dance - I was spellbound. As if someone had opened a window to the beliefs and traditions that shaped the dance that orginates in Cuba.*
I headed back to Auckland - my head filled with mighty warriors and beautiful, strong women who fed the stories of Cuban dance.
My knowledge of the Orishas is still pretty shallow, I'll admit that. You cannot ever fully understand a culture you didn't grow up in.
But that workshop brought the movements in Afro-Cuban to life for me. It isn't just about getting feet to step in time; or hands to find
the right position - we're telling stories; conveying meanings passed through generations from parent to child.
The aim for Salsa Tumbao 2022 (and indeed for 2021) is to bring NZ instructors together in Auckland to share more of these beautiful dance styles from Cuba.
Beyond Rueda - oh yes. More than the laughter shared as you weave in between partners, in (perfect) synchronised movement. Although that is - and always will be - my first Cuban love affair.
So join us - try an Afro-Cuban class or two. Find your story - and allow the instructors to lead you in better ways to express that.
Wander into the Son workshop so we can have more dancers moving in a graceful flirt across the dance floors in Auckland.
Learn to Cha Cha Cha - so when those first glorious notes of Havana play - you are amongst those who remain to dance.
So many dance styles. So many.
Watch this space for more info!
*As an aside, I am fascinated by religions and beliefs and how they feed into culture; language and humanity