The Cuban Groove
Find them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thecubangroove
Or Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecubangroove/
Or Email cubanos@gmail.com
Originally from Guantanemo and Havana, Cuba, Vivio is a world- class dancer, choreographer, teacher and musician who has been running THE CUBAN GROOVE in Auckland for 23 years.
He loves to share his extensive knowledge and passion for Cuban dances with students around the country and beyond.
At Salsa Tumbao 2024, Vivio will open the festival on Saturday morning with an Afro-Cuban workshop - focussed on Elegua, the Orisha who
opens the way.
In the afternoon, he’ll teach a Chango and Ogun workshop. Then, on Sunday afternoon, don’t miss his legendary Rueda de Casino class, which is always full of fun.
Vivio’s band KE LO KE is headlining the Salsa Tumbao 2024 party, where you’ll get to experience joyful Cuban rhythms on the dance floor from eleven of the best Latin and jazz musicians in New Zealand.
We spoke to Vivio about sabor and coffee.
First and foremost, how do you take your coffee?
“I drink my coffee like a typical Cuban - strong, black and sweet. Coffee and sugar are Cuba’s main commodities and so is rum, so all three combined are a marriage made in heaven for me! And I’ll eat Tiramisu wherever I can find it as it’s my favourite dessert. I can’t hold back!”
Vivio is a qualified dancer, teacher, choreographer and musician, and an early pioneer of Cuban dance and music in Aotearoa.
Formally trained in contemporary dance, ballet, Cuban folkloric dances and percussion at the leading National School of Arts in Havana, Cuba, he went on to tour the world, performing in shows with prestigious dance companies like Danza Contemporanea de Cuba and Ballet de Camaguey.
He was a principal dancer in the acclaimed Lady Salsa show and has toured his own show, Cuban Carousel, with Greydis Montero Liranza around Aotearoa.
Describe a move that you love / that is part of your typical style?
“I don’t really have a favourite move as such.
Whatever the feeling is in the moment is the best move so it could be anything
in that moment.”
Cubans speak of sabor (flavour) when they talk about dancing. When and how did you find your own personal style in dance?
“Before I trained to become a professional dancer, I was already a social dancer in my neighbourhood in Guantanamo at six or seven years old.
For me, sabor is about connecting with the music. It’s a feeling that makes you the dancer, not the moves themselves.”
Since arriving in Aotearoa in 2002, through his company The Cuban Groove, Vivio has taught 1,000s of students to dance, and trained many
teachers around the country in authentic Cuban dance styles. Always bringing his infectious energy to whatever he touches, he has performed
at national and international festivals, events, parties and shows, judged major salsa competitions, and appeared on television and film.
Vivio is a qualified dancer, teacher, choreographer and musician, and an early pioneer of Cuban dance and music in Aotearoa.
What tips do you have for students who are still trying to find their own sabor?
“It’s all about the music! Sabor is coming from a feeling which you gain from the music — by following the timing, the percussion, the clave, the bass and so on. I would say, just listen to as much Cuban music as you can and learn to identify the different rhythms so you can understand how to interpret music on the dance floor, and recognise ‘what is a Bolero, a Cha-Cha, a Son, Salsa, Timba, Rumba and so on’. Once you’re dancing ‘inside’ the music and you’ve learnt different Cuban rhythms, you’ll soon start to express your dancing with more flavour.”
“It’s also worth mentioning that Cuban music often changes rhythms within a track and you find yourself out of time if you don’t understand the different rhythms. This takes a while to understand but the more you listen to the music and study the dances, you’ll eventually get it. And, if you’re unsure about the rhythms, just come and ask.”
Vivio also performs with his Cuban bands - Ke lo Ke, a melting pot of leading Latin and jazz musicians from around Aotearoa - and his smaller ensemble, - Vivio & Friends, who perform monthly at Botticelli in Takapuna.
Vivio is supported by his partner Justine Harvey, a writer and editor who has been studying Cuban dance forms for the past eight years.
What elements of dance add flavour / style to Cuban dance?
“You can certainly learn a lot of combinations and techniques but, without flavour, the dancing becomes very flat. There is ‘flavour’ being taught that is interpretative but we encourage students to enrich their repertoire by studying Afro-Cuban and Rumba dances as these will improve your body movement, musicality and styling techniques in an authentic way. It really helps to be absorbed in these dances, which have very rich histories that travel back over centuries. From there, you can incorporate some of the moves into your dancing on the dance floor and express you own sabor.”
The Cuban Groove’s aim is to share the energy of happiness, health and connection through Cuban music and dance.
They run Rueda classes - filled with styling from Afro-Cuban; Rumba; Cha Cha Cha and Son - on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, in the Grey Lynn Library Hall, Auckland. Watch their Facebook page for fun pop-up classes during summer!
Find them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thecubangroove
Or Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecubangroove/
Or email cubanos@gmail.com
