Dance Research Journal

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Cubana Juan
Marinello/Centro de
Antropologfa.
. 1999. Personalconversationwith author,
26 June.
Additional Sources
Acosta Santana,NirmaM. 1992. La Actividad
Danzariaen Las SociedadesHispdnicasen
Cuba (1960-1990). Habana:Trabajo de
Diplomapor La Facultadde Periodismode
La Universidad
de La Habana.
Alonso, Fernando.1996. "La Formaci6ndel
Bailarin."Cupulas1, no. 4: 53-56.
Guerra,Ramiro.1999a. "Haciaun Movimiento
de DanzaNacional."Revoluciony Cultura
no. 1:8-9.
. 1999b."Del DiscursoCoreogrifico."La
Gaceta de Cuba: Julio-Agosto: 24-26.
(Excerptedfrom CoordenadasDanzarias:
a la Teoriade la Danza,
Aproximaciones
forthcoming).
Fidel.1993.RamiroGuerra
PajaresSantiesteban,
la
en
Cuba. Quito: Casa de la
Danza
y
CulturaEcuatoriana.
ModernDance in
ContemporaryCuba
The athletic, theatricalform known throughout LatinAmerica as la tecnica cubana refers
to Cuban modem dance technique, a highly
evolved hybrid of ballet, modem dance, and
Afro-Cubanfolklore. Unlike most othertechniques, la tecnica cubana was created intentionally with governmentbacking. After the
1959 Cuban Revolution, one of the goals of
the Castrogovernmentwas to develop Cuban
artists and, in the case of dance, an indigenous form thatwould representthe many cultural forces cross-pollinating in Cuba. The
state-supported Teatro Nacional appointed
dancer-choreographerRamiro Guerraas the
directorof the newly created Departmentof
Moder Dance (John 1998, 280). Cuba, a
dancing culture,was ripe for the experiment.
33/1 (Summer2001) DanceResearchJournal
Dance has always been deeply important
to the Cubanexperience. In the bellies of the
slave ships, the Yorubanancestorsof today's
mixed-race Cuba brought with them the
orishas, or deities, at the heart of Santerfa.
Each of those orishas is worshippedin song
and dance, each with his or her specific colors, rhythms, and dietary preferences.
Schoolchildren in Cuba sing songs in the
Yorubalanguage honoring Chang6, the god
of lightning, and Yemaya,the goddess of the
sea. The songs are invariably accompanied
by certain movements associated with the
god: an armjabbing the air lightning-likefor
Chango, a feminine swirl of the skirt for
Yemaya. Divine union is sought through
dancing. At its ecstatic height, the believer
falls into a trance,dancing furiously,"ridden
by the god." That dance is centralto worship
in Afro-Cuban culture is essential to the
prominence of dance in Cuban daily life.
Throughout the Caribbean, African deities
were syncretized with Catholic saints. For
this reason Chang6 is honored on the feast
day of Saint Barbara,while Yemaya is associated with Our Lady of Regla (GonzflezWippler 1987, 28). Although many Cubans
do not practiceSanteria,they are nonetheless
well versed in the basic identities of the
orishas, and familiar with the songs and
dances attendanton them.
Similarly, it is rare to find a Cuban who
cannotdance socially. Today'syoung Cubans
dance salsa, theirparentsdancedcha-cha-cha
and mambo, and their grandparentsdanced
the stately danzon. Social dancingis integrated into family life, courting, entertainment,
andcelebration.The Cubanmusic thatis now
in vogue worldwide was developed in anticipation of a dancing audience.
Alicia Alonso, the great ballerinaand de
facto queen of Cubandance, found fertile soil
in her homelandfor developing a world-class
ballet company. With the support of the
Castro government, Alonso built her ballet
87
Authorand choreographerSuki John ir
rehearsalwith Narciso Medinain
Havana. Photographby DavidGarten.
empire across the largest island in the
Caribbean.Today, a government-subsidized
preprofessionalballet school operatesin each
of Cuba's fifteen provinces. Competitionfor
admission is fierce. As Alonso told me in a
recent interview, "Young people in Cuba
know that ballet is a high career."Graduates
work with the Ballet Nacional de Cuba,
regionalcompanies, and as teachers.Ballet is
broadcastregularlyon the three state-runtelevision stations, and live performances are
affordable.Alonso's renditionof Giselle is a
nationalpoint of pride.
In this dancing climate, postrevolutionary Cuba was ripe for a new form. Guerra
broughttogether a group of professional and
amateurdancers to synthesize the traditions
of ballet, Afro-Cuban, and cabaret with a
moder aesthetic.Elena Noriega and Manuel
Hiranof Mexico participatedfrom the beginning with North American expatriatesLorna
Burdsalland ElfredaMahler.Theircombined
expertise brought Grahamand Cunningham
88
techniques into the mix. A challenging class
structure evolved: center warm up, floor
work or barre, complex combinations, and
locomotion, all danced to live orisha and traditional music. Burdsall mounted works by
Doris Humphrey,and Mahlerwas instrumental in building the dance programof the original Escuela Nacional de Arte (National
School of Art) in Havana.There are now fifteen national schools that produce most of
Cuba's professional dancers. The free tenyear program combines academics, acting,
music, classical ballet, la tecnica cubana, and
Afro-Cubanfolklore. As time went on la tecnica became more and more demanding,producing dancers who turn, jump, contract,
pitch, hinge, undulate, and balance with
uncannyease. The result is a well-read, technically spectacularcorps of dancers who fill
the nation's companies.
The troupe that Guerrafounded and ran
for eleven years is now known as Danza
Contemporanea de Cuba. As the national
moder dance company, it travels internationally and domestically, and continues to
work out of the TeatroNacional's studios in
the Plaza de la Revoluci6n. Guerra's 1960
Suite Yorubaprovided an excellent example
of the formal and technical synthesis the new
company aspired to (Pajares 1993, 101).
Silkari, Danza's signaturepiece, was choreographedby EduardoRivera, a former principal dancerwho left to directthe Teatrode la
Danza in Santiago de Cuba. The piece is a
stunning mixture of Afro-Cuban ritual and
moderndance bravado,a strikingapplication
of la tecnica cubana to express Cubanidentity. Many choreographershave come through
the ranks, some leaving to work abroad,
some to form their own companies. Lidice
Nufiez emerged as a powerful choreographic
voice in the late 1990s, injecting a sensuous
female perspectiveinto a repertorythat tended towardthe heroic. Her colleague, Narciso
Medina, left to form his own company after
DanceResearchJournal 33/1 (Summer2001)
creating his prize-winning Metamorfosis for
Danza. This male trio is virtuallypartof popular culturein Cuba, thanksto arts programming on state-run television and extensive
domestic touring.
In 1994 the Dance Company Narciso
Medina opened the first privatedance school
in Cuba since the revolution. Students pay
directly for classes that are taughtin the studio Medinabuilt out of his tiny Havanaapartment. Medina recruits performers from
Danza and from the graduatingclasses of the
Escuela Nacional. As professionalswho have
earned a certain degree of proficiency, their
salary is paid by the state and supplemented
by their teaching. Although the government
at first looked askance at this private enterprise, it has now rewardedMedina with an
old movie theaterin la Habana Viejathat he
is transforminginto a new home for his company. His work differs greatly from that of
Danza's, reflecting his interest in Butoh and
Tanztheater. Having traveled extensively
(except in the United States), his aesthetic
was expanded at festivals and workshops
abroad.Building on the physically powerful
base of la tecnica cubana, Medina's work
incorporates a surreal and ironic edge. His
1996 Greatest Hits of the TwentiethCentury
titillated Cuban audiences by dressing two
exemplary macho dancers in pink tutus.
Conversely, his Mtisica del Cuerpo is a
rhythmic study reminiscent of Afro-Cuban
ritual, with the dancers accompanyingthemselves with song and body-basedpercussion.
The direction that Cuban moder dance
will take in the years ahead depends greatly
on what happens politically in Cuba. While
Cuba struggles to maintain its economic
foothold in the face of the ongoing U.S.
embargo, it has turned to tourism and the
exportation of culture as ways to generate
income. As in most commercially driven
markets, moder dance is far less lucrative
than ballet and nightclub dancing. Many
33/1 (Summer2001) Dance ResearchJournal
excellent moder dancershave desertedconcert companies for the cabaret stage, while
still more have left Cuba to work abroadin
floor shows and Afro-Cuban revues.
Although the government still supports
indigenous Cubanart, it pays in pesos. In the
hardrealities of the new Cuba,the lure of the
touristand touringdollar may well affect the
repertories of companies once known for
their iconoclastic modernism. However it
evolves, it is certain that Cuban moder
dance will maintainits distinctive flavor and
the pyrotechnicaledge forged by the rigors of
la tecnica cubana.
Suki John
Suki John's ballets are in the repertoriesof
the Ballet Nacional de Cuba, Danza
Contempordnea de Cuba, and the Dance
Company Narciso Medina. She teaches
movement for actors, dance history, and
salsa for seniors in New York City. John
writes for The New York Times, Village
Voice, Dance Magazine, Pointe, and
Ballet/TanzInternational.She holds an M.A.
in Dance History and Choreographyfrom
The Gallatin School of IndividualizedStudy,
New York University and she is currently
writing her first book, Wish I Were Here: A
Dancer in Havana.
WorksCited
Migene.1987.Santeria.New
Gonzalez-Wippler,
York:OriginalPublications.
John, Suki. 1998. "Cuban Moder Dance."
of Dance.
Encyclopedia
OxfordInternational
New York:OxfordUniversityPress.
Pajares,Fidel. 1993.RamiroGuerray la Danza
en Cuba. Quito: Casa de la Cultura
Ecuatoriana.
89