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The studio, from outside. El Vedado, Havana. Photo: Christopher Duggan
On September 19, a new work born in Havana will have its world premiere at 92NY.
Before it reaches Kaufmann Concert Hall, we want to take you to the place where it began.
Over four dispatches, Letters from Havana will introduce you to Malpaso Dance Company, the artists behind The Essence of Us: A Cuban Story, and the conditions in which they continue to create.
This first letter is about their home.
“Every working day could very well be the last, so every action must be imbued with necessity, with inescapable urgency and intensity.”
This is the day-to-day reality of life in Cuba.
In the central neighborhood of El Vedado, in Havana, there is a building that was not built for dance. It is a Sephardic Hebrew Center. Sáez describes it:
“The sober stained-glass windows filter the light in the early morning hours, projecting small, elongated patches of color. In the afternoon, the sun strikes directly against the west wall of the building, which means that during the months of our long summer, the heat is often considerable. It has been our headquarters for over a decade. Although it is not our property, the sense of belonging and shelter becomes evident once one crosses the threshold.”
Inside: the company at work. Photo: Christopher Duggan
This is where Malpaso Dance Company works — through power outages and shortages, through years Sáez describes as increasingly “hostile.”
“It has always been difficult. I am in a country, a city, and a dance company by my own choice. There is no room for self-victimization. The underlying problem always lies within ourselves, never outside. That is perhaps our only chance to be free, to exercise our free will — not in spite of the increasingly hostile and adverse circumstances, but through them.”
Outside the building, the trash piles up.
Some of the world’s greatest choreographers have come to this studio. Ohad Naharin, Mats Ek, Aszure Barton – artists who could work with any company on earth, in any city.
They came to Havana.
Pedro Ruiz (left) and Fernando Sáez. Photo: Christopher Duggan
This September, something made in that studio – against every obstacle — will arrive at 92NY.
The Essence of Us: A Cuban Story premieres in Kaufmann Concert Hall on September 19. Directed by Nel Shelby, the film follows Malpaso Dance Company and choreographer Pedro Ruiz as they create new work in Havana. The evening will also feature a live performance of works by Cuban and Cuban American choreographers by Ballet Hispánico New York.
Pedro Ruiz. Photo: Christopher Duggan
It is the story of an artistic creation against the odds, and of the people, place and circumstances that shaped it. Here’s Malpaso dancer Esteban Aguilar:
“I think art is the only thing that can truly save us… That’s why we have to keep pushing forward and keep believing in what we do. Because maybe in some way we change what surrounds us. It changes. You begin to see things differently, even to feel it differently. Problems are no longer so heavy. They weigh a little less. And it is a beautiful thing to have on your side.”
Fernando Sáez with Malpaso dancer. Photo: Christopher Duggan
See The Essence of Us: A Cuban Story, a world premiere film directed by Nel Shelby, featuring Malpaso Dance Company and Pedro Ruiz, with a live performance by Ballet Hispánico New York on Sat, Sep 19 at 7 PM. Reserve your seat.
