Los Van Van in Casa de La Musica, Cuba

July 14 - Ok where do I get started.. the trip is now on a path and the flow is happening. Morning time people have free time and breakfast and their own – right now everyone is taking dance classes – and at 1:30 PM we meet for lunch and then each day is different. Today everyone worked so hard in the dance classes that they would not even speak when they were eating. It was this silence of “need energy be back in about ten minutes.” They learned some great new things and before lunch we had a bit of time to kind of check out some of the moves.. Jodi showed us some Yemaya, Danine was raving about Salsa, Taisa showed us some new Suelta move with some butt wiggling. They are loosening up slowly and they are getting the culture. You can see how each person is affected by it. I don’t think that I have met them I have seen either one of them this happy and it isn’t just a matter of being on vacation.. They are working hard here. It’s Cuba! As some of them said:”It’s refreshing being in such a direct and honest culture.” Honest being you are just what you are good or bad. Israel is like that too and it’s funny because it was like Shay read my mind when he said:”it reminds me of Israel in the 70s.” And I knew exactly what he meant because that is part of what I love.. the connection, the simplicity, no advertising and very warm family like people. Oh yes and I forgot the intensity.

So they all had lunch and left for an afternoon siesta. They are learning how to use their bodies better – you have to change how you eat, how you pace yourself, how much rest you get and conserve energy.

Natalie who was watching some of the classes today told me that Danine was on fire. When I introduced her to her teacher I told her that she is on fire but needs technique. In Cuba you can train people in a way that you cannot outside of Cuba. If we did, people would quit classes. So it’s great that they are all here and getting it. They will want the intensity and that means that we will have more advanced classes which is what my training is about. I will also sit down with Zuyima and review some of the classes and I want to make major changes. Zuyima told me to film my students last time so that she could see how they move and this way she could Help me design the programs better for the level of people in Canada. Now that she has seen the videos on my computer she got it. So some exciting things are coming up.

It was so good to see Zuyima after one year.. She is such a warm and wonderful person and we have about half an hour of a heart warming conversation catching up and hearing stories. I really connect well with her.. there is a certain honesty in our friendship that I love.

The pool problem got resolved and the director at my hotel told me that she called personally and asked to speak to the director. They have arranged a special pass for me so that only I will not have problems. The benefit of being “part of the family.” They all know me for years and I always treat them with Israeli warmth..

So I started today with dance classes and my body is shot. I have :killed” this tool over the past 6 months trying to finish my degree and now t is coming back to haunt me. I only did 2 hours today of women styling and I feel so sick inside. I took my siesta today and will slow down a bit more on every opportunity I have.

I showed Zuyima the videos of what I wanted to learn one of them was styling for women and a way that a woman played and mixed styles. She got straight to work and started showing me how to mix and dance with my whole body so that I’ll have great style – both flat and in high heels. I love what she showed me today. When Maikel started dancing with me he complained that I was too stiff. I was. By the end of one hour, he said:”That’s it.” It felt so much nicer moving every part of my body. One of the things that Zuyima taught me was how to put the Mambo step into the Salsa and when Maikel danced with me in a couple, there was a moment when it felt right and I just threw it in. They got a kick out of it and said:”exactly where it should go in the song” happy that I not only got it but used it in a real life context. Woohoo! Tomorrow we will start with Afro-Cuban Contemporary which I’ve dreamt of doing for so long. My treat and a new class which will be offered as an INT level course for those dancing for a while.

Ok.. time to get sexy and pretty and got o Casa de La Musica to see Los Van Van. At last after 4 years and many trips, I get to see them live! I can die now in peace!

Van Van was amazing. Vida didn’t feel very well s she stayed in the room the rest came. They were in heaven yesterday seeing the best group in the whole country and one of the best in Latin America. Sam danced her butt off and let go in such a great way that was beautiful to watch. She even tried Rumba moves. Danine made me proud, she just went shook it with guys mainly Reggaeton and a bit of Salsa.. what a mamacita! Tracey had to be rescued from a Jinetero that threatened me for almost kicking him out of the club, after all it’s a full day of work for him and this is his “income”. Natalie was shocked by the ugliness in Cuba – the old women or men with young people who are with them for money. But after a while and a little talk about the fact that we have ugly things in Israel and we just cope with them she got it.

Danine and I were shocked when the girls stood up and started dancing in a circle alone and said to men that asked them to dance. So I had to have a talk with them and say that this was it, no more dancing with women in a circle. No more picking the whitest foreigner that cannot dance that might make you feel better about your level of dancing but will not help you improve. They were lucky enough to be in Casa de La Musica when tons of professional dancers were there. This doesn’t happen every day. Another group was there which was touring. And the dancing that they saw and experienced made them drool. They have never seen anything like it. I got to dance with some amazing dancers. One of which had the exact style I love and we were mixing Salsa, Son, Rumba and some kick ass Reggaeton with some Mambo moves that I was practicing in class.

I don’t have a lot of time to write so to tell the rest of the story quickly.. I took them afterward for dinner too the Barrio Chino (Chinatown) and they were blown away that there is a Chinatown in Havana but were even more shocked by how small it is. But here is the thing – they picked a place where I never ate before and the guy turns out is a real Chinese man from Shanghai. Not only that but as pushy as Chinese in China can be. He told us that in his restaurant you can get real Chinese food or sort of Chinese food Cuban style which is what I have experienced in the past. When I laughed with him that he must be the only Chinese in Havana he said”no, no no.” So I said that what there must be 3 more and he said yes. Here you go.

That’s where the night ended for me. I went back to the hotel. I wasn’t feeling so good and needed to recover. I left them with Shay and instructions on what to do and not do on the streets at night – not a great part of town. And went back to the hotel to recover. I barely danced at Van Van, I just had to conserve energy. And my time is up and it is time to run out again..

Cuban Brewery

Today, July 13, was a fantastic day.. we got up in the morning and everyone met their teachers. They each went with them to a house and learned for two hours classes. We then met for lunch at a friend’s house which was a bit late because they got started really late. To cook for that many hours on such a low fire, they have to start early in the morning.. The food was a feast and my friend treated us to a really low price as a favour to me. We then go split and some went for an afternoon break while the others went with me to the pool to cool off from the heat.

When we got there they would not let us in. They said that they were over capacity. Shat and Natalie were already there and the water looked so tempting. So I went straight to ask to talk to the manager. Half an hour later I got an answer that the manager will only be available in half and our and to take it up with my director at the hotel. The hotel where I am staying doesn’t have a pool right now because it is under renovation. So all frustrated we went back to the houses and my hotel and I went to talk to the director. Another half an hour went by and the only answer I could get is that they are looking into it and would get back to me tomorrow and give me a time frame between what hours I can come to the pool. My feeling is that it won’t work and that is the main perk of staying in a hotel rather than a casa. I said that if there is no solution I want part of my money back. We’ll see what happens tomorrow.

So at 5 I went to meet everyone and went by the pool again to pick up Shay and Natalie and we went to old Havana. They got the special tour of Bodeguita del Medio, Cathedral, the beautiful mural make of tiny little stones, the Via Uno Brazilian shoe store (lots lf girls on this trip), museo del Chocolate, and at last the plaza with the brewery where we landed for the evening to have dinner and drinks and listen to live music.

An hour later and everyone was having fun.. drinks were going around and a little warm up band was playing. Then the night band went on and the music was blasting with such energy that it was my cue. I looked at the waiter and asked him if he danced and he said yes.. So I signalled him to dance with me and we took over the dance floor. A great dancer too.. bailador but excellent and fun dancer. He made me laugh so hard. It turned into a show again and everyone was watching us.. It was just so great to dance again.. I am in dancing heaven. Vida, Danine, Michelle and Sam although made most of the noise on the table did not get up and dance which was a surprise.. but they are warming up to it.. Vida was cracking us up and everyone in Cuba gets a kick out of her name which means Life in Spanish.

By the time we were ready to head out we were all happy, toasty and well fed. It was just such a great ending to a great day…

Oh yes and when we were there, a waiter stopped me and told me – don’t you remember me? I used to work on the Malecon. And yes I do remember him. It’s amazing how many people I have met over the years coming year and dancing my ass off in every possible place… And they all remember me.. Someone Cuban said about me the other day:”She will break many Cuban hearts..” He made me laugh.. Cuban has turned me more seductive.. It teaches you how to push the right buttons that are sweet..And in Cuba there is a fun, flirty way to behave and tease. When I am here I feel more beautiful than anywhere in the world. Your shape, size, age.. none of it matters here.. you can be sexy just being what ever you are. It’s beautiful. I love the energy in Cuba.. I am glad to be home. I am glad to have this group with me here and for them to have these amazing experiences which the tour is providing them..