Latin rhythm shakes Ricky Martin doesn't deserve all the credit. True, Ruby Menon noticed Hawaii's Latin music scene was snoozing when she arrived here in 1987, having moved from the Bay Area.
up island scene
Dance fans work to bring
lesser-known forms of Cuban
dance to HawaiiBy Nadine Kam
nkam@starbulletin.comRolando Sanchez had been toiling for years to get salsa music into the mainstream, but "there was nothing going on, really," she said.
Then came Martin, who showed the world how to live "La Vida Loca." Jennifer Lopez skipped ahead a few steps on the path to stardom by playing tejano singer Selena on film. While in Hawaii, DJ Ray Cruz and Nancy Ortiz helped ignite the scene by reaching out and touching people at home via "Sabor Tropicale" 5 to 8 p.m. Saturdays on Hawaii Public Radio 89.3 and "Alma Latina" 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays on KWAI AM 1080, respectively.
"A year and a half ago it just broke out here," said Menon, who is of Spanish and Indian descent and grew up with flamenco. "Now you can go to a nightclub any day of the week and hear Latin music. It renewed my interest that had been dormant all these years."
Eager to learn more, she found a cultural tour group specializing in trips to Cuba and, having immersed herself in music and dance studies there, studying with the best teachers in Havana at Escuela Nacional de Arte, the mild-mannered human resources director for Goodwill Industries has become an Afro-Cuban dance evangelist in her spare time.
She's invited Cuban dance instructor Ramon Ramos to Hawaii to teach a series of dance classes with Rosie Lopez, a local dancer who was born and raised in Cuba. They'll give a preview during the Hispanic Festival that takes place tomorrow at Kapiolani Park.
Sponsored by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, with food and arts and crafts vendors, take-home crafts, inflatable rides and games and performances by the Second Time Around Latin Band, Duo de Serenata, Greg & Junko, Orquesta SalsAloha, Rosie & Ramon, Tango Hawaii, Los Amigos Ballet Folklorico, the Puerto Rican Folkloric Dancers," Dance Mix 2000 and Ballet Folklorico Mexicano Grupo Quetzal, Nelson Flores Y Descarga Latina Dancers, Swing Caña, and Hawaii Opera Theatre performing pieces from "Carmen." 8TH annual Hispanic Heritage Festival
Where: Kapiolani Park Bandstand
When: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow
Admission: Free
Call: 941-5216 or 545-4344
Lopez says Cuban salsa has much more freedom of movement than basic salsa and its concentration on footwork and form. "Cuban salsa has more rhumba; it's more snakey, more hippy. Cuban music makes you want to move your body that way."
"When I dance Cuban, I feel the music more," Menon said. "I'm not concentrating on looking pretty on the dance floor. Dance is supposed to be fun, and a diva atmosphere takes the fun out of it.
"It's not like that in Cuba, where everyone dances. It's very carefree. There are no trips, like, 'You can't do it so don't even try it.' They're always willing to help you."
She's particularly interested in showcasing forms of dance not widely known in Hawaii, such as the fast-paced timba, with steps that incorporate elements of mambo, son and some hip-hop ("I heard someone describe it as salsa on steroids," she said) and rueda de casino, a circle dance on par with country-western square-dancing in that a dance leader calls out moves that the group must perform as they change partners within the circle.
Cuban salsa and dance workshops
Beginner, intermediate and advanced classes in Cuban salsa, free-styling, mambo, cha cha, son and rueda de casino at various times Sunday through Thursday with Ramon Ramos and Rosie Lopez, with sites at the University of Hawai'i dance studios, Aloha Activity Center at 725 Kapiolani Boulevard Suite C101. The cost is $15 to $20 per class.Call: 847-3311
"Rueda is incredibly fun," Menon said. "It uses basic salsa steps, with parts where you break out and do free-style moves.
"When Cubans dance, it's incredibly dynamic. Ricky Martin would be too tame for them," Menon said. "Cubans have really broken out in terms of being dance innovators. The kids will go to the clubs and share the dances with their friends so they catch on. They're somewhat influenced by American hip-hop and rap, but most of the dance moves still come out of very strong Afro-Cuban roots.
"A lot of people still practice Santeria, a religion based on dieties associated with water or earth or fire. Those are the dieties they pray to and dance for. If you listen to the lyrics of the music, they're singing about the dieties," Menon said.
"Being in Cuba was a very transforming experience, and I just got this bug when I came back," she said. "According to the last census, we have 87,000 people of Hispanic heritage here and I'm hoping to get something started, maybe to have Ramon come over on a regular basis."
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