IDENTIDAD dance company emerged as a community cultural project in the months of May and June this year. It happened that some teenagers and young who belong to the movement of amateur artists of the Casa de Cultura Gabriel de la Concepción Valdína, decided to get together to bring art closer to the people, specially from Maceo – their hometown-, in the municipality of Cacocum, in Holguin province. Thus was born this earned dream.
Maceo district, whose main economic base is agriculture and livestock production, boasts of its long history of cultural traditions; however, this new group is revolutionizing local culture and is shaking people’s emotions with a renewed concept of artistic expressions.
IDENTIDAD dance company not only has a personal impact on its members, but can also make a significant change in the community. Through art, it promotes local culture, strengthens the sense of belonging and demonstrates how culture can be a powerful tool for human and community development.
Enrique Jiménez Santiesteban, methodologist of the local cultural institution and leader of the project, is a young man who, faced with the shortages and difficulties of these times, bets on art from and for the community, with the premise of rescuing Cuban traditions.”We always wanted to do some work with the young amateurs who liked to dance, therefore, we decided to form a group where we could work on Cuban traditions. We got together and formed a project aimed at preserving the traditions of our country: IDENTIDAD”.
Why this name?
“Identity is something distinctive that defines us, that identifies us, and it is important that the new generations understand how necessary it is to go on being Cubans. So the idea of the project arose on that premise and on the pretension of bringing together the youth and adolescents from Maceo town interested in participating in a project, people that also liked dancing or other artistic expressions”.
In the show “En Cuba se Baila” I could see that in addition to dance, you could also cultivate other artistic manifestations.
“Because in the project we not only focus on dancing, we also see oral narrations, music and drama. The intention was always making something that would allow us to show a work with an artistic balance. Well, that was the initial idea of the project that today, only two months later, is achieving it, we are achieving it, although we still have a long way to go and above all to continue learning”.
How do you work with these kids, most of them teenagers?
-Well, if you think that working with teenagers and young people is easy, you are mistaken. Those who work with this kind of age group know how complex it is. They are a bit hyperactive and it has been difficult in the sense that it has been difficult to bring them together and keep them under control in one place, but the creative part has flowed well, they have been growing and demanding themselves as the days go by.
They are talented kids with a desire to do, although I admit that many of them knew nothing about dancing, because they came from elementary school and I had not done any creative work with them in terms of these artistic manifestations, so they came in zero in creative terms and nowadays they are able to perform, move and jive even steps quite demanding for the amateurs. It has been difficult in that sense, but we have also enjoyed it”.
How complex is it to found a company nowadays like IDENTIDAD dance company and in a place far away even from the municipal head town?
-I think that when you are willing you can do it, and upon your question, I think that the basis of everything lies in unity, collaboration, the help we have received from Culture, Education, from the authorities of our town, and I can only thank, always thank all the people who in one way or another have been helping the group,my the parents who have been concerned about contributing, my wife who is the producer of the project and my main source of inspiration, my boys….
Because what we have achieved is the result of everyone’s effort, the costumes, the scenery that we have, what we have made by our own means. We know the needs and shortages that the country has today, but we do not stop. We cannot stop, nor think that they are going to give us something. There are many challenges, but the goal is to move forward and grow, in quantity but above all in quality.
Do you think they are succeeding with IDENTIDAD dance company?
“There are always dissatisfactions, after each presentation we make a critical analysis. But we have a lot of inspiration, desire to do and we keep trying. Strengthening values, promoting responsibility, offering an attractive cultural offer, are part of our objectives. We have always tried to sow a sense of belonging and they already surprise you because they are changing, even their lives, and I believe that, in the end, this is the recognition that one has.
Giving young people something useful to spend their spare time on, especially in these places where there are not many cultural or recreational offers. It is comforting to know that even when there is still a lot to do, you see that at least you are useful in the time you are living and in the town, the place where you live, and that is the greatest recognition. To dream and make art from and for the community is our goal.
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