Cubans keep salsa tradition alive with neighborhood lessons

HAVANA: Until recently, 26-year-old Cuban Alejandro Beltran was among a rare breed of Cubans with two left feet.

That embarrassing predicament, he said, led him to seek out salsa dancing lessons with a fast-growing community program that aims to maintain Cuba’s reputation as Latin America’s salsa capital.

“There’s a myth that all Cubans know how to dance salsa and I didn’t want to be the exception,” he said. “The first classes weren’t easy, but I’ve kept at it and now I feel comfortable.”

That is the goal of the “Salsa for my People” initiative, which began a year ago and offers classes to prospective dancers in Old Havana.

Cuban salsa dancing has long been one of the Caribbean island’s calling cards, a symbol of the festive nature of Cuba’s residents and a major attraction for tourists.

Cubans once learned to dance salsa at a young age at home and in their neighborhoods, but a grinding economic crisis and a vast array of new beats, styles of dance and international music threaten salsa’s long-standing dominance on the island, says Gretel Reyes, the program’s coordinator.

“Cuba is internationally recognized as a salsa destination, but the rise of other rhythms like reggaeton is undeniable,“ she said.

“With this space we try to get people to learn, especially young people who have not learned from their parents so that they can take that rhythm and that Cuban flavor back home.”