Cuban company can teach tourists some fancy footwork

IAN STALKER

(Photo above: Havana is one of the cities Paradiso is active in.)

Think of this as Cuba’s version of Dancing With the Stars.

Havana-based firm Paradiso is happy to teach tourists Cuban dancing, including salsa dancing in a salsa-mad country.

Classes can be one to three hours, says Paradiso’s Araceli Camacho.

“It depends on the client’s interest. We do not recommend more time because the body wears out and the mind runs out,” she says, adding classes can be for individuals or groups.

Paradiso classes are available in every Cuban province except Ciego de Ávila and Las Tunas.

Camacho reports that the instructors are professionals, skilled at salsa, which has built a worldwide following.

“It is a music that encourages dancing and is heard on almost every continent,” Camacho notes. “There are places in Europe, Latin America and Asia to dance salsa. It is also a dance where you do not have to be an expert to enjoy it. Dancing is a time of pleasure. It is a moment where problems are forgotten and what is done is enjoyed.”

She says tourists who are leery that they may not be good at fancy footwork shouldn’t be, adding “dancing becomes easy when you have the minimum natural conditions.”

Cubans are viewed internationally as great dancers, but Camacho modestly states that “there are many rhythms in the world and I do not think we are all good at all.”

She credits Cuban dance skills in part to the different heritages that make up modern-day Cuba, a mix she says “gives good results” in dance studios.

Meanwhile, Camacho is confident that those considering becoming Paradiso clients will find a program something suited for them.

“There are several events and programs to learn to dance or come to enjoy dance if you already know how,” she reports.

More information is available through paradisonline.com.