Cuba Eve—3/2 evening

By Ohio Contemporary Ballet Cuba

‘Twas the night before Cuba

And all throughout Verb Ballets

Dancers bounded and babbled in a packing soirée!

…I could keep going with the poetry but I don’t want to lose any newer readers to my terrible rhymes and puns yet. Don’t worry, there will definitely be more as the blog progresses😏

That being said, lemme tell you about my soirée🙄

After I woke up to a still powerless apartment, I went to a fellow company member’s apartment and did laundry I needed for the trip. Thanks Mai!! You and your fabric softener are the bomb! After hanging my tights all over the dressing room to dry, I had company class followed by a public rehearsal of “Yarini”, the ballet we will be performing with the Prodanza company in Cuba. The choreography still feels very new, so it was a little nerve-racking, but it was a lot of fun overall (plus all of the dancers got to eat the extra cheese from the reception–score!). Thanks to everyone who came!

I then went back to my still powerless and freezing apartment to pack…only took me 6 hours, 8 candles, and a bunch of hot tea to make it happen! Below you will see a picture of the final product with my cute boyfriend wearing his winter gear and our adorable yet slightly alien looking dog (Leia doesn’t do well with flash). I miss them already!

Now I’m signing off for 4 short hours of sleep made possible thanks to fellow company dancers Omar, Nata, and Antonio, who have generously allowed me to crash at their place so I don’t turn into an ice dancer before Cuba. Thanks so much, guys! I enjoy watching ice dancing in the Olympics, but let’s just say I am ready to get out of icy CLE and into hot Havana.

Eeeep! It’s happening!!! Here we come, Cuba😎

Kate

Mar 03

Love5

We’re Here! Estamos Aquí!—3/3 pt. 2

By Ohio Contemporary Ballet Cuba

Great news: We made it to Cuba without any problems! The flight went smoothly, no one got fatally ill and by some miracle all of our luggage got back to us. Stepping out of a plane to a 75 degree breezy day was a dream come truing traveling from cold CLE.

We are all staying in “Casas Particulares” which are extra rooms that locals open up to tourists. Lexy and are staying with a welcoming woman named Katia who has already given me vast architectural knowledge of the neighborhood (we are staying in a Spanish colonial style building) and made me some killer Cuban coffee. Let’s say I’m already a huge fan👌 Lexy and I share a room with a spacious bathroom and kitchen, all of which open up to a breezy balcony.

Most of us hardly slept the night before, but we got a second wind when we rode with bus driver/DJ extraordinaire to dinner. Armando is the man. Not only does he flash on and off the light on the resurrected American school bus that we are using as our main source of transportation to amp up the atmosphere, but he plays some terrific tunes. My new personal favorite is “Abrazame” by Laura BLAH. It’s so unabashedly over the top!

And now after a delicious dinner of croquettes, tostadas, and black bean salad I am going straight to bed. I am already falling in love with Havana!

🙂 Kate

P.s. For those of you who need a bit more of a background as to how Verb is in Cuba, google the “Cleveland-Havana Ballet”. You can also read up about our company members and artistic staff on our website if you want bios on anyone mentioned. I am working on a first name basis 😉

Mar 02

Love1

Ironic Beginnings—3/1 evening

By Ohio Contemporary Ballet Cuba

Hello there!

I write this first blog post from a powerless apartment by candle (and laptop) light. People have been going on and on about how to prepare for touring in a less developed country (pack every drug you own! Pack all of the cliff bars! And lots of hand sanitizer!), yet I can’t even use wifi to post this or do the laundry I need to pack for tonight…womp. My first world problems are becoming increasingly apparent and I haven’t even left the country!

Speaking of no wifi, if you’re reading this blog then that probably means that you are wanting follow Verb’s tour to Cuba, AKA the land of spotty/non-existent Internet. So while I will do my best to keep you all updated, expect posts to be delayed or somewhat fractured between text and photos at times. And mom, if you’re reading this, that means I promise I’m still alive even if you don’t hear from me for 48 hours 😝💕

We are all so excited to head out to Cuba in less than 30 hours. We have been working very intensely with Laura Alonso for the past 2 weeks to prepare, and although we always wish we had more time to perfect our roles, we are ready to get out of snowy Cleveland and soak up sunny Havana. I will send all of the rays I can through this blog, so follow along!

Talk to ya soon,

-Kate

I title this high quality photograph “packing by candlelight”