Cuba dances to a hip-hop beat

A troupe of budding dancers have burst onto the Havana music scene with a hip-hop dance style all but a stranger to Cuban shores.

Long known for its salsa and rumba, Cuba's had little exposure to this dance genre, owing to US sanctions and the ruling Communist Party regulating many facets of daily life. Despite this, the advent of the internet on the island in 2015, and mobile internet in 2018, mean 4.2 million of the island’s 11 million people are globally connected.

The 16 strong dance troupe Datway launched itself online using Facebook and Instagram to showcase their unique, hybrid brand of hip-hop moves and more traditional homegrown styles.

Datway street dancer Liuven Dopico discusses the creative process.

Liuven Dopico: "Here we mix hip-hop a lot, urban street dance, we mix it with traditional Cuban music. We combine all that and create something really beautiful."

Making waves on social media, this homegrown hip-hop style has led Datway to international acclaim, winning the admiration of Daddy Yankee, dubbed the King of Reggaeton, and King of Latin Pop, Ricky Martin.

Datway rose to the challenge set by Puerto Rican-Cuban duo Ozuna and Ovi, bagging first place and $10,000 in their online choreography contest. Given that incomes average $87 a month on the island, $10,000 has been a massive boost for the company.

The funds have been put to good use, as the troupe's director, Ernesto Rodriguez, reported.

Ernesto Rodriguez: "We are using technology. We bought a good camera for the group, and from that half of the money – of all that was left – I distributed it among all the members. I also gave money to the children who participated, the ones who passed by in the video, everybody."

With a mission to inspire more young Cubans, Datway continues to involve them in videos which bring the lives of real Cubans into the international limelight.

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