Chen Lizra of Latidos Productions Teaching Cuban Dancing in Vancouver, BC.

I’m fine with the hips, having learned to shake my bootie when I was two years old and learning Hawaiian dancing, but isolating my chest? It’s like learning to puck handle after a childhood of playing soccer, a completely different type of coordination.

I found myself back in Chen Lizra’s Cuban dance class again, learning about Cuban culture through the movements of its people. Chen, Israel-born but Cuban at heart, is pushing us to let our sexiness drip out.

A soft introduction of Afro Cuban dance is making me aware that my hips and chest must work in complete isolation, yet total harmony. Chen, of course, makes it look like the most natural thing in the world.

But she knows what we’re all here for: reggaeton. Known as “sex on the dance floor,” it’s all about, well, bumping and grinding to the seductive Cuban music.

“Now this is how to heat things up in the bedroom,” winks Chen before putting on the music and demonstrating reggaeton. Our polite applause and giggles are so Canadian.

To really get us to see the dance culture in Cuba, Chen shows us some videos from her last trip there. Kids, teenagers, adults, both skinny and large are shown, as Chen tells us, “[Cuban dance] doesn’t discriminate between size, sex or age.”

Chen Lizra of Latidos Productions Teaching Cuban Dance in Vancouver, BC. Photo by Gail Ignacio.

She’s right, too: Cuban dance isn’t about appearing sexy, it’s about bringing that inner fire to the surface and unleashing it on the dance floor.

What I Liked:

• The best way to travel is to immerse yourself in a new culture, and there’s no better way (in my biased opinion) than learning cultural dancing. Latidos Productions, lead by Chen Lizra, now offers dance trips to Cuba where travellers can plunge into the culture and do things they wouldn’t be able to do on a regular tour.
• Chen acts as tour guide and uses her connections to bring her group into private parties and meet with professional dancers. She also speaks fluent Spanish, so if language is a barrier, she has you covered.
• Costs and more information can be found at the Latidos Productions website. (I’m feverously trying to get an assignment so I can go on her next trip!)
• Chen Lizra also holds weekly Cuban dance classes in Cuban Salsa, Afro Cuban dance, reggaeton, Cuban Cha Cha Cha, and sueltas.