After teaching an initial company ballet class, Ruiz threw away everything he had in mind for the piece except for the title. He sat down with the dancers and said, “I think this piece has to come from you, in your voices.” He gave them each the homework assignment of creating a movement phrase describing “The Essence of Us” in their own voice. Ruiz elaborated:

“Their personal stories were so rich and individual. Some people had to walk for miles to get to work each day and again to return home. Some people had to wake up at 3am in the morning to cook because that was when they had some electricity for a short time. Living with that chaos, stress, and urgency, they still showed up at the studio with open spirits for a whole day of work. Without electricity, the mid-day heat was oppressive, but none of that mattered. We were writing this story together—all of us having the sensibility, sensuality, and the sense of humor that Cubans have despite difficult times.”

The film establishes its own choreography of contrasts, alternating between crumbling exteriors and the elevated activity within the building walls. One of the interiors we come to know is Malpaso’s studio headquarters, housed in the Sephardic Hebrew Center, located in the central Havana neighborhood of El Vedado. With its columned portico, spacious interior, proscenium workspace, and muted stained-glass windows, the space provides a feeling of refuge and belonging the moment one’s eyes and the dancers cross its threshold. The camera lens also hovers over the sea that surrounds this dancing island—its cleansing waters and constant motion a beacon of transformative possibility.

Sáez asserts, “Holding ground means reaffirming every single day that freedom and creation are acts of will, born of existential necessity.” Nowhere is this more apparent than when composer-pianist Aldo López-Gavilán and the all-woman Alma String Quartet (who were also to perform live at the New York premiere) enter the frame. The collective energy soars as the musicians and dancers coordinate their efforts and artistry in a creative process that feeds everyone’s spirit. 

The Essence of Us: A Cuban Story will be screened at the Harkness Mainstage Series’ opening night program along with a live performance by Ballet Hispánico New York, featuring work by Cuban-born choreographers Eduardo Vilaro, Marianela Boán, and Pedro Ruiz. Streaming tickets are available to view the full program on September 20th. Ruiz shared, “Making the film as we created the piece showed that dance really can transcend borders even when people can’t. We found a way to bring the essence of these brilliant dancers to the American public.” 

Everyone is optimistic about bringing Malpaso to 92NY to premiere “The Essence of Us” in 2027. We are all holding ground with Malpaso until then.