I went on two trips to Cuba to study dance. The first trip was in the summer of 1987 to study at Alicia Alonso Cuballet school. The second trip was in 1993 to study Afro-Cuban dance at the Escuela Nacional de Arts de Cuba (ENA). Both schools were in Havana, Cuba and I felt I learned more about art there.

For example, ballet was very advanced. The male and female dancers were technically and stylistically incredible. There were no mirrors in the studio. They didn't need them because they felt the movement. They also trusted teachers' corrections rather than the mirror's scorns. I think we look at mirrors too much and become paranoid with images that holds the dancing back.

I would love to see Cuballet perform here to show their strong and masculine male dancers and feminine women who move incredibly together, which makes a sexually exciting chemistry to see onstage instead of everyone looking the same.

These students are visiting Cuballet from mainly South America, and some from Canada, like me. I feel it is always good to get away from where you live to see more in your art.

I will write about Afro-Cuban dance next month and would like to hear comments about dancing from around the world through e-mail.

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