I convinced myself that  dancing is a way of life for Cubans when I moved to Canada. It took me a while to get used to people not dancing at parties and to agree that the gathering was fun when I did not dance at all. How could you have a party at home without arranging your furniture to make space for friends to dance? Why do I have to wait to go to a club, a concert or a wedding to move my body following the music?

I was born on an island where babies learn how to dance before walking or talking, where people dance when they walk and while sitting, they mark the rhythm of the music with feet and fingers. Dancing solidifies friendships, serves as therapy and makes you forget life miseries.

The fact is that we all need music to survive. Musical taste and volume levels divide us but in the end we all dance to the chosen melody because we need it, because our dreams and hopes become stronger when we just let go, because that is the way we have always done it.

Any time is a perfect time to play a song and dance, any object can unexpectedly turn into an instrument and someone will clap to accompany you. Music and dance are an important complement for Cubans’ happiness. We do not wait to be professional dancers to show our moves, our connection to music is pure instinct, more primitive than we think.