Conversando con Dedicated to the Matanzas Dancer, Choreographer, and Teacher

Photos: Carrete Producciones

This Tuesday, the José White Concert Hall dressed up for the occasion. To the right of the stage, a woman opens a window into her life. As she does so, perhaps without noticing, she paves the way to understanding why her presence is essential to Cuban culture — from her fervent love of dance, her respect for art, and the dedication with which she undertakes her creation despite obstacles and challenges.

«It is always very pleasant to share with friends, with people who are interested in learning about one’s personal and artistic life, and of course I am very grateful — I thank the Hall, the host for the interview, and all the people who were present.

«This is not the first time in an interview that I have spoken about my work, my family, what I think as a human being, especially because there must be truth in creation, and that honesty depends on the one you have as a person. It has been very, very beautiful to share this afternoon,» confessed Liliam Padrón Chávez.

At the back of the stage, photographs, costumes, and recognitions attest to an existence consecrated to artistic creation, to the gestation of transcendental projects such as Danza Espiral — the only contemporary dance company in the province — and the DanzanDos contest, created in 1994 to bring into dialogue the diverse ways of making dance in different territories of the country.

During the dialogue, «Lilita» narrated her beginnings in dance; her training, first in Cuba and then in the former Soviet Union, and wove together, with the serenity of one who has lived by and for art, an approach to her work as choreographer, dancer, and teacher of several generations — from Espiral itself or in summer workshops.

For Padrón, there are no impossibles. That persistence and optimism have resulted in the nearly 40-year permanence of her dance collective and the realization, with unusual characteristics this year amid the complex existing circumstances, of DanzanDos.

The maestro also referred to her family environment, to her beautiful relationship with another cultural personality, José Antonio Méndez Valencia, from which was born José Antonio Méndez Padrón, a recognized orchestra conductor inside and outside Cuba.

Thanks to a solid training in which elements of music, visual arts, theater, and dance were involved, Padrón Chávez notes as a fundamental element in contemporary art the involvement of different artistic manifestations to achieve quality cultural products. This has motivated Liliam’s constant collaborations with groups and soloists from the territory.

In the cultural moments, the audience enjoyed performances by members of the Danza Espiral company and its own director. Poets Maylan Álvarez, Náthaly Hernández Chávez, and María de los Ángeles Horta gifted their texts dedicated to the tireless dancer, while the pianist also performed «Recuerdos tristes,» a contradanza by Cuban composer Manuel Saumell.

The guest received recognition from the institution hosting the monthly space from the hands of its director, singer Olga Blanco. «Conversando con» (Talking with…), sponsored by the José White Concert Hall together with the UNEAC provincial committee, recognizes the work of Matanzas residents who, from different sectors, contribute to the province’s development, especially those who contribute to Cuban culture.