Image by mhafiffuadi.

CubaCaribe Festival of Dance & Music Premieres “Mouth of a Shark”

Monica Ascencio

Last weekend CubaCaribe presented “Mouth of a Shark,” choreographed by Ramon Ramos Alayo at ODC Theater. The Alayo Dance Company’s performance of Afro-Cuban contemporary dance was very powerful. It tackled important social themes by building choreography around Warsan Shire’s poem “Home” about immigration, xenophobia, and the challenges that come with leaving home. They beautifully performed the narrative metaphor that no one leaves home unless home is “the mouth of a shark.”

Alayo’s choreography showcased, through dance and film, the struggles of a dancer and the aspirations of artists to share their culture in different places around the world. The dancers moved well together in duets that were simple and athletic at the same time. Nakachi Clark-Kasimu’s live singing was amazing, and seeing the company dancing to the spoken word poetry was powerful. I felt the emotion of the singing throughout the performance.

Alayo Dance Company. Photo by Jamaica Itule-Simmons.

The film by Reinier Charon Morales had a fantastic scene with the Cuban dancers displayed on top of the river, an exquisite setting to appreciate the natural beauty of this culture, dance, and heritage.

The performance was memorable and impactful because the dancers used this project as a moment to share their histories, struggles, passions and voices through dance. I thought the videos and interviews were an inspiration to maintain your culture and roots.

Monica Ascencio from San Francisco. She is an active dancer and performer of Brazilian, Latin, and Spanish dance. Her passion for dance and serving the community through the arts is what brought her to ODC, where she has worked since 2013. She hopes to keep inspiring people to dance as an ODC staff member and a Latina dancer in the Bay Area.