HENRY HERRERA - Miami, Florida

BZ: Henry, tell us a little bit about yourself "Who is Henry Herrera"?
Henry: I run my own studio in "Salsa Racing", and am here in Sydney to
teach and have fun with the Australians, and the most important thing is
to dance with all the students, that's my aim. I started dancing in 1979
in a show called "Para Bailar" when I was 10yrs old and then I was also
a Hip Hop dancer as well. I came to the USA in 1991 from Cuba, on a little
boat with no money at all. From there I opened my own studio but in the
beginning I started dancing for shows to have enough money to survive and
pay the rent. I was a dancer for the "Royal Caribbean" for almost 7 years doing
shows and performing. I also was the dance instructor for the latest movie that's
coming out on July 28 called "Miami Vice" and I was the "Dialect Coach" because they liked the way
I talked (with my funny voice and accent) The first time I met the Congress organisers was in LA and
they invited me to the Australian Congress and there were a few people from Australia in Miami
doing my classes.

BZ: Can you tell me about your Dance School? What styles do you teach in the US?
         And what is Rueda Casino?
Henry: Casino is a Cuban Dance that started in 1950 and they made it very popular
in Cuba, its one on one dancing, then everyone switch partners and have fun.
It's dancing On One to the beats of Charanga, Songo, Changue.

BZ: So do you prefer to Dance On One or On Two?
Henry: You know it all depends on the music. If you dance to the music where the
melody of the music is the stronger point, and is the Conga, then that makes you
dance On 2. In Cuba for the new music, with the Charanga, and the music that's
very jazzy right now, the stronger point is On One. To teach On One is hard to
teach of course but it all comes with small, slow steps. First I try and make my
students "hear" the one and then I tell them to clap their hands on the One and then
on the Four etc etc the brain can only focus on One Point. First it's a co-ordination
between the hands and the feet and then a combination between the music,
feet and brain.

But I like to Mix all my styles of dancing, when I teach… because I can get
a bit of elegance from New York, I can get the sexy moves for the ladies
from NY, I can get the movements and flavour from Cuba, to me it's a MIX.
And I'm hoping to teach here at the Congress some Cuban movements, and
how to "move the body". I see that a lot of people don't really know how to
"move their bodies" .. sometimes I see that the lady's are doing some moves
like the guys…And I want to show the guys, how to manage their hands,
which directions to take, how to "Vakunau" which is a little bit like a
"Reaction to an Action" so to speak. It's like a guy that is "challenging" the girl;
it's like a story because it's a bit of a "Game". And the music is very important, to understand what the 'music is telling you'. So it's important to educate people what they are dancing to. But it's also important to tell your students not to be shy or afraid.