Taking Habaneras to Habana

When word got around that I was going to Cuba to show Art of Movement I got quite a few offers of assistants – if I had taken all of them up then at least 20 of us would have arrived in Havana. Aas it was, dancer Simone Schmidt had the golden ticket! My show, Art of Movement, combines real dancers with 3D dancers, and, as well as Simone, we needed an extra real dancer from Cuba. Danza Contemporanea de Cuba (co-organisers of the visit along with the British Council) kindly agreed to provide the second real dancer. Watching the whole DCC company in Havana on our first day there was a spellbinding occasion – a whole stage full of stunning, individualistic dancers moving effortlessly (seemingly) – I remember thinking, "what could I do with all 40 of them!"

Next day we met Flavia and Denis from the company. They have already learned all my pieces perfectly and are both desperate to get the one part. What to do? Taking my lead from Masterchef I announce to them I had opted to select them both! Tears and hugs all around. Now to break the news to DCC – will they be OK with this decision? Of course they are – "we knew you would take them both", they tell me. Happy days.

Time to introduce the rest of the team Jesus is our producer who can make anything possible, and Emilio is my translator who has that rare skill of making whatever I say sound intelligent – I need him when in England talking to English people! And behind the scenes making it all happen, we had the amazing Laura Perez (the BC officer in Cuba) and back in London the fabulous Laura Alos, who is always one step ahead – what a Lauras team!

Enter a whirlwind of media interviews with TV and newspapers – Julian Baker, Director of BC Caribbean, tells me they have UK pop star Shingai Shoniwa from the Noisettes performing in Havana. "Oh," I casually answer. "One of my ex-students." At a British Embassy party I am filled with paternal pride to see Shingai perform so fabulously – more hugs and tears.

DCC had got word that there was a piece of mine not showing – Tango de Soledad – could I not include it in the show? How can I say no – after all, it is in Spanish. Well, Tango de Soledad is not Tango Nuevo with its four square rhythm but Tango Viejo with the lilting dum, da dum dum rhythm, also known of course as habanera. Like taking coal to Newcastle I am taking a habanera home to Habana – and they like it!

Now the hard work starts – three four-and-a-half hour workshops with 20 dance film students and seven shows (two per day) mean 13 hour days. But this is not work – it's pure pleasure to see such enthusiasm in the workshops (they make 12 films, some of which will be shown in the Havana Dance Film Festival in April) and the live shows go like a dream. After one of the performances, DCC director Miguel Iglesias introduces me at the post show talk as a "poet of dance" – a quote for my gravestone or at least for my website!

Two final treats – I get to see Rosario Cárdenas Company perform in its rehearsal space and the day after I see a class with DCC. Nothing is better than seeing amazing dancers moving just feet away.

So - getting on the plane back to flooded UK what would I most like? To stay longer in Cuba and to make a new piece for the whole company of DCC. Happily, DCC has invited me to come back for a month in Jan 2015 to do just that – never say dreams don’t come true!