Cuban choreographer Marco Palomino inspires people through movement

Growing up in Granma, Cuba, Marco Palomino, a professional dancer, choreographer and director, remembers climbing trees, playing baseball and dancing.

But it wasn’t until he was 16 years old that the artist truly fell in love with the craft.

“Something changed,” Palomino, now 27, said. “I remember seeing one of the main dance companies in Cuba, Danza Contemporánea de Cuba, and I got so inspired by them. After that, I put more effort, passion, time and love into dance. From then to now, I have been so into dance. Oh, [it’s] my love.” 

Palomino’s passion for movement and rhythm drew him to Havana where he graduated from Escuela Nacional de Arte with a BFA from La Universidad de las Artes. But with such a huge dance community in Cuba, it is particularly difficult to take the necessary steps to make a career out of the art. 

“As a Latin, we all can dance and it’s in our blood,” Palomino told CALÓ News. “So, it is hard to get accepted into dance schools [in Cuba] because everyone can dance, it comes easy. To go to this school and become a professional dancer was a challenge, but I was in love with dance. I saw myself as a dancer and as a choreographer. I didn't see myself doing anything else.”

After graduating with his BFA, Palomino began his professional dance career at Rosario Cárdenas Danza Combinatoria, a dance company in Cuba founded by dancer and choreographer Rosario Cárdenas in 1989. “I'm so happy with that experience because [Rosario Cárdenas] is so free,” Palomino said. “She creates works where she's fighting with boundaries. Con las reglas. I feel like I have that in my expression too and as my first company, I'm so connected with her work. I grew a lot in that company.”

Palomino has worked with other dance companies, including Jacob Jonas The Company, Ballet Revolución and Carlos Acosta’s Acostadanza in collaboration with Birmingham Royal Ballet, along with revered choreographers such as Juliano Nuñes, Pontus Lidberg, Micaela Taylor and more. The artist has also directed and choreographed his own dance films such as “Nice To Meet Me,” which he says was very inspirational. “As a community, we try to be nice for others but there are parts of us that are hard. Why is it so hard to share that part?” 

Now, after 27 years of living in Cuba, he  is working in Los Angeles through projects such as “Interior Design,” which Palomino performed and co-choreographed with Laura Karlin for the Invertigo Dance Theatre.

His latest, “The Portrait of a Lost Soul,” in which he choreographed and will perform, premieres at the Cinema Connect at The Fine Arts Theater in Beverly Hills on June 18. 

CALÓ News sat down with Palomino to discuss finding his path, his dance academy and being nominated for the Princess Grace Award. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How did you know you also wanted to become a director and when did you start directing?

As a dancer, you know when you have that seed that makes you curious about creating movement. Some dancers are inspired by moving but not by creating and I was always inspired to create my own movement. When I was working with choreographers and being a dancer, I was always helping them. How can I help you? How can I create for this choreographer? It was easy for me, creating something comes naturally to me. It was part of my journey as a dancer to then become a choreographer. I think I was born to be a choreographer. Then, being a director was the next step because you have to see the movement from the camera’s perspective. Being aware of what's going on in terms of the big picture. In my new journey as a director, I use the tools that I already have as a dancer and choreographer, so I move around. And I have been directing for four years, so I feel like a baby as a director. I have been dancing since I was nine years old and choreographing for my whole career. Directing is the next step.

Can you talk about how you created commission works for dance companies, museums, film, immersive experiences and live theater? 

Once you want to create, I feel like we find the place. There is a part of me that has to create, it’s the way that I express myself. I find places and connect with people. I say, ‘I’m a director and choreographer. How can we collaborate?’ Things get better and then people know about your work. Something else that I have been working on is my own personal brand as a mover because there are many dancers and choreographers, but you have to create in a way that is authentic and unique to you. Then, people will know you because of your work because you are different. It’s not just dancing and choreographing, it's dancing in my way. I'm expressing this part of myself.

When did you create your own dance academy and what inspired you? How have you seen it help others?

When I graduated with my BFA, Claudia Molinet and I created LaCueva for our thesis in Cuba. We created free [dance] workshops for the community and kids. We were so inspired by sharing the art in a way that we can help and inspire other people. We were teaching dance in a way that can heal. I have found that, for some people, it's hard to express themselves with words, but with movement, it gets easier. We also did workshops next to the beach or in the forest, connecting with nature. That’s how we created LaCueva. But now that I'm in the United States, LaCueva has changed and is adapting to a new place. For example, I was in New York teaching a dance workshop and it had the same essence but in a different place. Unfortunately, it wasn’t next to the beach, but we were in the studio. I bring the tools that help me as a creator, a dancer and a choreographer to get better at what we do. [Inspiration] is the essence of LaCueva.

How do you balance both directing and choreographing? 

I’ll be directing but then it’ll be my turn to dance. I'm dancing but I'm seeing myself from the perspective of a director but at the same time from the perspective of the choreographer. I love it, it’s cool, but it can be hard and tricky. When you’re so immersed in being a dancer, you are missing points of view, but I love it. 

You've worked with many choreographers, such as Laura Karlin on “Interior Design.” Can you talk a bit about that  and how you chose this project? 

Such a beautiful experience, I will hold that experience all my life. I have so much love and admiration for Laura Karlin. It was a blast. The way that we were working together felt so natural and like a real family. 

The most challenging thing that I have been working on is being myself. When you come to a new place and don't know about the culture or the language, how can you be yourself? Especially when you can’t express yourself in the way that you normally do. Even when your English is not great, you have to hold yourself in the best way possible because, when I came here and the first month I didn't understand anything, and I was like, ‘Oh, this is hard.’ In every experience in every part of our lives, we have to hold ourselves in the right place, which is hard. But I also like to use myself as a reference. ‘Guys, I don't speak English. I am learning, and you are learning too, this is a process of sharing. Let's make it happen. Let's enjoy.’ I'm using that as a tool to inspire others.

What draws you to projects?

People. When you connect with someone, this project is going to be great because of the experience of being with others and it feels right. When I first met [Karlin], I was like, ‘I am in love with this girl. I want to dance with her and I want to create with her.’ It’s about connecting with the personal and connecting with the work. How you resonate with their work.

You have been nominated for the Princess Grace Award in choreography, which supports and elevates extraordinary early career artists in theater, dance and film through game-changing grants. How does it feel to be nominated and recognized for your choreography by the Princess Grace Foundation? 

I'm still in shock about it. I have only been [in L.A.] for a year and it’s such a blessing. I see this nomination as a gift and it's like ‘Keep going, Marco. You are on the right path. Just keep going and keep sharing who you are and keep sharing your art.’ It made me so happy. It’s not the essence of our work. What we do is something that comes from our souls, but of course, it’s nice to have both.

What does being recognized for your work mean to you, and how does it feel to represent others in the community?

I'm so glad that I can inspire other people through my journey, through my process and my dreams. At the same time, I want to take care of them. I want to take care of the people who are supporting me as an artist, sharing my work and getting inspired by what I'm doing. It’s such a beautiful responsibility at the same time because, for example, many friends who are in Cuba or Latin reach out to me saying ‘Marco, how can I make it happen? What were you doing? How can I do it?’ I’m like, ‘Yes, you can do it!’ I'm doing it and of course, you can do it too. Becoming a reference is something beautiful because you can then help people, you can inspire and you can support. If I made it, why can’t you? The [Princess Grace Award] is important because it opens doors for others.

Are there any upcoming projects or works that you could talk about? How has social media helped your career?

I’m creating something that I'm so excited about. This is the first time that we've talked about this. I’m creating a personal branding agency for dancers and choreographers. As a dancer and choreographer, I'm gathering all of the tools that I have been learning through my process and my journey and I'm bringing them to the new generation. To the dancers who are struggling to find work. It can be hard but it can also be beautiful, you just have to create your reality and share yourself in a way that feels right to you, but also feels right to others, because this is about finding balance. Balance is a beautiful word. I feel like I will help more people through this because I'm already doing that by myself. I'm going to put it together and bring it into the world in a professional way. There’s no name yet, I'm still cooking it. For now, it’s a program focused on elevating the careers of dancers and choreographers.

I have been using social media for some years and it’s helping me a lot because I'm making many connections and most of my work comes through social media. So, how can I teach dancers? You can create a community now so easily because you have to share your work in a way that feels right to you. How can you inspire people? How can you help others? Inspiration is what I want to bring into the world. Inspiration, support and building a community through our art.