© Photo: ersonal archive

Havana, Cuba. The stage of the Tropicana cabaret known as a paradise under the stars welcomes world-known glamorous singers and dancers. Part of this magic has come to Bulgaria thanks to Cuban dancer Raul Torres.

He says that dancing became part of his life when he was a child.

“I was born with the dances in my blood. No one in my family is a dancer but I feel the music with my heart. Television also helped, as I could watch dancers from around the world,” he says.

Raul Torres is a master of Afro-Cuban dances and has taken part in a number of international competitions. Renowned Mexican actress Veronica Castro invited him to take part in her show La Movida that was shot in the Tropicana Cabaret. Years of work in Tropicana followed before Mr. Torres arrived to Bulgaria.

“I worked in Tropicana for 10 years and I traveled all across the world. I wanted to make some changes to my life and I wanted to teach dancing. I received a job offer in the Netherlands but two Bulgarians saw our show there and invited me to make one in a Bulgarian hotel. A friend of mine who is a boxer told me that there were beautiful flowers and beautiful women here and that is how I came to Bulgaria in 2001.”

© Photo: personal archive

When he first arrived he was impressed by the snow but he quickly adapted. “I got used to the changing seasons and now I feel younger and more energetic,” he says. In Bulgaria Raul Torres met his wife Margarita and his two daughters Erika and Melisa were born. In 2002 he created his own dance school. “I teach people how to feel the dance moves and to receive positive energy. I try to tell them that life is beautiful,” he says.

The Cuban dancer easily manages to transfer his positive energy to the people he communicates with. He says that doing business in Bulgaria in times of crisis is not an easy thing but according to Raul it was important to look in the future. It is very important to live a healthy life, too.

© Photo: personal archive

“When I feel good, people around me also feel good,” he says and adds: “Bulgarians are very intelligent people and when they want to achieve something they spend a lot of efforts in it. Of course, there are people who come to my school to have fun and meet new people. Bulgarians and Cubans have similar characters. We think in the same way as we all lived in a communist system. Bulgarians like drinking rakia which makes you warm in the winter while Cubans like rum,” Raul Torres says.

English version: Alexander Markov