Hawaii Hispanic
History
In 1794, Francisco
Marin -- a Spaniard
-- became the first
Hispanic resident of
Hawaii.  
Francisco Marin
planted the first
pineapple in the
kingdom of Hawaii
on January 2, 1813.
Hawaii Hispanic
Community
Statistics:
100% Latino -owned & -operated
Median Income          
                    $67,000

Own home:        45%

Own 1 or more
vehicles:            92%

Commute to work:    
                          82%
Local News
Afro-Cuban Salsa dance maestro teaches workshops in Honolulu
    HONOLULU, Hawaii – Unlike other Hispanic communities on the mainland, Hawaii is not stratified in terms of Hispanic
    barrios, like: East Harlem (NYC); Calle Ocho (Miami) or East Los (L.A.). For that reason, we are better able to take
    advantage of across-the-board Hispanic cultural activities. One of those cultural activities, an Afro-Cuban Salsa workshop
    series, is about to turn Honolulu upside-down.

    I became a huge fan of Royland Labato, a young, talented Afro-Cuban Salsa dance maestro after watching some of his
    YouTube videos. But I’ve become an even bigger fan after having had the opportunity to interview this charismatic, but
    amazingly humble, master.

    Lobato was born in 1974 in “an artistic and musical neighborhood” of Guantánamo, Cuba. In his early childhood, he was
    surrounded by talented street artists, musicians and performers. He credits this environment with creating his
    unquenchable desire to be an artist. He said: “With these street musicians, I learned to love the Cuban rumba, which is
    infused with the rhythms of the African slaves the Spaniards brought to Cuba and the rhythms of the Spanish colonizers.”
    Lobato continued: “When I entered elementary school, I started structured dance activities involving the danza (similar to
    a waltz). But I was living a ‘double life’ participating in athletics and dance. When I was 13, I decided to concentrate on
    dancing. In pre-university (high school), I joined a nationally-recognized dance troupe that had earned many national
    awards and started getting recognition as an emerging artist.”

    He said: “Then at the university I joined a rigorous danza troupe that focused on the precision, aesthetics and high-level
    performance discipline of the dance. It was, essentially, a semi-professional organization. We practiced every day of the
    year, sometimes four hours a day. In addition to performing all over the island, I travelled with them to perform in Spain
    and several times in France.”  
  
    He added: “In 1998, I moved to Havana and joined a folkloric dance
    troupe. That’s where my professional career started. I was with them
    about a year performing at various venues. Then in 1999, I co-
    founded a troupe called Siete Potencias (“Seven Powers,” is a
    reference to the fusing of the seven saints in the African religions
    brought to Cuba with the belief in Jesus of the Spanish Catholics.)

    Lobato continued: “Our Siete Potencias troupe focused on
    researching and studying the African roots of the Cuban dances. I was
    the director of the group until 2005. We won numerous national
    awards and prizes for our authenticity and our strict adherence to
    perpetuating and celebrating the composite parts of our Cuban
    folkloric dance traditions.”
    Even though he had a demanding performance and practice regimen,
    Lobato never forgot his roots. He remembered how the
    encouragement of street musicians influenced him to pursue an artistic
    career. As a way of “paying it forward,” he: taught teenagers to dance
    in a cultural center; choreographed dancers at children's art festivals;
    and volunteered his time and talent at various youth-oriented cultural
    activities.
 
    He did these activities while he attended the Havana School for
    Teachers of the Arts. Until he graduated in 2005, his incredibly hectic
    schedule required him to: go to school in the morning; teach youth
    classes (ages 8-14) in the afternoon; practice his own routines after
    that; and perform or teach adults just about every evening.  

    In 2005 he left Cuba for Mexico, where is performed in various venues in Cancún. He then made his way to the U.S. and
    settled in the Sa n Francisco area. There he has focused on performing the dances of Cuba and the Caribbean: Rumba;
    Cuban Salsa; Son; Mambo; Cha Cha Chá; Mozambique; Pilon; Yoruba; along with other African-rhythm influenced
    dances.”  

    Lobato’s Honolulu Cuban Dance Workshops will take place October 16 – 24, 2010, at the Dream To Dance and the Al
    Franz Studios. They will include: Salsa; Rueda De Casino; Rumba; Son’ Cha Cha Chá; and Afro-Cuban folkloric. All
    dancing levels are welcome. Registration is available at: www.cubandanceworkshophawaii.weebly.com. More info is
    available at: (808) 722-3265 or (510) 847-9131.

    Our staff is going to attend the classes. We don’t want to miss an opportunity to learn from this world-class Cuban dance
    master, historian, researcher and community activist.  
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