Latin America / Cuba
Ismaray Chacón Tejeda, a cuban who carries the betrayal of her land and her family throughout the world
When it comes to dances, rhythms and sounds, it is impossible not to take as a reference the island with the most impact in the world of dance in the entire world, the beautiful island of Cuba, how many countries are not nourished by all the culture that this pearl of the Caribbean It allows us to see with its cultural roots, it seems that on the day of creation they left in Cuba all the musical dance creativity that they had.
Today we will be talking with one of the distinguished artists of the Cuban cultural movement in Europe, a member of a family legacy in Cuba, the so-called aspirins, we are talking about Ismaray Chacón Tejeda, a Piscean eradicated in Switzerland.
Welcome and always grateful for opening the doors of your life to make it known to our readers and your followers, we are going to get to know you a little.
Thank you for this great opportunity sir.
Ismaray let’s start by talking about the roots of your country. Do you live for folklore or do you enjoy it?
I enjoy it and at the same time I live it, it satisfies me is transmitting it and having the greatest result that a teacher can have, seeing the progress of the students, knowing that they deepen and feel identified with my culture, with my dance.
What does folklore mean in your life?
My identity as Cuban. It is life, feeling, experience… Everything!!
How was the idea of being part of the dance world born in you?
I was born and raised in that environment for my family. My grandfather rehearsed every week at home with his group and I didn’t miss a concert. I am the result of that environment.
How long study and career?
Professionally I started at the age of 17, after I left the School of Art Instructors (EIA), which I could not finish, I auditioned in a group called Obini Bata (Bata Woman). This group and my family were my true school. Look, we rehearsed twice a week all day where we learned the different taps, songs and dances plus the rehearsal of the group for the weekly function, the other days I practiced with my family, or I attended a drum, güiro or cajon (religious festivals) . All that mix was very important to me as it gave me the foundation for my career.
How many countries have you traveled making known the culture of your Island?
Uff!… (Between laughter and emotion) I have really been very lucky to visit many and repeatedly. Singapore, Russia, Morocco, Israel, France, Italy, Spain, England, Sweden, Finland, Peru, Denmark, Poland, Serbia, Germany, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Ukraine, Switzerland, among others. I would like to go to the brother countries of Latin America and be able to exchange cultures. I went to Mexico but only on vacation.
What countries have you not visited that you would like to know?
Colombia, Argentina, USA, Africa (Nigeria, Congo), Dubai, China, Japan, India, Venezuela and other Latin countries, hopefully I can. Hey, let the promoters know (between laughs)
The Casino (Cuban Salsa), the rumba or the Afro-Cuban?
What comes to mind when you hear the name Luis Chacón Mendive?
Phew!… my map, my friend, the example to follow, my teacher, my idol, my little green old man, my adoration.
You have a traditional surname and a lot of renown in Cuba. At some point in your training was it a requirement or a motivation?
Yes, it was both. A motivation because it is a great pride for me to belong to this important family and to have that experience, which made me lean towards this side of dance, but at the same time, a challenge because I grew up with my grandfather and my father and every time I had to work, the other artists always said…
that’s Aspirin’s granddaughter… Koky’s daughter… There were those who trusted that I would do a good job, but there were also those who wanted to see if I was up to the job. that last name. Sometimes even though I don’t like to be the center of attention, I had to show it and be a fool as we say in Cuba.
Why Aspirin?
Many say that when they see us play, dance or sing, their headaches go away hahahaha. In truth, it was from the great Aspirin who worked at that time and the boss always had pain in his teeth and sent him to the pharmacy to buy Aspirin. As it was very often, from there he got the nickname.
Do your dream and your reality go hand in hand? Did you dream of having another profession?
Today I can say yes. Being an artist was one of my dreams of the many I have. I remember when I was a child I wanted to be a flight attendant to travel the world and learn about other cultures, today I am lucky to travel carrying my culture and exchanging, I managed to be a flight attendant but in my own style. I’m very lucky.
What has the dance world given you and what has it taken from you?
It has not taken anything away from me, on the contrary, in addition to meeting so many beautiful people, it has given me life, emotions, sacrifices that today help me to value things more, it keeps me healthy and when I execute it, from that moment on all my problems they leave…it’s my therapy.
If you were born again, would you go back to dancing? Why?
Yes, a thousand times. Because art in general is a way of expressing what we feel, in the case of dance, we express it and transmit it with our body….it is life!
How is Cuban folklore currently spread in the world? Are lines of the original traditions maintained?
Well… this topic is very open and with different points of view, and the word Folklore says it all… In Cuba we have the Afro-Cuban and the Cuban, my point of view to summarize it in a few words, is an oral culture that was always transmitted through generations and family traditions, there is no book like in classical music where everything is written, rather what was seen that older people were doing was repeated, of course everything evolves and transforms over time of the generations even what is sung, the touches or their dances.
But in a certain way patterns are created to follow. I think that in order to spread it and teach it, it is important to know the basics and from there I totally agree with the evolutions, mixtures and others. We just have to be careful not to mistreat it.
What new projects could you share with us?
I currently live in Switzerland although I feel that I must start a new stage of my life in another European country. I also hope one day to be able to return to my country, be with my family and from there continue in the art that is what I love. For now I continue teaching and transmitting my culture throughout the world, already happily married I would like to have the blessing of one day having my family. Together with my husband Serguei Yera Madera, singer of La Reve, we want to continue developing our careers. We keep making history 😉
Grateful for letting us enter a very small corner of your life, we see that you are a true lover of your culture, we hope to continue seeing you succeed in the whole world. For our readers, you already know that this beautiful artist can be followed on her social networks.
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