Welcome to the COCH-Lab Cuba crowdfunding page!

On the way to raise €3.000to support young classical ballet students in Cuba during their study year'. Donate and follow the project via Instagram and Facebook.

Tekst in het Nederlands
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Project motivatie

CHOREOGRAFISCHE EN CULTURELE UITWISSELINGSPROJECT

COCH-LAB is een initiatief van danser, docent en choreograaf Henry Rodríguez in ontwikkeling samen met een team van artiesten als Idania La Villa (assistent & docent klassiek ballet), Jos Mauro Witteween (filmregie) en Michel Sanchez-Infante (muziekproducent & DJ).

COCH-LAB is een co-creatief choreografisch laboratorium, een educatief initiatief om de ontwikkeling van dans en choreografie bij kinderen, jongeren en volwassenen te bevorderen.

Het richt zich op de promotie van bepaalde elementen uit de Nederlandse, Cubaanse en Spaanse cultuur en het creëren van verbindingen daartussen. Tegelijkertijd wil ik het gedeelde erfgoed tussen deze drie diverse en rijke culturen behouden.

Het 2024-project speelt zich af in Cuba. Ik zal als choreograaf samenwerken met middelbare scholieren van de klassieke balletopleiding aan de Escuela Nacional de Ballet Fernando Alonso in Havana.

Via dansworkshops biedt het project een innovatieve visie op Spaanse en Afro-Cubaanse moderne dans, beide versmolten en ondersteund door elektronische muziek en audiovisuele kunst van muzikanten en filmmakers uit Nederland.

Dit initiatief wil co-creatie stimuleren, de artistieke ontwikkeling van mensen bevorderen en gemeenschappen in sociale crises ondersteunen door middle van humanitaire steun.

Werkend op het gebied van Spaanse dans, geboren in Cuba en 5 jaar woonachtig in Nederland, ben ik geïnspireerd en gedreven on de meest significante elementen van deze drie culturen en hun tradities te verenigen.

Daarom wil ik deze drie culturen onderzoeken, delen en ondersteunen via dit project. Ik denk dat dit initiatief nodig is, omdat ik er van overtuigd ben dat sociale crises een universeel probleem zijn waar we allemaal bekend mee zijn. Ongeacht wat onze achtergrond is, co-creatie verenigt ons.

Samen met een creatief en getalenteerd team gaan we dit project realiseren. Maar om dit project uit te kunnen voeren hebben we geld nodig. Geld om kosten te dekken zoals dansbenodigdheden en medicijnenom te doneren aan de Escuela Nacional de Ballet.

Er zal geld nodig zijn voor voedsel, reiskosten en het maken van een korte video.Zo kunnen wij de ontwikkeling van het project in Cuba registreren en kunt u onze reis meemaken.

Helpt u ons met dit project?
Steun COCH-LAB Cuba en volg onze reis.
Bedankt!

Project motivation

COCH-LAB is an initiative by dancer, docent and choreographer Henry Rodríguez in development together with a team of artists such as Idania La Villa (Assistant & Classical Ballet teacher), Jos Mauro Witteween (Film direction) and Michel Sanchez-Infante (Music producer & Dj).

COCH-LAB is co-creative choreographic laboratory, an educational initiative to promote the development of dance and choreography in children, young people and adults. Through dance workshops, the project offers an innovative vision of Spanish and modern Afro-Cuban dance, both fused and supported by the genre of electronic music (EDM) and the audio-visual art of musicians and filmmakers from the Netherlands.

Within the fields of cultural participation, education and heritage, reciprocal and sustainable cooperation is sought through learning, the exchange of knowledge and social relations with a common and main hope: 'to promote the artistic development of children, young people and adults' through co-creative workshops and stage performances in communities exposed to the social crisis within the Netherlands, Cuba and Spain.

Our goals:

- Promote co-creation and the art of choreography in children, young people and adults.

- Develop innovative approaches to Spanish Classical and Modern dance fused to the genre of Electronic Dance Music (EDM) by artists based in the Netherlands.

- Create testimonies of cultural heritage between the Netherlands, Cuba and Spain through a short documentary that captures the creative process of the COCH-Lab project in the target community.

- Overcome social crises that limit children, young people and adults their access and development in the field of the arts through humanitarian support and donations.

- Develop cultural exchange and international collaboration between three fundamental countries: the Netherlands - Cuba - Spain.

The 2024 project is in Cuba
COCH-LAB CUBA

The 2024 project focuses on collaboration between the Netherlands and Cuba. In this first project, the initiative seeks collaboration through choreographic workshops with middle level students of classical ballet training at the Fernando Alonso National Ballet School in Havana, Cuba. The workshop links innovative techniques based on the Classical Spanish dance, Modern Afro-Cuban Technique and Improvisation.

The realisation of the project will mean the perfect opportunity for the students to challenge themself, keep fostering their curiosity and self exploration, collaborate while learning and creating and get to know the way of work from artists based in the Netherlands such as Michel Sanchez-Infante (Dj-producer), Jos Mauro Witteween Villagómez (filmmaker) and myself Henry Rodríguez (choreographer). We will also have the assistance of a teacher that knows well the group and also my work, Idania Digna La Villa Palenzuela (Classical Ballet teacher).

It will take place in January 2024. The goal amount of € 3.000 will be spent on material costs such as: dance gear, accessories and medication to donate to the National Ballet School and their students. Funds for food, travel expenses and the making of a short video will be needed. This way we can register the development of the project in Cuba and you can experience a bit of our journey.

Team:

Henry Rodriguez - Choreography & Direction
Jos Mauro Witteveen - Film direction
Idania La Villa Palenzuela - Classical Ballet teacher & Assistant
Michel Sanchez-Infante - Dj-Producer

Cuban partner - Escuela Nacional de Ballet Fernando Alonso
Dutch partner - COCH-LAB

Direction & Choreography
HENRY RODRIGUEZ

Henry Rodríguez is an independent choreographer and performing artist born in Cuba. He received his early education in dance at the UAD Ballet Español de Cuba of the National School of Dance in Havana, Cuba and worked with companies and choreographers such as Ballet Español de Cuba, Rosario Cárdenas, Danza Contemporánea de Cuba Company, Pepe Hevia Danza, Ballet Rakatan, Danza Alternativa, Julio Cesar Iglesias Ungo, George Cespedes, Theo Clinkard, Lucy Suggate, Iris Reyes and Faizah Grootens.

In 2022 he created Goyes’ka, a dance and physical theatre emergent project-based company and platform for interdisciplinary works and where he is delving into his own music and choreographic practice. His works have been featured in European and international festivals and contests such as Florence Dance Festival, Burgos & New York International Choreography Contest, LGBTQ Unbordered International Film Festival, Bevrijdingsdansfestival, Super Ball Amsterdam among others. Together to his creations, he gives dance lessons and workshops in relation to his creative process and new works.

Film direction
Jos Mauro Witteween Villagómez

Ecuadorian-Dutch filmmaker and storyteller. He graduated with the bachelor Audiovisual Media at the University of the arts in Utrecht June of 2022 with the short film Ventanas Abiertas (Una odisea para asimilar el dolor). His passion for storytelling arose from his early years of doing theater in a collective in Quito. There he fell in love with dramaturgy and his love for cinema became bigger and bigger. His hobbies are all in a certain way linked to his love for storytelling. He likes to hike, travel, read and to make and listen to music. He also works part-time at a record store and as a freelance filmmaker.

Classical Ballet teacher & assistant
Idania Digna La Villa Palenzuela

Idania Digna La Villa Palenzuela is a former first dancer and first soloist of companies such as the Nacional Ballet Cuba, Ballet de Camagüey, Centro Pro-Danza and Ballet Revolución among others. Currently she has been working as a Maître de Ballet in dance companies and academies such as Escuela Nacional de Ballet Fernando Alonso, Compañía List Alfonso Dance Cuba among others. She has developed her practice under the influence of great masters such as Fernando Alonso, Alicia Alonso, Josefina Mendez, Loira Araújo, Aurora Boch, Frederick Ask, Ramona de Sáa among others.

Dj-Producer
MICHEL SANCHEZ-INFANTE

Michel Sanchez-Infante is a dj-producer and trainer from the Netherlands. With a love for electronic music that started more than 20 years ago has so far led Michel Sanchez Infante to release a string of records under various guises (most notably as Love over Entropy), perform his music live internationally and studying Electronic Music Composition at the HKU in Hilversum. Besides actively producing and performing electronic music, Michel is also an Ableton Certified Trainer. He develops and teaches electronic music courses at Pyntago in Amersfoort and Amsterdam and at the Haarlem Conservatory.

Social Media

Stay up to date with news and updates about the project by following us on Instagram @coch_lab and @goyeska_
Do you have questions? Send an email to: [email protected]

ESPAÑOL
COCH-LAB CUBA

COCH-LAB es una iniciativa del bailarín, docente y coreógrafo Henry Rodríguez en desarrollo junto a un equipo de artistas como Idania La Villa (Asistente y profesora de Ballet Clásico), José Mauro Witteween (Dirección cinematográfica) y Michel Sanchez-Infante (Productor musical y DJ).

COCH-LAB es una iniciativa educativa para promover el desarrollo de la danza y la coreografía en niños, jóvenes y adultos. A través de talleres de danza, el proyecto ofrece una visión innovadora de la danza española y moderna, ambas fusionadas y apoyadas por el género de la música electrónica (EDM) y el arte audiovisual de músicos y cineastas de Países Bajos.

Dentro de los campos de la participación cultural, la educación y el patrimonio, se busca la cooperación recíproca y sostenible a través del aprendizaje, el intercambio de conocimientos y las relaciones sociales con una esperanza común y principal: 'promover el desarrollo artístico de niños, jóvenes y adultos' a través de la co -talleres creativos y representaciones escénicas en comunidades expuestas a la crisis social en Holanda, Cuba y España.

Nuestras metas:

- Fomentar la cocreación y el arte coreográfico en niños, jóvenes y adultos.

- Desarrollar enfoques innovadores de la danza clásica y moderna española fusionados al género de la Música Electrónica de Baile (EDM) por artistas afincados en Holanda.

- Crear testimonios del patrimonio cultural entre los Países Bajos, Cuba y España a través de un corto documental que capture el proceso creativo del proyecto COCH-Lab en la comunidad objetivo.

- Superar las crisis sociales que limitan a niños, jóvenes y adultos su acceso y desarrollo en el campo de las artes a través de apoyo humanitario y donaciones.

- Desarrollar el intercambio cultural y la colaboración internacional entre tres países fundamentales: Países Bajos - Cuba - España.

El proyecto 2024 es en Cuba
COCH-LAB CUBA

El proyecto 2024 se centra en la colaboración entre los Países Bajos y Cuba. En este primer proyecto, la iniciativa busca la colaboración a través de talleres coreográficos con estudiantes de nivel medio de la formación de ballet clásico de la Escuela Nacional de Ballet Fernando Alonso de La Habana, Cuba. El taller vincula técnicas innovadoras basadas en la Danza Clásica Española, la Técnica Afrocubana Moderna y la Improvisación.

La realización del proyecto supondrá la oportunidad perfecta para que los estudiantes se desafíen a sí mismos, sigan fomentando su curiosidad y autoexploración, colaboren mientras aprenden y crean y conozcan la forma de trabajo de artistas afincados en Holanda como Michel Sanchez-Infante. (Dj-productor), Jos Mauro Witteween Villagómez (cineasta) y yo Henry Rodríguez (coreógrafo). También contaremos con la asistencia de una profesora que conoce bien el grupo y también mi trabajo, Idania Digna La Villa Palenzuela (profesora de Ballet Clásico).

Se llevará a cabo en enero de 2024. La cantidad objetivo de 3.000 € se destinará a gastos de materiales como: material de danza, accesorios y medicamentos para donar a la Escuela Nacional de Ballet y sus alumnos. Se necesitarán fondos para comida, gastos de viaje y la realización de un vídeo-corto. De esta manera podremos registrar el desarrollo del proyecto en Cuba y podrás vivir un poco de nuestra experiencia.