Endedans Contemporary Ballet is a company that I founded in Camagüey, Cuba, in 2002 and directed there until 2014. We were the first contemporary ballet company in Cuba.

Two purposes led me to create Endedans: the need to express myself through choreography and the concern to offer another professional option to young dancers graduated in ballet with a desire to dance more contemporary styles in a city with great dance development, with especially strong roots in classical ballet.

The company initially had only 5 dancers, but little by little, it grew until it reached 20, thanks to the artistic impact and excitement the company generated. Some of the qualities that differentiated Endedans from the rest of the Cuban dance companies were the dance language; the fusion of dance-theater, ballet, and contemporary dance; and the use of scenic projections with a strong theatrical visual emphasis.

What does Endedans mean? Well, it is a word from French that is constantly used in ballet to refer to a direction of movement. There are actually two words with the prefix "en," which indicates direction. The word "dedans" means inwards. So Endedans means a turning inward. With the name of the company, I wanted to define a ballet that was not classical; it was not going to be "en dehors," an obligatory position in that difficult and beautiful dance art of ballet. Also, I loved the idea of identifying ourselves with something that indicated introspection, a dance that comes from inside.

During the 12 years I was choreographing and directing Endedans, we were invited to perform at events and festivals in Germany, Mexico, Venezuela, Martinique, French Guyana, and the Dominican Republic. In 2014, along with my husband and two children, we came to reside in the United States, and I had the privilege of joining the staff of Sarasota Cuban Ballet School as Resident Choreographer, Ballet, and Contemporary Teacher. Since then, I have also had the privilege to teach Contemporary Dance here at Sarasota Contemporary Dance.

In 2022, (20 years after starting that beautiful project in Cuba), Janet Bell, whom I met through my adult contemporary classes, approached me to encourage me to restart Endedans in the USA. The idea, of course, quickly became my greatest desire, and I opened my arms like wings to dream again of creating a company. In March 2023, thanks to the financial, organizational, logistical, and emotional support of Overture Group, formed by Janet Bell, Jane Woods, Pat Forshee, and Carol Gaskin, we premiered “Voices That Move Me” here at Sarasota Contemporary Dance, inspired by four important female voices in the literature world.

In November 2023, our second premiere, “Occupational Therapy,” shared the stage with Andrea McArdle at the Art Ovation Hotel, on the occasion of the Sarasota Rising Festival directed by Jeffery Kin. “Occupational Therapy” is a fun story with music by Mozart where five dancers gather at a table and play with the sound of plates, spoons, cups, chairs, and table in a completely crazy and very dynamic scene. This work was also performed at the Sarasota Arts Museum for the free Second Sunday organized by that institution.

Today we arrive at our third premiere in just over one year! We are proud to present “Neighbors” and are again grateful for the support of SCD. We are optimistic that Endedans will continue to grow to generate different dance options inside and outside the Sarasota area; create spaces for exchange with artists of different training and origins; and open another variant to the new generations of artistic work.

Collaboration with other artists is one of the best flavors one can have as a creator, and for us, this came from the hand of the visual artist Vicki Chelf and her amazing project “Women of Resistance.” The scene that you have just seen, dedicated to Nancy Wake, has been an important link for Endedans. The teamwork with Vicki and the Canadian musician Slim Williams was a challenge of which we are very proud.

Endedans Contemporary Ballet was named Best New Dance Company of 2023 by Sarasota Magazine, a recognition for which I must thank many people who supported and continue to support the company. Some of you are in the audience, and I thank you.

We hope to continue creating new stories and new connections with local and other artistic talent. If you can and you trust in an art that has no limits of dreams, please support us. Any help will be welcome.

We hope you enjoy our performances!