MMM...MMM... MMM!

MMM!

MALLOZZI, VOICE-OVER: I'M A DANCER AND I'M A TRAVELER.

AND WHEREVER I GO, I EXPERIENCE THE WORLD ONE DANCE AT A TIME.

♪ I'M MICKELA MALLOZZI, AND THIS IS "BARE FEET."

♪ "BARE FEET" IS FUNDED IN PART BY... ANNOUNCER: ROAD SCHOLAR, OFFERING EDUCATIONAL TRAVEL ADVENTURES FOR ADULTS SINCE 1975.

ANNOUNCER: ADDITIONAL FUNDING WAS PROVIDED BY KOO AND PATRICIA YUEN THROUGH THE YUEN FOUNDATION, COMMITTED TO BRIDGING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN OUR COMMUNITIES.

ANNOUNCER: THESE GENEROUS SUPPORTERS.

ANNOUNCER: AND BY THE ANN H. SYMINGTON FOUNDATION.

MALLOZZI, VOICE-OVER: THE NEW YORK METRO AREA IS HOME TO THE WORLD'S THIRD- LARGEST POPULATION OF CUBANS OUTSIDE OF MIAMI AND CUBA.

FOR OVER 60 YEARS, CUBANS FLED THEIR ISLAND TO JOIN FAMILY MEMBERS HERE IN THE U.S. ON THIS "BARE FEET IN NYC" VENTURE, I GET A TASTE OF THE AMALGAMATION THAT IS CUBAN CULTURE-- A RICH MIXTURE OF AFRICAN, SPANISH, AND CARIBBEAN INFLUENCES, AND I MEET WITH SOME OF THESE AMAZING FAMILIES, WHO SHARE WITH ME THE TRADITIONS AND CULTURE THAT THEY BROUGHT WITH THEM ON THEIR JOURNEY HERE.

[PEOPLE SINGING IN NATIVE LANGUAGE] MY FIRST STOP IS TO BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK TO MEET WITH DANYS PEREZ, ALSO KNOWN AS "LA MORA."

[SINGING IN NATIVE LANGUAGE] LA MORA IS THE FOUNDER OF THE OYU ORO AFRO-CUBAN DANCE ENSEMBLE.

AND BECAUSE OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HERE IN NEW YORK CITY, OUTSIDE PARKS HAVE BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO OPEN-AIR REHEARSAL SPACES FOR ARTISTS.

I'M HERE TO JOIN THE ENSEMBLE DURING ONE OF THEIR WEEKLY PUBLIC RESIDENCIES.

PEREZ: MY FOLKLORE AND MY CULTURE IS EVERYTHING THAT I AM.

THAT'S MY IDENTITY.

FOR ME, IT'S A MISSION TO PRESERVE AND MAINTAIN THE CULTURE FOR MY COUNTRY.

♪ MALLOZZI: WE'RE IN BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR YOU AND YOUR GROUP TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THE SPACE TO DANCE HERE IN NEW YORK CITY?

I CAN SAY IT'S A BLESSING.

WE CAN HEAL IN OUR DANCING, MAINTAIN THE TECHNIQUE, THE PHYSICAL CONDITION.

WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE CREATE, YOU KNOW, OUR CHOREOGRAPHY AND MAINTAIN A MOVEMENT.

WE HAVE TO LIVE, WE HAVE TO DO WHAT WE REALLY ARE.

YES, YES.

THAT'S OUR LIFE.

♪ I ALL THE TIME TELL MY STUDENT IN MY DANCING, "YOU NEED TO LOOKING BACK.

"AND WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING BACK, THEN YOU CAN FIND YOUR CULTURE AND YOUR ANCESTRY."

AND AS YOU SEE, MY COMPANY IS MULTI-CULTURAL.

I HAVE PEOPLE FOR ANY KIND OF BACKGROUND.

MY PLATFORM AS THE AFRO-CUBAN DANCING TEACHER IS ACKNOWLEDGE PEOPLE.

AND EVEN WHEN WE COME IN IN A DIFFERENT AVENUE, AT SOME POINT, WE ENCOUNTER ON THE DIASPORA.

[CLANGING] MALLOZZI, VOICE-OVER: THE GROUP THEN DRESSES ME AND LETS ME JUMP RIGHT IN THEIR REHEARSAL TO LEARN THE BISHAY.

YOU CAN TURN.

THAT'S WHAT YOU DO HERE.

TURN.

RIGHT?

YEAH.

YOU'RE FACING WITH HER.

AND JUST A PLATE.

SO I'LL GO UP FIRST?

YOU GO DOWN.

OK. OK. BISHAY IS THE ELEMENT THAT WE USE ON THE COUNTRYSIDE TO COLLECT COFFEE.

WHEN THE LADIES USED TO DANCING, AND IT'S LIKE A KIND OF MERENGUE.

PEREZ: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8!

AND 1!

[CLAPPING RHYTHMICALLY] PEREZ: 7, YOU PUT THE COFFEE.

OK. MALLOZZI, VOICE-OVER: A MAJORITY OF AFRO-CUBANS CAN TRACE THEIR ROOTS TO THE YORUBA PEOPLE OF NIGERIA AND BENIN, WHO WERE FORCEFULLY BROUGHT OVER TO THE ISLAND VERY LATE IN THE TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE IN THE 19th CENTURY.

MALLOZZI: I LOVE THAT YOU PASS THIS TRADITION NOT ONLY TO YOUR STUDENTS BUT WITHIN YOUR FAMILY.

YOUR HUSBAND IS HERE.

HE'S A MUSICIAN.

YOUR DAUGHTER LIETHIS, SHE'S A DANCER WITH YOU.

I MEAN, YOU'RE MAKING MUSIC AND DANCING WITH YOUR FAMILY.

WELL, LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING.

IT'S A POPULAR EXPRESSION, TRADITIONAL EXPRESSION.

IT'S ALL OVER.

IT'S COMING FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION.

FROM MOMMY TO DADDY, FOR AUNTIE TO NIECE.

IT'S IN THAT WAY.

AND MY FAMILY IS LIKE-- WE'RE NOW THE [SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE] OF THIS SITUATION, YOU KNOW.

SI.

SI.

♪ MALLOZZI, VOICE-OVER: NOW IT'S TIME FOR OYU ORO AFRO-CUBAN DANCE ENSEMBLE'S PERFORMANCE.

PEREZ: I THANK YOU, AND [INDISTINCT], RIGHT?

AND WE'RE GOING TO PRESERVE THE AFRO-CUBAN CULTURE, RIGHT?

[CHANTING IN NATIVE LANGUAGE] [SINGING IN NATIVE LANGUAGE] ♪ PEREZ: I SHARE WHAT I LOVE.

AND BECAUSE I LOVE, THAT'S THE WAY THE PEOPLE RECEIVE.

MALLOZZI: YEAH, YEAH.

SO PEOPLE LOVE.

♪ MALLOZZI, VOICE-OVER: MY NEXT STOP IS TO MEET WITH ANOTHER FAMILY.

I HEAD TO MILLIE'S CUBAN CAFE IN THE BUSHWICK NEIGHBORHOOD OF BROOKLYN.

BROTHERS ALBERT AND DANNY TERAN STARTED THE BRICK AND MORTAR AFTER YEARS OF RUNNING THE POPULAR BONGO BROTHERS FOOD TRUCKS.

I'M HERE TODAY TO MEET WITH THEM, THEIR FATHER ALBERTO, AND THEIR COUSIN ANA, WHO SHARE WITH ME THEIR CUBAN CULTURE THROUGH FOOD.

MAN: MILLIE'S IS A COMBINATION BETWEEN MY MOTHER'S RECIPES AND MY RECIPES.

WE TRY TO DO TRADITIONAL CUBAN FOOD, BUT WE PUT A LITTLE SPIN TO IT, MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT MORE MODERN, MORE APPROACHABLE.

IT'S NAMED AFTER OUR MOTHER MILLIE.

MAN: AND WE HAVE A THRIFT STORE CALLED ALBERTO & SONS NAMED AFTER MY FATHER, WHICH WE ALSO SURPRISED HIM WITH.

MALLOZZI: AWW... WE'RE JUST SO GRATEFUL.

HE LET US DO WHAT WE WERE PASSIONATE ABOUT DOING AND NOT ONLY JUST SAYING "OK," BUT REALLY STEPPED UP, YOU KNOW, IN A BIG WAY TO SUPPORT US ON THIS JOURNEY.

MALLOZZI, VOICE-OVER: THE TERANS ARE AN ENTREPRENEURIAL FAMILY, INCLUDING COUSIN ANA, WHO STARTED HER OWN LINE OF SHIRTS, GALA OCTUVRE, WHICH HER COUSINS AND UNCLE ARE WEARING TODAY.

ANA: MY IDEA WAS ACTUALLY INSPIRED BY WORKING HERE AT MILLIE'S AS A BARISTA AND WANTING TO ALSO INCORPORATE MY CULTURE AND BRING VOICE TO OUR HERITAGE.

MALLOZZI: SO, DAD, HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOU SEE YOUR BOYS-- I'M VERY PROUD, VERY PROUD.

YOU'RE GONNA MAKE ME CRY.

NO!

[LAUGHTER] IT'S BEEN SUCH A BEAUTIFUL EXPERIENCE AND THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO THIS AS A FAMILY THE WHOLE WAY THROUGH HAS BEEN REALLY INCREDIBLE.

MALLOZZI, VOICE-OVER: NOW IT'S TIME FOR ME TO TRY THIS FAMILY INSPIRED FOOD.

ALBERT: THESE ARE TWICE-FRIED PLANTAINS.

THIS IS FRIED YUCA.

MM-HMM.

♪ THIS IS THE AVOCADO TOAST.

MALLOZZI: BEAUTIFUL.

I LOVE THAT IT'S ON CUBAN BREAD.

I'VE NEVER SEEN THAT.

IT'S GREAT.

THIS IS MY BROTHER'S FAVORITE RIGHT HERE.

IT'S THE IMPOSSIBLE PICADILLO SLOPPY JOE.

TOTALLY VEGETARIAN.

THIS IS MY FAVORITE.

THIS IS THE ROPA VIEJA.

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS THE CUBAN SANDWICH AND SOME FRESH PLANTAIN CHIPS.

♪ ANA: WHEN IT COMES TO THE FOOD, WE REALLY CARE.

WE WANT TO SHARE IT.

A LOT OF IT COMES FROM WANTING TO SHARE, TO TELL THE STORY, TO KIND OF BUILD A CONNECTION.

MALLOZZI: WELL, THEY SAY "TASTE IS THE CLOSEST SENSE TO MEMORY."

DANNY: YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.

SO TASTING FOOD THAT IS YOUR COMFORT FOOD, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU LEAVE YOUR HOME TO START ANOTHER HOME SOMEWHERE ELSE...

WHEN I WAS MAYBE 6, 7 YEARS OLD, MY FATHER TOOK ME TO EAT AT A PLACE THAT HAD-- I HAD MY FIRST CUBAN SANDWICH.

YOU TALKING ABOUT MEMORY AND FOOD.

WHEN I EAT THIS SAND-- [SNIFFS] WHEN I EAT THIS SANDWICH, I GO BACK TO THAT DAY...

RIGHT.

[VOICE BREAKING] EVERY TIME.

MM-HMM.

SORRY.

NO, DON'T BE SORRY.

AND YOU LEFT--YOU HAD TO LEAVE YOUR FAMILY WHEN YOU WERE JUST 14.

WENT TO SPAIN BY MYSELF.

HAD NOBODY THERE.

AND I WAS LUCKY THAT PEOPLE TOOK CARE OF ME.

♪ I FEEL A VERY CLOSE CONNECTION, BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF PARALLELS TO MY FAMILY.

I DIDN'T EAT OUT TILL I WAS IN COLLEGE, MAYBE.

YOU KNOW, EVERY SINGLE MEAL, WE SAT AT THE TABLE.

YEAH.

FOOD IS SUCH A BIG PART OF OUR FAMILY AND HOW WE SHOW LOVE.

ALBERT: AND...TRES LECHES.

AW!

THAT'S MY FAVORITE, BY THE WAY!

♪ I COULD JUST EAT THAT ALL DAY.

THAT IS BEAUTIFUL.

♪ OH--OH, YEAH!

ALL: SALUT!

OH, MY GOD, THIS IS BEAUTI-- THANK YOU.

I DO.

I FEEL LIKE WE ARE FAMILY NOW.

THIS IS-- ABSOLUTELY.

♪ MALLOZZI, VOICE-OVER: I LEAVE THE BEAUTIFUL TERAN FAMILY AND HEAD TO MANHATTAN'S EAST VILLAGE AT DROM, THE WORLD MUSIC VENUE, TO MEET WITH JAZZ LEGEND ARTURO O'FARRILL AND HIS FAMILY.

ARTURO IS A PIANIST, COMPOSER, AND EDUCATOR, AND HE IS ALSO THE FOUNDER OF THE AFRO-LATIN JAZZ ALLIANCE, WHOSE MISSION IS TO PERFORM, EDUCATE ABOUT, AND PRESERVE THE MUSIC OF ALL OF THE AMERICAS EMANATING FROM AFRICAN AND INDIGENOUS ROOTS THROUGH THE ENTRY POINT OF JAZZ.

O'FARRILL: AT FIRST, I JUST WANTED TO PLAY LIKE HERBIE HANCOCK.

THEN I REALIZED IT WAS LATINO.

SO I WANTED TO SOUND JUST LIKE EDDIE PALMIERI.

AND THEN I REALIZED THAT YOU CAN'T LIVE IN THOSE SEGMENTED SPOTS, THAT THE CONNECTION BETWEEN HERBIE HANCOCK AND EDDIE PALMIERI IS ACTUALLY A LINE.

RIGHT.

AND SO IF YOU SEGMENT YOURSELF, IF YOU INCREMENT YOURSELF, IF YOU PUT YOURSELF ON THE DOT, YOU'RE AN IDIOT!

YOU NEED TO SEE THE CONTINUUM.

MALLOZZI, VOICE-OVER: KEISEL JIMENEZ, AFRO-CUBAN PERCUSSIONIST, GIVES ME A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO CUBAN RUMBA, THE DANCE, DRUMMING, AND SINGING TRADITION BASED ON THE MELDING OF AFRICAN AND SPANISH INFLUENCES.

[BEATING DRUMS RHYTHMICALLY] KEEP ON PLAYING.

[BEATING COMPLEMENTING RHYTHM] AAAH!

WAIT.

OK, WAIT.

SO THIS IS THE LAYERS?

YEAH.

THIS IS THE LAYERS.

OK, HOLD ON.

I'M NOT GONNA THINK ABOUT ONE.

[BEATING DRUMS RHYTHMICALLY] MALLOZZI: WHEN I LISTEN TO RUMBA, IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT FOR ME TO HEAR THE 1 SOMETIMES.

THE DOWNBEAT IS A CULTURAL CONSTRUCT.

MMM... O'FARRILL: HERE'S WHAT I LEARNED IS YOU CAN LEARN THE INDIVIDUAL RHYTHM.

IF YOU PLUG IT IN TO THE TOTAL PICTURE, IF YOU LISTEN TO EVERYONE ELSE AS YOU'RE PLAYING THAT RHYTHM, MAGIC HAPPENS.

[PLAYING COMPLEMENTARY RHYTHMS] O'FARRILL: YOU'RE NOT PLAYING INDIVIDUAL HITS.

NOW YOU'RE PLAYING WITH OTHER PEOPLE IN THE MOSAIC THAT IS SO BEAUTIFUL.

♪ THERE'S ONLY THE GROOVE.

YEAH.

NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THAT.

♪ JIMENEZ: THIS KIND OF MUSIC REMIND ME OF CUBA, ALL MY FAMILY, ALL MY FRIENDS, MY CHILDHOOD WHEN I GROW UP.

AND, FOR ME, IT'S LIKE...

THE MOST GREATEST THING THAT I HAVE.

MAN: ♪ NA NA NA NA NA ♪ THANK YOU FOR SHARING THESE RHYTHMS WITH ME.

OH, THANK YOU.

I HAVE TO SEE [INDISTINCT] AS WELL.

FOR ME, IT'S IMPORTANT TO FEEL WHAT PEOPLE FEELING.

I LEARN FROM THEM, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE EXCHANGE OF ENERGY, EXCHANGE OF EXPERIENCE AS WELL.

AFTER WE'RE DONE, WE PLAY.

HA!

[MUSIC ENDS] YEAH!

THANK YOU!

GRACIAS!

MALLOZZI, VOICE-OVER: NOW IT WAS TIME FOR ARTURO TO GIVE ME A LESSON IN SOME AFRO-CUBAN JAZZ ON THE PIANO.

THIS IS A MONTUNO-- [PLAYS HIGH NOTE] AND THAT COMES FROM THE WORD "MONTAÑA."

RIGHT?

MOUNTAIN, YEAH.

AND THEN THIS IS THE CALL TUMBAO, [PLAYS 4 LOW NOTES] 'CAUSE THE WORD "TUMBAO," OF COURSE, IS AFRICAN.

MM-HMM.

THE WORD "MONTAÑA" IS-- SPANISH.

AND SHOWS YOU WHAT HAPPENS WHEN CULTURES COLLIDE.

[PLAYS 3 LOW NOTES] [LAUGHTER] [PLAYING AFRO-CUBAN RHYTHM HESITANTLY] [PLAYS FLAT NOTE] OOPS.

O'FARRILL: IT'S REALLY AN ANCIENT ARTFORM, AND THE RHYTHMS ARE VERY INTERLOCKING.

IT'S NOT FOLK MUSIC.

IT'S MUSIC OF THE HIGHEST, MOST SOPHISTICATED REALIZATION.

[PLAYING SAME RHYTHM QUICKLY] [PERCUSSION JOINS IN] ♪ MALLOZZI, VOICE-OVER: ARTURO SHARES THE STAGE WITH HIS SON AND DRUMMER ZACK O'FARRILL.

AND HE PASSES DOWN MORE THAN JUST THE MUSIC TO HIM.

ZACK: JAZZ IS A MUSIC BORN OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA IN THE AMERICAS, BORN OF THE CLASH OF AFRICAN, EUROPEAN, INDIGENOUS MUSIC, RIGHT, AND WHATEVER ELSE WAS IN THE ETHER AT THAT TIME.

RIGHT.

IT'S AFRO-LATIN MUSIC WITH THE IMPROVISATION AND HARMONIES OF JAZZ AND ALTOGETHER IN THIS MUSIC THAT NEVER SHOULD HAVE HAD TO BE SEPARATED.

MALLOZZI, VOICE-OVER: TONIGHT, THE AFRO-LATIN JAZZ ALLIANCE IS HOSTING AN EVENING OF LIVE, IN-PERSON MUSIC AFTER A LONG HIATUS DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.

♪ [CHEERING AND WHOOPING] ARTURO: AND MICKELA MALLOZZI, SHE CAN DANCE.

AUDIENCE: WHOO!

ARTURO: WE'D LOVE FOR YOU TO COME UP AND SAY A FEW WORDS.

YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.

THANK YOU.

MALLOZZI: I WANT TO FIRST SAY DROM IS A REALLY SPECIAL PLACE.

THE FACT THAT IT IS STILL STANDING, STILL BEATING STRONG.

WE'RE HERE INSIDE, LISTENING TO MUSIC, DANCING TOGETHER-- [CHEERING AND WHOOPING] IS A TESTAMENT TO WHAT WE'VE ALL BEEN THROUGH.

[MAN SINGING IN NATIVE LANGUAGE] MALLOZZI: BEING CUBAN-AMERICAN, WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE RHYTHMS THAT MAKES YOU WANT TO PLAY THEM?

ZACK: I REALLY THINK OF MYSELF MORE AS A MIXED PERSON, JUST BECAUSE MY DAD IS HALF-MEXICAN, HALF-CUBAN.

MY MOM IS HALF-BLACK, HALF-JEWISH.

MALLOZZI: MM-HMM.

I THINK THE VERY MIXED NATURE OF CUBAN CULTURE IS WHAT HAS DRAWN ME TO THE MUSIC.

♪ WHAT I LOVE IS THE NEXT GENERATION OF MUSICIANS.

ARTURO: THANK GOD.

I WANT THEM TO TAKE ON THE NEXT CHALLENGES THAT BEING IN THE ARTS IS, YOU KNOW.

'CAUSE THEY'RE MORE EQUIPPED, THEY'RE SMARTER, THEY'RE FASTER, THEY SPEAK BETTER.

THEY'RE BETTER LOOKING.

THEY'RE SKINNIER.

♪ MAN: UNO, DOS, TRES!

♪ MALLOZZI, VOICE-OVER: PASSING DOWN THE TRADITIONS OF RHYTHMS AND DANCES FROM ONE FAMILY MEMBER TO ANOTHER WAS NECESSARY FOR THE SURVIVAL OF AFRO-CUBAN CULTURE, AND THAT LINEAGE CONTINUES EVEN HERE IN NEW YORK.

I HEAD TO AN AFROCUSOUL ORISHA DANCE CLASS WITH LIETHIS HECHAVARRIA, DAUGHTER OF "LA MORA," TO LEARN MORE OF THESE POWERFUL AFRO-CUBAN STORIES THROUGH MOVEMENT.

[DRUMS BEATING RHYTHMICALLY] HECHAVARRIA: THE WORD "ORISHA" MEANS NATURAL FORCES-- THE WATER, THE FIRE, SNOW.

MALLOZZI, VOICE-OVER: SPECIFIC RHYTHMS AND DANCES INVOKE THE ORISHAS, OR GODS AND GODDESSES, THAT CONTROL OUR NATURAL WORLD.

AND THE FIRST ORISHA WE INVOKE IS THE GOD ELEGUA.

SO HE'S THE OWNER OF THE [INDISTINCT] OF THE MEN.

MMM!

YES, THAT IS THE FIRST ONE, THE FIRST ORISHA THAT WE CALL FIRST.

MALLOZZI, VOICE-OVER: ELEGUA'S MOVEMENTS ARE TRADITIONALLY VERY MASCULINE AND POWERFUL, AND HE'S SEEN AS A WARRIOR.

[SINGING IN NATIVE LANGUAGE] HECHAVARRIA: HOW YOU FEEL?

ALL: GOOD!

GREAT!

YOU SURE?

ALL: YES!

OK, LET'S DANCE NOW.

[LAUGHTER] NOW, THE MOVEMENT WE'RE GOING TO DO RIGHT NOW, OR THE ORISHA WE'RE GOING TO DO RIGHT NOW, IS YEMOJA.

SHE'S THE MOTHER, SHE'S THE QUEEN.

YEMOJA IS THE OWNER OF THE OCEAN.

SHE'S THE MOTHER OF THE WORLD.

SHE'S THE MOTHER OF ALL OF THE ORISHAS.

MM-HMM.

YOU KNOW, SO ALL HER MOVEMENT REPRESENTATION OF THE OCEAN, THE FLOW OF THE SEA, A LOT OF WAVE, A LOT OF CYCLE.

SO THIS IS THE POSITION THAT YOU ALWAYS NEED TO HAVE WHEN YOU DANCING AFRO-CUBANISM.

THERE'S WHERE YOU HAVE THE FLAVORING.

EVERYTHING IS START FROM HERE, FROM YOUR PELVIS.

SO WHEN I SAY "BACK," WHAT'S HAPPENING IS YEMOJA, SHE COVERS HERSELF.

SO WHAT HAPPENING WITH YOUR HAND WITHOUT THE SKIRT IS THIS.

[MUSIC PLAYING] MALLOZZI, VOICE-OVER: THE ORISHAS CAN BE TRACED BACK TO THE YORUBA RELIGION OF WEST AFRICA, BROUGHT OVER TO CUBA BY THE TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE IN THE EARLY TO MID-19th CENTURY.

MALLOZZI: I SEE YOU TRANSFORM.

AS SOON AS THAT DRUM STARTS, I SEE A SHIFT IN YOU AND THE ORISHA COMES THROUGH.

ONCE YOU KNOW THE HISTORY AND YOU KNOW THE CHARACTER AND YOU KNOW WHAT THAT ORISHA IS, YOU TRANSFORM YOURSELF.

[DRUMS BEATING RHYTHMICALLY, PEOPLE SINGING] ♪ FOR ME, THE STUDENT COME INTO MY CLASS.

I WANT THEM TO LEAVE WITH THAT ENERGY.

MM-HMM.

NOT JUST, "OH, I WENT TO A DANCE CLASS AND I JUST MOVE."

NO.

THIS IS MORE SPECIAL.

THIS IS MORE DANCE FROM THE SOUL.

YES.

YES.

♪ SHARING THIS WITH THE PEOPLE IS SHARING WHO I AM AND SHARING MY CULTURE AND SHARING WHAT MY MOM AND MY FAMILY HAVE INHERIT TO ME.

♪ [WOMAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY] YOU FEEL THE ENERGY OF THE ORISHAS IN THE YEMOJA.

IT'S REALLY, REALLY SORT OF SPIRITUAL.

IT'S BEAUTIFUL ENERGY IN THIS ROOM.

[DRUMS BEATING RHYTHMICALLY] ♪ HACHAVERRIA: YOOOOOO!

WHOOO!

WHOO!

MALLOZZI, VOICE-OVER: MY NEXT STOP TAKES ME TO FAR ROCKAWAY BEACH IN QUEENS.

[MUSIC PLAYING] ♪ I'M HERE TO ATTEND THE TIMBA BEACH PARTY HOSTED BY MONTE GIVHAN, FOUNDER OF RUEDATHON.

GIVHAN: A RUEDA IS BASICALLY JUST A SET OF DANCING WITH A COUPLE, LIKE, YOU KNOW, TWO PARTNERS.

RIGHT.

YOU'RE DANCING WITH AN ENTIRE GROUP.

MALLOZZI, VOICE-OVER: "RUEDA" LITERALLY TRANSLATES TO "WHEEL" IN SPANISH, AND IT IS DANCED IN A CIRCLE.

HELLO!

HELLO.

[GIVHAN SPEAKING SPANISH] WE HAD A CALL, OR WHAT WE CALL A CANTATE.

THEY WERE DOING SIGNALS, AND SO THOSE SIGNALS CAN BE-- THEY ALL HAVE NAMES, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE HAND SIGNALS TELLING EVERYBODY IN THE GROUP WHAT TO DO.

LET'S TRY BIG.

LET'S SEE.

[MUSIC PLAYING] [WOMAN SHOUTS] ♪ MALLOZZI, VOICE-OVER: MONTE'S CO-HOST FOR THE TIMBA BEACH PARTY IS PROFESSIONAL CUBAN DANCER RAFAEL NUÑEZ.

♪ [NUÑEZ SPEAKING SPANISH] MALLOZZI: SI.

SI!

SI!

YES, YES.

MALLOZZI, VOICE-OVER: RAFAEL GIVES ME A LESSON IN CASINO, OR CUBAN-STYLE SALSA.

[NUÑEZ SPEAKING SPANISH] 1, 2, 3, 4.

1, 2, 3, 4.

YES?

YEAH, YOU UNDERSTAND?

SI.

1-DA DA DA DA DA DA-DA AND 3 AND AH, A RI BA BA-BA BEE BA BA.

YES, SO...

YES, SO, VERY GOOD, VERY GOOD!

THANK YOU!

VERY GOOD, YEAH.

OK. AH.

YES.

YES.

[VOCALIZING] YES, SO!

[BOTH VOCALIZING] HA HA HA HA!

YES, SO!

GRACIAS!

WOW!

OK. 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7.

A-1... [VOCALIZING] YES?

GIVHAN: CUBAN SALSA IS JUST SORT OF LIKE-- IT'S JUST A TERM.

IT'S JUST A POINT OF REFERENCE.

BUT IT'S NOT SALSA.

IT'S CASINO.

WOMAN: IT CAME FROM A PLACE WHERE THEY USED TO DANCE.

IT WAS CALLED CASINO DEPORTIVO, RIGHT.

SO IT BECAME SOMETHING, "OH, WE'RE GONNA GO DANCE CASINO.

WE'RE GONNA GO DANCE CASINO."

SO THEY STARTED CALLING IT, THE DANCE, CASINO.

IT WAS CREATED BY THE PEOPLE FOR THE PEOPLE.

IN THE STREET, YOU KNOW, FOR THE STREET, IT'S WELCOMING.

IT'S FOR EVERYBODY.

YOU DON'T NEED TRAINING FOR IT.

[MUSIC PLAYING] [NUÑEZ SPEAKING SPANISH] AH!

WOMAN: THIS IS A SMALL COMMUNITY WITHIN NEW YORK, BUT PEOPLE LOVE THE MUSIC.

YOU TALK TO SOME PEOPLE AND THEY'LL TELL YOU THAT THIS SAVED THEIR LIVES, THIS SAVED THEIR MARRIAGES, THIS SAVED THEM WHEN THEY WERE IN THE MIDST OF A DIVORCE OR DEPRESSION OR WHATEVER.

SO IT JUST BECAME SUCH A WONDERFUL FAMILY FROM ALL OVER, AND THEY'RE SO INTERESTING.

AH!

♪ WHOO!

♪ MALLOZZI: I REALLY WENT ON A JOURNEY WITH YOU.

THAT WAS SO FUN!

AND YOU INCORPORATED SOME RUMBA, CUBAN RUMBA-- RUMBA, YEAH.

SON, AND SALSA.

YEAH.

YEAH.

IT IS!

SALSA!

WHOO!

MALLOZZI, VOICE-OVER: MY LAST STOP TAKES ME TO BELLA CIAO IN LITTLE ITALY IN MANHATTAN FOR THE MONTHLY FUAKATA CUBAN DANCE PARTY... [MUSIC PLAYING] HOSTED BY FUAKATA FOUNDER CHRIS ROGICKI.

ROGICKI: YOU GUYS READY?

LET'S DO IT.

TWIST AND TURN AND STEP, STEP, STEP.

BACK WITH THE RIGHT, FORWARD LEFT, GOOD.

THAT WAS GOOD.

NO ONE FELL.

GOOD.

AGAIN.

ROGICKI: WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL, I WAS EXPOSED TO SALSA.

I DIDN'T KNOW THAT THERE WAS OTHER STYLES OF SALSA.

AND I LEARNED THAT THE MUSIC COMING FROM CUBA, THAT WAS THEIR VARIANT OF SALSA, WHICH THEY CALL TIMBA.

IT RESONATED WITH ME A LITTLE BIT MORE.

IT MADE ME WANT TO MOVE MY BODY A LITTLE BIT MORE.

♪ ROGICKI: GOOD.

COMBO, HERE WE GO!

LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT.

WOMAN: I GREW UP WITH A FATHER DANCING ALL THE TIME.

BUT ALSO MY MOM WAS A DANCER, AND I WAS A CLASSIC DANCER, SO I WAS TRAINED SINCE I WAS 4.

JUST SEEING PEOPLE WORKING FOR THE FIRST TIME AT THE STUDIO, WITH THIS SPACE, LIKE, "OH, MY GOD, I'M NEVER GOING TO MAKE IT."

AND THEN AFTER THE 3rd CLASS, IT'S LIKE YOU'RE ACTUALLY DANCING.

THAT'S--THAT'S THE BEAUTIFUL PART ABOUT IT, YEAH.

ROGICKI: WE'RE DOING A DANCE CASINO, AND WE'RE DOING IT IN A CIRCLE.

RUEDA DE CASINO.

OK?

1, 2, 3.

I RAISE MY LEFT ARM.

I WALK UNDER IT, 2, 3.

AND THEN I REINSERT.

I MEET UP WITH THE NEXT FOLLOWER.

FOLLOWERS, NAYELLI HAS A PIECE OF ADVICE FOR YOU.

NAYELLI: LET HIM GO.

ANOTHER ONE IS COMING!

ANOTHER ONE IS COMING!

ROGICKI: HERE WE GO.

NEXT PARTNER.

UNDER THE ARM.

5, 6, 7, AND WALK, WALK, WALK.

STEP, STEP, STEP.

GOOD.

[SPEAKING SPANISH] GIVE A GO!

1...5, 6, 7.

ROGICKI: THE DANCE CASINO, CUBAN SALSA ITSELF, THIS IS A STYLE OF SALSA THAT DOESN'T REALLY HAVE A BALLROOM FOUNDATION OR BASE.

IT'S A VERY CASUAL STYLE, CASUAL ATMOSPHERE.

YOU'LL SEE CUBANS DANCING IN THE STREET IN FLIP FLOPS, SHORTS, A TANK TOP.

SO IT'S REALLY JUST LAID BACK, HAVE FUN AND DANCE.

♪ [MUSIC STOPS] STOP RIGHT THERE!

GOOD.

THANK YOU, GUYS.

THIS IS PROBABLY THE LEAST AMOUNT OF CHAOS THAT I'VE OBSERVED IN A REALLY LONG TIME.

[LAUGHTER] NAYELLI: THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING IS THAT YOU CAN SEE PEOPLE FROM EVERY SINGLE DIFFERENT COUNTRY OF THE WORLD IN ONE PIECE, RIGHT, DANCING CUBAN SALSA.

♪ IT'S SO MUCH FUN THAT IT BRINGS YOU TOGETHER.

MALLOZZI: IT REALLY REPRESENTS NEW YORK CITY IN THIS LITTLE SPACE.

COMPLETELY, COMPLETELY.

YEAH.

IT IS SUPER FUN.

I LOVE IT.

♪ MALLOZZI, VOICE-OVER: FAMILY IS WHAT CONTINUES THE CUBAN-AMERICAN CULTURAL LEGACY, WHETHER THAT CONSISTS OF PEOPLE WHO YOU CHOOSE TO BE YOUR FAMILY OR WHO ARE CHOSEN FOR YOU.

AND I AM NOW PART OF ALL OF THESE BEAUTIFUL CUBAN FAMILIES HERE IN NEW YORK CITY.

AND I'LL SEE YOU ON MY NEXT "BARE FEET" ADVENTURE, WHEREVER IT MAY TAKE ME!

WHOO!

YOU CAN STAY CONNECTED WITH US AT TRAVELBAREFEET.COM, WHERE YOU'LL FIND EXTRA BONUS VIDEOS, JOIN OUR "BARE FEET" SERIES CONVERSATIONS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, AND STAY UPDATED WITH OUR NEWSLETTER.

♪ [SPEAKING SPANISH] ♪ [MALLOZZI LAUGHING] HA HA HA!

HEY!

BRAVO!

♪ "BARE FEET" IS FUNDED IN PART BY... ANNOUNCER: ROAD SCHOLAR, OFFERING EDUCATIONAL TRAVEL ADVENTURES FOR ADULTS SINCE 1975.

ANNOUNCER: ADDITIONAL FUNDING WAS PROVIDED BY KOO AND PATRICIA YUEN THROUGH THE YUEN FOUNDATION, COMMITTED TO BRIDGING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN OUR COMMUNITIES.

ANNOUNCER: THESE GENEROUS SUPPORTERS.

ANNOUNCER: AND BY THE ANN H. SYMINGTON FOUNDATION.

[BABY BABBLING]