Son – the first truly home-grown Cuban music and dance style – and its variations have ruled the Cuban dance floor for the last hundred years. But a new dance has exploded onto the scene, capturing the imagination of the young, Reggaeton. Can Cuba hold on to the roots of its dance culture, or will some traditions be lost forever?
Life is Dance follows the stories of six main protagonists, across three generations. Ordinary Cubans with one thing in common, their passion for dance. Marta and Félix are nostalgic for the dance halls of old, but still dance whenever they can. Damaris and Gusmel are leaders of a small-town dance group, it means everything to them to win the annual dance competition. Teenagers Lachy and Dayan would love to be professional dancers, if only they could stick to reggaeton and not have to learn the “old people’s dances”.
Full of colour and music, disappointment and joy, we join these charismatic characters on their journey through a changing Cuba.

Life is Dance | Eirene Houston & Hugo Rivalta, 2025, Cuba | 80m | 18

AWARDS

Havana Film Festival New York 2025 Official Selection

Waco Independent Film Festival Texas 2025 Official Selection, Programmer’s Choice Award Winner

We are honoured to be joined by the director Eirene Houston at this screening.

Friday 27 March at 6.30pm at The Garden Cinema – book your tickets now

Watch the trailer