Today we’d like to introduce you to Evelyn Robaina.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Evelyn. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born and raised in Havana, Cuba. I started my dance career in the Cuban Ballet School, where I graduated from. Classical Ballet was my life for more than ten years, but the difficult economic situation in Cuba, the struggles of classical dancers back in the day and my need for expanding my horizons in dance lead me swift to work for the Cuban Television Ballet, which was a very versatile dance company that combined Latin Rhythms with many other styles including ballet. Working with the TV Ballet, I started traveling the world doing what I love for the first time in my life. Dancing took me to places like China, Mexico and the Cayman Islands.
Leaving Cuba and starting a new life in another country was difficult and at the same time, an easy decision to make. I took a contract in the Cayman Islands and Stayed there for five years. Over there, I couldn’t afford to be a dancer full time so I also worked as a server in restaurants. When I finally decided to come to the United States I wasn’t sure how I was going to do go back to dance full time, I didn’t have too many dancer friends over here and I didn’t know how did the entertainment industry in Miami operate, or anywhere else in the States. But I remembered on my first month here, I met some dancers and reconnected with old colleagues from Cuba that were already living here and I asked one of them, “can you make a living out of dancing in Miami?” and the answer was “yes you can.”
In my first month in Miami, I also took a job as a server at a restaurant, so I could have a source of income while I was waiting to network, audition for a company and know more about the dance industry in the city. Working as a server introduced me to people who also helped me connect with local artists and dance teachers, and that way, get back to training and stay in shape. That led to more connections and eventually, to find out about local auditions for productions, television shows, dance companies who were hiring dancers to perform at different events in Miami, I started discovering a large network of dancers in Miami, from different backgrounds and training in dance, who were all working for different sides of the industry like corporate events, private events, music videos, commercials, television, nightclubs, concerts with artists amongst others.
I also expanded my training since I moved to the States, not only in Miami but also in New York and Los Angeles, training now more in hip hop, jazz-funk, heels and all kinds of commercial dancing. I have also incurred in “on-camera classes” for actors and “film acting” expanding my horizons and taking my career to another level.
I’m a very driven person, and that personality, along with being a versatile dancer in many styles, has helped me many open doors. I have worked for renown artists music videos and award shows presentations such as The Jonas Brothers, Cardi B, Jason Derulo, Pitbull, Laura Pausini and Prince Royce, I’ve been a feature dancer in national commercials like the Windixie “Down Down” and “Deezer “Music meets artificial Intelligence. “I have been part of the Faena Theater shows (in the Faena Hotel in Miami Beach) in two of their seasons, including the most recent Immersive Musical Theater Production “The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover” where I was an ensemble and the dance captain. I’ve also been cast as a dancer for some HBO TV shows, like “Ballers” season 1, and recently the upcoming TV show “Love Craft Country,” which is premiering on August 16th. And all of these has led me to meet amazing choreographers and directors in the industry like Jamaica Craft, Tanisha Scott, Eddie Garcia, Draico Johnson, Blanca Li, among many others.
For the past two years, I started taking the risk of choreographing and artistic directing for small projects in Miami, such as new artists music videos and TV presentations, theme shows at corporate and private events and more ambitious, a Toyota television commercial airing during the Latin American Music Awards Show. With the times that we are currently living, it’s really hard for artists in general. Live shows and big productions are shut down now and we are all trying to figure it out how to have a job without having people around us.
My goal is to keep on working on my choreography and creator skills and keep on learning how to be a good artistic director. Also, keep improving as a dancer and performer in all the styles I love to dance, as well as my actor skills. Big Goal is to one day be cast on a movie like LaLaLand, Black Swan, Flashdance, or Dirty Dancing.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been a smooth road, no. Many times I’ve been told, “NO, you’re not good enough, you should quit, you should find a real job, dancing is not a real job” and all kinds of discouraging phrases. Many times I’ve seen favoritism in the industry, also, who you know versus who is talented. Many times, I’ve seen people. In power taking advantage of dancers pay and exploiting them while working for major artists, and some times I have raised my voice or speak my mind, I’ve been categorized as “difficult to work with.”
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I think what sets me apart from others is my will to improve as an artist. My constant need of learning and becoming a better version of myself. My will to overcome obstacles. My unconditional love for art.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
My will to keep on thriving and my humility to understand that I can always learn something new and be better.
Contact Info:
- Email: eve.robaina@aol.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evegatuna/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eve.robaina
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