Jorge Rodríguez, known as "The Salsa Engineer," was born 56 years ago in Santiago de Cuba, but he has risen to fame for being the preferred salsa teacher of celebrities in Argentina.
Although he loved his homeland, which is also the place where his love and passion for dance were born, he had to emigrate, determined to seek a better future for himself and his family, as he told the news portal Infobae.
"You have to be a mechanical engineer," his father asked him; however, although he fulfilled that wish, his heart pointed him in another direction: art vibrated within him.
Rodríguez confessed that he dedicated himself to "that" for a year, but after hanging the diploma in his father's house, he decided to devote himself to dancing.
The term "engineer" emerged later as a nickname: "The Salsa Engineer," once he settled in Argentina.
Almost three decades ago, he landed in that nation, where he developed a career linked to dance, which allowed him to appear on several television programs and train figures such as Graciela Alfano, Claudia Villafañe, and Alberto Cormillot, among many others.
"And today, in addition to giving classes at La Viruta and organizing events, he is responsible for entertaining the parties of the celebrities who love him," noted Infobae.
He stated to the news portal that art has always been present since his childhood. "I grew up in a home where there was a lot of music. My parents, Jorge Antonio and Emilia, always danced, especially on Sundays."
He admitted that in his childhood he lacked nothing. However, by the time he was in his twenties, and after the collapse of the socialist bloc and the arrival of the "Special Period," the reality was different.
At that time, he was studying Mechanical Engineering, but he remained connected to cultural activities, which was his true passion.
Although she graduated, the economic situation in Cuba was already deteriorating: “And what was said at that time was that we had to live with just enough. In fact, I remember that at a women's congress, Fidel Castro said: ‘Keep those dresses you have because next year you will have to wear them again.’”
Rodríguez admitted that music and dance saved him: "Because I channeled everything through that and didn't let myself be overwhelmed by the crisis."
In '96, he met some Argentinians who invited him to do an exchange. "I obviously said yes. But I thought it wouldn't happen, until one day I received the invitation letter with the ticket to come and get to know this country."
Although initially the stay was only for three months, he saw the opportunity to work and teach dance at a school called Danzario Americano, "which was where I began my professional career in Argentina."
To stay in Argentina, he set out to find a woman with whom he would marry in exchange for money.
"Through a friend, I found a girl whom I paid a thousand dollars to marry me. She had no problem getting married, and that money was very helpful for her. Additionally, being my wife, she had the advantage of being able to study theater in Cuba with a scholarship instead of having to pay the tourist fees. So it was beneficial for both of us," he stated to Infobae.
With legal status already, he began his dizzying professional rise: "I started to have a lot of work with dancing, workshops, animations, and shows. I also worked with talks on Afro-Cuban culture. In Punta del Este, I had the opportunity to meet figures like Ricky Martin and Valeria Mazza."
Known as "the favorite teacher of the famous," many personalities have passed through Rodríguez's hands, including Grace Alfano, Catherine Fulop, Doctor Alberto Cormillot, Claudia Villafañe, Karina Rabolini, Mora Godoy, among others.
He admitted that thanks to his work, he has met many famous people, such as Diego Maradona.
He explained about his personal life that he still has his mom and four sisters in Cuba, "because my older brother passed away."
He indicated that he visits Cuba every two or three years. “My last visit was in June. And it's hard, because you encounter a country that is in a quite difficult situation. The people living there are my own. And it hurts. I, obviously, help my family. But sometimes I’m here and I think that I would like to be having coffee with my mom, when she is so far away.”
Regarding the political situation in Cuba, Rodríguez told Infobae that the people "deserve the right to choose what sociopolitical system they want to live in."
"I really like when Silvio Rodríguez says that, sometimes, we need to remove the 'r' from the word 'revolution' for it to start with 'evolution.' Because we are talking about a revolution from the year 1959 when we are in 2024 and the world is different," added the famous Cuban dancer.
"Today there are other generations with new concerns. And that’s why I think it's unjustifiable that my country cannot have the right to choose its destiny. At least the right; then we'll see what happens. But I, since I was born, only saw one option, which was that of the Communist Party of Cuba," he emphasized.
Regarding her hope of living in Cuba again, she said: "If things change, if there is some kind of opening regarding the sociopolitical situation, I would clearly live in Cuba. But in that Cuba that we still do not know."
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