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When Yensy García left Cuba to start a new life in Yellowknife, a small town nestled in the far north of Canada, she never imagined that she would become the first Latin dance instructor in the capital of the Northwest Territories.
Originally from Matanzas, the professional dancer has made her way in Yellowknife, a town of just over 20,000 inhabitants internationally known as the "World Capital of Northern Lights." There, amidst arctic landscapes, extreme winters, and multicultural communities, she now teaches salsa, merengue, and other Caribbean rhythms to dozens of Canadian residents.
His story, as reported by the Canadian outlet CBC, began 14 years ago in Varadero, when he met the man who would later become his husband. He was a visitor from Yellowknife staying at a hotel on the famous Cuban beach. Years later, in 2023, the family decided to settle in northern Canada.
The arrival coincided with one of the most difficult moments in the recent history of the city. The residents were returning from a mass evacuation caused by wildfires that forced the displacement of about 19,000 people and devastated more than 3.4 million hectares in the region.
However, far from finding an isolated community, García discovered a reality that pleasantly surprised her.
"I have met a lot of people, including Latinos like me. Now we have a great community of Latinos, and that's amazing," he commented.
One of his first steps was enrolling in English classes at Collège Nordique, where he encountered a cultural diversity he did not expect to find so close to the Arctic.
"We are sitting together with people from different countries, in the same class, and we all feel like a family," he stated.
Determined to rebuild her professional career away from Cuba, she participated in an entrepreneurship program organized by the Council for the Economic Development of Northwest Territories (CDETNO). The experience provided her with the essential tools to start her own business and gave her the confidence to present a proposal to the Yellowknife City Council.
The initiative was accepted and is currently offering Latin dance classes twice a week at the ATCO Aquatic Center, as part of the city's recreational programs.
Although his artistic training in Matanzas—considered one of the cradles of danzón and Cuban rumba—provided him with a solid professional foundation, he acknowledges that teaching students from different cultures has posed new challenges.
"When I tried to dance ballroom dances, even as a professional, I found it difficult to understand the movements because it is a different form, it is a different style," she explained.
That ability to adapt to different ways of understanding dance has been one of the keys to her success. Among her students is Eva Paul, founder of the Yellowknife Social Dance platform, who highlights the positive impact of the Cuban's classes.
"Learning from Yensy has been a lot of fun. I have taken several salsa classes over the years. I've even taught basic salsa, but this is a great opportunity. I am very grateful for it," she stated.
García's story reflects the journey of many Cubans who have rebuilt their lives far from the island, carrying with them traditions, knowledge, and cultural expressions that leave an impact even in the most unexpected places on the planet. In a city dominated by snow and auroras borealis, a woman from Matanzas has managed to ensure that the rhythms of Cuba also find their place.
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