Meet Paula Cabano | Dancer and Choreographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Paula Cabano and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Paula, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
My habits have changed a lot throughout my career, I am still creating and changing habits to be a better version of myself every day. The habits that have made a difference in me are exercising daily, seeking to develop strength, power and elongation skills that I can later apply in my dance. Be aware of my diet, Investigate what is best for my body. Study, read, be informed. Not only about my field but also about personal growth, spirituality, successful people in any area, since knowledge from other disciplines can be transposed to one’s own and in the end, beyond what we do, we are people and we have to seek to evolve in every way. Dedicate many hours a day to my specific discipline, dance. Whether it’s teaching, taking class, rehearsing, every day I propose to myself to dance at least 5 hours. Travel to dance at least once a year to learn new information and renew inspiration. And be grateful for everything that happens.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am very proud to come from a country as small as Uruguay and to be a valuable piece in the international urban dance scene. Being from Latin America, where art and specifically dance are not so promoted by the government, we dancers grow out of pure love for our art. The career I chose made me understand my self-taught capacity, my resilience, and how dedicated I am when I love what I’m doing. What moves me deeply about dance is its communicative power. Only with my posture I communicate something, and that transcends languages, formats and cultures. Throughout my career I have realized the power that dance has in each role. Whether as a teacher, dancer, or choreographer, dance moves you and those around you in more powerful ways than one might think. It makes you reflect, feel, be introspective or extroverted, it makes you explore, and get to know yourself.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The places in Uruguay that I would show a foreigner would definitely be the Rambla of Montevideo. It is the longest watercourse in the world and for me, the most beautiful. In that outing I would invite them with Mate and Bizcochos or Torta fritas, typical of the Uruguayan pastry. I would take them to visit the east of Uruguay and specifically the department of Rocha where there are incredible beaches, nature and a lot of peace. If they visited during carnival time, I would take them to a Tablado where typical shows of Uruguayan culture are performed. On Sunday I would invite them to witness a rehearsal of some Comparsa, a string of candombe drums, (Uruguayan Afro music) that is performed in the street. And lastly, I would take them to a good bar to try the typical Uruguayan dishes such as Milanesa, Chivito, Pizza and Fainá. But really, they should come for more than a week to see all the beauty that Uruguay has.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Cultura, my mentor this last year, who taught me about both dance and life, who gave me countless opportunities and trusted me like no one else had.

Instagram: @paucabano

Image Credits
All images are from the events or screenshoots of the productions