En La Tormenta (In The Storm) | Harvard-Radcliffe Modern Dance Company

Inspired by Paola’s experience with Hurricane María in Puerto Rico in 2017 and HRMDC’s 2022 spring showcase, translations, this piece tells the story of how, in the midst of a hurricane, the community comes together to support each other, rise above and become strong like the storm itself. The first song represents the moment of chaos and despair before the storm. In the hands of a government that is inefficient and unprepared to keep its people safe, anger and fear take over. The second song, however, reminds us of the power of community to translate difficult situations into beautiful moments of collective strength. It is a demonstration that, as long as we have each other, we can overcome even the toughest of storms. The piece also draws inspiration from Lola Rodríguez de Tió’s famous poem “Cuba y Puerto Rico son de un pájaro las dos alas”, which describes the islands as “two wings of the same bird.” This dance highlights the similarities between the struggles of the Cuban and Puerto Rican communities, such as economic hardship, power outages, and government corruption. With these shared struggles also comes a sense of shared strength and a shared community across the two countries. This piece was jointly choreographed and staged with the Harvard Undergraduate Candela Latin Dance Troupe; it features dancers from both dance groups and was also performed in Candela’s spring showcase, Un Viaje Por El Mundo, which ran in the Loeb Mainstage March 26th-28th. Choreography: Paola Lee-Vega ‘26 and Alexa Fein ’28 Music: “Una Velita” by Bad Bunny and “La Tempestad” by Buena Fe Dancers: Alexa Fein ‘28, Anna Kovaleva ‘27, Anna Umeda ‘27, Laura Vejar HMS, Natalie Luera ‘28, Nikol Zyzen ‘27, Paola Lee-Vega 26, Sierra Valdez ‘26