Damaris Hechavarria

Damaris Hechavarria, was born in Santiago de Cuba, the southern part of the most beautiful “isla del sabor” in Cuba. She began attending night dance school with the Conjunto Folklòrico de Oriente at the age of 13, taking her first steps in dance under the guidance of prima ballerina and choreographer Milagros Ramirez. At 17 she moved to Havana and began her career in Folklore Dance and Anthropology at the Instituto Superior de las Artes (1999/2003). Thanks to the teacher Barbara Balbuena during and towards the end of her studies and by the hand of the teacher and choreographer Isaias Rojas she was a dancer in the well-known Franco-Haitian Folklore company Ban Rarrà, learning everything about this important root of Cuban culture (2001/2003). At the same time, she began teaching at CENSEA (Academy of Music and Dance for Foreign Students) improving her languages ​​and her teaching skills for the future. After graduating, she joined the team of specialists at the Center for Theater and Dance in Havana (an organization that brings together professional dance companies that belong to the catalog of the Ministry of Culture of Cuba) her task there is to bring out new talents. Since 2004, she has been a dancer and model in the famous "Cabaret Parisien" at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba, demonstrating her talent in the multiple disciplines that the cabaret style showcases such as contemporary dance, classical dance, cabaret style.
In December 2006 she moved permanently to Italy, but continues her career commitments around the world bringing her talent and wisdom to the community by holding training camps and private lessons mainly in Europe and taking part in the largest festivals around the world as a percussionist, performer and teacher of popular, musical and folkloric Cuban dances. (El Sol Salsa Festival Poland / Salsitaly Festival Italy / Alafia Festival UK / Cuba in Tunisia, Tunisia /De la Habana a Peru Congress Peru among others).
Damaris' commitment to showcasing the richness and breadth of Cuban traditions, arts and culture has always been her driving force and mission.
As an educator, it led her to found her own dance company Alafia Dancers in 2024, which promotes traditional Cuban dances from a modern interpretative perspective and allows new dancers to grow with adequate and comprehensive training.