Photographer captures stunning photos of dancers in the streets of Cuba
On his recent trip to Cuba, photographer Omar Robles captured remarkable snapshots of ballet dancers expressing their art throughout the nation's culture-filled streets.
With 135,000 Instagram followers, Robles is known for his stunning photographs of dancers performing against cityscapes and urban backgrounds.
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Robles told Mashable that visiting Cuba has been a lifelong dream. While he was there, he had the pleasure of getting to know some local dancers.
As he mentioned in his blog post, Cuban dancers are some of the best trained in the world -- which is another reason he was eager to visit.
While in Cuba, Robles noted that he was deeply inspired by the people he encountered, and learned a great deal about their lives.
"I was moved greatly by the way Cubans live in general. The level of poverty is pretty strong. Nevertheless, you don’t feel the amount of stress you can feel in big cities," he said.
"People are extremely courteous and respectful of each other. Children actually play in the streets and parks, music is played on public transport, people play chess and dominos in the street corners."
"All this makes a beautifully convivial experience of the everyday life where you feel a genuine connection to the people sounding you," Robles continued.
"Talking to some of the dancers, they mentioned how while they do get paid to dance professionally, like everyone else in the country, their salary is just not enough."
But despite their inadequate financial conditions, Robles calls the performers he spoke with "some of the most generous and kind-hearted dancers I have worked with.
"In our society, we grow with people telling us not to pursue art under any circumstance, or that it should just be a hobby. In Cuba, artists are greatly respected and they respect themselves as well."
Robles says that these dancers are following their passions with great pride -- and that their attitudes truly struck him in a life-altering way.
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Nicole is a Senior Editor at Mashable. She primarily covers entertainment and digital culture trends, and in her free time she can be found watching TV, sending voice notes, or going viral on Twitter for admiring knitwear. You can follow her on Twitter @nicolemichele5.
