Paper short abstract:

The paper looks at how emerging work models redefine work ethics and social relations in the context of increased professionalization of dance teaching aimed at foreign tourists, through the analysis of small businesses centered on dance instruction, in an economy strongly regulated by the state.

Paper long abstract:

The paper looks at how newly emerging work models redefine work ethics and social relations in the context of increased professionalization of dance teaching aimed at foreign tourists. Emerging work practices are related to identity construction processes and social change, often surpassing the simple dichotomy socialism / capitalism, and being characterized by constant negotiations and ambivalence.

The acute lack of foreign currency and the economic difficulties that Cuba faced after the fall of the Soviet Union led to reorienting the economy towards tourism, a decision which highlighted one of the big paradoxes of the revolutionary government: recreating prerevolutionary images of a sensual, luxuriant paradise. With music and dance at the core of Cuban popular culture and the tourist sector, their transnational moves and popularity abroad brought about processes of commodification that are simultaneously cultural and political. The increased number of small businesses centered on dance instruction creates the premises for capitalizing on cultural heritage both in Cuba and outside of it, allowing the space for innovation in an economy still strongly regulated by the state. Economic realities and social inequalities that stem from contact with foreigners result in creative approaches for financial gain, perpetuating expectations about Cuban fantasies. Not only do such interactions reinforce fantasies of sensuality and sexual availability, they also reshape work related practices and bring about new attitudes towards work and new definitions of 'being a professional', based on a perceived superiority of work models and ethics functioning outside the island.