We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Raul Edwards. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Raul below.
Alright, Raul thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
The most meaningful project I have worked on was the establishment of the first Salsa dance studio in the city of Houston in January 1998. (Below is a portion of the biographical narrative for the upcoming 25th Anniversary).
The story of Houston becoming the country’s most diverse city is a tale of immigration, relocation, opportunity and integration; people moving from cities around the country and the world seeking for better opportunities, looking to fulfill present and lifelong dreams. Raul Orlando Edwards, an immigrant of Panamanian-Jamaican heritage, arrived in the United States in 1992 pursuing his goals in music. In 1995 he moved to Houston and quickly got involved in Houston’s arts scene and community. It is here that he began to receive reactions from people being in shock because he is ‘Latin’ yet didn’t fit the stereotypical description of what ‘Latin people are supposed to look like’. In Texas that would mean looking like people of Mexican descent; this, given the proximity to the border and that Texas was once part of Mexico. This series of experiences made him realize the need of educating on the diversity Latin culture has. Strictly Street Salsa is a product of this social phenomenon that is Houston: a city that after decades of micro ethnic changes became the nation’s ‘Most Diverse’ City. Raul’s Strictly Street Salsa, without ever imagining, became a contributing catalyst in exposing multiple aspects of Latinx’s community, history and culture; a convincing proof on how the power of the arts was able to expose, unify and transform a city in the most unimaginable way. As the studio gets ready for its 25th Anniversary, a retrospective look has brought to light the impact this single event had in the City of Houston in the areas of cultural education, economics and community building.
Raul, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
The year 1996 marked Raul’s full immersion into the Houston arts scene. From volunteering to performing to producing small scale events, he quickly began carving a space were all the influences that make up Latin culture were represented with the dignity and respect they deserve. This vision was born after seeing how little audiences and the population in general knew of Latin culture aside from their familiarity with Mexican culture. Creating an organization that promoted Latin culture through different artistic disciplines, he launched Unlimited Talent in 1997 with a capital investment of almost $50. The program began with dance and music classes and he quickly realized that the most solicited and sought part of the program was the dance classes, in particular ‘salsa’. After some planning and costumers feedback, at the end of that year Unlimited Talent would become Strictly Street Salsa. Officially launched in January of 1998 – Houston’s first ever salsa studio was now a reality! The name ‘Strictly Street Salsa’ came as a way to communicate to people what the mission and core of the organization were and continue to be: to teach participants how to dance the way Latin people dance in Latin countries with authenticity and cultural awareness. This inaugurated the beginning of consistent programs that expose Latin cultural aspects on a wider spectrum that the City of Houston had experienced before. Programs that included the Indigenous, European and African influences that make up the culture, received equal treatment through music, dance and educational programs. Until that point in the Houston community, there were no schools dedicated solely to teaching Latin dances. Being the ‘first’ in any field can open or shut doors for those who follow, with Strictly Street Salsa opening the doors for many to enter and thrive. Prior to Raul establishing the program, no other instructor in Houston dared to venture and have a school that exclusively taught Latin dance classes. The popularity, novelty and excellence of the program led to regular appearances and coverage by the local, regional and few years later, national media. Once again, media exposure created some confusion and curiosity because Raul does not fit the stereotypical look of what has been defined or represented as ‘Latin’. This exposure begins the ‘visual’ education that Latin people are a fusion of different ethnic groups and are not a monolithic population; and for so many, the knowledge that without the Indigenous, the European and the African, there is no Latin culture – was a total new concept. By promoting dances and music from other areas of Latin culture, Strictly Street Salsa began to expose and educate people on the richness, diversity and exuberance within the Latin culture. As time went by, the establishment of other salsa schools generated a body of dancers that needed places where to practice their skills; thus begins the economic domino effect started by Strictly Street Salsa.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Artist Statement
Envisioning people and communities having positive experiences, seeing cultures from around the world together under one roof, people celebrating their commonalities while respecting their differences, all through the arts; are some of the reasons that inspire me as an artist. Often referencing to the history in which it developed, my work explores the varying relationships between the cultures and heritages that fused to create the philosophy that guides me: the rhythms and melodies that merged into music triggering body movements into dance and notes into songs; the condiments and spices that evoke memories, old and new, of people sharing a dish; an introspective approach for an extroverted result. From my Panamanian/Jamaican heritage, I learned of the joyous way of life these cultures have; as they molded my spirit, my soul, my core. It is this collective of ancestral values that without me consciously knowing, ignited the flame that continues to light my creative processes; where the arts converge with the human soul in a mutually beneficial outcome for both, spectator and performer. As to why I do this, I have been asked – well, I only know that for the arts I live and without art there is no life. For as long as I can take a breath and there is pulse in me, I see no time that as a member of the army of creative minds – I cease to continue impacting and transforming people, communities, nations, the world. The arts has and is, the arms I use to embrace the world, the eyes through which I see its beauty, the engine that pumps blood to keep it alive – the Arts is Life!
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
The most important lesson I had to unlearn was what has been taught about cultures that are non-European. For centuries and decades, Indigenous, African and Latin (cultures that make up my identity) have been presented as ‘sub-standard or inferior’ when in reality they were incredible in their development and structure. This fact completely affects the deserving respect works produced by these cultures have, as they are forced to comply to foreign standards and that process, lose their identity and uniqueness. As I continue to immerse in history and facts, soon I began discovering that there was an incredible lack of respect and recognition for the contribution these groups have and continue to, make in the arts. I have become incredibly proactive in presenting all artforms on platforms that elevate, dignify and show the respect they deserve.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.raulorlandoedwards.com
- Instagram: raulorlandoedwards.com
- Facebook: Raul Orlando Edwards
- Youtube: Raul Orlando Edwards
Image Credits
Pic 1 and 2: Vicky Pink Pic 3: Leonel Nerio Pic 4: Jor Alexis Arcila Pic 5 and 6: Devonte Hill