In January 2011, acclaimed New York City choreographer Pedro Ruiz returned to his native Cuba for an unprecedented collaboration: Ruiz worked with Cuba's premiere modern dance troupe, Danza Contemporanea de Cuba, to create a dance about Cuba. The project, allowed by special permission from both the U.S. and Cuban governments, led to Horizons, a spectacular half hour dance which premiered at Havana's Mella Theater on January 28 and had a two week run at the Joyce Theater in New York City in May. A WNET crew traveled with Ruiz to Havana (also with the permission of both the U.S. and Cuban governments) to document this cultural exchange. With our cameras rolling, we followed Pedro and the dancers though the process of creating an exquisite, innovative and deeply personal modern dance. We got to know some of Cuba's best young dancers as artists and as human beings. We joined Pedro on a trip to his hometown, Santa Clara, his first visit there since his family left Cuba 30 years ago. There, we filmed his exuberant reunions with his godfather, who still lives in the house where Pedro was born, and his childhood best friend. When the dancers came to New York City, for their first ever trip to the United States, our cameras were rolling again to capture their feelings about a country most thought they would never have the chance to see. Pedro Ruiz: Coming Home is an hour-long documentary and performance film, telling the story of Pedro's return to Cuba and showing viewers some of the most innovative, breathtaking modern dance we have ever seen. We hope the film makes you look at dance, and at Cuba in a new way. And we hope it shows the power of art to transform lives and cross divides.
