Salsa seduction: the lure of "personal development" through dance tourism in Cuba

Abstract

The article analyses how discourses around Cuban dance create an economy of authenticity that requires travel, presence, and shared experiences. Encounters in touristic settings bring forth imaginaries and performances of Cuban masculinity and femininity that are marketed to international tourists as transformative journeys, that become possible by means of consuming and embodying an "exotic" Other. Embedded in the current neoliberal transformations of global capitalism, ideals of authenticity become the ultimate goal in a culture of self-fulfillment, as music and dance lessons promise more than an immersive experience in the sounds and bodily practices associated with Cuban folklore and popular culture.