Worcester Magazine Article

'Keep moving, keep sharing': Ritmos Dance Company

On a mild April afternoon, a group of young girls gathered in a dance studio. When African-Latino music began to play, it was time to move. Dressed in light clothes, meant to allow flexibility, they warmed up with stretches, turns, and steps in a rhythmic pattern.

Even with some giggling, everyone was focused on the teacher, Massielle "Massy" Paulino, who led the class with a gentle but directed style. "Side to side!" Paulino called out. "Shoulder rolls!"

After the warmup, the class began practicing the Jarabe Tapatio, the national dance of Mexico, in preparation for the 2024 Raices Youth Showcase and Tri-State Dance Festival.

The students put on flowing white skirts, executing graceful turns, and grasping the skirt near the hem to move with a flourish, as if the skirt took on life as a dance partner.

During a break, some students shared what dance class means to them. Jennaya Esquilin, 11, a student at Abby Kelley Foster School, said she likes the rigors of the class. "We went to Puerto Rico, to see what my heritage is like. We saw a lot of dancing."

Sophia Arias, also 11, a student at Learning First Charter School, said, "I've been taking class for four years. My mom found this place." The dance classes are a way to connect with her Dominican heritage. She said, "I just feel in love with the culture and the dance."

The students of Ritmos Dance Company classes range from ages 6 to 20. "Our speciality is folkloric dance, or folklorico," said Paulino. "Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Colombia." Paulino said, "With that, we infuse a lot of the modern styles of salsa, meringue, jazz, to keep it urban, keep it lifted."

Born in New York, Paulino is first-generation Dominican-American. "I grew up with the culture all around me. It was a great privilege," Paulino said.

Ritmos Dance Company shares a space with Raices Latin Dance, with whom it has a partnership. Ritmos Dance Company's origins date back to 2002, with founder Hilda Ramirez. "When she first got two Worcester, she started Ritmos. I was a young dancer when she opened her doors, at 12 or 13 years old," Paulino said.

In 2012, Paulino stepped up as director. "I was 21, and felt very passionate about keeping the program alive," said Paulino. "There was all this fear. Are we closing? Relocating? Was the building too expensive? Something needed to happen. Something needed to change."

The dance school did move a few times. Paulino said, "Then, I pivoted to Ritmos Dance company, to paint the picture that we are so much more than a physical location. So, the mission from the beginning has been preserving Latin American culture through dance."

A licensed certified social worker and a registered dance movement therapist, Paulino said, "I went to Dean College. I got an associate's degree in dance. I started teaching at Ritmos. A lot of my 20s was running this company. I was working fulltime, and then running this dance company."

When she was 26, her mother, Maria, died. "It was very unexpected. It was a matter of months." Paulino took a leave from her full-time job. "I began my own healing process, and going to therapy." Friends took over teaching dance classes in her absence. Paulino said, "I realized something was missing, and what was missing was to keep moving."

Paulino said, "When we have grief, we are ready to cut out so many things, when anyone who has passed would want us to do the opposite of that. My mom was very much that person. Keep smiling. Keep dancing. Keep moving, but also, keep sharing."

The students would participate in community events such as the Latin American Festival. Paulino said, "I realized that this was so much more powerful than dancing, and the roots of it all."

Paulino began teaching dance workshops in the community, getting involved in efforts such as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. "I started going to the businesses. I was teaching the dances on the spot." Paulino said, "It became so much more than the cultural performance, the cultural exchange. Those are may favorite events, where we are going to a wide range of people."

Last year, Ritmos Dance Company could be seen at Worcester City Common for the Out to Lunch festival. "It's very cool to see all these different walks of life, and different types of work, getting up out of their chairs, partaking of the dance themselves, and doing that with us. It's one of the best services we can provide."

Ritmos Dance Company has worked closely with Guardians of Tradition, which produces cultural events that include engaging youth at risk. The company has also provided classes through the LEAP program of the Worcester Cultural Coalition.

The traditional dances emphasize individuality as well as honoring tradition. For example, the varied style of bomba y plena of Puerto Rico stress a connection between drums and the dancer.

"These are dances that came from very heavy times. It was their way of expressing themselves when they were enslaved. The one time they got to come together during the week to express themselves through dance." Paulino said, "We are all very different and individual. We may be working on a choreography to share, but the hope is to glimpse moments to shine, when you can express yourselves."

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