Original subtitles

(feet tapping) (drums beating)

- Can't hear it.

- We can't hear the feet.

- We can't hear the guitar either.

- We can’t hear the feet nor the guitar.

we need feet and guitar...

Guitar, and feet.

(upbeat music)

(gentle music)

(music rising)

- Broadway is any performing artist's dream.

It's where the best shows are played...

Naturally Broadway is always a reference.

Every opportunity I had to visit New York,

I would go see each new show that had opened.

Searching for that level of artistry,

so it's like the dream is to get there.

- It's very difficult to make a successful show

in New York City, it's a very competitive market.

And it's one of those things that there's all kinds of rules

about how a show gets created, but there's also no rules.

- Coming from Venezuela, there's a lot of excitement.

We're going to New York City.

We're flying to New York City,

we'll bring the show up there soon.

The spirit is super high.

There's girls that have been dancing

this material for over six years.

Going to the Big Apple, take a bite out.

- The biggest step I think to

getting to Broadway is money.

Anyone will take your money

and let you come into their theatre and perform there.

- To premiere a show in New York

is an infinitely significant achievement.

There is a wide number of technicalities

that come into play.

In fact, we've seen many shows fail in the attempt.

- We really needed critical acclaim

to help sell tickets.

We had to educate the population on what the show was.

- We were dragging a lot of losses.

We were the Titanic.

- My advice from a financial point of view,

close down immediately

or you're gonna risk losing a lot more money.

I knew that they were unconventional and I knew that

it was gonna be an unconventional situation.

But that's also what can make magic happen.

(gentle music)

(music fades out)

(dress flapping)

(gentle music)

Three years passed

from the day “Between Worlds” premiered in Venezuela

to the day it arrived on Broadway.

During those three years the show grew little by little,

because we never really had the funding

to produce the show

and to lock ourselves for three months in a warehouse

to assemble artistically, design lighting or scenery.

It was actually something we did little by little.

And what a company can normally accomplish

within three months anywhere,

here it would take a year to accomplish.

- From 2013 to 2019

the deepening of the socialist revolution,

socialism, socialism and more socialism.

- What is going on here? Look It's a protest, you see?

We are arriving at the theater.

You see?

Look at all the buses here.

We have no way of entering the theater.

We come to a rehearsal

and have no way of getting into the theater.

It is very exhausting to work with musicians here.

To work with a group of 30 people,

because when it's not the traffic,

it's the need

or it's the issue of the economy

or the issue of public safety.

All of that somehow

when you sit and you're going to play the music that is written

one way or another, it generates a state of mind

that is not ideal to work.

(music rising)

(dramatic music)

- Put more breath into it.

This is something that I am not going to continue to repeat.

You must breathe doing the posture.

You are not breathing it!

It looks uneven.

We're not seeing the choreography that is being set.

One two and three and...

Bigger!

(all inhale in unison)

(dramatic music)

Bigger, Claudia!

I think that flamenco is rich enough,

that it doesn't need any contributions to it.

Flamenco is Flamenco

and it is beautiful the way it is.

But when you make it a stage production,

I still feel that general audiences

are not drawn to watch a "Flamenco show".

Only Flamenco lovers.

Thankfully there are more of them every day worldwide.

They're the ones that buy a ticket, buy records

and gravitate towards Flamenco.

and I believe it is an art form that can reach masses.

Capable of captivating many audiences.

Only if we find ways to expose it in wider forms.

(upbeat music) (feet tapping)

(clapping) (guitar playing)

(guitar playing)

(feet tapping)

(guitar playing) (drumming)

It sounds very high.

(singing in foreign language)

(clapping, foot tapping)

I do two counts, cajón only.

Muted.

(feet tapping)

Yes, it sounds really good.

In regards to "Between Worlds",

It's a piece that fuses Flamenco with the Urban genre,

however, it keeps the essence of each one of these genres

through a dramatic plot.

Meaning it has characters, it tells a love story,

you have a villain and a hero,

therefore it is very appealing for children.

(dramatic music)

(clapping) (feet tapping)

(percussion)

(feet tapping) (clappping)

- It was created with a very organic approach.

We were not looking to do

something different to stand out,

but the dialogue between us the choreographers.

In this case,

my work with Jesus Orta who is the urban choreographer,

with Roberto Castillo, who is the choreographer

of all the theatrical percussion

and under the direction of Pablo Croce,

who is in charge of the dramaturgy,

resulted in Between Worlds, which are different worlds

unified by one story.

(upbeat guitar music)

(singing in foreign language)

(music fades out)

(indistinct chatter)

(background hum of airplane)

- Okay.

- On 74th you're going to make a left

and try to get on the Palmetto,

then off the next exit.

- Oh.

- Once you're on 72nd, call me if you need to.

- Okay, perfect. I'll call you later.

Did you understand anything?

- Yeah 72nd, the penitentiary, 73rd... the shit.

(drums banging)

- A lot of people ask me, "What is the show, what is it?"

And I'm like, it's just a fusion of worlds,

of all different worlds coming together.

From the street, from a Flamenco, from Spanish,

from just everything, just everything fusing together

and just creating this crazy cool show.

And it's like, I can't even explain it sometimes

because it's so different.

(upbeat music)

(clapping, percussion)

Great start especially if the New York plan comes true,

we would be a step ahead.

We know everyone, we know our make up.

- It is one of the most important

markets in the entire world.

It's where there are the most artists per square foot,

therefore it is a challenge. We are not quite ready yet.

(upbeat music)

(drumming)

Oh no, come on...

(upbeat pop music)

(laughter)

No filming, only pictures.

(upbeat music continues)

(crew chattering)

(indistinct)

- This is just the beginning!

Based on what we experienced in these 5 performances,

we will be able to work and make the most of it

for the opportunities yet to come.

God willing it will be a bright and beautiful future for us all.

- Amen.

- When the opportunity presented itself

it was like...

all paths opened and said:

Well, this is everything I want in my life!

To measure it next to other world class productions.

To you,

to how you dance

to how you train

to how you sing

and to your way of life. Cheers!

- But honestly...

Pablo was the person that pushed this forward.

Pablo was the number one believer,

confident that we could get there

and run a season

Off Broadway next to the best productions.

For me it was a dream,

but I didn't know how to achieve this dream.

(gentle music)

(gentle electronic music)

(quiet street sounds)

(indistinct)

- It's a...

I'm the producer of the show, Between Worlds

(woman speaking on phone)

- I'm in 35th but it goes west.

I'm gonna have to turn on 34th.

(person speaking on phone)

Hey, there you are. Good to meet you, man.

- Pleasure, Pablo. - Okay, nice to meet you.

- Hey, guys.

(crosstalk)

- Good morning. - You guys okay?

- Yeah.

(indistinct chatter)

I've got a $5000 check right here.

But we made it out wrong,

so we gotta deposit in to Pablo Croce.

- Didn't you stay in like a shelter?

- What?

(indistinct)

- Yeah he stayed at like a motel across the street.

- What?

- Pablo did, why? - Yes, Pablo did.

- He could have slept on our (indistinct)...

- Compared to other shows, the development process,

they fast-tracked, they went right to New York

very, very quickly, which was one of the things

that was so interesting about working with them,

because they were absolutely fearless in their sense of,

they made their decision they were doing it,

they moved, they forged ahead.

And they hired me to come along and basically

tell them everything that they shouldn't be doing,

which was, "Don't do the show yet."

(slow guitar music)

(music intensifies)

(flamenco clapping, percussion)

(fast guitar playing)

Considering that we were Off Broadway,

we were in a privileged location.

We were one block from Radio City.

Wicked and Chicago were behind us.

We were next to all of the great Broadway shows.

(rhythmic Latin music)

(people beat boxing)

(clicking fingers)

- Cause the whole show itself is about

worlds coming together.

And it truly, really was an experience of

different worlds coming together.

Culturally, from all the Venezuelans,

most of them for the first time,

acclimating to New York City and to the culture,

and us acclimating to them.

(background chatter)

- You psyched? - Of course!

(indistinct)

- I can't wait for you to see.

There's nothing for you to see in the theatre yet.

But soon, but soon.

- How are you doing? - Hi, good to see you.

Yeah, Jamie, nice to see you, I met you backstage.

(indistinct)

So listen, I gotta go to the box office

to start processing benefit stuff.

And we're meeting downstairs in like five minutes.

- Five barrels are ready to be used.

But in rehearsals, they're needed.

So we do use them.

- Right, the fans and the shawls and the spears.

Cajones, the square boxes.

- Cajones. - Cajones, there you go.

- Say ca, cajones.

- Cajones. - Don't say cojones.

(laughter)

- It's a very big difference.

- Sometimes.

(drums beating)

- My name is Adolfo Herrera.

I'm the drummer percussionist for "Between Worlds."

I'm always playing, or the cajon or the drums.

And I'm always playing Flamenco rhythms

as Seguidilla, Bulería.

So I'm always doubling what they're doing

with the feet as the tradition marks.

And it's very interesting, very nice.

(upbeat music) (feet tapping)

Eight, ten, two...

three,

seven, eight.

- Imagine the amount of work to get there.

Twenty people from everywhere but New York,

that you bring to New York.

Visas, housing, food, rehearsals...

A three-year creative process

to be able to show as transparently as possible.

What we do and what we believe in.

- This is where we're gonna be living

for the next couple of months.

These two dressing rooms are gonna be either

stage managing office and wardrobe and a dressing room.

So, right this way.

(feet tapping)

(clapping, percussion)

(car horns blaring)

- First time in New York?

- Pioja is also a first timer

- Chique, Pioja, Claudia

- I know New York but not really

- So we have: Cinquemani, Pioja, Claudia, Omar.

- It's also the first time for Aquiles

- First time in New York and it is to dance on Broadway.

(singing in foreign language)

- Brian and Aquiles are going to do it as you used to do it.

- When you run on Broadway

it is customary to do previews.

Two or three weeks.

Well some productions do many weeks of previews.

We only did two weeks.

- It's a trial called “previews”.

Those are shows open to the public,

but you start selling tickets In this case at 50% discount.

- Tonight is the first preview,

which is essentially the first time

the piece is performed for the public.

So the next couple of weeks we'll be going through previews,

which means that designers can

have a chance to change things,

the director can sort out how to make the show better.

So that when we open, that's when it sets in stone,

the show will be the best possible show

that they can have. So, that would be previews.

In the "Seguirilla" since the music goes...

you must focus on being in sync.

Not loud; but even...

making all the feet sounds crystal clear.

(fingers clicking)

(gentle music)

(rhythmic clapping)

(indistinct chatter on radio)

(feet tapping) (drums beating)

(audience applauding)

- The audiences loved the show,

and the audience response for the show was incredible.

- Very nice.

- Terrific.

- Awesome.

- I like it very much.

As a fellow Venezuelan I am speechless.

I am extremely proud of Siudy, who was outstanding,

and of the entire company.

- My favourite part is when

the girl chucked the guy in the cage.

- Fantastic.

I'm from Spain and I have never seen a production like this one.

- You can tell that everyone in the cast

enjoys what they're doing.

I am so emotional I want to cry...

(women cheering) (upbeat music)

We made it!

(wind howling)

♪ Source of life... ♪

♪ ah... ♪

♪ transparent... ♪

♪ ay ay... ♪

- A very important building right there.

The New York Times.

(vocalizing)

- The New York Times is the most important

critic in New York, and it's just a known fact.

New York Times has made and broken shows.

And with a few exceptions,

specifically if a show's a Disney show,

then it might run...

it doesn't really need the good reviews.

But for anything else that's not a brand,

that isn't something that everybody already knows,

the review, especially the New York Times review,

means a lot, and it gets the word of mouth out there.

- And a good review in the New York Times

can absolutely create a hit, in of itself.

A bad review can destroy a show.

"Between Worlds" needed good reviews because

we had to educate the population on what the show was.

They didn't know what it was, it's Flamenco, it's hip hop.

It's music, it's dance, it's theatre,

it's all these different things.

So we really needed critical acclaim... to help sell tickets.

- The pre-sales were half,

50%, of the expected number.

We were halfway there.

- Because the expenses are so high in New York,

it's so expensive to produce a show,

and that was a big show with a lot of elements

in a big theatre right in Times Square.

It needed to sell a lot of tickets just to break even,

let alone go into profit.

- The average sales were below 50%...

and most of the audience was purchasing at a 50% discount.

That was an unexpected initial hit which was hard to overcome.

(upbeat music)

(gentle guitar music)

(singing in foreign language)

(rapid guitar playing)

- Mainly, I believe there is a lot of love.

If there wasn't love, it would be impossible.

We've been together 8 years.

Are you happy?

I'm very happy.

As a producer,

I want the best for this artist,

because I believe in this artist.

And as a husband,

I want my wife to accomplish everything she desires.

I want my wife to accomplish everything she desires.

- Siudy's a great talent, she's a hard worker.

And when those two things converge in one person,

the result, you know it's inside, you can't deny that.

(upbeat music) (singing in foreign language)

(clapping)

- Beautiful!

- Bravo, bravo!

Come here.

You danced really well. What’s your name?

- Siudy. - Siudy, how old are you?

- Six. - Six years old!

(upbeat music)

Siudy's dimension of success...

is on the stage.

For her, being ready, dressing up,

standing on the side of the stage and going on stage,

that's it, it's super simple.

(drums beating)

(breathing heavily)

- Gatorade?

- Gatorade.

- Thank you! - You're welcome.

(running)

(fast drumming) (feet tapping)

(drumming)

(final drum beats)

(audience applauding)

(upbeat music)

- So in that theatre situation, our bet is

we gotta sustain this until the moment

that we can get reviewed to see the behaviour

of the box office in terms of sales

so that we can begin floating on our own.

You wanna open the show, you have money to open it,

but you need to sell tickets to sustain it.

- But we were dragging a lot of losses.

We were the Titanic.

- So when did you tell Siudy

and the rest of the dancers that...

it was gonna get closed early.

(dramatic string music)

(traffic noises)

(street chatter)

- So, this is our flash mob meeting.

- This is our flash mob meeting.

We wanted to do a "flash mob" to help sell tickets.

To somehow reach potential ticket buyers and the media

through alternative means.

- Someone at the Times Square Alliance.

So we gave them a call and said,

"Just hypothetically speaking, if there were to be

a flash mob in Times Square,

would you guys wanna know about it or not?"

And they said, "Well...

we would because we would like to tell you what else

was happening in Times Square

so that you could avoid bumping into another event."

And it turns out that on March 16th,

there's a film shooting, a major motion picture,

and they're recreating New Year's Eve

with the ball dropping,

so there would be thousands of extras there.

- And that's when I wander on at lunchtime

and join the party.

(laughing)

Turns out the day we’re doing the flash mob

there is a film shoot

and the scene is New Year’s Eve

with the ball dropping and all.

- Okay, we can't then.

(people laughing)

- Well, they said, "Also, if you wanted to get a permit,

it would cost $50,000."

So they said-

- Welcome to New York, kids.

- There wasn't $50,000 in existence anywhere.

We did it without a permit.

(drums beating)

(dancers clapping)

(dancers exclaiming)

(exclaiming)

(feet tapping)

(singing in foreign language)

(exclamations, crowd cheering)

(percussions, feet tapping) (singing)

(upbeat music)

(feet tapping, shouts) (clapping, cheering)

(singing in foreign language) ♪ I wonder between worlds ♪

♪ Sailing in search of my heading ♪

♪ adrift ♪

♪ like the wind I live my life. ♪

- Short in resources for publicity and promotion

our bet was on a good review from the press.

(gentle music)

- Clearly, opening night is when all of the critics attend.

We were anxiously awaiting the New York Times review.

The most important newspaper,

with the most credibility in New York.

- Opening night, I'm happy.

(singing in foreign language)

(uplifting music)

(uplifting music continues)

(upbeat music)

(beatboxing, percussion)

(drums beating)

(roaring)

(playful beatboxing)

(laughter from audience)

(feet tapping)

(clapping)

(feet tapping, clapping, drums)

- We did it!

They said that

as the audience applauded the dancers were brought to tears,

because they said

'It was a lifetime achievement'.

And I think that one performance was just that.

It was a once in a lifetime achievement.

A life experience that no one

will ever be able to take away from us.

(audience applauding)

(uplifting music)

(clapping)

(vocalizing)

The truth is that I had tears in my eyes watching the show.

- Beautiful, I really enjoyed.

- Beautiful show, beautiful.

- Siudy what a talent...

Darn!

- Look who's talking.

- Beautiful performance.

(uplifting music continues)

(Siudy air kisses)

(uplifting music)

(background street chatter)

- Opening night, everybody was on pins and needles

until 11:00 PM when we read the review online.

Because of the way the system works,

the New York Times has an enormous amount of power

in the theatre world.

It's the very first and the most important critic there is.

We're in a very critic driven industry.

- It took me by surprise.

You see the audiences so charged up, so satisfied.

You can't-

I can't really explain, myself.

I don't have an explanation to

how can a review like this come across.

(melancholy music)

- From the office they were advising us to close the show,

because there was nothing we could do against

The New York Times review and the sales would plummet.

We always had faith that if we had gotten there,

it was for a reason.

(music swells)

- We needed to be there triple the time,

and we needed triple the budget and publicity exposure

in order to truly have a chance

to recuperate the money invested.

(melancholy music continues)

- We couldn't understand how we could've...

traveled... almost 5,000 miles,

from Caracas, Venezuela to New York

to have to close the show immediately

the day after opening.

We didn't understand!

To us it deserved a little more work and a little more effort.

(feet tapping)

- In addition to the money from our investors

we used all of our savings.

We were "all in" in order to be there.

So, to have to close after opening night was...

Wow... that was hard for both of us.

- From where we were in sales before we started

to where we were right after the reviews,

I knew that the show was not gonna be a financial success.

And that's a really hard position for me to be in

and to have to tell a producer that

from a financial point of view, you need to close up

in order to...

minimise the financial risk.

He didn't take my advice.

(laughs)

He didn't take my advice.

Which I applaud him for, he believed in the show.

(feet tapping)

- Yes, the reviews are really important,

but they don’t justify an immediate closure of a show.

As long as the show finds the audience that has an affinity

it can be sustained.

(upbeat music)

(singing in foreign language)

- Pablo wanted to keep the show running

and did the possible and the impossible.

Found money where there was none.

- Once “Between Worlds” hired a team

specializing in Hispanic media

the message about what "Between Worlds" really was

began to arrive.

For the first time a Venezuelan dance company

enters the New York musical theater scene,

which is no easy task.

- New York had never seen anything like it.

That is confirmed by the "Drama Desk" nomination.

- The Drama Desk is- next to the Tony Awards,

the Drama Desk is the second most important award in

the New York theatre scene.

The people who nominate for the awards are not the critics.

It's industry people who saw the show

and appreciated the artistic achievement.

- It means a lot, it puts it on the map.

People who might not have ever heard of the show

suddenly notice it because of a nomination.

(singing in foreign language)

It's packed!

The house is packed...

It is packed!

(thunder booming)

("One Day at a Time")

- "Between Worlds" - everybody had to

rise to the occasion.

And I think everybody did, especially Siudy and Pablo.

They put everything on the line

personally, professionally, financially,

and everybody knew it.

(uplifting music)

And I think everybody really came,

rallied around to make it a success.

- Every single opportunity that I had to return to that stage

I cherished the most,

simply thankful for opportunity to perform one more show.

♪ Up in the clouds ♪

♪ Reaching the stars from the ground ♪

♪ Lost in this garden ♪

♪ Embracing the place that we found ♪

♪ Shadows turning into light ♪

♪ Our eyes open wide ♪

♪ When we're together the world comes alive ♪

♪ Every colour shining so bright ♪

♪ The hope that we hold, the story unfolds, ♪

♪ Together we find we'll get there one day at a time ♪

♪ We'll get there one day at a time ♪

♪ When we're together the world comes alive ♪

♪ Every colour shining so bright ♪

♪ The hope that we hold, the story unfolds, ♪

♪ Together we find we'll get there one day at a time ♪

(music fades) (background airport hum)

- Financially the show could not recuperate,

because it was dragging an accumulated loss.

(indistinct background chatter)

- I wanted to consult with you. - Ok tell me about it.

- Look, I have jewelry that belonged to my grandmother...

- Aha...

- And I would like to have it appraised,

to look into the possibility of selling it.

- Ok.

- So maybe, you know someone

who will give me a realistic estimate.

- Yeah, it's a lot of work.

Very pale, very, very good, old piece.

Very nice piece, it doesn't belong in the building.

Again, if you want a second opinion, go up and down.

(street humdrum)

(hum of car engine)

- OK, so twelve times what? 25?

My Holy Lord! $300 bucks.

(woman answering phone)

- Plus Tax.

- Then we spent six months working on it

until we were able to re-stage the show in Miami.

Our second home.

- How much is that?

- A roll of a 20 by 100 is 55 bucks.

You don't have enough time, really,

to do what you wanna do for the show.

So let's just get it looking good.

It's not gonna be clear coated.

It's only gonna be painted good.

And we'll get through with the show, believe me.

The floor is important, but it's not the element.

You forget about the floor after the first

two minutes of dancing.

(flamenco guitar, feet tapping)

(clapping)

(audience cheering and applauding)

(loud cheering and applauding)

- And it was very successful

and it was like the rebirth of “Between Worlds”

A success! We did three Adrienne Arsht performances.

Regardless of the situation,

everyone pulled through. The show ran

and I wanted to congratulate each one of you artists....

- It is confirmed!

We have been approved to play at the "Teresa Carreño" Theater

in Caracas.

(cheering)

- Then we had the opportunity to bring it

to the Teresa Carreño Theater in Venezuela.

Home!

And came triumphantly.

We returned as the Venezuelan company,

that succeeded

in the Off Broadway New York Theater scene.

Because that's how it was.

(upbeat music)

Above all after New York, for each one of us

it was like an big impulse

making us want to be better and continue forward.

And from that point forward there was still more growth.

(acoustic guitar playing)

(guitar music continues)

(audience cheering and applauding)

(cheering)

(audience cheering)

- And curtain, curtain!

(cheering, celebrating)

(guitar music continues)

- Constantly we ask ourselves: Was it really all worth it?

Everything we did in New York?

Then we try to imagine where we would be, had we not done it?

And we definitely realize that we had to do it.

We had to go through that experience

to become who we are today.

(upbeat music)

(upbeat pop music)

(music intensifies)

Sometimes we think success is based out of achievements

or in the recognition received.

When in reality it is in every stumble along the way,

allowing us to stand up and continue forward.

True to our real essence.

Closer each time to whom we truly dream to become.

Enjoying every detail life offers,

because the journey is just beginning.

(upbeat music)

- I don't know, sometimes... We are shop windows

and if you are display yourself in a display case

you can be condemned.

We have no choice but to accept the condemnation.

We can agree or disagree with it,

but if there is no next step

or no risk or an adventure to move forward,

Then Flamenco has its days counted and would die.

Because those things that aren't mixed

or nurtured with other things end up dying isolated.