Photo of Ray Guzman owner/franchisee Arthur Murray Centennial, Las Vegas, Nevada by StephBVoices

Permission to Fail

Grace… the Pathway to Success

By Stephanie Bolton

The situation … well, it was complicated. The decision to continue his professional dancing career versus returning to his home, layered with leaving all family, all friends, and his life as he knew it… was challenging and clear. Ray Guzman made the life-altering, difficult, yet defiant choice.

When Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn (German-American magicians and entertainers) brought Havana Night Club The Show to the Stardust Resort and Casino in 2004, Ray was a dancer with the fifty-three Cuban performers, seeking asylum in the United States, in one of the largest single mass defection of people from Cuba. November 15, 2004, CBS reported, “The performers arrived by bus at the federal courthouse in Las Vegas, where they submitted paperwork for asylum.”

Ray and other troupe members chose to petition to stay because, with the political climate in their country, repercussions would be dire. If they returned to Havana, they would be forced to stop performing and face the possibility of being incarcerated, among other possible punishments, as Cuban authorities did not want them to perform in the United States at all and had not granted them permission.

Fidel Castro was the Cuban revolutionary and political leader as Prime Minister from 1959-1976 and President from 1976-2008. During Castro’s leadership, Cuba was transformed into the first communist state in the Western Hemisphere.

It was unfathomable to Ray to no longer dance. It was what he was “groomed for.” It was the path his parents, both dancers, had set for him from birth. Dance was all he had seen. Dance was what he knew. Before beginning his dance studies at age 12 at The Academy of Dance in Santiago de Cuba, little Ray’s dancer body was massaged, manipulated, and prepared for the dance disciplines he would engage in. Foot stretching, knee stretching, squats, splits, lunges, and more were a regular part of his young life. Dance futures in Cuba were set similarly to the Russian-type disciplines and pre-ordained paths. He began his formal training with ballet. With the sweet flavor of his Cuban accent, he pronounces the word “bahl-lett.”

“I moved on to other specialties and dance styles within dancing, the community, and the school.” Ray continues, his cultural pride beaming, “Dancing and music in Cuba is like water for us. That’s what we do. We create music, and we create dancing.”

He immediately interjects a comment to clarify the difference between social dance and the formally structured, classically-trained dance study he pursued as a career.

He was so dynamically prepared that when the delegates responsible for searching the provinces and attaining young talent saw him audition, he NAILED it! As a young child, dance was decided for him. As he became a young adult, he began to see the value of what he was doing. He tested well as he advanced to different levels then, tested out and moved on to the National school. At this point, he fell in love with dance. He was offered the opportunity to attend a college-level school, which he refused. He was now a professional professor/dancer. As a professional dancer/instructor AND professional performer, he enjoyed it.

With his well-trained and accomplished talent, he auditioned in Havana and became a dancer for the best dance company at the time, Havana Night Club The Show. With the company, he traveled the world. They performed in Germany, Singapore, Thailand, Spain, and Mexico, to name a few. His world was getting larger. He became acutely aware that there were options for how one could live one’s life. He began to see possibilities. Finally, after many trips to Germany, Havana Night Club The Show was introduced to Siegfried and Roy, who were friends of the show producer Nicole Durr. Although the agreement was made in 2003 to bring the company to Las Vegas, due to the unfortunate Siegfried and Roy tiger incident, the company did not come to The Stardust Casino Hotel until November 16, 2004.

In Las Vegas, Tara Foy, Dance Mistress for the Academy of Nevada Ballet Theatre, worked with the Havana Night Club The Show dancers once they arrived. She was encouraging, supportive, and dynamic. Ray refers to her as an impactful mentor in the States. Her guidance was deeply appreciated; initially, he felt a bit lost relating to the country’s new customs, climate change, and culture. Once the decision to stay was made, Ray expressed, “It was just getting used to the changes I had to make in my way of thinking. I would be a dancer, no matter what, but things were different. Not having family here took me longer [to adjust to] more than anything else. But overall, I knew it was an experience I had to go through. It was exciting and scary and all those things, all at once.”

And then, there was the language! English is hard. He gave himself time, patience, and grace to learn.

After the show closed, the talented cast of dancers and musicians separated to find their way. Ray auditioned and worked in several Cirque de Soleil shows – Zumanity, Lion King (Mandalay Bay), and more. He traveled some, lived in Miami for a while, lived in New York for a time, and decided that Las Vegas was the place to live. Las Vegas was familiar in an unfamiliar country.

Back then, entertainers used the announcement section of a local notification paper. He saw an audition announcement on “Craig’s List.” It was for Arthur Murray Dance Studios ballroom and social dance instructors. He answered the solicitation, and, not surprisingly, with his professional dance history, experience, and talent, Ray was hired to teach the Arthur Murray dance curricula. Once he knew what the organization was about, “I knew that this was what I wanted to do,” he says with a smile.

Ray would be using the skills he had used all of his life. He had been a Havana dance professor and a Dance Master in Havana Night Club The Show, coaching the performers. He saw Arthur Murray as a way to help others enjoy dance, not just entertain people with his Dancing.

Ray discovered that his student roster was significantly growing through the Arthur Murray system. Also, in the competitive categories of professional/amateur ballroom dance, he groomed dancers who would repeatedly place high in the rankings, regardless of the level of dance or competitive dance styles.

When asked what he attributed this success to, his quick, passionate response was, “Caring! I care!” Then Ray explains that he does what he does from his heart. “For you to be good at what you do, you need to care about it! If you want to work at McDonald’s, you need to care about it. I was raised with that discipline. If you have to sweep the floor, you should care about that. Otherwise, you are doing it just because you have to do it. This is me! I care!”

With passionate care, Ray teaches his students based on their abilities, unique skill levels, and personal desires. After several years of successful and satisfying teaching, the desire to become an Arthur Murray franchisee took hold.

Ray has always been a believer in growth, in getting ready for “that next thing,” the next move (dance reference- ha!). The combination of this characteristic with the many opportunities Arthur Murray offers to every person working with/for them who chooses to be a part of their organization logically translated to Ray. For him, the natural transition was to become a franchisee/owner of his studio. He recently accomplished this goal by opening the new Arthur Murray Centennial Dance Center in Las Vegas.

When asked what he would recommend to someone looking to expand and take the next step forward into their future, his elegant response was as fluid as he is on the dance floor. He says, “Prepare! Visualize yourself in that future. Prep yourself! Read, research, communicate, ask, prep! For me, that is the formula for everything. Opportunities are always going to present themselves. They will always come your way on your life’s journey. If you are not ready for them, that is when you fail. Opportunity meets preparation. That’s a success!”

In 2023, Ray visited home for the first time since he and his cast-mates defected. It had been almost 20 years since he could go back. “It felt great! I lost part of my family while I was gone, but seeing everyone was so good. Of course, I stayed in communication with my mom and immediate family over the years but had not been home. It felt fantastic seeing family and friends that I hadn’t seen for such a very long time. From going back home, I learned that things are very different from what I remember. The culture of the country is the same, but different at the same time. When going to Cuba, you feel like you go back in time. We still have the cars from the 1950s, and some of the culture is very “old school.” At the same time, you see people moving forward with technology. I was surprised to see people as advanced as they are, with such limited resources.”

You might imagine, as a dancer, being still would relax him. However, quite the opposite is true. He likes to go to the gym to workout… when he can find the time.

His drive now is motivated by his desire to succeed at his studio. He feels a high level of responsibility for his staff’s professional development and well-being. He joyfully welcomes, encourages, and trains his students. His desire and passion for success are supported by his family, both in his homeland of Cuba and his beautiful family, led by husband Ray Arzate, here in Las Vegas.

Without regret, he says he would not change any of his past. Now, he dreams and thinks in both English and Spanish. Little Ray Dancer is Ray Guzman of today because of the preparations made by his family; the never-ending determination, training, and focus he used while developing his talent; the choice he made at age 22 to risk everything; his mother’s unwavering support and encouragement, allowing him the freedom to take risks, to choose to leave the familiar behind; the freedom to make mistakes.

Given permission to fail without question, Ray Guzman, with grace, is free to enjoy his pathway to success and spread his love of dance.