'Here [Dubai] you can have some variety'

During the day time, Dominican national Bien Feliz - whose surname means "happy" in Spanish - works as the general director of a trading company that mostly deals in gold and precious stones. But in his spare time, he is free to pursue his passion of spreading Latin culture to people in the UAE.
"I have a small entertainment company that specialises in Latin events," he told Khaleej Times. "It's called 'Salsa y Caribe', and we hold performances at events like weddings. We also have a studio where we teach Latin dance and music."
Feliz, who moved to Dubai four years ago by way of New York City after leaving the Dominican Republic, says that when he moved here he felt that Dubai was lacking in terms of music that appealed to him.
"There weren't many options, and the options that existed weren't for me," he said. "There was no concept of what's Latin. There's salsa from many places, such as Venezuela, Colombia, Cuba. What I did was try take the best elements of music from each country."
With regards to living in Dubai, Feliz said there were positives and negatives to life here.
"In the US for example, you work and work, and by the time you get home you're too tired to do anything," he said. "Here you can have some variety. You can work by day and go out at night and do many things."
"There are also more economic opportunities here," he added. "But things have changed since I first arrived. The cost of living is higher. But one of the things that brought me here was the opportunity to do many things at once. I've always had projects outside of my work. In the US that was becoming difficult for me with the economy the way it was. I spent all my time working. Here I can work, and teach at least two dance classes at night."
Through his musical work, Feliz said he's been fortunate to be able to interact with people from cultures vastly different to those of Latin America.
"Only six per cent are Latinos. The rest are Europeans from all over, as well as many Arabs, like Syrians, Egyptians or Palestinians," he noted. "There's more and more interest in Latino culture. Not just the music, but the culture as a whole. I even know Arabs who dress like Latin Americans, wearing little flags and white linen pants."
But despite his affection for the UAE, Feliz said there are things he longs for from his homecountry Dominican Republic.
"I miss everything. I miss the way of life, the mentality of the people," he said. "The way of life is completely different. I miss the people."
bernd@khaleejtimes.com
Interviewed by Bernd Debusmann Jr.
Street Talk is a weekly column to get a glimpse of people's lives in UAE

• UAE
• Dubai