Some people seek out their calling, only finding it after trying several careers and experiences. Others, like Martín Céspedes, are lucky enough to discover what they love to do when they’re young.
A dancer and choreographer with over 40 years of credits in the world of theater, opera, film, live music and TV, he said he didn’t have to look far for his calling.
“Dance found me. It kind of plucked me as a as a young kid,” said Céspedes. “It was something that was all around. If you go to a Latino family gathering, there's music and there's dance.”
New York state of mind
Céspedes’ father is Mexican and his mother Puerto Rican, and he was raised in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City. His mother was a singer and his uncle was a recording musician in the 1950s, so music and dance were a part of his upbringing.
His formative experience was seeing the film adaptation of Jerome Robbins’ classic musical, “West Side Story,” on television as a child.
“It was late at night. My mom let me stay up… and I'm listening to the traffic behind the TV, which was almost like watching it in multi-dimension,” said Céspedes.
He was inspired by one of the lead characters, Bernardo, a Puerto Rican living in New York City, going through some of the same struggles he was.
“I'm watching George Chakiris flying through the air, hitting this beautiful– it's called the stake position– which was the three Sharks going in the air and lifting themselves, which was symbolic of saying, that's the first time Puerto Ricans had a stake in the neighborhood,” he said.
He would go on to appear in three different stage productions of "West Side Story,” including with the Broadway touring cast alongside Bebe Neuwirth.
Career crossroad
Céspedes started taking dance more seriously as a teenager after meeting influential dancer and educator Jacques d’Amboise, who visited schools mentoring young dancers.
“At the time he was retired from the New York City Ballet… and he started this group of dance classes, and it was called American Dance,” said Céspedes. “And from there, I just grew passionate about movement, about creating a scenario, putting a hat on, becoming another character through that.”
Céspedes became immersed in the New York stage scene, working as a dancer in musical productions and crossing over to dancing for live concert acts. As a concert dancer, he opened for national touring bands like the Bee Gees as well as Earth, Wind and Fire. He also worked in stage fight choreography and appeared in operas.
As he gained more experience and credits, he moved more from dancing to choreography. Despite not moving as much, he said he has more freedom directing the dancers than being among them.
“I dip my hands in the paint to the elbows, and I'm Jackson Pollock… I'm looking at everything that moves cinematically in between that, you know, and that's the joy,” said Céspedes.
After more than 20 years of living and working out of New York, Céspedes relocated to Cuyahoga County. The Westlake resident’s main focus these days is as the choreographer for the Porthouse Theatre. Still, he finds Cleveland ideal as a home base, because it is easy to travel back to New York or out west.
At home at the Porthouse
Kent State University’s Porthouse Theatre gives Céspedes the chance to work with professionals, students and his close friend and collaborator, Terri Kent. Their most recent collaboration is a production of “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
“I wanted to do this show for a long time. I grew up with the double album on my living room stereo as a kid,” said Kent.
Kent is a theater professor at Kent State and director of the Porthouse Theatre. She relishes the opportunities to work with Céspedes.
“This is all original choreography. We have to talk about what our concept is, how we want to tell the story and how we want to incorporate the cast and telling that story,” said Kent of their process.
Céspedes and Kent will collaborate next on a production of “Annie” at the Porthouse Theatre.
Different canvases
Céspedes’ latest tenure in Cleveland has allowed him to branch out and do things he didn’t always have the chance to do.
“I just decided during the pandemic to try other things, the things that stimulated me because I wasn't moving my body through space or jumping in the air with young actors,” Céspedes said.
These other things include his painting and wood burning hobbies, but also a rare chance to choreograph a Broadway-style dance number for a feature film. The yet to be released film is “Lost and Found in Cleveland,” directed by Keith Gerchak, a performer who once was directed by Céspedes in a production of “Little Shop of Horrors.” The dance number is a dream sequence featuring actor Dennis Haysbert, who is notable for his turn as slugger Pedro Cerrano in the Cleveland-based sports film “Major League.”
“I goof on him all the time because I'm saying, man, you're a legend. You're an icon in Cleveland,” said Céspedes.
Constantly working in dance for over four decades can be a physically and emotionally draining life, but Céspedes carries himself with a spryness far beyond his years. His long white beard betrays a youthful spirit that has been prolific across multiple platforms. He credited his longevity and his accomplishments to an innate ability mixed with drive.
“This is the deal: You can't act vulnerability. You can't choreograph vulnerability,” said Céspedes. “That has to be in you.”
