She is currently the only professional Cuban female dancer, choreographer and tutor in Australasia.
Asked why Cuban dancers wanted to create this new contemporary fusion dance, Greydis Montero Liranza says, "It was born out of a personal feeling and a want to honour the people of the land".
"It is the perfect combination of two cultures which have so much in common, coming together through the beautiful story of Hinemoa and Tutanekai, a story based on love."
She says the story was told to her by local Lisa Kohunui and that it is legendary to the iwi of Te Arawa.
"Both Israel and I were very moved by the story and wanted to connect our feelings to the story by fusing the two different cultures through a contemporary dance piece."
Hundreds of people from New Zealand, Australia and the South West Pacific will descend on Rotorua from February 28 to March 8 to attend the Community Week and Festival.
The Festival Trust will again hold a community week from Saturday February 28 though to Saturday March 7.
This week long pre-festival event is packed with free activities to give locals an opportunity to see performances and join classes held at the City Focus, the Arts Village, the Night Markets and at Eat Street.
Every year the festival attracts the best international and national Cuban dance instructors who come to share the sounds, rhythms and dances of the Afro-Cuban beat with Kiwis who love Cuban dance.
The Festival is sponsored this year by the New Zealand Communities Trust, the Rotorua Energy Charitable Trust, The Southern Trust , the Bay Trust the Pub Charity, and the Infinity Foundation.
The New Zealand Cuban Festival Trust oversees the management of the Festival. Its aim is to grow Cuban dance and culture and to showcase this through the annual New Zealand Cuban Festival.
The Festival celebrates everything Cuban and introduces Afro-Cuban music and dance programmes to the wider New Zealand and international public. This funding has enabled the Trust to hire international dancer instructors and fund the week of community based events.
WHAT'Suban culture ready to excite city ON
The New Zealand Cuban Festival Rotorua Community Week.
City Focus - Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 March 2015
Cnr Hinemoa and Tutanekai Streets
¦ 12noon - Music and social dancing
¦ 12.15pm - Free workshop
¦ 12.45pm - Demonstration
¦ 1pm - Music and social dancing
Arts Village Monday 2 to Wednesday, March 4 2015
Cnr Hinemoa and Hinemaru Streets
¦ 5.45pm - Registration
¦ 6pm - Free salsa workshop starts
¦ 7pm - Free workshop ends
Eat Street Saturday February 28 2015
1110 Tutanekai Street, Rotorua
¦ 8.30pm - Music and social dancing
¦ 8.45pm - Demonstrations
¦ till 11.00pm - Music and social dancing
Night Market - Thursday February 27 2015
'The Heart of Tutanekai Street'
¦ 6pm - Cuban Music & Dance
¦ 6.30pm - Cuban Performances
¦ 7.30pm - Live Cuban Dancers
¦ 8pm - Cuban Music & Dance
¦ 8.30pm - Live Cuban Dancers
Cuban contemporary Maori Fusion Dance Showcase 8.30pm Saturday March 7 2015
Millennium Hotel,1000 Hinemoa St
