James Cobo's Biography
 |
James Cobo first hit the New York City scene on September 5, 1971. Son of Colombian parents, James was reared in Elizabeth, New Jersey, amidst the pulsating Latin rhythms of Fania All Stars, El Gran Combo, Sonora Ponceña, Grupo Niche, Joe Cuba, Tipica 73 and many other inspirational musicians that roared from the speakers of his father's home audio system. During his evolution from adolescence to young adulthood, he discovered his inherited bond to dance. While frequenting dance parties hosted by his father's friends and visiting underground "house" and rave clubs in New York City and South Florida, James discovered his natural ability to interpret music with a passionate desire to flow. |
|
As an electrical engineer undergraduate at New Jersey Institute of Technology, James spent many years partially inspired but very devoted to his academic goal of achieving a Bachelor's Degree of Science. He completed his degree in 1996 and began his Engineering career in North Carolina, where he currently resides. Although James lived in Elizabeth, NJ (30 minutes away from New York City) for 25 years, it was as a North Carolina resident visiting the Big Apple that he first caught a glimpse of the New York Mambo scene. That first encounter with mambo fueled his inspiration to pursue his most ambitious endeavor up until that time. Living away from home sparked a multitude of trips back to New Jersey and New York in order to calm his initial longing for home. It was on one of those trips that he decided to visit the legendary Copacabana on 57th St in New York City. When he stepped inside, the music immediately rumbled through his body. While absorbing the intense ambience, an older couple on the dance floor funneled all his attention. The couple moved gracefully through the dance floor in a manner that he never witnessed before. Speechless and invigorated, he was determined to learn to move as he had been inspired on that night. After returning from New York, James immediately began to practice with Camille, a friend from North Carolina. With her gracious assistance, a couple of instructional videos, and his own perseverance, he transitioned from dancing traditional cumbia salsa, a custom that he had been practicing since he was 5 years old, to dancing what he had envisioned at the Copacabana. After almost a year of practice, James returned to New York to finally indulge in the New York City salsa dance scene. In the fall of 1998, James arrived in New York City to experience one of his most enlightening moments. After just a few initial steps of dancing with a young lady at Bistro Latino (a popular Thursday night spot for hard core dancers at that time), she pointed out that James danced On1 while she danced On2. James realized that he inadvertently taught himself to dance On1, and that the inspirational couple from the Copacabana a year prior actually danced On2. In fact, all of the amazing dancers around him at Bistro Latino danced On2. James was not too disheartened. He decided to continue to work on his leading technique as an On1 dancer, something he enjoyed very much. He believed that a solid lead would aid him in his inevitable engagement with On2. His On1 journey ended after the Puerto Rico Congress of 2001 when he decided to dedicate himself to mastering what had initially ignited his interest to this "new" form of dance, dancing On2. Learning On 2 presented a greater challenge than he had anticipated because it required a more sensitive ear to subtle percussions in the music in which he was oblivious. Milton, his younger brother and current director of the CoboBrothers Dance Company, aided James by enlightening him with the concept of the clave, a hypnotic pulse that he had heard many times before without any consequence. He battled for several months before his acoustic senses were able to naturally synchronize with the clave, as well as the much talked about "2" and "6" beats. After reaching acoustic quiescence with mambo, he dove deeper into the music, becoming freer as his personality began dictating his motions on the dance floor. James continues evolving as a dancer and as a music enthusiast. He is driven by his sincere joy in dance that he has had since childhood. He is inspired by those who have been able to interpret music with raw intensity. The most important elements in dance for James are rhythm, technical accuracy, and the ability to "flow" naturally on the dance floor and on stage. As a dancer, his greatest privilege is to inspire others as he has been inspired. But personally, James' greatest fulfillment in dance is sharing his passion with his brother. There are many people that have contributed to James' dance journey, but Milton is the hallmark of his life… as a mentor, as a friend, and as his brother.
|
|