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Amazing Love Stories: Rhythm and romance on the dancefloor

Cuban ballet dancers Mayara Piñeiro Contido and Etienne Díez found love in exile. Guatemalan grandparents Favio "El Lobo" Vasquez and Maria Moreno are storming the disco.

Love and defection on the dancefloor - We catch up with the Cuban principal ballet dancers, Mayara Piñeiro Contido and Etienne Díez who found love in exile. They have gone on to perform as a couple on stages around the world. They spoke to Colm Flynn in 2020.

Guatemalan grandparents Favio "El Lobo" Vasquez and his wife Maria Moreno first met on the disco dance floor over 30 years ago. Despite being from rival dance groups they ended up falling in love and have been dancing together ever since. But earlier this year, after the death of their daughter, dance helped them in ways they could never have imagined. As they were raising their daughter's two young children and struggling to pay the bills, they decided to enter an online dance competition. They had to enter separately but Favio won and the video of him dancing went viral - it was even trending higher than Manchester United! They spoke to Clayton Conn in 2020.

Across two weeks we've curated a collection of love stories from around the world. Love in all its guises; puppy love that falters and finds its feet again, longing through wars and exile, and romance that blooms in the most unexpected places. Messy, beautiful and sometimes heartbreaking. But always human, surprising and unforgettable. You'll find them all on the Outlook website in a box set called Amazing Love Stories.

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar
Producer: Thomas Harding Assinder

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707

(Photo: Mayara Piñeiro Contido and Etienne Díez in performance. Credit: Courtesy Pennsylvania Ballet)

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41 minutes

Last on

Thu 28 Aug 2025 02:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Wed 27 Aug 2025 11:06GMT
  • Wed 27 Aug 2025 17:06GMT
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  • Thu 28 Aug 2025 02:06GMT

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