The Arts

Over the nine days we were in Cuba, we participated in the arts at least daily.  These ran the gamut from dance, music, or theatre to visits to artist studios.  Several of the groups, we met with, grew out of grass-roots efforts among the members of a given community seeking to revitalize their neighborhood and engage their neighbors.  Some projects are internationally known and award winning efforts.  These "community projects" are a hallmark of Cuban culture and values.

Muraleando:  In a suburb of Havana, a decade ago, neighbors came together to clean up what essentially was a garbage dump and it grew to be a highly regarded "community project."  An artist collective of dancers, visual artists and musicians now provide entertainment for their neighbors and art classes for their youth.  We visited their artist kiosk and attended a performance of their dancers, singers and musicians.  This project is funded by the sale of art works and performance contributions.

Joruba:  One of the strongest religious movements in Cuba is a blend of Catholicism and African worship of unique gods and goddesses.  Joruba is a museum depicting the various gods and goddesses.  Joruban youth presented, through song and dance, the presence and power of these deities.

Cafe Taberna:  At the end of our second evening in Havana, we visited a well known downtown bar featuring Cuban musicians performing in the style of the Buena Vista Social Club.  We enjoyed a classic rum cocktail while there.

La Comineta:  This was an after-school program, for 5 to 15 year-old disadvantaged children, who perform "fairy tale" stage productions featuring song and dance.  The youngest dancers were costumed as bumble-bees.  They greeted us, as we entered the auditorium, took us by the hand and escorted us to our seats.  After the performance, they returned and invited us to dance in the aisles and on stage at the conclusion of the evening's performance. This project is funded by Switzerland.

Habana Compas:  An Afro-Cuban dance company is another "community project," based on the vision of Liliet Rivera, and is comprised of 4 percussion musicians and 12 dancers.  Their principal device is the wooden chair, which they incorporate into their performances as a prop and a percussion instrument.  Habana Compas has toured numerous countries around the world and is looking forward to their first visit, this summer, to the US, to Tampa.  They were amazing and ended their performance by inviting our group to join them on stage in a final dance.

Choir of Cienfuegos:  An acappella group of ten men and ten women perform Baroque, Romantic, Renaissance and Contemporary music.  They, too, have performed all over the world and will compete this summer in Montana in the International Choral competition.  They were fabulous.

Finca Vigia:  Lookout Farms, was the Cuban home of Ernest Hemingway, set in a suburb of Havana, where he lived for twenty years and wrote the majority of his award winning novels.  The estate consists of a home surrounded by a wrap-around porch, a guest cottage and garage, a swimming pool, a tennis court and a boathouse.  The estate is in the process of renovation, as is much of Havana.

Studio of Jose Fuster:  The studio of Jose Fuster, a ceramic and mosaic artist, spills over, for his home, into the surrounding Jaimanitas neighborhood, via over 80 murals and artistic domes.  His work is whimsical, astonishing and award winning.  It must be seen to be understood.  We made one of our few purchases at Fuster's studio:  a ceramic tile of the Old Man and the Sea.

Cuban National Ballet:  In the newly renovated Opera Hall, the Cuban National Ballet performed Giselle.  Just before the performance began, the audience burst into applause, when the 97 year old former Prima Ballerina entered the Hall.  The performance itself was well done; the current prima ballerina was excellent.