havana - Visit Cuba

what’s on
havana
!
apr
2014
Carlos Morales and Indiana Marzan in Old
Havana. March 2014. Photo by Alex Mene.
editorial
Cover picture of the Cuban dancers Gema
Domínguez and Indiana Marzán on Prado
Avenue, March 2014. Photo by Alex Mene.
‘Cuban dancing is famous for its libidinous rhythms and sensuous close-ups. Inheriting a love for
dancing from childbirth and able to replicate perfect salsa steps by the age of two or three, most
Cubans are natural performers who approach dance with a complete lack of self-consciousness.’
Lonely Planet 2013
This month’s issue is dedicated to dance. To the army of girls in long skirts who learn
Spanish dance at one of Havana’s many dance schools; to the dancers of Tropicana who
continue to dazzle all-comers on a nightly basis; to Ecos with their passion for flamenco;
and to Isabel Bustos and her Group Retazos who, every April, turn balconies, windows,
stairs and walls into stages for Habana Vieja: Ciudad en movimiento (April 9-14).
Musicwise, look out for regular concerts at the Fábrica de Arte Cubana including Norberto
Rodríguez on April 5. Raúl Paz plays the same night at El Sauce and don’t miss the Leo
Brouwer-founded Festival de Guitarra de La Habana (April 20-27).
Outside of Havana Cine Pobre—Cuba’s hippest film festival has come home to Gibara (April
22-27). Golf aficionados should not miss Cuba’s premier golf tournament, which takes
place Varadero from April 10-12. On the travel side, Tom Miller’s piece on Baracoa from
the excellent Trading with the Enemy remains relevant and Christopher Baker reminds
us how the Tropicana manages to mix Cuban socialism and sensuality with such aplomb.
The old and the new Cuba stand side by side as we feature extracts from Cuba Then:
Rare & classic images from the Ramiro A. Fernández collection—a stunning collection of
pictures of Cuba from before the Revolution, and Julia Cooke’s The Other Side of Paradise:
Life in the new Cuba, which offers a wonderful series of poignant insights to lives spent
waiting for change.
April 2014 Highlights (Havana, unless stated)
•
Muestra Joven ICAIC 2014: April 1-6, 2014
•
Festival de Música y Poesía Nicolás Guillén: April 8-11, 2014
•
Habana Vieja: Ciudad en movimiento: April 9-14, 2014
•
Gran Torneo de Cuba Golf: April 10-12, 2014 (Varadero)
•
Festival Internacional de Guitarra: April 20-27, 2014
Finally spare a thought for the US Domadores up against the all star Cuban team in the
World Series of Boxing Quarter Final. All the best. Viva Cuba!
April 2014
FEATURES
Havana Listings
sport
Friends on the Malecón
Photo by Alex Mene, March 2014.
Habana Vieja—Ciudad en movimiento p5
April 9-14, 2014
Visual Art p9 — Photography p13 — Cinema P14 —
Dance p15 — Music p17 — Theatre p24 — For Kids p25
The Gran Torneo de Cuba Golf 2014 p27
April 10-12
Not to miss during April 2014
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
March 31
7
14
21
28
Read up on Cuba’s
new foreign
investment act
Festival de Música
y Poesía Nicolás
Guillén: April 8-11
XX Encuentro
Internacional de
Academias de Ballet.
April 13-18
Taller Internacional
de Teatro de Títeres
in Matanzas City,
April 21-27
A day of rest and
relaxation —smoke
a Big Fat One and
take the day off.
1
8
15
22
29
Muestra Joven ICAIC Serie Nacional de
2014: April 1-6
Béisbol Finals: April
8-17
Yasek Manzano @
Centro Hispano
Opening of Lipstick
Americano, 5pm
by Osiris Cisneros
Ortega @ Fábrica de
arte Cubano (F.A.C.)
Girl’s night out —
El Cocinero, Up &
Down, Sangri-La
Cine Pobre: April
22-27 (Gibara)
Movie night at
home.
2
16
23
30
Tue
Wed
BarrioCuento 2014
Habana Vieja: Ciudad Qva Libre @ Café
Dinner at El Litoral,
in Pinar del Rio, April en movimiento: April Cantante Mi Habana, one of Havana’s best
2-6
9-14
5pm
new restaurants—
watch life pass by
on Malecón.
Boy’s night out—
Don Cangrejo,
Las Piedras, Dos
Gardenias,
3
10
24
1 May
Festival Piña Colada
in Ciego de Ávila,
April 3-6
Gran Torneo de Cuba Dinner at Santy,
Golf: April 10-12,
Jaimanitas’s off
(Varadero)
the beaten track
world class sushi
restaurant.
Ballet Nacional
de Cuba @ Teatro
Mella, 8.30pm —
world premiere of
Caleidos
International
Workers Day,
March in Plaza de la
Revolución
4
11
18
25
Cuba Domadores
vs US Knockouts
WSB: QF (First leg)
@Ciudad Deportiva,
Habana, 8pm
US Knockouts vs
Cuba Domadores:
WSB: QF (Second
leg) @Nort-East US
8pm
Opening of
exhibition dedicated
to Antonia Eiriz @
Biblioteca Nacional
José Martí
Dinner at La Guarida
Havana’s legendary
restaurant located in
Centro Havana.
5
12
19
26
Raúl Paz @ El Sauce,
10pm
Amigas by Ballet Lizt
Alfonso @ Teatro Karl
Marx. April 5, 10-12,
17-19 @ 8.30pm
Antigonón, un
contingente épico
@ Teatro Trianón,
8.30pm
Antigonón, un
contingente épico
@ Teatro Trianón,
8.30pm
13
20
27
Easter Sunday
Beach day –
Playas del Este to
build sandcastles
followed by pizza at
Piccolo in Guanabo
Ballet Español de
Cuba @ Teatro Mella.
April 4 & 5, 8:00pm;
(Sun, 5pm )
Sum
9
6
Amigas by Ballet Lizt La Máquina de la
Alfonso @ Teatro Karl Melancolía, with
Marx
Frank Delgado and
Luis Alberto García
April 6, 13 & 20, 5pm @ El Sauce, 5pm
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Festival
Internacional de
Guitarra: April
20-27
!
Mon
Thu
Fri
With a Passion for Cuba
Mon
what’s on havana
Sat
Sum
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April 9 to 13, 2014
Habana Vieja
Ciudad en movimiento
(Old Havana, City in Motion)
19 International Dance Festival in
Urban Landscapes
Carlos Morales, Cuban dancer
Photo by Alex Mene.
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Photos by Alex Mene
Habana Vieja
Ciudad en movimiento 2013
by Victoria Alcalá
It was Monday, April 15th, 2013. As I walked down
Mercaderes, one of the busiest streets in Havana’s
Historic Center, a strange quietness filled the air.
Usually noisy and crowded, the streets seemed
haunted by silence. This was the last day of the 18th
International Dance Festival in Urban Landscapes
known as Old Havana: City in Motion.
Every April, visitors to Old Havana’s historical
centre will find squares, parks, streets, museums
and old houses possessed by a dancing spirit.
And it was this spirit invoked by dancer and
choreographer Isabel Bustos and her company
Retazos, which turns balconies, windows, stairs
and walls into stages for the International Dance
Festival.
promote new creative environments and to
encourage the exchange of ideas and artistic
experiences between the people of different
languages and cultures. The invitation goes out
from the Retazos Company which is directed by
Isabel Bustos. Hundreds of Cubans and foreign
visitors attend, fascinated by this opportunity
to translate into movement the sensations and
emotions that are awakened by the beauty of the
splendid Havana architecture.
For this year’s festival expect Old Havana’s plazas
and streets to be filled with over 1,500 participants
that include dancers, choreographers, musicians
This absolutely unique dance festival began in 1996
in two or three house-museums in the Historical
Center of Havana. In the words of Isabel Bustos, it
started with “five or six people who ran from house
to house, from balcony to balcony, from courtyard
to courtyard, from garden to garden, two dancers
here, two there.” Since then, it has gradually taken
over almost all of the institutions run by the Office
of the Historian as well as the main squares and
streets in all the ancient parts of the city.
The premise behind the International Dance
Festival is to draw inspiration from the city’s
architecture, to awaken the imagination, to
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and painters from all over the world. Part of the
International City Dance Network established in
Barcelona this is a real cultural highlight in the
beating heart of Old Havana, which should not be
missed.
2014: Details of Event
Hundreds of dancers, artists and choreographers
from Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile,
Cuba, Spain, France, Mexico and Venezuela will
take part in the event.
Meetings, exhibitions, lectures, video-dance
showings and passacaglias will take place during
the mornings, while master classes, passacaglias
and workshops will be held in the afternoons. The
evenings have been reserved for shows.
The principal stages will be Plaza de Armas, Plaza
de San Francisco de Asís, Plaza Vieja; Rumiñahui,
Simón Bolívar and Las Carolinas Parks; Galería
Oswaldo Guayasamín, Casa Benito Juárez, Casa
Simón Bolívar, Casa de la Poesía, Factoría Habana,
Vitrina de Valonia, Las Carolinas Theater and
the streets of Mercaderes, Oficios, Amargura and
Obrapía.
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For more information see
Teatro Carolina Amargura
No. 61 e/ San Ignacio y Mercaderes,
Habana Vieja,
www.danzateatroretazos.cu
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Highlights &
Program
Opening & Closing Ceremony (April 9 & 13)
April 9, 4pm at Teatro Las Carolinas. Gigantería
Stilt Walking Company (Havana) / Passacaglias
for the opening of exhibitions Transparencias
(Isabel Bustos and José Eduardo Yanes, Pantalla
TV Movimiento y Ciudad).
April 9, 9pm at Plaza de Armas. Opening of the 19th
International Dance Festival in Urban Landscapes.
Old Havana: City in Motion with the premiere of
Retornos: Gente y ciudad, choreography by Isabel
Bustos with the performance of Gente y ciudad, a
premiere by the Retazos Dance Company.
April 13, 9pm Closing Ceremony at Plaza de
Armas,
Daily Program (April 10-12)
11am to 1.30pm: Shows for kids at various venues
(Sat and Sun ONLY)
3pm starting at Plaza de Armas. Gigantería Stilt
Walking Company (Havana) and TECMA (Pinar del
Río) / Passacaglia presenting guest companies on
streets, parks and plazas
6pm at Casa Benito Juárez, Casa Simón Bolívar,
Casa de la Poesía, Factoría Habana, Vitrina de
Valonia;
7pm at Casa Guayasamín;
8pm at Casa de África;
9pm at Las Carolinas Theater
Video-Dance Festival (April 7-12)
Plaza de Armas
April 9, 8.30pm, Showing of Cosecha, Prizewinner
of Technologias que danzan, 2013
Espacio DV DANZA a La Cancha (Calle Amargura
e/ Mercaderes y San Ignacio)
April 10, 8.30pm, Works performed in the Festival
Breaking 8, Italia
April 11, 8.30pm, Works performed by British
choreographer and filmmaker Billy Cowie
April 12, 8.30pm,
international works
Screening
of
selected
April 13, 8.30pm, Screening of selected national
works
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Visual Arts
Edificio de Arte Cubano. Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
No agradezcan el silencio
by Alexis Leyva (Kcho), Through April
No agradezcan el silencio is an installation by artist
Alexis Leyva (Kcho) who has reproduced a Special
House Unit, known as The Hole, of Miami’s Federal
Detention Center, based on letters and testimonies
from the five Cuban antiterrorists three of whom
remain imprisoned in the US. Those who wish
so may remain locked for five minutes inside the
cell that is about 15 feet long and 7 feet wide (4
by 2m) dressed in prison clothes. The installation
includes a small room (also behind bars) for
temporary exhibitions and a small “classroom” for
the screening of some of the audiovisuals which
have been made on the subject of the Cuban Five
throughout 15 years of struggle for their liberation.
Brey
April 11-June 30
Installations, sculptures, two-dimensional works
and photographs by Ricardo Rodríguez Brey (1955),
a member of the mythical group Volumen I and a
pioneer of conceptual art in Cuba, and who lives
abroad since 1990, in a retrospective that will offer
a comprehensive look into the work of this artist
throughout his life.
Espacio mínimo
April through June
Over 50 pieces by Raúl Milián, one of the most
significant Cuban artists of the second half of
the 20th centiruy, who has depicted a complex
and anguished inner world through small scale
excellent ink paintings.
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Exposición personal de
Tomás Sánchez
Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wifredo
Lam, April 10-May 10
Almost 20 years after having had a solo exhibition
in Cuba, one of the indisputable masters of Cuban
contemporary painting will present his most
recent work in photography with large scale
landscape pictures taken in northern Cuba and in
Costa Rica.
Exposición homenaje a
Antonia Eiriz
Biblioteca Nacional José Martí,
Opens April 18
Exhibition on the occasion of the 85th anniversary
of the birth of painter, draftswoman and printmaker
Antonia Eiriz, one of the great iconoclasts of
Cuban painting in the 20th century. The show Th
includes works in different formats and media
by this artist of heartrending expressionism, and
whose principal themes include death and sorrow.
Her “assemblies of the 1960s”--made of scrap
material--have been considered precursors of the
new aesthetic that would be established in 1980s
Cuban art.
Roberto Fabelo
Casa Museo Antonia Eiriz
Throughout April
Painter Roberto Fabelo Pérez, one of the most
important artists of contemporary Cuban art,
will pay tribute to Antonia Eiriz, her teachings
and to the imprint of her work on Cuban artists
of later generations. The museum is located in the
outskirts of Havana (in the same district as the
Hemingway Museum at Finca Vigía): Pasaje 2da e/
Piedra y Soto, El Juanelo, San Miguel del Padrón
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Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wifredo Lam
April 11
May 13
Las formas del silencio, an
exhibition of works made out
of different materials and some
paintings, by the Cuban sculptor
Agustín Cárdenas (1907-2001.
April 15
May 15
Tiempo detenido, solo show by
Nieves Torralba with her most
recent drawings. She will be
painting a large mural painting on
the back walls of the gallery.
Factoría Habana
Opens
April 11
In Mordida, Celia y Yunior, Dennis
Izquierdo, Mauricio Abad and
Marcel Márquez have conceived
this show as a reaction to
institutionally conditioned social
processes that aim to unify the
organic process of a society.
Opens April
24, 2pm
The Laboratory of Ideas will discuss
the topic “A look into unattended
information from the viewpoint of
visual art” in reference to the show
Mordida.
Centro Cultural Fresa y Chocolate
Throughout Solo exhibition by visual artist
April
Frank Rodríguez Ventosa (F.
Rodvent) with small- and mediumsize drawings done in mixed
technique, along with sculptures
made of artificial stone with which
he aims to reflect on the analogies
of his experiences and existence
itself.
Galería Collage Habana
April-May
Galería Espacio Abierto
April-May
Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wifredo Lam
Through
April 18
Through
April 18
Duniesky
Martin’s
project
Memoria perfecta is structured
on five pieces that reflect on the
contextual adaptation of heroism
and the relative character of its
values based on components such
as the collective memory, esthetic
paradigms, cultural stereotypes
and the media.
The Pure Land, a show by Yornel
J. Martínez, is focused on poetics
as a tangible conception of the
unexplainable.
is the theme of a very diverse
show—Agua salada, in which
water, salt and travel are the basis
of the visual harmonization of
young artists José Eduardo Yaque,
Darwin Estacio, Michel Pérez
Pollo, Alejandro Campins, Luis
Enrique López-Chávez, Alberto
Lago, Elizabeth Cerviño and Yornel
J. Martínez Elías, who—they too—
have traveled from their native
town of Manzanillo to Havana
where they now live and work.
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Contradicciones de Occidente
by Ángel Alonso Blanco focuses
on the contradictions of western
culture and the self-centeredness
of contemporary man with regards
to his surroundings, which leads
them to self-destruction.
Galería Galiano
Throughout Ojo de agua, a solo show by artist
April
Adonis Ferro.
Galería Luz y Oficios
April 8
May 5
In Muela Bizca, Sanfis Suárez
makes use of his profession as
graphic designer to reflect on
history and social behavior.
April 8
May 4
Solo lo que vemos, a show by
Enrique Ángel Cabrera, takes a
look into the representation of
time as a phenomenon that attacks
human personality—it shows a
man who cannot quite understand
his own present time and has to
resort to the past, which he also
did not understand at all.
Through
April 23
Tríptico by Alejandro Jurado,
Armando Pérez and Alberto
Herrera is a look into the paintings
of these artists who base their
work on expressionism and
abstraction.
Centro Hispano Americano de Cultura
Opens April 11 Once more the concept of travel
En rosa proposes different works
by young female artists who reveal
feminine subjectivity and their
imprint in their pieces.
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Galería Villa Manuela
Throughout
April
Avalancha, a group exhibition by
los artistas Alejandro Campins,
Alejandro González and Armando
Capó.
Galería Servando
April 11
May 3
Graduation thesis of Karlos Pérez,
a student of the University of the
Arts (ISA).
Miramar Trade Center
Through
April 21
El mundo de la princesa, first
show in Havana of Cienfuegosborn artist Lisbeth Ledo, proposes
a game of appearances between
a supposed naivety and fantasy
against disquieting emotions and
possibilities
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes.
Edificio de Arte Internacional
Throughout 400 años después. Samuráis
April
en el Museo Nacional de Bellas
Artes is made up 25 Japanese
woodcuts (relief printing artistic
technique in printmaking also
known as xylography) from the
Asia Collection of the museum,
samurai-related pieces of the
“floating world” genre of ukiyo-e,
whose artists belonged mostly to
the Utagawa school of Japanese
woodblock print artists.
Palacio de Lombillo
Throughout In Diálogo, the painter José Ángel
April
Báez look preents 16 drawings
based on sketches by one of the
greats: Petrus Paulus Rubens.
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes.
Edificio de Arte Cubano
April 18
July 7
Imalabra is a 46-year retrospective
of the renowned Puerto Rican
artist Antonio Martorell. The
opening on April 1, 4pm, which
is the artist’s 75th birthday, the
actress and theater director Rosa
Luisa Márquez and the artist
himself will present Veveviejo, an
adpatation for the stage of texts by
Martorell.
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photography
Campos de batalla by
Ossain Raggi
Fototeca de Cuba, Through April 21
A dialogue between pictures on dioramas
representing battle fields in Europe, by Björk
Larson, and the pictures taken by Ossain Raggi
showing the sites where the most important
battles in Cuban history took place.
Respira by Glenda Salazar
Fototeca de Cuba, Through April 21
Documents the artist’s interest for mapping
cities—in this show, in Cuba, Spain and France—
leaving symbols and characters on walls and other
surfaces.
Salvaje by María Cano
Sala de la Diversidad, Opens April 24
A tour of the ten-year work carried out as a
photographer by María Cano and her internist,
artistic approach to the animal life of different
geographical regions.
The artist will talk about her experiences as a
nature photographer on April 25, 2pm at Sociedad
Patrimonio, Comunidad y Medio Ambiente
(Amargura #60 entre Mercaderes y San Ignacio,
Old Havana.
Fototeca de Cuba
April 23
May 14
Compulsión by Irolan Maroselli
and
Yoannys
Aldaya
Irolan
Maroselli and Yoannys Aldaya use
their bodies as models and play
different roles to criticize certain
social contexts.
Sala de la Diversidad
Through
April 21
El Caribe en todo sentido, Videos
and graphic works that show the
Colombian Caribbean region from
five different fields: its nature,
its people, word, action and
expression.
De la Lleca al Cohue: by Violet
Bulé A project by Violet Bulé who
considers photography as an
instrument for social action. The
results of workshops organized in
penitentiary centers with inmates
show the inner world of the
persons behind the camera and
their associations with concepts
like brotherhood, the constitution
of a group as family, and social
dynamics beyond those related to
violence and survival.
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cinema
April 1-6, 2014, Havana
Muestra Joven ICAIC 2014
An event for stimulating awareness and
consideration of new video/filmmakers and
getting into contact with daring and inquisitive
works usually produced outside the official
production. The competition part of the event is
directed at young Cuban filmmakers under 35 who
will compete for prizes in the categories of feature
film, documentary, animation, music and poster.
The event includes three different sections apart
from the competition: La Mirada del Otro, which
will screen feature films, documentaries and
animated films about Cuban themes by filmmakers
from abroad, also under 35; Muestra Internacional,
a sample of selected foreign films; and Muestra
ICAIC, which screens films from the archives of
the Cuban Film Institute.
La sección Haciendo Cine convoca a guionistas
y directores cubanos de hasta 35 años, a la
presentación de proyectos de guiones de ficción
y animación con un esquema de financiamiento
de bajo presupuesto, para que mediante un
pitching se encuentren con entidades que apoyan
la producción audiovisual y acuerden la posible
materialización de filmes. En la clausura se darán a
conocer los proyectos que sean de interés para las
entidades y productoras participantes.
The event also includes theoretical meetings,
discussions, seminaries and workshops with
important Cuban filmmakers, critics and authors;
master classes by outstanding filmmakers
regarding some of their films; and photographic,
poster and visual arts exhibitions.
[email protected]
www.muestrajoven.cult.cu
http://www.cubacine.cu%20/%20muestrajoven
The event encourages spreading knowledge about
and reflecting on audiovisual creations by new
film-makers. Some daring and controversial work
is exhibited; almost always work that has been
produced on the fringes of official institutions.
The competition covers fiction, animated and
documentary films, unpublished scripts, posters by
young Cuban artists, international contemporary
film screenings, theoretical encounters, debates,
seminars and workshops with significant
filmmakers.
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dance
Amigas
Ballet Lizt Alfonso
Teatro Karl Marx, April 5, 10-12, 17-19,
8:30pm; April 6, 13 & 20, 5pm
This new version of the internationally famous
Amigas, a heartrending story of reencounters,
forgiveness
and
friendship,
brings
new
complexities and greater stage dynamics thanks
to new actors and roles in this version of Amigas:
Geidy Chapman will make her debut in the role of
Regla (in which she will alternate with singer Sory);
Lieter Ledezma and Marino Luzardo will play the
TV announcer of the once popular show Música
y Estrellas, and Osvaldo Doimeadiós will play the
coordinator and will also be the assistant director
of this production, and singers Yaíma Sáez and
Niurka Reyes will continue in the cast.
Concert program
Ballet Español de Cuba
Teatro Mella, Sat, April 4 & 5, 8:00pm; Sun,
April 6, 11am (for children) and 5pm
The program is made up by Sonata y fandango,
choreographed by Eduardo Veitía, director of the
company; Sonata en Re by Pablo Egea, Castilla by
Marienma, El violinista by Graciela Santana, and the
suite in three movements, Andaluza, Aubade and
Navarra by Leslie Ung, based on Jules Massenet’s
opera Le Cid. The second part of the show includes
the world premiere of Entre sombras by Graciela
Santana and the presentation of Esencia, Arte y
Tronío by Francis Núñez; Añoranza and Soleá por
bulerías by Pablo Egea, and Fin de fiesta with the
participation of the entire company.
On April 6, 11 am, the show for kids will present
Los zapaticos de rosa by Leslie Ung, based on the
poem of the same name by José Martí. Over 1,000
dancers from different workshops and dance
schools will participate in this show.
Amigas
Ballet Nacional de Cuba
Teatro Mella, April 24, 8:30pm
The program includes Umbral (music by Bach);
Pretextos (music by Marbehant); A la luz de tus
canciones (music by Ernesto Lecuona, Orlando de
la Rosa and Adolfo Guzmán), all choreographed by
Alicia Alonso; pas de deux of Le Corsair (a version
by Alicia Alonso based on Marius Petipa’s original
choreography and music by Riccardo Drigo); and
the world premiere of Caleidos (music by Camille
Saint-Saëns).
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April 20 to 27, 2014
Havana
Concurso y Festival Internacional de Guitarra de La Habana
Much to the delight of its numerous followers, the
International Guitar Festival of Havana is coming
back after far too many years of silence. It was
founded in 1982 by the superb guitarist, composer
and orchestra conductor Leo Brouwer; in previous
editions he managed to assemble significant
figures from the world of international guitar
such as Ichiro Suzuki from Japan, Costas Cotsiolis
from Greece, Paco de Lucia from Spain, the
Argentine Maria Luisa Anido, Francis Bebey from
the Cameroons, David Russell and John Williams
from Britain and the Venezuelan Alirio Diaz to the
Cuban capital.
From the start, the festival has been distinguished
by a broad conceptual base regarding the projection
of the guitar and so there has been plenty of room
for “classical” guitar alongside of popular and
folkloric trends as well as other instruments from
the guitar family coming from a variety of different
cultures.
For this edition, the organizers have announced
the participation of several guitar maestros,
including early music specialists Hopkinson
Smith and Anthony Spiri, remarkable figures of
contemporary guitar such as Álvaro Pierri, Hubert
Käppel, Joaquín Clerch, Ricardo Gallén, Rafael
Aguirre, Marco Tamayo, Franz Hallaz and Jorge
Luis Zamora, as well as exponents of musical
genres, including flamenco guitarist Javier Conde;
the Savarez Duo, who play concert popular
music; tres player tres player Pancho Amat, and
troubadours, guitarists and composers Pedro Luis
Ferrer and Silvio Rodríguez. Other performances
include Yosniel Rivera, second prize winner in
the past two editions of the Isaac Nicola Guitar
Competition, and the Sonantas Habaneras Guitar
Orchestra. Several guest artists will offer master
classes.
For more information contact:
Comité Organizador, Instituto Cubano de la Música, Centro Nacional de Música de Concierto, Teatro Auditórium Amadeo Roldán
Tel.: Direct: (+53) 832-5552.
E-mail: [email protected]
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MUSIC
X Alfonso, 2014
Contemporary Fusion
The contemporary fusion and electronic music
scene has expanded recently as new bars and clubs
have opened party promoters have organized
events in parks and public spaces. Good live music
veneus include Bertolt Brecht (Wed – Interactivo,
Sunday - Déjá-vu) and El Sauce (check out the
Sunday afternoon Máquina de la Melancolía) as
well as the newly opened Fábrica de Arte Cubano
which has concerts most nights Thursday through
Sunday as well as impromptu smaller performances
inside. See last month’s issue for more details.
In Havana’s burgeoning entertainment district
along First Avenue from the Karl Marx theatre to
the aquarium you are spoilt for choice with the
always popular Don Cangreco featuring good live
music (Kelvis Ochoas and David Torrens alternate
Fridays), Las Piedras (insanely busy from 3am) and
El Palio and Melem bar – both featuring different
singers and acts in smaller more intimate venues.
Café Cantante, Teatro Nacional
Centro Hispano Americano de Cultura
Wednesdays Performances by Qva Libre
April 5
5 pm
5 pm
Café Concert El Sauce
Jardines del 1830
5 pm
La Máquina de la Melancolía, with
Frank Delgado and Luis Alberto
García
Sat April 5
Raul Paz
Sundays
10 pm
5 pm
Sundays
10pm
Moncada, one of the most
popular bands in Cuba, playing an
extensive repertoire of Cuban and
Latin American music
La Gruta
April 5
Casa de la Música de Miramar
Tuesdays,
Rocka Blues, headed by Humberto
García Manrufo, and a repertoire
that combines both rock and blues.
Alexander
d’Primera
Abreu
Diablo Tun Tun
Wednesdays Gerardo Alfonso
y
Havana
Tierra Santa and guests.
5 pm
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
April 24
Canela
7 pm
5 pm
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page 17
Salsa / Timba
Alexander Abreu at
Casa de la Música de Galiano.
Photo by Alexander Mene
Casa de la Música de Galiano
Wednesdays
11 pm
José Luis Cortés y NG La
Banda
Thursday
11 pm
Charanga Latina.
Diablo Tun Tun
Tuesdays
Casa de la Música de Miramar
Monday
Wednesdays
Thursdays
El Noro y Primera Clase
11 pm
5 pm
Fridays
Juan Guillermo
11 pm
5 pm
Adalberto Álvarez y su Son
5 pm
11 pm
El Niño y La Verdad
5 pm
5 pm
Tumbao Habana
Wednesdays To Mezclao
11 pm
Thursdays
Saturdays
José Luis Cortés y NG La Banda
Sundays
Sur Caribe
Manolito Simonet y su
Trabuco
José Luis Cortés y NG La
Banda
Lázaro Valdés y Bamboleo
11 pm
Saturdays
5 pm
Manana Club
5 pm
Tania Pantoja
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jazz
Café Jazz Miramar
Shows: 10:30pm - 2am
This new jazz club has quickly established itself as
one of the very best places to hear some of Cuba’s
best musicians jamming. Forget about smoke filled
lounges, this is clean, bright—take the fags outside.
While it is difficult to get the exact schedule and in
any case expect a high level of improvisation when
it is good it is very good.
Jazz Café
Shows: 10:30pm - 2am
Mellow, sophisticated and freezing due to extreme
air conditioning, the Jazz Café is not only an
excellent place to hear some of Cuba’s top jazz
musicians, but the open-plan design also provides
for a good bar atmosphere if you want to chat.
Less intimate than La Zorra y el Cuervo – located
opposite Melia Cohiba Hotel.
La Zorra y el Cuervo
Shows: 10:30pm - 2am
The ‘Fox & Crow’ offers an intimate environment
in this basement venue notably marked by a red
English telephone box at its entrance. Top jazz
players perform here on a nightly basis. Dark,
cramped, low ceilings and an absolute firetrap this
has much more atmosphere of the gritty kind than
the Jazz Café, which seems too pretty and sterile
by comparison.
Asociación Cubana de Derechos de Autor Musical
April 17
6 pm
Proyecto de Jazz Cubano with
Alexis Bosch (piano).
Somavilla
Saturdays
8:30 pm
Zule Guerra (sinfer and composer)
and Blues d’Havana. (admission
free)
Centro Hispano Americano de Cultura
April 1
5 pm
Performance by Yasek Manzano
(trumpet) and his group
UNEAC
April 10
2 pm
Peña La Esquina del Jazz hosted by
showman Bobby Carcassés.
Teatro Miramar
April 4
7 pm
Performance by showman Bobby
Carcassés, along with guest
singer Irina and the band Aire de
Concierto
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Bolero, folklore, son and trova
Asociación Cubana de Derechos de Autor Musical
April 26
6 pm
Manuel Argudín, who sings both
traditional songs to the most
recent trova.
Asociación Yoruba de Cuba
Fridays
Obiní Batá (Folkloric group)
8 pm
Saturdays
Los Ibellis (Folkloric group)
4 pm
Casa de la Cultura Comunitaria Mirta Aguirre
April 27
5 pm
Casa de la Cultura de Plaza
April 12
7 pm
Saturdays
Yoruba Andabo (Folkloric group)
4 pm
5 pm
Thursdays
Elaín Morales.
5 pm
Saturdays
4 pm
Café Teatro Bertolt Brecht
April 26
5 pm
3 pm
April 27
5 pm
Waldo Mendoza, one of Cuba’s
most popular singers today.
A bolero puro, show with Rafael
Espín and guests.
April 5
5 pm
Síntesis
3 pm
April 12
10 pm
7 pm
April 8
7 pm
April 24
24 pm
With his beautiful and powerful
voice, Eduardo Sosa and guests
perform highlights of the best
Cuban trova of all time.
visitcuba.com
Mundito González is one of
the most popular Cuban bolero
singers.
Instituto Internacional de Periodismo José Martí
April 25
6 pm
One-off concert by Vicente Feliú,
Lázaro García and Augusto Blanca,
with guests Pepe Ordaz and
Alejandro Valdés
Peña El Canto de Todos, with
singer-songwriter Vicente Feliú,
one of the founding members of
Cuban Nueva Trova.
Ivette Cepeda, who has been much
celebrated thanks to the subtleties
she brings to her voice and her
wide repertory of Cuban and
international music.
Hurón Azul, UNEAC
Casa del Alba
Feb 1
trova.
Hotel Telégrafo
9:30 pm
Obiní Batá (Folkloric group)
El Jardín de la Gorda with the
performances of trovadores from
every generation.
Wednesdays Trovando, a meeting with good
3 pm
April 12
Performance by the duet Ad
Libitum.
El Jelengue de Areíto
Fridays
Casa de África
Peña
La
Juntamenta,
with
trovadors Ángel Quintero, Benito
de la Fuente and Tato Ayress
Centro Iberoamericano de la Décima
April 12
Café cantante, Teatro Nacional
Peña
with
Marta
Campos,
renowned singer of contemporary
songs with a trova feel to them.
Casa Memorial Salvador Allende
April 25
Cabaret Las Vegas
Get-together with trovador Ireno
García.
Peña La Pupila Asombrada
presents the performances by
singer-songwriters along with
music videos and shorts made
by students from the Audiovisual
Media faculty of the University of
the Arts.
Piano Bar Tun Tun (Casa de la Música de Miramar)
Thursdays
Peña with trovador Ray Fernández
5 pm
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classical MUSIC
Photo by Ivan Soca
Basílica Menor de San Francisco de Asís
April 12
6 pm
April 26
6 pm
Special concert by the Camerata
Romeu, conducted by Zenaida
Romeu.
April 19
6 pm
Concert by the Ventus Habana
wind quintet.
Concert by the Coro Polifónico de
La Habana, conducted by Carmen
Collado.
Biblioteca Nacional José Martí
Saturdays
Performances by soloists and chamber ensembles.
5 pm
Casa del ALBA Cultural
April 6
5 pm
April 13
5 pm
En Confluencia, conducted by
guitarists Eduardo and Galy
Martín.
April 20
Tarde de Concierto, conducted by
the soprano Lucy Provedo.
April 27
5 pm
De Nuestra América, conducted
by pianist Alicia Perea.
Concert by guitarist Rosa Matos.
5 pm
Centro Hispano Americano de Cultura
April 1
5 pm
Presentation of the zarzuela El cafetal, by Ernesto Lecuona, with the performances of soloists
and chorus of the Teatro Lírico Nacional.
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Oratorio San Felipe Neri
April 5
4 pm
April 9
6 pm
Closing concert of the workshop
organized by the German violinist
and
musicologist
Thomas
Hengelbrock for the ISA Symphony
Orchestra who will perform along
with members of the BalthasarNeumann-Ensemble conducted
by Hengelbrock.
April 26
4 pm
Concert by the viola player Anolan
González and guest musicians.
Concert by the chorus Schola
Cantorum Coralina.
Sala Covarrubias, Teatro Nacional
Sundays
Concerts by the National Symphony Orchestra.
11 pm
Sala Gonzalo Roig. Palacio del Teatro Lírico Nacional
April 30
Cuerda Dominical with guitarist Luis Manuel Molina.
5 pm
Sala Ignacio Cervantes
April 13
6 pm
April 20
6 pm
The wind quintet Ébanos de La
Habana, conducted by Laura
Calderón, will play new pieces of
composers J. Montilla and Javier
Zalba, as well as works by Paquito
D’Rivera, Ernán López-Nussa,
Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker.
Guest musicians include Fadev
Sanjudo (trumpet), Javier Zalba
(sax), and Vicente Monterrey and
Alejandro Calzadilla (clarinet).
April 27
6 pm
The chamber duo Ondina, made
up by Niurka González (flute)
and María del Henar Navarro
(piano) will play works by Jules
Mouquet, Paul Taffanel, Gabriel
Fauré, Philippe Gaubert and Henri
Büsser.
The Orquesta de Cámara de La
Habana, conducted by Daiana
García, with guest musicians Karla
Martínez (piano) and Alejandro
Calzadilla,will play works by 20thcentury composers Dmitri D.
Shostakovich, Claude Debussy,
Witold Roman Lutosławski, Carlos
Fariñas and José Víctor Gavilondo.
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April 8 to 11, 2014
Havana
IX Coloquio y Festival Internacional de Música y
Poesía Nicolás Guillén
Dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the
publication in 1934 of West Indies Ltd., a book of
poetry by Guillén, and to the geographical and
cultural contexts that motivated him in his work,
the event calls together specialists and whoever
is interested in discussing about the economy,
culture and life in the Caribbean region. Lectures,
panel discussions and open meetings will deal with
two major topics:
The colloquium’s program will include music
recitals and poetry readings, popular, symphonic
and choral music concerts, visual arts exhibitions
and other activities that are related to the themes
that are the focus of the event.
• The Caribbean and the nations making it up,
heterogeneity and homogeneity in the Caribbean,
historical, cultural, artistic, literary, social, political,
economic and migratory aspects and more.
• The Nicolás Guillén/Caribbean relationship seen
from a poetic point of view and highlighting his
own experiences with peoples and personalities
based on studies that have been written about
West Indies Ltd.
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Theatre
Photos by Alex Mene
Antigonón,
un contingente épico
Performed by Teatro El Público / Directed by Carlos Díaz
Teatro Trianón, Fri & Sat, 8:30pm; Sun, 5pm
Antigonón, un contingente épico, Carlos Diaz and his troupe, Teatro el Publico’s most recent performance
involves a trip back to the classics, guided and partnered by Rogelio Orizondo who wrote Antigonón,
un contingente épico especially for them. Carlos is the most well-known and brilliant Cuban theatre
director with a reputation for directing plays with abundant nudity, transvestites and subtle winks at
the Cuban national reality. Antigonón does not disappoint—go see it for yourself!
Bravo Edith
Centro Cultural Bertolt Brecht. Sala Tito
Junco, Fri & Sat, 8:30pm; Sun, 5pm
Bravo Edith is the new production by La Gaviota
Theater Company, a tribute to the French
chanteuse Edith Piaf. The play deals with a little
known aspect of the singer’s life—her desire to
live and love despite her unhappy life and mortal
disease.
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¡Ay, Carmela!
Sala Adolfo Llauradó, Fri & Sat, 8:30pm;
Sun, 5pm
Actor and director Pancho García will be presenting
his version of ¡Ay, Carmela! a tragicomedy by
Spanish playwright José Sanchis Sinisterra. Young
actors Liliana Lam and Alberto González play the
roles of Carmela and Paulino, a couple of travelling
actors in an extreme situation during the Spanish
Civil War.
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For kids
Mowgli el mordido por los
lobos
Teatro La Proa
Teatro Nacional de Guiñol , Fri 4, 3pm; Sat
5 & Sun 6, 11am y 5pm
Very closely structured in keeping with the many
adventures of Mowgli from Rudyard Kilpling’s
The Jungle Book, this puppet version directed by
Arneldy Cejas is an appeal to overcome difficulties
in life.
XI Taller Internacional de
Títeres
Teatro de la Orden Tercera
April 25, 3:00 pm: Circo de madera by the
Karromato Group (Czech Republic)
April 29, 3:00 pm: Circo de sueños by the Gira-Sol
Group (Uruguay)
April 30, 3:00 pm: El alma del pueblo, by the
Etcétera Group (Spain).
En Buena Compañía
Carpa Trompoloco
Sat & Sun, 4pm & 7pm
The magical and adventurous world of the circus
continues. Cuba’s prime circus venue, Carpa
Trompoloco, presents “En Buena Compañía” (In
Good Company), the new show featuring, among
other acts, tightrope walkers, acrobats, clowns,
gymnasts, trained animals, and the fascinating
flying trapeze, which was awarded the Grand Prix
during the past CIRCUBA 2013 Festival.
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Around Cuba
Festival Piña Colada
April 3-6, 2014, Ciego de Ávila
The first Piña Colada Festival was held in Camagüey
in 2004, and since the second edition it has been
held in the central province of Ciego de Avila.
Throughout the years, it has maintained its goal of
promoting Cuban artistic work and strengthening
the ties among leading avant-garde composers
and musicians through peñas, concerts, recitals,
theoretical events and audiovisual shows.
Dedicated to the 50th anniversary of EGREM the
President Arnaldo Roddríguez has confirmed the
presence of musicians from all over the island who
special shows devoted to jazz, rock, contemporary
fusion, popular dance music, Nueva Trova and Hip
Hop, among other genres and styles.
BarrioCuento 2014
April 2 to 6, 2014, Pinar del Rio
The Teatro Cimarrón company and the Pinar del
Rio Consejo Provincial de las Artes Escénicas
will present the 16th BarrioCuento International
meeting for Theatrical Oral Works dedicated this
year to the narrator and folklorist Samuel Feijóo,
the short story writer and winner of the National
Literature Prize Nersys Felipe and to the legacy of
the Canary Islands on Cuban culture.
The event aims to rescue rural storytelling, myths
and cosmogonies of country folk through oral
shows and dramatized stories, tales through sung,
controversies within improvised verse and the
Cuban punto, guateques and other countryside
festivities and traditions.
Taller Internacional de
Teatro de Títeres
April 21 to 27, 2014, Matanzas City
Based on the successful experiences of puppet
theater companies from Matanzas, especially
those from the El Papalote Theater and Teatro
de las Estaciones, this workshop will be
offering lectures, master classes, exhibitions,
presentations of specialized texts, a theoretical
event and performances, some of which will be
premieres. This year pays homage to the Guiñol de
Guantánamo. It will also bring together a selected
group of Island residents and others who belong
to the Cuban diaspora.
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The Gran Torneo de Cuba Golf 2014
10-12 April 2014, Varadero
Formerly the Montecristo Cup
For Mark Twain, golf was famously a good walk
ruined. For me I generally feel the same about golf
competitions, why bother when you can simply
play with friends with a cooler full of beer when
you want with no stress. Yet since the Montecristo
(and formerly Essencia Cup) started a few years
ago every April I not only find myself making the
trek out to Varadero but loving it.
The Varadero course stands at 6,856 yards, has a
par of 72 and is beautifully maintained. Stylistically
think beachfront links along a gorgeous coastline
mixed with tropical parkland and Florida lakes.
Re-designed by Canadian les Furber the two loops
of nine-holes are challenging yet pretty fair. The
competition itself is well organized, with good
prizes, the weather at this time of year is great and
with interesting playing companions, what’s not to
like other than the invariable shank off the first,
slice on the second, three put on the forth…
Details:
Friday April 11th - Saturday April 12th 2014 There
will be two tournament days of individual play. The
2014 Esencia Cup will be given to the best individual
gross score from those days. The 2014 Gran Torneo
de Cuba Golf will be given to the best individual net
score from those days. The competition is open to
those with a handicap of 24 or under (men) or 30 or
under (women).
See event website
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