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Love in a time of temba The 2013 Lucas Music Awards Carlos Diaz’s shockingly good Antígona

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Festival of New Latin American Cinema December 5-15, 2013 p 20

The Havana Jazz Plaza Festival Dec 19-23, 2013 p 33

Las Parrandas de Remedios December 24, 2013

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Guide to the Best places to eat, drink, dance and visit in Havana

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Lucas Music Awards, Teatro Karl Marx (Nov, 2013) by Ana Lorena Gamboa

editorial

Cover photo by Alex Mene Photo taken at Las Parrandas de Remedios, Dec 24, 2012

Welcome to What’s On Havana – December 2013. We wish you all a great holiday season. Thank for your interest in our publication and hope that 2014 is a year of health, happiness and prosperity for you all. Thanks to our star cast of writers this month. Lydia Bell, Conner Gorry, Chen Lizra. Lydia takes us in search of paradise on a luxury yacht cruising the Southern Islands, Chen explains what it means to talk a lo Cubano while Conner Gorry describes what it is to find Love in a time of Temba. We also have reviews and features on the best events from last month including Carlos Diaz’s shockingly good Antígona, the 2013 Lucas Music Awards and the 2013 Love In Festival. For those interested in Cuban customs and traditions around Christimas, Las Parrandas de Remedios are a must while the Charangas de Bejucal come a close second. Juan Carlos Alom’s Christmas Song comes with a beautiful video showing the Cuban family. To see the fascinating fusion of Afro-Cuban Santeria with the Catholic Church join the Pilgrimage to Rincón for the feast of San Lázaro on December 17. December sees two of Cuba’s premier festivals: the Havana Latin American Film Festival (Dec 5-15) and the Havana Jazz Plaza Festival (Dec 19-23). Cubans suffer from Cinemania Febril Virulans, (film fever) so expect big crowds out to see a huge range of films day and night across the city. This year’s jazz festival is dedicated to Chucho Valdés’s late father Bebo Valdés and will be an opportunity to see world class jazz players jamming, improvising and generally thrilling jazz aficionados with the range and quality of talent. Elsewhere Pablo Milanés performs a rare concert at Teatro Mella on Dec 18. Highlights of a busy classical music program includes the celebration of Maestro Guido López-Gavilán’s 70th birthday on December 14 and a Boxing Day special by Cuban composer José María Vitier, both at the Basílica Menor de San Francisco de Asís. If you like ballet and you are at the beach in Guardalavaca, don’t miss Vladimir Malakhov performing in Holguin on Dec 6-7. Back in Havana, the National Ballet has several performances throughout the month while the highlight for contemporary dance has to be the performance of InTimE by the French-Hungarian company Pal Frénak. Finally, thanks to Cuba Libro (24 and 19 in Vedado) who will upload this Guide to your pen drive for free when you buy a coffee/mango juice at this unique oasis of nature and literature. Please keep providing us with your feedback to [email protected]

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contents december 2013

Love in a time of temba p7 By Conner Gorry

Niels Reyes: Scratching beneath the surface p15 By Victoria Alcalá

Havana’s Film Fever p18 By Juliet Barclay

The 2013 Lucas Music Awards p28 By Victoria Alcalá

The Havana Jazz Plaza Festival p33 By Juliet Barclay

Carlos Diaz’s shockingly good Antígona p45 By Victoria Alcalá

Photo by Alexander Mene

Visual arts p12 - Photography p17- Cinema p20 Dance p22- Music p25- Opera p42- Theatre p43 - Literature p41

havana culture

CUBAN CUSTOMS

Pilgrimage to Rincón (Dec 17) p52 ByVictoria Alcalá

Las Parrandas de Remedios (Dec 24) p54 ByVictoria Alcalá

Learning to talk a lo Cubano p49 By Chen Lizra

Travel

Paradise found… p59

Havana Guide

Guide to the Best places to eat, drink, dance and visit in Havana p67

by By Lydia Bell


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Not to miss during December 2013 what’s on havana

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Movie night at home – Still waiting for What’s On Havana to come out!

Watch Gloria, Club Sandwich, Heli, Eden or La Paz (our Film Festival picks).

Roberto Fonseca & Temperamento @ Jazz Café, 11PM

Closing of Havana Jazz Plaza Festival

Take the dog for a long walk. Avoid drinking.

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Interactivo matinee @ Café Cantante, 5pm.

InTimE by FrenchHungarian company Pal Frénak @ Teatro Mella, 8.30pm

Pilgrimage to Rincón for the feast of San Lázaro

Las Parrandas de Remedios

Toby Brocklehurst’s New Year’s Eve Party; http://www.havanaconcierge.com/

Fuera de quicio @ Bertolt Brecht, 7pm

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Maykel Blanco y su Salsa Mayor matinee @ Casa de la Música de Galiano, 11pm.

Eliades Ochoa performs at FIART in La Cabaña, 6pm

Warm up Jam for the Jazz Plaza Festival, Cine 23 y 12, 5pm

Christmas Day with the family

Interactivo @ Bertolt Brecht, 11pm

Pablo Milanés @ Teatro Mella, 8pm

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Opening of The Havana Latin American Film Festival @ Karl Marx theatre

De Eros, vampiros y Tapoks opens @ Centro Hispano Americano de Cultura, 5pm

Opening of Havana Jazz Plaza Festival @ Teatro Nacional de Cuba (Dec 19-23)

José María Vitier, @ the Basílica Menor de San Francisco de Asís

Gala (ballet) performance for Esther Borja @ Teatro Mella

Cuban Hip Hop Award @ Carpa Trompoloco, 7pm

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Vladimir Malakhov in Holguin (Dec 6-7th)

65th anniversary performance of Ballet Nacional de Cuba, 8pm

Giselle Teatro Nacional, 8pm

Manolito Simonet y su Trabuco at Casa de la Música de Galiano, 11pm

Maylú @ Café Concert Adagio, 10pm

Eliades Ochoa at El Sauce, 10 pm

Find Cuba’s best jazz musicians performing as part of the Jazz Festival

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ISH golf tournament

Guido López-Gavilán’s 70th birthday @ Basílica Menor de San Francisco de Asís.

Pub crawl: Essencia Habana, Espacios, Don Cangrejo, Sangri-La Las Piedras (in that order!)

Harold López-Nussa and Ruy Adrián López-Nussa @ Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, 7pm.

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Visit FIART @ the Morro-Cabaña Complex

Ballet Español de Cuba Giselle @Teatro in El fantasma @ Teatro Nacional, 5pm Nacional 5pm

Rancho Palco matinee followed by concert at El Sauce

Habana a todo color, Roberto Fonseca & (theatre) Bertolt Brecht, Temperamento (Jazz) @ 8pm Jazz Café, 11PM

Ballet Lizt Alfonso y sus generaciones ¡A Escena @ Teatro Mella, 8pm

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Charangas de Bejucal

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Manolito Simonet y su Trabuco @ Casa de la Música de Galiano, 11pm

Sat

QVA Libre matinee @ Café Cantante, 5pm

Circus @ Carpa Trompoloco, 4pm & 7pm


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Mention Cuba Absolutely when booking to get a discount

Wed

Happy new year

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Love in a time of temba Photos by Alex Mene

By Conner Gorry I’m what’s known in these parts as a ‘temba.’ The term generally applies to anyone, male or female, over 40. It’s not a hard and fast rule – a younger person who looks older may be called a temba – nor does it infer, like other terms such as ‘tía’ and ‘pura,’ that the person is over the hill sexually, physically or otherwise. Temba is not derogatory; it’s simply a category of Cuban, used here to describe a state of being, similar to our use of descriptive terms like negro, chino, flaca, santero or maricón(see note 1). One thing I love about Cuba is its integrated, intergenerational nature. This facilitates friendships with Cubans aged 12 to 84 – something I cherish and which is harder to achieve in the United States. Naturally, however, many of my colleagues and consortes are other tembas. Over years of observation and recently a more in-depth investigation into Cuban sexual practices and mores for a larger piece I’m writing, a couple of tendencies keep cropping up: flexible fidelity is one, titimanía is the other.

there is something creepier when the ages are more advanced and the age differences greater. Take my friend Carlos. When I met him a decade ago, he was 40 and his live-in girlfriend was 18. Jenny was gorgeous, of course, but a child – intellectually, developmentally, and practically. Just out of high school, she’d never had to pay a bill, work, or worry about a leaking faucet or roof. After four years together, the relationship ended disastrously, with Jenny hightailing it to Miami taking Carlos’ expensive gifts – jewelry, clothes, electronics – with her. Pre-ordained, perhaps, but that didn’t faze Carlos.

Simply put, titimanía is the compulsion temba men have to date impractically young women. This is not limited to Cuba, of course, but by parsing how universal behaviors play out here, I hope to provide insight into the particularities and peculiarities of the Cuban character – for all our sakes (see note 2).

He quickly “recovered” (I’ve noticed men, Cuban and otherwise, tend to rebound fast – but incompletely – from ravaged relationships) and before long had Tania living with him. Prettier than Jenny, smarter, and worldlier, Tania was 22. After a few years, that relationship also ended badly, worse even than the one previous. Tania and Carlos barely speak today, which is uncommon in Cuba where circumstances and reasons too complex to elaborate here fairly obligate exes to remain on good terms. Uncommon and sad: their kids from previous relationships had become siblings and when they split it signaled an end to their blended family to the detriment of everyone involved, even if they don’t realize it.

Before proceeding, I should disclose that I’m no stranger to the attractions of older men: at 16, my first serious boyfriend was 26, an arrangement for which he could have been prosecuted in our hometown of New York. While I think statutory rape laws are ridiculous in cases where everyone consents to getting it on, I admit

Today, Carlos is 50 and has recently taken a 20-year old wife. I haven’t yet met her but have heard through radio bemba (our grapevine) that she’s hot and terribly boring, limiting dinner conversations to her new shoes, so-so manicure, and how the sushi she tried last week ‘totally grossed her out’ (see note 3).


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Alejandro could tell I was irked by his titimanía and its inequitability. “What chance is there for Elena and her ilk, when you guys are chasing skirts just out of high school?” “Mira, mi amiga,” he said smiling, his eyes crinkling around the corners they way they do with happy people, “from the age of 15, girls try to look older and do all kinds of things to enhance their beauty and heighten their self-worth – fake nails, fake boobs, dyed hair, high heels, the works. Old guys like me don’t do any of that. Instead, we pump up our egos by dating young women.” “So tembas like you have the mentality of a teenage girl?” I wanted to say, but didn’t. Not all 20-somethings are that vapid and clearly, I better understand what’s in it for the women. Older men tend to be better than their younger counterparts in bed (if less athletic and enduring); have more status and economic possibilities; and generally have a clearer idea of what they want in life and are already well on their way to getting it (or should be). However, once men hit that temba threshold, what they want are girls young enough to be their daughters. My 48-year old friend Elena is finding this out the hard way: after 15 years of marriage, she’s divorced and dating. Elena’s not looking for a new husband or live-in (the two are synonymous here); far from it. She just wants a healthy, available guy for a good time. You’d think this would be easy in libidinous, gregarious Cuba. Not so for Elena. ‘No niños for me,’ she tells me. ‘I don’t want to teach them the art of the orgasm or have to finance our affair. I’ve got my own kids, I don’t need another.’ Elena is looking for someone age appropriate and therein lies the rub: every man her friends try and fix her up with is interested in women her daughter’s age. They are, in short, suffering from acute titimanía. She has actually been told to her face: ‘you’re too old.’ And although they always put it in the nicest way possible, it’s getting her down. Once you rule out the married, infantile (of which there are many), gay, and titimaniacal tembas, Elena’s roster of eligible men is as short as Fidel’s speeches were long. And she’s discouraged, pobrecita.

Laying my indignation aside, I could see his point. It’s about the self-esteem boost for everyone involved. But where does this leave Elena? Alejandro couldn’t provide an answer beyond: “I don’t know, but she’s too temba for my taste.” Notes 1. This last term, meaning ‘fag’ or ‘queer’ is used in Cuba to denote male homosexuals. And while it’s inherently homophobic – which is why I don’t use it – many highly-educated and cultured people use maricón to classify gay men (or derisively with their straight friends). I employ it here by way of illustration only.

2. Equally as interesting are behaviors which don’t manifest here. For example, the reverse – a young Cuban buck getting jiggy with a cougar or MILF hasn’t caught on here like in the United States (the 13-year old who couldn’t peel his eyes from my temba friend Lucia’s cleavage, declaring her ‘hot and chesty,’ notwithstanding).But I’ll leave this for another post.

3. While I predict this marriage will be short-lived, I have friends who have been in one of these May-December relationships for ten years. They’re healthy and happy and while it remains to be seen what that relationship will look like when she’s 35 and he’s 63, so far so good. More power to them.

Continue to read full article + slideshow

The titimanía phenomenon came up the other day while I was talking to our mutual friend Alejandro. Clever and fit, with a comely face that belies his 50 years, Alejandro is one of the guys posited – and rejected – as a possible hook up for Elena; he likes them younger. Cubans are very frank about such things, which is efficient at least: while men here might date fat, unemployed, golddigging, or gap-toothed women, age is not negotiable and they don’t waste time saying flat out ‘you’re too old’ (in the nicest way possible).

Conner Gorry is one of the most insightful writers about Cuba. Author of Here is Havana blog (http://hereishavana.wordpress.com/), she also puts together the Havana Good Time iPad/ Phone/Touch application http://itunes.apple.com/app/havana-good-time/id385663683?mt=8 (Android version) http://sutromedia.com/android/Havana_Good_Time - essential guide to What’s On in Havana.


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ALL FOR US$ 2.99 Free updates for life

Havana Good Time Discover Havana on your iPhone, iPad and Android, for the price of a mojito! Written by resident author and travel expert, Conner Gorry, Havana Good Time is:

Fully functional in Cuba without internet connection Top rates in iTunes Scrupulously researched and continually updated Packed with the hottest new clubs, bars and paladars

About the Author Travel writer, essayist, and journalist Conner Gorry first landed in Havana in 1993. Conner has traveled the length and breadth of Cuba writing on everything from wild camping to disaster medicine, 5-cent cigars and funerals.

Visual Arts

Post-it Galerías Collage Habana and Galería Galiano,Through January 2014 Post-it, exhibition and sale of works resulting from the competition of the same name, which aims to present the artistic production of young Cuban artists. Fifty-six pieces (prints, paintings, sculptures, photographs, video art and installations) were chosen among students from the San Alejandro Art Academy and the Visual Arts Provincial Academies, as well as three self-taught artists, all under age 35.

La fuente de la vida Galería El Reino de este Mundo, Biblioteca Nacional José Martí Through December 14

Erotic oil paintings by Servando Cabrera Moreno. La fuente de la vida. Erotic oil paintings by Servando Cabrera Moreno exhibits works painted by Cabrera Moreno between 1970 and 1981, some of which have never been shown before. The exhibition includes documents held at the National Library related to the notable Cuban intellectual Alfredo Guevara and the artist.

Picassum Tremens Casa Víctor Hugo, Through January 18

In Picassum Tremens artists Eduardo Abela, Alicia de la Campa, Sinecio Cuétara, Hilda María Enríquez, Arístides Hernández (Ares), Pedro Pablo Oliva, Ángel Rivero (Andy) and Reinerio Tamayo offer their own personal views of Pablo Picasso.


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Visual Arts

De Eros, vampiros y Tapoks Centro Hispano Americano de Cultura Opens December 12, 5pm

De Eros, vampiros y Tapoks, by Juan Padrón, curated by poet and essayist Rafael Acosta de Arriba, brings out Padrón’s mastery in drawing and his intelligent humor in an area quite different from the Elpidio Valdés animated films, which he is famous for. Sixty pieces made up of erotic drawings and watercolors accompany over 100 short animated films called Erotips in its world premiere. Galería Habana Through

Jan 18

Centro Hispano Americano de Cultura In Picassum Tremens artists Eduardo Abela, Alicia de la Campa, Sinecio Cuétara, Hilda María Enríquez, Arístides Hernández (Ares), Pedro Pablo Oliva, Ángel Rivero (Andy) and Reinerio Tamayo offer their own personal views of Pablo Picasso.

Galería Villa Manuela Through January 10

Mare magnum mare nostrum by Meira Marrero and José Ángel Toirac exhbits recent pieces by the artsits, who give their own personal view of Cuba, sun and beach.

Palacio de Lombillo DecemberJanuary

La historia es larga, la vida es corta by Luis Antonio Espinosa Fruto takes a transgressive and at times ironic look into the complex relation and interaction between History and History.

Opens De Eros, vampiros y Tapoks, by December 12 Juan Padrón, curated by poet and essayist Rafael Acosta de Arriba, 5 pm brings out Padrón’s mastery in drawing and his intelligent humor in an area quite different from the Elpidio Valdés animated films, which he is famous for. Sixty pieces made up of erotic drawings and watercolors accompany over 100 short animated films called Erotips in its world premiere. Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Arte Cubano Opens La isla del día después is a December 9 collection of watercolors by Luis Enrique Camejo. In a postimpressionist manner and the artist’s personal style, the city is seen under a heavy storm as an expression of its inner state, as a reflection of the checkered times.


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Niels Reyes: Scratching beneath the surface Since his debut on the Cuban visual arts scene, Niels Reyes (Santa Clara, 1977) has picked up many plaudits and prizes and is often featured as one of Cuba’s very best new generation of Cuban artists– not so much up-and-coming but in the here and now. He is most well known for deciphering what lurks behind human faces. He seeks to delve into the depths, seeking the unknown. Much of his work centers on a series of images that symbolize happy moments from the past, which have been demolished by the aridness of evolution. A kind of frozen childhood makes its appearance. His paintings are not the mere delight of putting together a character dominated by color and the desire to establish a new manner of expression. He is drawn to seeking the drama of an individual, of many of his contemporaries. Dawn, fire, a river, fields, a tree, fruit, the sea or a train–all these are symbols that interact with the characters in his paintings. And these characters are beings that have been deeply disturbed by dilemmas and who invite the viewer to discover their essence.


Niels’ journey of apprenticeship to the present has been a patient one, proceeding step by step to remove the outer layers until he has been able to touch his truth and to create a recognizable style. His clearness of form comes from abstraction, maturing into a style that depicts the complexities of a gesture that may have different meanings. Some of his paintings give the impression of being scratched with a knife or spatula thereby making the images more credible, emotional and dramatic. One can see the filtration of the echoes of vanguard movements: Bad-Painting and Postexpressionism, for example. Surrealism is present in his unique lyricism and a touch of the absurd: Llevar hierba para el dragón [Bring Grass for the Dragon] (2010) or La última presa de la temporada [The Last Catch of the Season] (2010). These two works and others created in 2010 have an excellent narrative quality. Reyes creates a kind of mystery that leaves the viewer in suspense and works very well for him. Nothing is ever completely resolved. El primer Amor [First Love] is a fabulous painting


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relationship that makes the conflict perfectly visible. At other times they are fugitives from the story. The stories are often rooted in the everyday such as in a series of paintings on cardboard that were done in 2010 under the title of Emos: he depicts picturesque beings who are denizens of the night along the Vedado G Street. It is a comment on an era and a specific social milieu. In 2009, Neils had also used such characters in a work entitled Pop histerico [Hysterical Pop]. The characters appear to be followed by a shadow in Síntoma del milenio [Symptom of the Millennium] that represents strength and energy and directly intervenes in the spectator’s form of being. These canvases have proven to be particularly effective. Much could be said about Niels Reyes’s children. The pupils of their eyes are captivating, apparently allowing the essences of things to enter and exit through them. From Un niño ballena [Whale-Child] to Niña que mira [Little Girl Looking], a bridge has been constructed like a fiction that is capable of catching the spectator again and again. that has removed itself from anything that is pretentious, the product of a naturalness that gives the impression of being ready to throw the lovers on top of us without giving us the option to escape. Since 2005, the contents of Niels’ painting have been taken through different stages. To be noted is how his lead characters face up to the story. Sometimes there is a frontal approach, a direct

In his 2013 work, Niels reveals a strong autobiographical tendency. A crucial moment between art and life is evident in Esperando a Carolina [Waiting for Caroline] (his daughter). In Born, the little girl is poised between the destinies of this world and becomes an obsession that presses on the creative nerve. [email protected] www.nielsreyes.com


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photography

Ciudades de silencio Convento de San Francisco de Asís Opens December 5

Photographers Ignacio Barrios, Isabel Martínez and Alberto Chino Arcos (Cuba) capture not only the artistic treasures of each of the sites but also the sensations that the Père-Lachaise Cemetery in París, the La Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires and the Cristóbal Colón Cemetery in Havana can cause.

Cuba iluminada Sala de la Diversidad Opens December 12

The exhibition is a collection of pictures of over 100 important figures of Cuban culture taken by the Spanish photographer Héctor Garrido from 2010-2013. During these years, the renowned photographer has worked on a project that includes culture in its more comprehensive meaning–artistic and literary manifestations, science and sports.

D’Prensa Casa Oswaldo Guayasamín Throughout November

Pablo Víctor Bordón Pardo, a student at the University of the Arts, questions “objective reality’ through his own realities.


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34th International Festival of New Latin American Cinema: December 5-15, 2013, Havana


Havana’s Film Fever By Juliet Barclay


During the first two weeks of December, a virulent plague takes hold of Havana. Immunization is impossible and there’s no option but to surrender. The consolation is that there are so many fellowsufferers with whom to compare notes on symptoms, cures and pulling extended sickies from work. Employers are not inclined to be sympathetic to doctor’s certificates for Cinemania Febril Virulans, or to give it its common name, Film Fever. The cause of the epidemic is the annual Latin America Havana Film Festival. For a fortnight, queues wind round and round the blocks which house the main cinemas and a hot trade takes place in passes and tickets. The riskier the film, the further from the center of town it seems to be shown, so serious movie buffs often find themselves driving to tiny cinemas in obscure little villages in what seems like the back of beyond to see films which don’t always merit the journey. But a desperate mustsee mentality has the habaneros in its inexorable grip, and all reason is abandoned in the keen-eyed pursuit of celluloid novelty. The names of the stars are on ever yone’s lips, scandalous gossip about their private lives passes from balcony to balcony and strange disjointed conversations take place about the convolutions of plots and individual characterizations as the previous night’s offerings are mercilessly dissected in kitchens and offices

all over the city. The infection spreads like wildfire and before very long it passes to cities all over the island. Since December 3, 1979 Cuba’s flamboyant capital has been the venue for the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema. Local passion for the ‘Seventh Art’ dates back to 6pm on Sunday, January 24, 1897 when the island’s first film was exhibited in a small hall close to the former Tacón Theatre, now the Gran Teatro de La Habana. According to contemporary newspaper reports, over two thousand habaneros turned out to see a series of 20-minute shows that continued until midnight. With the same enthusiasm exhibited by their ancestors, millions of film buffs throughout Cuba support the Festival, which has served as a launch pad for Latin American cinematography and become one of the leading festivals of the region. With awards in categories that include animated film, documentary, fiction, first work, unpublished script and poster, as well as direction, screenplay, actor, actress, art direction, music, film editing and sound, the Festival has not only honored filmmakers and technicians of the region, but also the best films on Latin American subjects by directors from further afield. The energetic atmosphere of the Festival and the discussions it provokes have caused numerous


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cinematic celebrities to visit Havana: Steven Spielberg, Pedro Almodóvar–accompanied by his creative harem, Francis Ford Coppola, Carlos Saura, Oliver Stone, Robert Redford, Jack Nicholson, Robert de Niro and Michel Legrand have been welcomed with the same enthusiasm with which earlier habaneros greeted Marlon Brando, Ava Gardner, Frank Sinatra, Cesare Zavattini and Alain Delon. It remains to be seen whether one of Havana’s barmen will create a cocktail named after a star… somehow, asking for a Cameron Diaz doesn’t have quite the same ring to it as a request for a Mary Pickford. The Havana Film Festival has also contributed to the recovery of Cuban cinematography, which had declined due to the economic crisis in Cuba in the 1990s, by supporting partnerships with overseas production companies. It’s the variety and creativity of films shown at the Havana Film Festival every year that attract thousands of visitors eager to experience Latin American cinema, meet its most significant figures, attend collateral screenings and throw themselves into the frenzied comings and goings of Cuban moviegoers. Film fever, like malaria, recurs, but if you’re not afraid of infection we’ll see you in Havana in December.


For more information see http://www.habanafilmfestival.com/topmenu/index.php?top=reglamento&sub=english


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Preview “Brothers and sisters…”: we are going to miss the voice of its president-founder Alfredo Guevara this year giving the inaugural speech. One of Cuba’s most intelligent, courageous and clear-headed intellectuals, Guevara died on April 13th of this year. But as he would have wanted, the Festival goes on. Indeed audiences are already buying their “passports” which, for the 20 pesos in national currency that translates to less than one US dollar, provides entry to 15 shows. They are also starting to chatter about who wins the Corales prizes among the Official Section entries of 21 fiction feature films, 21 “opera primas”(newcomer offerings), 22 mid- and short-length films, 30 documentaries, 31 animated features and 25 new scripts. Look out for:

Gloria [Chile]

Club Sándwich [Mexico]

Heli [Mexico]

Directed by Sebastián Lelio

Directed by Fernando Eimbcke

Directed by Amat Escalante

To be shown at the Festival inaugural night. A story set in Santiago and centered on Gloria, a free-spirited older woman, and the realities of her whirlwind relationship with a former naval officer whom she meets out in the clubs. Best Director award for Lelio at BAFICI and a Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Gently sketches the effect of a preteen’s budding puberty on his clingy mom. Not another coming-of-age story so much as a rarer study of a mother coming to accept the imminent end of her son’s childhood.

Love story between a young girl and a police man, both of them had connections with drugs but in opposite ways. This will create a conflict that love will try to overcome. Winner of Palme d’Or from Cannes for Best Director and the Lima Jury Prize for Best Film.


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Memorias cruzada [Brazil]

Tatuaje [Brazil]

Directed by Lucia Murat

Directed by Hilton Lacerda

An ironic look at the present lives of some old militants against the military dictatorship; the cast has the presence of the popular veteran Italian actor Franco Nero.

Taking place in a cabaret theatre in the northeastern Brazil where a group of artists take a stand against the authorities and conventional morals, supported by artists, intellectuals and their homosexual audience

Vestido de novia [Cuba]

Boccaccerías habaneras [Cuba]

Directed by Marilyn Solaya

Directed by Arturo Sotto

With an all-star cast - Laura De La Uz, Luis Alberto Garcia, Isabel Santos and Jorge Perugorría – about a man who discovers, after a few months of marriage, that his wife is a transsexual.

An irreverent and uninhibited Creole “Decameron”

La paz [Argentina] Directed by Santiago Loza About a young man’s dilemma as he is released from a psychiatric institution and he tries to reconstruct his life holding on to the bra of a Bolivian maid and the love of his grandmother.

Wakolda [Argentina] Directed by Lucia Puenzo Nominated in sixteen categories at the Sur Awards of the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Argentina. The true story of an argentine family who lived with Josef Mengele without knowing his true identity, and of a girl who fell in love with one of the biggest criminals of all times.

Festival passes will be on sale as of November 6 and can be purchased at all major Havana movie theaters and the Casa del Festival, located at #411 Calle 2, between 17th and 19th Streets, Vedado from 9 am to 6 pm on weekdays, and from 9 am to 5 pm on Saturdays. Sold at 20 Cuban pesos, festival passes afford holders admittance to 15 films during the days of the festival.

Edén [Brazil] Directed by Bruno Safadi Takes a critical look at the evangelical church’s rise and place in contemporary Brazil through surreal and dreamlike turns and power struggles. After the brutal murder of her husband, pregnant woman is taken to the Evangelical Church of Eden where she meets Pastor Naldo and begins to embrace the church while questioning what it might want from her.


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Dance

national ballet cuba 65th anniversary of Ballet Nacional de Cuba December 26, 8 pm Concert program by the Ballet Nacional de Cuba on the 65th anniversary of its creation: Grand pas de quatre (choreographed by Alicia Alonso based on Jules Perrot’s original choreography and music by Cesare Pugni); Canto vital (choreographed by Azari Plisetski and music by Gustav Mahler); Second Act of Swan Lake (choreographed by Alicia Alonso based on Lev Ivánov’s original choreography and music by Piotr Ilich Tchaikovsky).

Giselle Sala Avellaneda. Teatro Nacional December 19, 20 & 21, 8 pm; Dec 22, 5 pm The Ballet Nacional de Cuba will dance one of the company’s most emblematic ballets: Giselle (choreographed by Alicia Alonso, based on Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot’s original choreography, and music by Adolphe Adam), on the 70th anniversary of Alicia Alonso’s debut in the role.

Gala performance for Esther Borja Teatro Mella , December 5, 8 pm Gala performance of Ballet Nacional de Cuba on the 100th birthday of living Cuban singer *Esther Borja with A la luz de tus canciones, choreographed by Alicia Alonso based on anthological themes sung by Borja of works by composers Ernesto Lecuona, Orlando de la Rosa and Adolfo Guzmán. The program also includes En las sombras de un vals (choreographed by Alicia Alonso and music by Josef Strauss), Tarde en la siesta (choreographed by Alberto Méndez and music by Ernesto Lecuona) and Rítmicas (choreographed by Iván Tenorio and music by Amadeo Roldán). *Esther Borja was never a pure salsera á la Celia Cruz or Elena Burke; rather, her style was a fascinating blend of Cuban and Euro-classical elements.


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Dance ballet

Vladimir Malakhov in Un regalo de Malakhov Teatro Eddy Suñol, Holguín city Dec 6 & 7 The city of Holguín will be honored with the performance of one of the great ballet stars today: the Ukrainian dancer Vladimir Malakhov in Un regalo de Malakhov (A Gift by Malakhov) with the participation of Holguin-based dance company Codanza. Malakhov joined the Moscow Classical Ballet as principal dancer, the youngest ever in that company. He has been principal artist with the Vienna State Opera Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada and the American Ballet Theater. He has to this day remained a principal dancer with ABT and has continued to dance principal roles in Vienna as well as the Stuttgart Ballet. He is the Artistic Director and first soloist of the Berlin State Ballet. His repertory encompasses a wide range of styles from classical ballets to the works of today’s contemporary choreographers.

Ballet Lizt Alfonso y sus generaciones ¡A Escena! Teatro Mella Decemeber 7, 8, 13 & 14, 8 pm; 15, 5 pm Lizt Alfonso’s regular company will join forces with the young generation of dancers from vocational workshops and the Children’s and Youth Ballet Companies.

Ballet Español de Cuba in “El fantasma’’ Sala Avellaneda. Teatro Nacional December 13 & 14, 8 pm; Dec 15, 5 pm Performance by the Ballet Español de Cuba in El fantasma, with Graciela Santana, Henry Carballosa, Ricardo Quintana and Ailién Puerto in the principal roles


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Dance

Contemporary dance

Teatro Mella December 10, 8:30 pm

Performance of InTimE by the French-Hungarian company Pal Frénak. The award-winning choreographer-dancer Pál Frenák founded his French company in 1989 in Paris and established his Hungarian-French ensemble in 1999, based in Budapest and Paris at the same time. Comprising a variety of classical and modern techniques the company’s profile stands for a unique style and dance language. Pál Frenák’s childhood was marked by the fact that his parents were severely hearing and speech impaired, making sign language his first means of expression. This rendered him especially receptive towards mimicry, facial expressions, gestures and all other ways of expressing content with the help of the human body. So one of the company’s most important characteristics is the use of sign language, and body movements that reflect on various genres of contemporary circus, fashion, theatre and music. The company always combines the powerful choreographical structure with a pure but extraordinary scenery and set design – inspired by contemporary architecture and design. Besides the creative work the company members regularly teach professional workshops, the company organizes audience development projects and performances to initiate the younger generation into the world of dance, and participates in postshow discussions, always putting great emphasis on the dialog with other art forms and the continuous, adequate cooperation with the public. www.ciefrenak.fr | www.frenak.hu


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MUSIC

Contemporary Fusion & Electronic

Photos from a party featuring Djoy de Cuba Mariana at Grajales Park (Calle 23 entre C y D) on Nov 9, 2013 as part of Belgium culture week. by alexander Mene

The contemporary fusion and electronic music scene has fragmented somewhat over recent months as new bars and clubs have opened and a number of party promoters have organized events in parks and public spaces. We highlighted some of the best bars & clubs in our Havana Guide section. For now highlights include: Wednesday nights to see Interactivo at Bertolt Brecht – brilliant group and great venue (starts late!). The Sunday afternoon Máquina de la Melancolía - Frank Delgado and Luis Alberto García (5-9pm) at El Sauce has a large following. 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 Mi Habana. Teatro Nacional Tuesdays

Interactivo

5 pm

Casa de la Música de Miramar Mondays

5 pm

Wednesdays Qva Libre

5 pm

Centro Cultural Fresa y Chocolate Mondays

Casa del Alba Cultural Dec 20

10: 30pm Piano Bar Habaneciendo Thursdays

Centro Vasco

midnight

Wichy D´Vedado

Síntesis.

7 pm

Fridays

El Micha

Karamba.

Candy-Man.

11 pm Fridays

Boni and Kelly

11 pm


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MUSIC

Salsa / Timba

Alexander Abreu at Casa de Música, Galiano. Photo by Alexander Mene

Casa de la Música de Galiano Monday

11 pm Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Casa de la Música de Galiano

Havana Show (audiovisual show) and guests

Monday

5 pm

Conjunto Arsenio Rodríguez. (Música Tradicional)

Tuesday

11 pm

Havana Show (audiovisual show) and guests

5 pm

Maykel Blanco y su Salsa Mayor

11 pm

José Luis Cortés y NG la Banda

5 pm

Pupy y los que Son Son

11 pm

Charanga Latina.

5 pm

Manana Club

11 pm

Manolito Simonet y su Trabuco

5 pm

Charanga Forever

11 pm

Elito Revé y su Charangón

5 pm

PMM en Discotemba

11 pm

PMM (audiovisual show) and guests.

Sur Caribe

11 pm

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

5 pm

Alexander Abreu y Havana de Primera

11 pm

Pedrito Calvo y la Nueva Justicia

5 pm

Azúcar Negra

11 pm

Adalberto Álvarez y su Son

5 pm

Los Ángeles de La Habana

11 pm

Alexander Abreu y Havana de Primera

5 pm

–

11 pm

José Luis Cortés y NG La Banda

5 pm

Tumbao Habana

11 pm

Maykel Blanco y su Salsa Mayor

5 pm

Bamboleo

11 pm

Chispa y los Cómplices


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MUSIC

Salsa / Timba Diablo Tun Tun Mondays

11 pm Thursdays

El Jelengue de Areíto PMM (audiovisual show), open bar night

Tuesdays

José Luis Cortés y NG La Banda

Thursdays

11 pm Saturdays

5 pm

Septeto Habanero (traditional music) Guaracheros (traditional music)

5 pm To’ Mezclao

11 pm

Fridays

Rumberos de Cuba (rumba)

5 pm Sundays

Timbalaye (rumba)

5 pm

Hip Hop Cuban Hip Hop Awards 5th edition of Puños Arriba Carpa Trompoloco

Matraka Productions celebrates the 5th edition of Puños Arriba (Raised Fists), an event that recognizes and rewards the best exponents of hip-hop music. Fifty-eight albums from different provinces in Cuba were submitted to this competition that grants prizes in 14 categories. The awards ceremony will be held at the Carpa Trompoloco at 112 St. between 3rd and 5th, Playa, at 7pm, on December 12, 2013. Everyone is welcome without distinction.


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Photo by Alander Mene

The 2013 Lucas Music Awards By Victoria Alcala


The “Lucas” Music Video Awards Show, with its army of fans and acid-tongued detractors continues to stir passions in this, its 16th year since its inception in 1997. Played out in front of a packed house at the Karl Marx theatre this was both a showcase of the depth of Cuban musical talent and a reflection of just how far the video industry has come in this time. This year two of the most coveted prizes for Best Direction and Video of the Year were deservedly given to Raupa, Mola and Nelson Ponce for El vuelo del moscardón (it also took the award for Best Instrumental Music and Choir Video), written by Aldo López-Gavilán Junco, for its original concept and also for the customary brilliance of the young pianist. Alejandro Pérez needed a huge backpack to take home all the Lucases he was awarded: Best Popular Dance Music Video for Descontrólame by Luis Enrique despite the fact that La calle está caliente by Maykel Blanco y su Salsa Mayor and directed by two of the best, Rudy Mora and Orlando Cruzata was among the favorites; Best Pop Music Video with Imagina quién soy by Baby Lores and Thaira – I had been rooting for Tú by Isis Flores and Tony Lugones and directed by Pavel Giroud; Best Pop House and Electronic Music Video for Cantaré, also by Baby Lores and Best Regueton Video for Party

en El Vedado by King Angelo, who left the field to idols of the genre such as Kola Loka, El Micha and Gente de Zona. Alejandro also was a strong competitor in the Best Video Song category with Ella, by Descemer Bueno although the winner was the excellent Soltando amarras by Tesis de Menta and Pablo Milanés with direction by Claudio Pairot who had been competing against himself with the lovely Amor de otoño written by Milanes himself. Another person who walked away with several awards was the filmmaker Ian Padrón: Best Traditional and Folklore Video for Un bolero para ti by Eliades Ochoa who defeated an outstanding competitor which was Deuda by David Álvarez and Sexto Sentido, directed by Lester Brito and Mayra María García; Best Ballad Video for A primera vista,by Ángel Arce and Best Fusion Video and Best Choreographic Video for the undisputed La culpa, by Buena Fe, Clave y Guaguancó and Havana Queens, that showed its strength in a division where several heavyweights were competing such as Fiesta crazy by Qva Libre, La buena suerte by Ernesto Blanco and Orland Max, Desde aquí by DecoraSon, My Funny Valentine by Michel Herrera and Deseos de penumbras by Deja Vu, receiving the award in the Best New Artist Video category. In the category of Trova, I saw that the three nominations were running relatively neck and neck:


page 25

the popular Tony Ávila in Timbiriche directed by Alfredo Ureta; Santi Feliú with Iceberg conducted by one of the monsters of contemporary Cuban music, X Alfonso, and Adrián Berazaín in Por encima de lo conocido directed by himself with Mauricio Figueral got the nod form the jury. In Metal Rock the decision went to Desnudo by Stoner directed by Vitico, Pardini y Estebita (all three rockers); in Hip-Hop the award went to Carta de presentación, by Cantero, directed by Asiel Babastro. While Lokalizando, by Yoyo Ibarra and David Blanco, conducted by Yoyo, Fino Herrera and Liván Valdés got the prize for Best Rock Pop Video.

Photo by Alander Mene

Finally, Que suenen los tambores, by Laritza Bacallao, conducted by Charles Cabrera and Omar Leyva (Best Electronic Merengue Video), and Te confieso, by Los Ángeles, with direction by Remache Estudios (Best Visual Effects) were competing for the Most Popular Video of the Year. Just as last year, the teen vote went to the frenetic Los Angeles who would give any boy band a run for their money.

Other Winners: Mejor Video Música Popular Bailable - Descontrólame, de Luis Enrique, Dirección: Alejandro Pérez

Alejandro Pérez.

Video de música Tradicional y Folclórica

Mejor Video Balada

-Un bolero para ti, de Elíades Ochoa, Dirección: Ian Padrón

“A primera vista”, de Ángel Arce., Dirección: Ian Padrón.

Mejor Video Trova

Mejor Video Canción

-Por encima de lo conocido, de Adrián Berazaín., Dirección: Adrián Berazaín y Mauricio Figueiral

“Soltando amarras”, de Tesis de Menta y Pablo Milanés., Dirección: Claudio Pairot.

Mejor Video coreográfico y Mejor Video Fusión

Mejor Video Merengue Electrónico

“La Culpa”, de Buena Fe., Dirección: Ian Padrón

“Que suenen los tambores”, de Laritza Bacallao., Dirección: Charles Cabrera y Omar Leyva.

Mejor Video Música Pop, House y Electrónica: “Cantaré”, de Baby Lores., Dirección: Alejandro Pérez. Mejor Video de Hip Hop

Mejor Video Rock Metal “Desnudo”, de Stoner, Dirección: Vitico, Pardini y Estebita.

“Carta de presentación”, de Cantero., Dirección: Asiel Babastro. Mejor Video Reguetón “Party en el Vedado”, de King Ángelo., Dirección:


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MUSIC JAZZ

Roberto Fonseca & Temperamento Jazz Cafe, Sunday and Mondays, 11 pm

Roberto Fonseca is one of most brilliant jazz musicians to come out of Cuba. His talent runs through his blood. Fonseca refuses his music to be pigeonholed as Afro- Cuban jazz or Latin jazz, he has influences of rock, soul, classical music, pop, rap, traditional Cuban country music, and Afro-Cuban music. He has played with famous musicians such as Bebo and Chucho Valdés, Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker and Wayne Shorter.

Warm up Jam for the Festival Cine 23 y 12 Dec 18, 5 pm

Pablo Menéndez (bass) and Mezcla, with guest musicians Ruy López-Nussa, Máyquel González, Orlando Sánchez, César López, Orlando Valle (Maraca), William Roblejo, Roberto García, Alexis Bosch, Octavio Rodríguez, Yasek Manzano, Jesús Fuentes and international jazz musicians who are participating in the 2013 Jazz Plaza Festival.

Roberto Carcassés Café Jazz Miramar Saturdays, 11pm

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


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MUSIC JAZZ

Café Jazz Miramar Asociación Cubana de Derechos de Autor Musical Dec 19

6 pm

Proyecto de Jazz Cubano with Alexis Bosch (piano).

7 pm Dec 14

7 pm

Dec 19

7 pm Dec 28

7 pm

Dec 1

7 pm Dec 3

Denys Carbó, and group Balance and guests

10:30 pm

Jam session with David Alfaro (pianist) and his trio

Javier Zalba (saxofón) y grupo Z-Saxos

Dec 4

Natural Trío

Alejandro Falcón (piano) and Rodrigo Sosa (quena) will merge the sounds of the quena, traditional flute of the Andes, with Cuban jazz. Guests: Luna Manzanares (singer), Michel Herrera (sax) and Pancho Amat (tres).

Dec 5

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Sala teatro del Edificio de Arte Cubano Dec 5

Café Miramar

Yadasni Portillo (pianist and composer). Concert Hecho en Casa, with Harold López-Nussa (piano) and Ruy Adrián López-Nussa (percussion).

10:30 pm 10:30 pm

Emilio Morales (pianist and composer) and his band Los Nuevos Amigos

Café Adagio Wedenesday

11 pm

Singer Zule Guerra and Blues D´Havana.

Casa del ALBA Cultural Dec 14

8 pm

Performance by Ruy López-Nussa (percussionist) and La Academia

UNEAC Dec 12

2 pm

Peña La Esquina del Jazz, hosted by showman Bobby Carcassés.


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29th Havana Jazz Plaza Festival Havana, December 15-23

The Havana Jazz Plaza Festival by Juliet Barclay


Some cities seem to simply fit to jazz. Tropical, sultry and with an attitude Havana fits the bill. Havana is music. From first thing in the morning till last thing at night, it pours out of houses, bars and cafes; echoes down narrow alleys; reverberates from balconies; blares from radios; booms from cars and wafts round squares. Jazz in Havana is popular, cosmopolitan with many fathers. Freed from commercial pressure, artists improvise, play, explore. The result can be simply magnificent, although nothing is guaranteed! Havana is music. From first thing in the morning till last thing at night it pours out of houses, bars and cafes, echoes down narrow alleys, reverberates from balconies, blares from radios, booms from cars and wafts round squares. ‘Where can we hear some real Cuban music?’ incoming innocents ask their taxi driver as they head from the airport into the city. ‘Where can we not hear it?’ might be a more appropriate enquiry. Jazz is one of the city’s most popular musical forms and the Havana jazz sound is unique, the result of centuries of musical mixture to which Africa and Spain contributed the main ingredients and China, France, Italy, Mexico, Argentina and the United States added the seasoning. The sophisticated, cosmopolitan result attracts aficionados from all over the world–both to perform and to listen–and the resulting cross-cultural fertilization enlarges the virtuous circle of continually-evolving creative development.

The Havana International Jazz Festival first took place in 1979. Over the years it has become one of the most important dates in jazz-lovers’ diaries. During the festival, fans flock to major concerts at the Amadeo Roldán, Nacional and Mella Theatres, but it’s the intimate events in Havana’s clubs that really get the juices flowing. The most extraordinary leaps of musical telepathy seem to occur in smoky, rum-soaked Vedado hangouts like La Zorra y el Cuervo and the Jazz Café. Jazz in Cuba dates back further than most people realize. Slavery was abolished on the island in 1886 and many freed black Cubans emigrated to New Orleans, while the American intervention of 1898 in the Cuban independence wars heralded the start of a prolonged US presence in Cuba. Conditions were thus perfect for mutual musical exchange. The musicians that had moved to New Orleans took with them the rhythms and style that were already considered Cuban and incorporated


page 29

them into the nascent jazz form, as did musicians returning to the States from Cuban holidays. The high point of this musical evolution was the spark which ignited between Cuban drummer Luciano (Chano) Pozo–who was eventually shot in a bar in Harlem–and American jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. Their sound was the first appearance of what later came to be known as “Latin jazz”–and that was just the beginning. Now Cuban musicians are foremost amongst the world’s jazz performers. Prior to the Revolution popular musicians were largely self-taught; from the early 1060s onwards, most members of popular bands have been music school graduates to whom virtuoso performances are almost second nature. Over the years the lineup at the Jazz Festival has included Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Haden, Roy Hargrove, Steve Coleman, Richie Cole, Max Roach, Carmen McRae, Leon Thomas, Teté Montoliu, Airto Moreira, Tania María, Dave Valentin, Michel Legrand and Ivan Lins. The celebrated British saxophonist, Ronnie Scott, promoted Cuban jazz from his famous Frith Street club throughout his

professional life. However, it is Cuban musicians who have been the driving force behind the Festival. Whether they favor pure jazz or fusion, the list of participants includes important names: Armando Romeu; Chucho Valdés, Gonzalo Ruvalcaba; Bobby Carcassés; Los Van Van; Ernán López-Nussa; NG La Banda; Orlando Valle… and the waves of impressive young musicians emerging from Cuban schools has resulted in the establishment of the JoJazz (Joven Jazz = Young Jazz) Festival which takes place prior to the main event as a competition for young musicians. If you’re in Havana from December 15-23, do a circuit of the Vedado clubs and you’ll more than likely spot an international jazz great appearing incognito at the bar, hidden behind a cocktail. And keep a sharp lookout for a black giant with a sleepy gaze, leisurely performing musical miracles at the piano–it will be six-time Grammy winner Chucho Valdes. As the organizer of the International Jazz Festival, he, more than anyone else, knows that if it ain’t got that swing, it ain’t Havana. Continue to read full article + slideshow



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December 19-23, 2013 The 2013 event will be dedicated to the late Bebo Valdés and his son Chucho Valdés, accomplished pianists and composers, winners both of several Grammy Awards. Maestro Chucho Valdés and his band, The Afro–Cuban Messengers, will open the meeting with a concert dedicated to his recently deceased father. This will take place at Sala Avellaneda, Teatro Nacional de Cuba, on December 19. Important musicians will be participating at Cuba’s foremost jazz event–Cubans Bobby Carcassés, Enrique Plá, Pablo Menéndez & Mezcla, Alexis Bosch, Ruy, Ernán and Harold López-Nussa, Roberto Fonseca, Rolando Luna, Emilio Morales, Orlando Cubajazz, Jorge Reyes and Joaquín Betancourt. From the international front, 83 musicians from 13 different countries have confirmed their participation. These include figures such as Arturo O’Farril, Randy Weston and Andrea H. Brachfeld from the US; Skaracas Jazz Ensamble from Venezuela; Adolfo Delgado from Spain; and Pablo Sanguinetti from Argentina. One of the principal venues of the event will be Casa de la Cultura de Plaza where the festival was born and takes its name from. The other venues are Teatro Mella, Sala Avenida and Palacio de la Rumba. As usual, jam sessions will be held at La Zorra y el Cuervo, Jazz Café , Café Miramar , El Lucero and Casa del Habano at the Meliá Cohíba Hotel.


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MUSIC

Bolero, Folkloric, Son & Trova Pancho Amat Museo Nacional de la Música Dec 19, 5 pm In some ways Pancho Amat is an unlikely hero. He is a spontaneous and unaffected man who conveys wisdom in an open and frank manner. A guajiro in the best sense of the word. His great love is the Cuban Tres, which is part of Cuba’s most important musical heritage. Over the course of several decades he is the musician who has most contributed to universalize the tres through recordings or live performances with musicians from Cuba and other countries, such as Joaquin Sabina, Oscar D’Leon, Pablo Milanés, Rosana, Ry Cooder, Silvio Rodríguez, Victor Victor, Yomo Toro and Victor Jara. READ MORE

Pablo Milanés in concert Teatro Mella, Dec 18, 8 pm

Singer-songwriter, who is not given to public presentations, is one of the most beautiful voices and one of the great composers of Cuban song of all time. On this occasion, he will present his new album called Credenciales.

Gerardo Alfonso in concert Centro Hispano Americano de Cultura, Dec 14, 5 pm

Concert by the popular singer-songwriter Gerardo Alfonso, whose work goes from fusion to Cuban rhythms interspersed with rock, Brazilian and Caribbean rhythms to a refined intimate lyricism.


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MUSIC Bolero, Folkloric, Son & Trova

Percuba Ensemble

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Sala teatro del Edificio de Arte Cubano, December 21, 7 pm

Concert by Percuba Ensemble, one of the most interesting bands of contemporary Cuban music. With marimbas, congas, batá drums, drum set and other percussion instruments, they merge symphonic rhythmic combinations with the sounds of Caribbean and Cuban popular music, songs and dances.

Performancesby Eliades Ochoa Casa de la Música de Miramar, Dec 5, 5 pm, | Plaza San Carlos, La Cabaña (FIART 2013), Dec 11, 6 pm, | El Jelengue de Areíto, Dec 12, 6 pm, | Centro Cultural El Sauce, Dec 13, 10 pm, | Delirio Habanero, Dec 14, 10 pm, | Casa de la Música Habana, Dec 15, 11 pm

Eliades Ochoa, winner in 2012 of the Latin Grammy for Traditional Tropical Music, member of the Buenavista Social Club, guitarist, tresero, singer and composer, is one of the most important Cuban exponents of Son as well as bolero and guaracha. For these special presentations, he has invited Cuban pop idol David Blanco.


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MUSIC

Bolero, Folkloric, Son & Trova

Café Cantante, Teatro Nacional Thursdays

Elaín Morales.

5 pm Saturdays

4 pm

10 pm

Waldo Mendoza, one of Cuba’s most popular singers today.

Singer-songwriter Frank Delgado with his ironic view of society.

7 pm Dec 26

6 pm

9 pm

Milada Milhet.

Saturdays

Yeni Sotolongo, a young singer who boasts an exceptional voice.

Sundays

6 pm Eduardo Sosa and guests perform highlights of the best Cuban trova.

Dec 28

5 pm Casa de África

4 pm Dec 7

4 pm Dec 14

3 pm Dec 17

3 pm

Gala performance dedicated to Changó by Rumba Morena Performance by the rock/folkloric band Síntesis Performance by the folkloric group Obiní Batá Gala performance dedicated to Babalú Ayé by the group IRAWO.

A Guitarra Limpia - meeting with trovadores.

Centro Hispano Americano de Cultura Dec 21

Dec 4

Performance by singer Yeniset Castillo.

Centro Cultural Pablo de la Torriente Brau

5 pm Peña El Canto de Todos, with singer-songwriter Vicente Feliú.

Performances by singers Leo Vera and Dianela de la Portilla.

Wednesdays Performances by the young singer

9 pm

Casa del Alba Dec 6

Dec 20 & 27

9 pm

Café Concert El Sauce Fridays

Centro Cultural Fresa y Chocolate

Concert Colores al aguacero, by trovadores Pável Poveda and Tamara Castillo.

Centro Iberoamericano de la Décima Dec 7

3 pm Dec 29

5 pm

Performance by the duet Ad Libitum. El Jardín de la Gorda with the performances of trovadores from every generation.

Hurón Azul, UNEAC Dec 14

10 pm

Mundito González is one of the most popular Cuban bolero singers.

Casa de la Cultura de Plaza Dec 14

7 pm

Peña with Marta Campos, renowned singer of contemporary songs with a trova feel to them.

Casa Memorial Salvador Allende Dec 17

6 pm

Peña La Juntamenta with trovador Ángel Quintero and guests.

Jardines del 1830 Tue & Thu

8:30 pm; sun, 5 pm

Performance by one of the most popular bands in Cuba, Moncada will play an extensive repertoire of Cuban and Latin American music.

Teatro Mella Dec 11

8 pm Dec 25

9:30 pm

Yaíma Sáez Bejarano, whose diverse repertoire inckudes son, bolero, traditional song and love songs. Juan Guillermo, who tackles love songs, reggaeton and dance music.


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MUSIC

classical

Photo by Yadira Montero

Basílica Menor de San Francisco de Asís Dec 4

6 pm Dec 7

6 pm

Dec 14

6 pm

Lyrical concert of Romanian music.

Dec 21

The duo Promúsica made up by María Victoria del Collado (piano) and Alfredo Muñoz (violin) will play works by Beethoven, Hindemith, Bartok and Cuban composer Juan Piñera.

Dec 26

6 pm 6 pm Dec 28

5:30 pm

The Orquesta de Cámara de La Habana and the Música Eterna chamber orchestras, conducted by Daiana García, will celebrate Maestro Guido López-Gavilán’s 70th birthday with a program made up of a selection of LópezGavilán’s works.

Concert by Camerata Romeu on the ensemble’s 20 anniversary. The well-liked Cuban pianist and composer José María Vitier will offer a trecital with a selection of his compositions. Performance by the Nuestro Tiempo chamber orchestra, conducted by Enrique Pérez Mesa, with guest sopranos from the Teatro Lírico Nacional.

Biblioteca Nacional José Martí Dec 1

Biblioteca Nacional José Martí

5 pm Dec 14

5 pm

Dec 19

5 pm Recital by violinist Evelio Tieles.

Dec 21

5 pm

Recital by the soprano Bárbara Llanes and guests. Recital by the soprano Bárbara Llanes.


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MUSIC

classical Casa del ALBA Cultural Dec 1

5 pm Dec 8

5 pm Dec 15

3 pm

Performance by Haskell Armenteros and his Ensemble Nueva Camerata En Confluencia, conducted by guitarists Eduardo and Galy Martín.

Dec 22

5 pm Dec 29

5 pm

De Nuestra América, conducted by pianist Alicia Perea. Performance by guitarist Rosa Matos.

Tarde de Concierto, conducted by the soprano Lucy Provedo.

Iglesia de Paula Dec 13

7 pm Dec 20

7 pm

Concert by the Ars Longa Early Music Ensemble, condcuted by Teresa Paz.

5 pm

7 pm

Recital by clarinetist Arístides Porto and the Presto string quartet.

Organist Moisés Santiesteban will play works by Paul Hindemith, Gustav Merkel and Jakob Mendelssohn.

Museo de la Danza Dec 5

Dec 21

Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas

Recital by the soprano Johana Simón with Karla Martínez at the piano.

Dec 21

7 pm

Recital by the soprano Mayra Luz Alemán with Juan Espinosa at the piano.

Oratorio San Felipe Neri Dec 13

7 pm

Dec 14

4 pm

The University of the Arts symphony orchestra, conducted on this occasion by Belgian Maestro Ronald Zollman, will play the Third Symphony by Bruckner and Symphony No 3 by Schubert.

Dec 19

7 pm

Piano recital by University of the Arts students Yoibel Montes de Oca, Lilibeth Fabelo and Julio Díaz, plus maestro Ulises Hernández.

Cuban soprano María Eugenia Barrios will give a concert with a selection of arias from Madame Butterfly, of which she has been the unchallenged diva.

Sala Gonzalo Roig. Palacio del Teatro Lírico Nacional Dec 15

5 pm

Performance by the Duo Flauta Mágica.

Sala Avellaneda, Teatro Nacional Dec 6

8 pm

Teatro Lírico Nacional de Cuba reruns its new version of Mozart’s The Magic Flute.

Dec 29

5 pm

Cuerda Dominical, with guitarist Luis Manuel Molina.

Sala Covarrubias, Teatro Nacional Sundays

11 am

Concerts with the National Symphony Orchestra.


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MUSIC

classical Sala Ignacio Cervantes Dec 1

6 pm Dec 8

6 pm

Oboist Frank Ernesto Fernández and pianist Karla Martínez will play original works written especially for oboe and piano. Marita Rodríguez (piano), Vicente Monterrey (clarinet) and Luis Manuel Molina (guitar) have announced a program with compositions by Händel, Carulli, Puccini, Delibes, Falla, LennonMcCartney and Cubans José María Vitier and Ernán López-Nussa.

Museo Nacional de la Música Dec 26

5 pm

Dec 15

6 pm

Dec 22

6 pm

Javier Zalba (sax) and María del Henar Navarro (piano) will play pieces by Robert Muczynski, Pierre Sancan, Roger Boutry, Darius Milhaud and Cuban Jorge López Marín. Pianist Leonardo Gell will give a recital based on works by Cuban composers Hubert de Blanck, Andrés Alén, Ernán López-Nussa, José María Vitier, Keyla Orozco and Aldo López-Gavilán. He will also play for the first time in Cuba Seducción, by Yalil Guerra, winner of the Latin Grammy in the Best Contemporary Classical Composition category in 2012.

Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (UNEAC)

Recital by the tenor Bernardo Lichilín.

Dec 14

4 pm

Arte soy entre las Artes is a meeting with the trío Amanecer, with Efraín Amador (tres), Doris Oropesa (piano) and Ariadna Amador (lute).

opera The Magic Flute Sala Avellaneda, Teatro Nacional Dec 6, 8 pm

The Magic Flute by Mozart. Soprano Olivia Méndez, who has shown her talent in the difficult role of Queen of the Night, will now sing the role of Pamina, while Laura D’ Mare will appear as the Queen of the Night. Other roles will be sung by tenor Bryan López as Tamino; bass Marcos Lima as Sarastro; and baritone Eleomar Cuello as Papageno. They will be accompanied by the chorus of the Teatro Lírico Nacional de Cuba, conducted by Claudia Rodríguez, the Symphony Orchestra of the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory, and guest performers from Gigantería, directed by Roberto Salas. The wardrobe has been especially designed by Rossemberg Rivas and the set design by Eduardo Arrocha, double National Prizewinner for Design and Theater.


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Theatre

Fíchenla si pueden Argos Teatro Fri & Sat, 8:30pm; Sun, 5pm, through Dec 15

Argos Teatro continues this month with Fíchenla si pueden, a version by its director, Carlos Celdrán, of La Putain Respectueuse by French dramatist and novelist Jean Paul Sartre, the major exponent of the philosophy of existentialism, with Yuliet Cruz in the leading role escorted by Alexander Díaz, José Luis Hidalgo, Waldo Franco and Marcel Oliva. The viewer once more will face the challenge of elucidating where truth, justice and ethics truly lie.

Matrimonio blanco (The White Wedding) Sala Adolfo Llauradó Fri & Sat, 8pm; Sun, 5pm

Matrimonio blanco (The White Wedding) By the well-known Polish dramatist Tadeusz Rozewicz, by Teatro de la Luna, is a piece of difficult interpretation about sexuality, and which, according its director, it is “our best attempt of shouting with freedom, of enjoying the rupture of the limits of a doubtful decency, sometimes advocated from total immodesty.” Excellent performances and splendid visuality.


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Theatre Centro Cultural Bertolt Brecht. Sala Tito Junco Fri Sat & Sun, 8 pm, through Dec 15

The recently created musical theater project Amarte presents Habana a todo color, a show that combines ballet, folkloric and modern dance, music and theater in a pleasant tour around the streets of Havana.

Centro Cultural Bertolt Brecht. Sala Tito Junco Dec 3-5, 9-11 & 16,

6 pm

Centro Cultural Bertolt Brecht. Café teatro Tue-Thu

7 pm

Fri & Sat,

8 pm, Sun, 5 pm

Fuera de Quicio, Written by Spanish playwright José Luis Alonso de Santos and staged by Inlimine Teatro, an amateur theater project directed by the popular actress Ketty de la Yglesia, takes the audience into the hallucinating world of four patients in a psychiatric hospital. Carne Rusa as part of the cycle Three Actors: Three Unipersonal Shows, which opened with Una cubana de altos coturnos yand will close in January with Vena de mar, ViTal Theater proposes Carne rusa, by its director Alejandro Palomino, played by Kelvin Espinosa. For the playwright Amado del Pino, who is consultant to the production, “Carne Rusa mixes crudeness with nostalgia; the emotional picture of a character with the circumstances of a specially complicated era.”

Teatro La Proa opens Romance en Charco Seco, a version of Erduyn Maza based on Amor de don Perlimplín con Belisa en su jardín, by Federico García Lorca, set on this occasion in presentday Cuban countryside. Fifty-four puppets in a show not suitable under 14s.

Teatro El Sótano Sundays

6 pm Dec 6 & 7,

Las dos caras de la moneda, by the Rita Montaner Company.

8 pm

Manada, by the Rita Montaner Company.

Fri & Sat,

Opening of Asere.

8 pm, opens Dec 13

Teatro Raquel Revuelta Fri & Sat

8:30 pm, sun, 5 pm

Julio César Ramírez and Teatro D’Dos company begin this month a “trilogy of children” on the topic of family, diaspora and belonging with a classic of Cuban theater: La casa vieja, by the recently deceased dramatist Abelardo Estorin. The play received the specialized critics Villanueva Award in 1997.


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Photos by Alex Mene

Carlos Diaz’s shockingly good Antígona By Victoria Alcalá


Vuelven Carlos Díaz y su tropa de Teatro el Público a visitar a los clásicos, esta vez de la mano de Rogelio Orizondo, quien escribió especialmente para ellos Antigonón, un contingente épico. El sector del público que acude a la sede del grupo en el teatro Trianón en busca de diversión, guiños a la realidad nacional, travestismo y desnudos, y que tal vez se haya sentido atraído por algún comentario sobre el “Contingente Épico Antigonón (CEA), que agrupa a todas las Antígonas del territorio nacional”, posiblemente no haya estado preparado para los dos poemas de José Martí que abren la obra: “Sueño con claustros de mármol” (Dicen que beben tus hijos / Su propia sangre en las copas / Venenosas de sus dueños! / iQue hablan la lengua podrida / De sus rufianes! iQue comen / Juntos el pan del oprobio, / En la mesa ensangrentada! / iQue pierden en lengua inútil / El último fuego!...) y el desgarrador “El padre suizo”, que mató a sus hijos pequeños y se suicidó (iPadre sublime, espíritu supremo / Que por salvar los delicados hombros / De sus hijuelos, de la carga dura / De la vida sin fe, sin patria, torva / Vida sin fin seguro y cauce abierto, / Sobre sus hombros colosales puso / De su crimen feroz la carga horrenda!). Y es que el binomio Orizondo-Díaz entra de lleno en Cuba, en su historia y su actualidad, en clave

de tragedia, valiéndose del mito de Antígona, hija de Edipo y Yocasta, que ve morir a sus hermanos, uno a manos del otro, enfrentados en bandos opuestos en una guerra por el poder, burla la condena de no enterrar a Polinices, considerado traidor a la patria, y finalmente se ahorca para evitar el castigo. De estructura compleja, a base de monólogos, con espléndida puesta en escena, que exige el máximo de los actores y del bailarín invitado Abel Berenguer (de Danza Abierta), la pieza se adentra en asuntos tan candentes como la relación de las más jóvenes generaciones de cubanos con la historia y el pasado de su país, con los héroes caricaturizados y manipulados por oportunistas y simuladores hasta convertirlos en estatuas, y plantea inquietantes preguntas sobre el presente y el futuro de la nación. Con su habitual visión desacralizadora y voluntad de transgresión y subversión (estremecedora la Mariana Grajales rapada y desnuda que grita sus verdades en la piel de la actriz Linnet Hernández, felizmente reencontrada con sus seguidores), Teatro el Público nos coloca ante los que pudieran representar a los nuevos héroes, los reivindicadores (o enterradores, que también puede ser) de los otros, ante el cubano de hoy y su épica cotidiana. La tragedia, a ratos, ronda el


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bufo, la picaresca, la “obscenidad de cada día” en esos personajes enfrentados a su destino, en esos héroes que asumieron el suyo, en esa Patria que no es de nadie y la hacen todos. El final, como en la tragedia clásica, es catártico: Panchito Gómez Toro, joven hijo del dominicano Máximo Gómez, al enterarse de la caída en combate del general Antonio Maceo, corre a morir a su lado y tiene presencia de ánimo para escribir

su despedida: “Mamá querida, Papá; hermanos queridos: Muero en mi puesto, no quise abandonar el cadáver del general Maceo y me quedé con él. Me hirieron en dos partes y por no caer en manos del enemigo me suicido. Lo hago con mucho gusto por la honra de Cuba”. Antígona, una vez más, no abandona a sus muertos.

El padre suizo

The Swiss father

¡Padre sublime, espíritu supremo

Sublime father, incomparable spirit,

Que por salvar los delicados hombros

Who to spare the delicate shoulders of his sons

de sus hijuelos, de la carga dura

The heavy burden of a life

De la vida sin fe, sin patria, torva

Without faith, without country, a joyless life

Vida sin fin seguro y cauce abierto,

Without clear course or certain goal,

Sobre sus hombros colosales puso

On his own colossal shoulders took

De su crimen feroz la carga horrenda!

The terrible burden of his savage crime!


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For kids Teatro de Títeres El Arca November 8-10, 15-17, 3pm

Actresses Edith Ibarra and Miriam Sánchez will delight the little ones with the stories Los tres pichones (Onelio Jorge Cardoso), Cuento con caricia (Elsa Bornemann) and La cucarachita Martina (a version of de Herminio Almendros),

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.

Por los caminos del mundo Centro Cultural Bertolt Brecht Sala Tito Junco Sat & Sun, 11 am

The play Por los caminos del mundo, by Teatro Aldaba, combines dance, music and puppets so that three wandering gypsies may convince us that it is possible to make dreams come true.


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For kids Centro Cultural Bertolt Brecht. Café-teatro Sat & Sun

Opening of Buscando una sonrisa.

11 pm,

11 am

Concert by choruses Ensemble Vocal Luna and Schola Cantorum Coralina.

11 am Dec 21

Concert by choruses Lunita and Cantus Firmus

Sala Adolfo Llauradó Fri & Sat

11 am

Opening of puppet show Fiesta con Tropatrapo.

Teatro Nacional de Guiñol

Teatro América Dec 14

Dec 14,

11 am

Centro Hispano Americano de Cultura Dec 28

Iglesia de Paula

Llegó Colorín with Colorín, the clown,

Fri, 3 pm; Sat & Sun,

Puppet show Palo de guayaba.

11 am

La fiesta del cascabel.

11 am Dec 21

11 am

Azul marino, with clowns Azul, Didí and Oso Jacarandoso.

Photo by Alex Mene


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cuban customs

Learning to talk a lo Cubano By Chen Lizra (From My Seductive Cuba) Back when I first started traveling to Cuba, my Spanish was limited to pathetic phrases like, “Eat fish tomorrow, please.” Then I moved on to full sentences and stayed there for about two years, but only in the present tense. That is, until Yeri — my best friend in Havana — looked me in the eyes one day threateningly and said, “¡Si en un año no regresas con un poco de pasado y futuro, voy a matarte!” [If in one year you don’t come back with a little bit of past and future, I’ll kill you!]. If you knew Yeri, you’d realize how scary this was. If anyone could kick my ass, it was her. A year went by, and between business school and running my own business full-time, I had no time to study more Spanish. I tried really hard to pick Spanish as one of my courses, but it just didn’t fit into my schedule. During my flight back to Cuba, I memorized as much past and future as I could, and prayed for dear life. Upon arrival in Havana, I immediately started using what I learned, butchering the language in the process. I really didn’t care as long as I improved, since facing Yeri was a lot scarier than making mistakes.

Photo by Yadira Montero

By the time we finally did see each other, Yeri noticed my efforts and said, “Mejoraste” [you’ve improved]. She was pleased, and so was I. What a relief! I never told her the whole story, but I guess when this book is translated into Spanish, she’ll find out. We love each other. The truth is, there’s nothing like a fire under your butt to get you to do something! Over the years, I’ve learned much about Cuban culture through its unique expressions and idioms.


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La Yuma

they understand what you want, it won’t matter if you make mistakes. Even so, it’s a good idea to bring a little phrase book with you; it’ll make your life a whole lot easier. Here are some common words and phrases you’re likely to hear. Cubans love it when you turn all Cuban on them and use their expressions; it makes them feel like you’re “one of them.” Mango, mangón, manguita. These variations of the word are used for men and women alike, but they’re more commonly applied to women. Manguita is directed at a woman only. When a guy calls a woman a “mango” on the street, it means that he finds her sexy and juicy, like a fresh tropical mango. Mami/papi, corazón, mi vida, mi amor, preciosa(o), linda(o), princesa, hermosa(o), cariño.

The following expressions give you a glimpse into that culture, and the daily struggles Cubans face. It’s not an attempt to list every word that’s used in Cuba — just a sneak preview. Cubans call their Spanish “cubano” and it’s distinct from “castellano,” which they use to refer to Spanish from Spain. I love the way Cubans speak, as well as their attitude — very direct, aggressive and fiery, yet warm, sweet and emotional. It reminds me how we Israelis speak Hebrew. You can butcher the language and Cubans won’t care, which makes it a great place for improving your vocabulary and building confidence. Cubans tend to swallow the “s” at the end of a word; their pronunciation is a little muddy and hard to understand. It’s said that if you can decipher Cuban Spanish, you can understand any Spanish.

All are expressions of affection for both men and women. Cubans are very warm people and use terms of endearment daily in a way many other Latin Americans do not. Being called “mi vida” [my life] is a casual thing and doesn’t necessarily mean anything too intimate, but it all depends on how it’s said. Then there are preciosa, princesa and lindísima, which are all thrown around casually. But if a guy really notices a woman and likes the way she carries herself, he’ll say those words with an emotional oomph, so that it really hits her heart. Cubans are indeed masters of seduction. Flaca, flaquita. Cuban men like to call out after women and say sweet things, coming on to them at every street corner. Sometimes they’ll call a woman flaca [thin one] or flaquita, which is the same thing, only sexier and sweeter. One day, a guy called after me “flaca,” teasing me on purpose. I turned to him and said in a soft voice, “Flaca no. Flaquita sí.” And he called after me again, “flaca,” teasing me on purpose and raising the bar. I looked at him teasingly back and

According to a local joke, the reason Cubans drop the “s” at the end of their words is because they’re saving them for the Malecón, so they can “pssss” and “tssss” at passing women. Cubans love hearing this joke because it’s so true! English is not spoken throughout Cuba. In fact, there are many places where no one speaks any English at all. But in all the major hotels, you’ll find many English-speaking Cubans to help you. Cubans get very lively and creative when they need to communicate with you, and as long as


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said again, “flaquita,” using the most seductive voice possible — all the while walking away from him. He started laughing hard. It was a good joke and it got him off my back, the Cuban way! Tienes swing. Means “you have flavor.” Cubans love using this term. You might dress or walk a certain way, and Cubans will openly check you out and say, “Tienes swing, mami.” The expression can also be used for a man, in which case mami is replaced with papi. Yuma. A foreigner. Usually refers to women rather than men, but the term is interchangeable. Having said that, if I were to call myself a yuma, some Cubans would laugh and others might even be embarrassed. Cubans prefer the term extranjero/a, since yuma is considered street slang and somewhat equivalent

to the word gringo in other Spanish-speaking countries. If you listen to Cuban songs, you’ll sometimes hear them sing about the yumas. While walking on the streets of Havana with a friend one day, I noticed that he greeted practically everyone we passed. “Neighbors,” he told me casually. So I asked him what they’d say to his wife, “¿Quién es la yuma que estaba contigo?” [Who’s the foreigner that was with you?]. He laughed at the idea I had called myself a yuma. He repeated the story to his friends later that afternoon, getting a kick out of it. By the way, his answer was that they’d probably tell his wife, “We saw Alejandro walking with a yuma today on the street.” That explains why it’s almost impossible to keep secrets in Cuba. For a complete list of the language terms and little interesting anecdotes check page 262 of My Seductive Cuba.

Continue to read full article + slideshow Chen Lizra, an Israeli-Canadian dancer, TED speaker and entrepreneur, is the best-selling author of My Seductive Cuba which mixes her personal anecdotes with an essential travel guide. Think Eat, Pray, Love meets Lonely Planet! Her connection to the arts scene through years of dance training gives her an interesting angle on the island. http://myseductivecuba.com/cuban-tours. Twitter: @ChenLizra, Facebook: clizra, Instagram: clizra.


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December 17


Pilgrimage to Rincón for the feast of San Lázaro Continue to read full article + slideshow

By Victoria Alcalá The Pilgrimage to Rincón for the feast of San Lázaro that takes place on December 17 is the largest annual religious pilgrimage in Cuba. On this day, over 5,000 people from various parts of Cuba visit the church of the leper colony located in the town of Rincón, about 25 miles south of Havana.

accompanied by a dog. This is the ‘Saint’ Lazarus (a result of the diffuse religiosity that characterizes the average Cuban) to whom the faithful make offerings and sacrifices as a token of gratitude. And because in the collective imaginary “old Lazarus collects his due,” no one dares to break their word.

This is a potent demonstration of fusion of AfroCuban Santeria with the Catholic Church given that most people do not make the pilgrimage out of devotion to the saint that is recognized by the Catholic Church–Lazarus, resurrected by Jesus Christ and later Bishop of Marseilles, whose skin was cruelly lacerated before being decapitated on December 17, 72 AD–but to a Lazarus who is the result of the curious combination of the sick beggar of the parable in Luke 16:19-31, whose sores were licked by dogs, and Babalú-Ayé, a deity of the Yoruba pantheon, Orisha of smallpox, leprosy, venereal diseases and skin.

The long journey to Rincón begins on December 15 and 16. Many people use some sort of transportation to go as far as the town of Santiago de las Vegas and walk a few kilometers to the church; others walk all the way from their homes to the leprosarium. Some come barefooted, or on their knees, or wearing clothes made of jute sack, or towing

Because of this unorthodox mix, another curious phenomenon occurs: it is not the image that presides the altar of the church–Lazarus, Bishop of Marseille–whom the pilgrims pay respect to, but to another image situated to the left of the high altar, which the Church considers the same saint, but which popular tradition identifies with the Syncretic Lazarus, the one in crutches


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heavy objects such as large rocks, cement blocks, lead ingots and even cannon balls. What prevails in the majority is gratitude for favors received or the faith that their prayers will be heard. So, after the initial shock one experiences at the many forms of self-punishment, what follows is simple and plain compassion. The old man who drags his feet as he walks along the rough road makes one inevitably assume that he has a seriously ill grandson. The woman that

leaves a trail of blood from her knees probably has a child in danger. No wonder when Pope John Paul II visited Cuba in 1998 and expressed his wish to have “an encounter with pain,” the place chosen was Rincón, the lazaretto in Havana that is home to the most serious cases of leprosy and where every December 17 tears, flowers, candles and many other offerings bear witness to the pilgrim’s faith.

Photo by Humberto Mayol

Leprosy For many Cubans, Rincón is associated with dismal images related to leprosy. The presence in this town of people affected with the illness dates back to 1917 when the hospital, which treated the sick since the 18th century, was transferred to this territory in the outskirts of Havana, and consequently, expanded. Today, leprosy is no longer a health problem in Cuba as the number of people infected with this disease is very small. In 1962, the leprosarium became the Specialist Dermatology Hospital which serves all other skin diseases, such as psoriasis, lupus erythematosus, chronic or acute dermatitis. The few cases of leprosy which have been identified are treated as outpatients. However, when Pope John Paul II asked to have a “meeting with pain” during his recent visit to Cuba, the place chosen was Rincón, where on December 17 the many offerings give witness to the faith of the pilgrim.


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December 24

Photo by Adalberto Roque

Las Parrandas de Remedios: An explosive Christmas By Victoria Alcalá


Las Parrandas de Remedios takes place on Christmas Eve annually. Although the celebration has also spread to other cities, the singularly beautiful Remedios is the place to be to appreciate this highlight of Cuba’s cultural calendar. On this day citizens take sides and face off against each other with floats, fireworks and dancing competitions in a highlight of Cuba’s cultural calendar. Authentic, exciting, colorful, loud, don’t expect to get much sleep… This tradition dates back to the 1820 when a young priest named Francisco Vigil de Quiñones noticed that in the chilly mornings of the last days of the year, his congregations were dwindling. People seemed to prefer to spend time in their warm beds than fill the pews of his church. To persuade them to change their ways, he came up with an ingenuous solution. He got together a group of children and encouraged them to make as much noise as they could. They were instructed to gather horns, tins full of pebbles, maracas, pots and pans, and do whatever was necessary to ensure that everyone would be up for the series of masses beginning on the 16th and ending on the 24th of December. The plan worked. The church soon filled up, and one of the most popular festivities celebrated in Cuba, the Parrandas de Remedios, was set off. By 1835, the tradition had become such a success that a decree was issued by the government forbidding the noisy parade before 4am. A few

years later, the cacophony had evolved into an orchestra, with singers, guitars, mandolins, harps, congas, claves and an instrument that was used exclusively in parrandas, the atambora–a small barrel-shaped drum covered with a tanned goat hide. More changes followed over the following 150 years, leading to the present-day assortment of music, art, and firework. The dramatic finale on Christmas Eve is now a wild battle of firework displays, lights and artwork between two huge floats, each representing one half of the town. The parranderos make a tour of the neighborhoods of Remedios, dancing to the sound of polkas and rumbas composed more than a century ago. The competitive character that survives in today’s celebrations goes back to the mid-19th century. The eight neighborhoods into which the town was then divided organized themselves into two rival groups, El Carmen and San Salvador, each with its own musical clan. Today the main event on


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the December 24 still begins with a “rival rumba” between the two clans. This celebration has now extended to nearby cities including Camajuaní, Vueltas, Caibarién, Guayos and Encrucijada, as well as to other towns in central Cuba. But nowhere yet rivals Remedios. Year after year, its inhabitants spend several months making the elaborate floats, homemade rockets, costumes and all the other paraphernalia connected with the festival. All is done in the strictest secrecy to be revealed only on the opening night of the parrandas. At 10pm on December 24, the church bells begin to ring announcing the start of festivities. The night sky glows with fireworks for several hours. Stunning art works on the plaza are lit, and the floats–the result of many hundreds of hours of labor by carpenters, electricians, designers, dressmakers and whole teams of local workers– begin their triumphal parade. The Carmelitas from the Carmen neighborhood, and the Sansaríes from the San Salvador neighborhood, travel down Remedios’ old streets. In this competition, devoid of judges and juries, everyone’s a winner.

Photo by Ana Lorena Gamboa

At dawn, around the same time those sleepy locals were roused from their sleep two centuries ago, Remedios’ visitors, many wearing hats as a protection against the fireworks, head to their beds. Meanwhile, the residents of El Carmen and San Salvador begin secretly planning next year’s Parrandas.

Photo by Ana Lorena Gamboa


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travel

Photo by Roberto Mojo

Paradise found in Cuba’s unspoiled Archipiélago de los Canarreos By Lydia Bell

Lydia Bell takes a private charter across the unspoiled Archipiélago de los Canarreos, off Cuba’s southern coast. Our catamaran approaches Playa Sirena by its backstage lagoon. It’s the end of the day and the emerald waters are balmy as we swim to shore. Under the shallow water’s surface, tiny Doctor Seuss trees wave, and a sculptural stump of a dead tree spreads its roots tentacle-like in the water. Rust-red starfish dot the water’s edge and a gaggle of fat gulls waddle in front of us, as if leading the way. Past the two dolphins that live in an enclosure at the tail end of the lagoon – they lie on their sides, one twinkly eye poking out of the water to peer at you – the silky-soft sands of Sirena start. Only a few straggling daytrippers remain. The sea is still jewel blue and bedazzling, as if drawn in by a child’s crayon. Sirena is a blessed beach, spared the currents, winds – and hotels – of the south of Cayo Largo del Sur. Charming beach boys ply the sands, proffering mojitos, pina coladas, and proper lunches: limonroasted chicken with rice and salad, or marinaded pork, or lobster. We stay till sunset then retrace our steps to the lagoon, swimming out in time to watch the sun plop behind the sea like a fat orange popsicle, leaving an apple flash behind it.

The private charter, crewed by Deciderio, the captain, and José, a skipper-chef-lobster whisperer, is taking a slow amble around the Archipiélago de los Canarreos, off the southern coast of the Cuban mainland. Slung beneath the mainland’s underbelly is La Isla de la Juventud, the westernmost of a jagged necklace of much tinier coral cays. They are crushed-sugar droplets ringed by bright turquoise, extending eastward for 110 kilometers across the Golfo de Batabanó. More extensive than the Florida Keys, with hundreds of anchorages, they are unfathomably more virgin – Robinson Crusoe sand specks ending in developed Cayo Largo. There are no tourists, no beachcombers, no cocktails with plastic umbrellas tucked into them, just a corner of wild paradise, unchanged since pirate days. With the bunks located in the hulls, catamarans provide a stable platform to smooth ocean swells - not that we experience much of those. Moreover, their shallow draft makes them perfect for these islets. This string of low-lying cays has trapped many more ships in the past than it has enticed them to stay – divers have found the remains of more than 70 ships and many more sank there between the


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Photo by Lydia Bell

16th and the 18th centuries. Christopher Columbus is said to have visited the island on his second expedition in 1494. Pirates certainly dropped in – though the main pirate colonies were in La Isla, the biggest island. At some point, the pre-Columbian Siboney Indians, who left artifacts there, dropped out. Many of these hapless drowned masses would have been looking for turtle meat. The area is still plentiful in Green, Hawksbill and Ridley turtles, and many float past me, beady eyed, while I’m snorkelling. If you’re into diving, this is prime territory. All the cayos have salt-water flats on the mainland side, and coral reefs to the south, with drop-offs into the Cayman Trench. The seabed is feted for its coral formations, tunnels, and steep walls covered with marine life. Much can be seen just snorkelling, which is all I do. As well as the coral, I see numberless sponges – pillar, staghorn, elkhorn, gorgonian, and sea fans, plume worms, to the initiated. I see a squid gliding alongside a barracuda, and lots of zippy rays. I see a rainbow array of solitary fish, and many, many undulating shoals. Cuba is one big archipelago – 4,000-plus islands and cays as well as the long, loping, crocodile shaped mainland. On this archipelago within an archipelago, Cayo Largo (26km long, only 2km wide) is king. I confess to an historical lack of interest in visiting, presuming it to be a manufactured paradise. Be that as it may, it’s idyllic and a great jumping-off point for an archipelago escapade. Moreover, the Cayo, hotels notwithstanding, remains pleasantly unspoiled. The northern coast is left to the mangroves, pelicans, iguanas and mosquitoes. At Playa Tortuga in the northeast, turtles lay their eggs.

Domestic visitors arrive from Havana in a 70-yearold Antonov AN-2-bi-plane with a cruising altitude of 1,200m – scenic is an understatement. The rickety 40-seater swoops down to the long, thin spit of coral over speckled periwinkle waters, hazy mangroves, and the tufted thatches of hotel roofs. We pick up our boat at the marina, a short bus ride from the tiny airport terminal. The catamaran has 6 double cabins for 12 passengers, all ensuite. At £3600 for one week, at full capacity it’s £86 daily each, food and drink thrown in. A bargain price tag with the princely boon of mostly being alone in the places you drop anchor: the Virgin Islands this is not. Off duty the boat lives in Cienfuegos, a southern colonial harbour town. Getting from Cienfuegos to the archipelago is a passage of 60 nautical miles. We’ll do the return journey on the way back. Fortunately it’s December, so the weather is mild and the storms infrequent till April. That night, we anchor in a mangrove canal just off the island. I sleep for ten hours, rocked by the gentle motion of the ocean. The next morning we cruise west through a blue seascape to reach deserted Cayo Rosario, sunbathing in a 15-knot breeze. Cayo Rosario is a craggy deserted speck with the odd shaggy palm tree. We are the only people there. We kayak to shore with our possessions tied up in a bin bag, through lusciously electric blue waters. Aside from the flotsam and jetsam (buoys, flip flops, bottles, deflated basketball for your own private “Willssssssson!” moment) thrown around by hurricane Sandy, there is a virgin status to this scrappy place, and its 8km beach. We bob in the surf and smoke in the shade of a lolling palm. We


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and rum planned. It’s the weekly marina party and the tiny backwater village transforms from halfdead one-horse town to explosive regaeton party as every Cuban worker on the island gathers to let off steam. We spend a wicked off-boat night pool hustling and go to sleep at 3am, the deafening sound of salsa muted by the water beneath us. I wake at 10, and we are already floating on a silent reef. The perfect hangover cure is to drift dreamily over a coral bed, through shoals of fish, indigo blue and as yellow as a lollipop lady. Shafts of sunlight pierce the milky-calm depths, and some of the fish seem comatose, too, sleepily rocking back and forth with the current. I follow a turtle for a while, wreathes of seaweed stroking my legs. Every once in a while he glances over his shoulder at me, quizzically. We float on to our next pitstop. Just off Cayo Largo, a confluence of reef and dune has created a ‘natural swimming pool’ in the shallows, warm as a baby’s bath, milky streaks of pearlescent sand in the palest aquamarine waters. I lie on a sand slick in the middle of it for an hour, feeling the sun sink deep into my pores. Photo by Lydia Bell

make sloppy sculptures with the creamy sands that mingle with the lapping tide. We chase hermit crabs. We shout at some vultures to go away. The salty, sun-sated hours pass until sheer boredom drives us back to the boat. That night, we drop anchor near Canal del Rosario, which offers protection against prevailing winds, and watch as the sunset sky is licked with Champagne pink clouds that catch fire and cover the surface of the sea. We eat red snapper that skipper José harpooned at the reef. We count shooting stars in the blazing night sky while he rhythmically guts and filets the rest of the snapper, and romanticise about sailors on Spanish galleons watching the same stars and hearing the same silence. Finally we are lulled to sleep by the faint, soporific rocking movement of the boat. When I wake the next morning we are on the move; Jose has already caught two barracuda from his rod trailing off the back of the boat.

And so a simple pattern emerges to our sailing holiday formula. Waking on coral reefs to snorkel among turtles, mantarays and shoals of fish, bringing you back to a childlike sense of wonder. Anchoring off deserted islands and swimming in, for your own private shipwreck fantasy moment. Sunbathing in a 15-nott breeze as the mast tinkles. Eating lobster and snapper you’ve watched being pulled from the ocean two hours earlier. There is no mobile phone reception, no wifi, and no television. The ocean’s movement is narcolepticmaking. This is the holiday equivalent of the best buffalo mozzarella and sunburst-tomato salad in the world: few ingredients, brilliantly realised. On our last morning I watch José jump into the sea with his usual harpoon, and knife strapped round Photo by Lydia Bell

We arrive at Cayo Rico: another deserted island. We go in by motorised dinghy, the bottom dragging along the sand. There is a deserted restaurant populated by iguanas, and a scattering of weather ravaged sun loungers. As you approach, posses of iguanas advance enthusiastically towards you like lap dogs. We commune with the iguanas, walk in the shallows and return to our boat and back to Cayo Largo, where the Cubans have a night of rumba


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his calf. This time he’s also wielding a long metal rod with a hooked end: time for lobster hunting. I tail after him, holding a string bag. Within half an hour it’s full of spiny lobsters. He makes it look easy. He dives down to the seabed, sticks his head under the coral and rocks, finds his lobster, then hooks him out with the rod. Sometimes the lobster escapes and swims off, emitting a long, thin, wheezy scream, with José in hot pursuit. José always wins in the end. The fish go crazy when the lobsters are smoked out of their dens, and attach themselves to it and to José, sucking off any juicy tidbits that they can. We stop for lunch at Cayo Sal, a low-lying blob of desolate rock like a micro Falklands. The cay has an inner salt-water lagoon forming a natural salt bed beloved of seagulls, ducks and other sea birds. There are cat sharks about, but I don’t spot one. Instead, I watch a small fish hurtle in and out from behind a rock. He has never seen anything that

looks like me before, and can’t help himself but to keep coming out to take a look, goggle eyed, before getting scared and hurtling back under again. Then it’s time for the seven hours back to Cienfuegos. As if on cue, the sea turns dark eau de nil and glittering and a vast oyster cloud fills the sky, a gold-amber rain-filled slash striping the horizon. As we pick up speed, so do the waves, and the few hours we spend on open water are dire until we reach the shoreline of the mainland and hug it all the way to Cienfuegos. I feel sick to the core, but I’m still melancholy when we arrive into Cienfuegos at midnight, where there is some kind of salsa party unfolding on the harbour. It’s all very well being back among these landlubbers, but they don’t understand the secret, silent exclusivity of the sea. Continue to read full article + slideshow

Photo by Lydia Bell

A seven-day, six-night catamaran trip with Esencia Experiences (01481 714818, www.esenciaexperiences. com) costs from £3600 for a catamaran that sleeps six, including a skipper and chef.

Lydia Bell is a travel journalist with a deep interest in – and love of – Cuba. She has worked at The Australian newspaper, at the Financial Times, at the Daily Mail, Reuters, British Airways’ High Life magazine and remains a Harper’s Bazaar contributing editor.


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havana guide

From Our Secret Garden: Cuba Libro By Conner Gorry

“You’re not going to get any walk-in business. It’s too off the beaten track.” “There’s a place for rent near 23 & G. Why don’t you move there?” “You can’t have a basket of free condoms. They’ll get stolen in one stroke.” “What do you mean all the books are in English? You have nothing in Spanish?!” These were some of the comments and observations made by friends and family as we prepared to open Cuba Libro, the island’s first English-language bookstore (and much more). We heard them out – that’s the polite thing to do after all. But in the end, no hicimos caso; we didn’t take their opinions to heart. We were casting our fate at the corners of Calle 24 and 19 in Vedado, once the home and studio of renowned Cuban photographers Mayito and Marucha (co-founder of Fototeca de Cuba); we knew there was a local and foreign market/passion for books in English; and we wanted to give people the benefit of the doubt – that we could leave out a basket of high-quality, imported condoms and people would only take as many as they needed (or what they hoped they needed!).

has been more supportive, positive, and energetic than we ever dare dreamed. No one involved in the project is getting rich, mind you (few booksellers ever do, Amazon notwithstanding), but that was never a goal. We set out to create a comfortable, unpretentious, jinetero-free oasis of nature and literature, where foreigners and Cubans (English-speaking or not), could hang out and converse, have a proper ice coffee, listen to good music and lay aside their worries for an hour or three. We were also determined from the start to actively involve as many young, creative Cubans as possible and to have Havana’s nicest public bathroom. We committed ourselves to equity, environmental protection and education, and to welcoming everyone with the good humor and cheer for which Cuba is famous. The Cuba Libro team – coffee addicts all – was

Cuba Libro opened its doors at the tree-lined corner of 24 and 19 barely three months ago and the reception – by neighbors, visitors, and Cubans from all walks of life, economic strata, and ages –


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These are just some of the comments we’ve received recently. But don’t believe me when I tell you: Cuba Libro is a special, joyful and unique place to pass a spell. Come in and experience it for yourself. We’ll save a hammock for you! *Anyone interested in donating dictionaries or other books, please write to cubalibrohavana@ gmail.com for details. Cuba Libro is on Calle 24, on the corner of Calle 19, in Vedado. We’re open daily but Sundays, 10am-8pm. Telephone: 830 5205. Follow us on Twitter (@cubalibrohavana) and Facebook (cubalibroHAV).


also adamant that the espressos, cortaditos, and cappuccinos served would be the best to be had in Havana. After consulting a Southern belle and an English lass, we also felt confident we’d be offering the tastiest iced and hot tea in the city. Last but not least, our Cuban provider of tropical juices – uncut, with no sugar – guaranteed to provide us the freshest, seasonal juices available. Just under three months in and we’ve already been likened to Shakespeare & Co. in Paris and City Lights in San Francisco (blush); featured two shows by a pair of incredibly talented young Cuban artists; and started a dictionary donation project with the primary school across the street.* “That’s a five-star bathroom. There’s a toilet seat and everything!” “I think this is the best mango juice I’ve ever had in my life.” “I’ve been taking care of my dying father. I haven’t felt this stress-free in nine months.” “I wish we’d found Cuba Libro at the beginning of our trip instead of the end.” “We should have a place like this on every corner.”


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Galleries & Studios in Havana 7th & 60th Studio Unique studio-gallery started showing the work of four young artists

Casa de los Artistas Works by Zaida del Río, Fabelo, Rancaño, Pedro Pablo Oliva

www.cubartspace7y60.com

Calle Oficios #6 (sec ond floor), entre Obispo y Obrapía, Old Havana (07) 862-8986

Centro de Arte Contemporáneao Wilfredo Lam

Centro Hispano Americano de Cultura

Showcases visual arts in developing countries

Cultural center

San Ignacio #22, esq. Empedrado, Old Havana

Malecón No 17 e/ Paseo de Martí & Capdevila, Centro Habana (07) 860-6282

Espacio Aglutinador

Factoría Habana

Run by Sandra Ce bal-los, who also lives in the space

Calle 25 #602, entre 6 y 8, Vedado (07) 830-2147

Galería La Acacia

High-end and wellstocked commer-cial gallery Calle San José #114, e/ Industria y Consulado, Old Havana (07) 861-3533

Galería Villa Manuela

Exhibiting some of the best contempo rary Cuban artists Calle H, e/ 17 y 19, Veda do (07) 832 2391

Experimental center for present-day artistic creation

Casa-Estudio de José Fuster

Centro de Arte La Casona

Calle 226, esquina 3A, Jaimanitas (07) 271-3048

Calle Muralla #107, esquina San Ignacio, Old Havana (07) 861-8544

Cristo Salvador Gallery

Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales

Calle 11 No 1104 entre 14 y 16, Vedado

San Ignacio 352, esq. a Brasil (Teniente Rey), Plaza Vieja, Old Havana (07) 862 3533

Fascinating excursion to see Cuba’s Gaudiesque

Something complete ly different in Cuba’s burgeoning art world

Fototeca de Cuba

The largest, most valuable collection of Cuban photographs

O´Reilly 308 entre entre Habana y Aguiar, Old havana

Mercaderes 307 e/ Mu ralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza Vieja, Old Havana (07) 862-2530

Galería Habana

Galería Victor Manuel

One of Havana’s most established galleries Línea #460, entre E y F, Vedado (07) 832-7101

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes

Cuba´s largest and most impressive permanent art collection. Trocadero entre Zulue ta y Monserrate, Old Havana

Mainstream decora tive modern paintings San Ignacio 56, esq. a Callejón del Chorro, Old Havana (07) 861-2955/866-9268

Pabellón Cuba

Modern architectural building, HQ to Asso ci-ation Hermanos Saiz Calle 23 y Calle N, Vedado (07) 835-0822

One of Havana’s leading exhibition spaces

Contemporary art center on Plaza Vieja

Fundación Ludwing de Cuba

Penthouse of a five-storey building, with breathtaking view Calle 13 #509, 5to piso, entre D y E, Vedado (07) 832-4270

Galería Habana

Small gallery next door to Cine Chaplin Calle 23 y 10, Vedado (07) 831-1101

Taller Experimental de Gráfica de laHabana Cuba’s only engraving workshop Callejón del Chorro #62, Old Havana (07) 862-0979


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Dance & concert venues in Havana

Centro Cultural “El Palenque”

Major indoor venues Gran teatro de La Habana

Teatro Nacional de Cuba

Stages ballet opera, zarzuela and Spanish dance

Recently renovated, where the best per for-mances are

Calle Prado entre San Rafael y San José, Old Havana (07) 861 3077 / 5873

Paseo y 39, Plaza de la Revolución, Vedado

Modern Dance groups in Havana Compañía de Danza Narciso Medina Dance-theater, body contact, minimalism in performance style Cine Teatro Favori to. Belascoaín, esq. Peñalver, (07) 878-2650

Best outdoor venues Callejón de Hamel Cuban rumba in Salvador’s shrine to Afro-Cuban religions

Noon-3pm Sun; 10am-noon Sat

Callejón de Hamel, e/ Hospital y Aramburu, Centro Havana

Cabaret

Cabaret Tropicana Legendary Vegas-style extravaganza under the stars Calle 72 No. 4504, entre 41 y 43, Marianao (07) 267 0110 / 1717-8

Compañía Rosario Cárdenas

Teatro Mella

1,500-seat theatre used for dance, folk-lore, circus and variety show Línea No. 657, entre A y B, Vedado (07) 833-8696

Danza Contemporánea de Cuba

Teatro Karl Marx

The best-equipped and largest venue in town Calle 1ra, esquina 10, Miramar (07) 203-0801

Retazos

Directed by Ecuadorian spitfire Isabel Bustos

Innovative and creative group gaining fabulous reviews

Cuba’s legendary and most celebrated mod ern dance group

Centro de Danza de la Habana. Prado No. 111, e/ Genios y Refugio (07) 878-6765

Teatro Nacional de Cuba. Paseo y 39, Plaza de la Revolución (07) 879-6410

Centro Cultural El Gran Palenque

Salon Rosado de la Tropical

Jardines de la Tropical

Ave.41 esq. 46, Nicanor del Campo

Calle Rizo y Baire, Puentes Grandes, Municipio Plaza

Habana Café

Cabaret Turquino

Mesmerizing show of Afro-Cuban rumba Calle 4, entre 5ta y Calzada (7ma). Vedado Saturday 3-5pm

Cabaret Parisién

Legendary beer garden where Arsenio tore it up. Unrivalled energy, great venue.

Beautiful dancers, inti mate locale, at Cuba’s most historic hotel

Where Vincent Vega would get his ten-dollar shake in Havana

Hotel Nacional, Calle O, esquina 21, Vedado (07) 873 4701 ext. 129

Hotel Meliá Cohíba, Avenida Paseo, esquina 3ra, Vedado (07) 833-3636

Teatro Las Carolinas. Calle Amargura No. 61, entre Mercaderes y San Ignacio (07) 866-0512

Beautiful and unique location in old Tropical brewery gardens. Out of the way but worth it

Stunning view from 26th floor. Retractable roof, up market. Habana Libre Hotel. Calle L, e/ 23 y 25, Vedado (07) 838-4011


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Best live music venues in Havana

Classical Teatro Auditórium Amadeo Roldán Great space.

Basílica Menor de San Francisco de Asís

Amadeo Roldán Teatro Auditórium Calzada No. 512, esquina D, Vedado

Calle Oficios, Plaza San Francisco de Asís, Old Havana

Jazz

Beautiful church

Oratorio de San Felipe Neri

Sala Covarrubias, Teatro Nacional

Fabulous acoustics

Recently renovated

Calle Aguiar No.412 entre Obrapia y Lamparilla, Old Havana

Paseo y 39, Plaza de la Revolución

Privé Lounge

La Zorra y el Cuervo

Café Jazz Miramar

Jazz Café

Improvised jamming. Funky.

Quality jazz. Cold atmosphere.

Chilled at mosphere – private

Cine Teatro Miramar Calle 5ta Esquina A 94, Miramar 10:30pm – 2am

Centro de Danza de la Habana. Prado No. 111, e/ Genios y Refugio

Calle 88A No. 306 e/ 3ra y 3ra A, Miramar, (07) 209-2719

Café Cantante Mi Habana

Casa de la Música de Centro Habana

Casa de la Música de Miramar / El Diablo Tun Tun (upstairs)

Teatro Nacional de Cuba, Avenida Paseo, esquina 39, Plaza de la Revolución

Galiano, entre Neptuno y Concordia, Centro Habana (07) 860 8296/4165

Best salsa bands

Don Cangrejo

El Sauce

Salsa/Timba

Great musicians. Basement club.

Contemporary Bertolt Brecht Café Teatro Cuban hipsters

Bertolt Brecht Café Teatro Calle 13 e/I y J, Vedado

Trova & traditional

A bit rough. Great bands.

Beautiful people…cool Avenida 1ra entre 16 & 18, Miramar

Barbaram Pepito’s Bar

El Gato Tuerto

Calle 26 entre Avenida del Zoológico y Calle 47. Nuevo Vedado (07) 881-1808

Calle O, entre 17 y 19, Vedado

Nueva trova musicians

Fabulous bolero. Intimate

Calle 35, esquina 20, Playa

For best in Nueva trova Avenida 9na #12015, entre 120 y 130, Playa Tel: +53 (07) 204-6428

Intimate and atmospheric. Calle 23, entre N y O Tel. 833 2402

El Jelengue de Areíto Matinees on the terrace

EGREM Patio San Miguel 410, entre Campanario y Lealtad, en Centro Habana

Teatro de Bellas Artes

Small intimate venue Trocadero entre Agramonte y Avenida de las Misiones, Old Havana

Hurón Azul (UNEAC)

Salón 1930 ‘Compay Segundo’

Calle 17, esquina H

Hotel Nacional de Cuba, Calle O, esquina 21, Vedado

Students, artists. Hang out.

Buena Vista. Traditional.


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Theatres in Havana Adolfo Llauradó Sala Teatro

Home of the Teatro Estudio troupe. Varied theatre pro gram

América Teatro

Opened in 1941. Art deco style with magnif icent interiors

Calle 11, e/ 11 D y E. Vedado

Galiano 253 entre Con cordia y Neptuno. Centro Hava na(07) 862-5416

La Casona

La Colmenita

Adapted in 1970 as rehearsal space for the Teatro Estudio theatre company Calle 11, e/D y E. Vedado (07) 832-5373

Teatro Nacional del Guiñol

Home to Cuba’s lead ing children’s theatre and puppetry company Calle M, e/ 17 y 19. Vedado(07) 832-6262

A theatre group of children for children, Their performances have been widely acclaimed Sala de la Orden Tercera. Convento de San Fran-cisco, Plaza de San Francisco. Old Havana

Humbert de Blanck Teatro Predominantly stages classics of interna tion-al theater

Calzada (7ma), No. 657, e/ A y B. Vedado (07) 830-1011

Bertolt Brecht Centro Cultural

Casa de la Comedia

Calle 13, esq. I. Vedado (07)832-9359

Justiz No. 18, entre Baratillo y Oficios. Old Havana

Fausto Teatro

Gaia

Cultural centre houses a modern 300-seat space called Sala Alternativa

Probably the best place in Havana for variety and comedy acts

Prado No. 201, esq. Colon. Old Havana (07) 863-1173

Also known as the Salón Ensayo, it is the base for the company El Taller

An arts center that was set up in 2000 Teniente y Rey No. 157, e/ Cuba y Aguiar. Old Havana (07) 862-0401

El Sótano Sala Teatro

Home to the Compañía Teatral Rita Montaner. Quite basic Calle K, e/ 25 y 27. Vedado (07) 832-0630

El Sótano Sala Teatro

Home to the re nowned theatre com panyTeatro El Publico Calle Línea e/ Paseo y A. Vedado (07) 830-9648


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Havana’s best Museums Arte Corte (Papito’s) Hairdressing salon and “interactive museum” Aguiar 10 entre Peña Pobre y Monserrate, Old Havana

Cámara Oscura 360-degree panoramic view of Old Havana Brasil (Teniente Rey), esquina a Mercaderes, Old Havana

Casa Oswaldo Guayasamin

Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro

Work by Oswaldo Guayasamín

Symbol of Havana and most visited place

Obrapía 111, entre Ofi cios y Mercaderes, Old Havana

North-eastern side of the harbor

Castillo de la Real Fuerza

Depósito del Automovil

Fundación Havana Club

Maqueta de La Habana

Fortress

49 restored vehicles from 1905 to 1989

Stages of traditional rum production

Scale model of Havana (third largest in world)

Oficios 13 esquina a Callejón de Jústiz, Old Havana

Avenida del Puerto 262, esq. a Sol, Old Havana

28 #113 entre 1ra y 3ra, Miramar

Museo de la Ciudad

Museo del Chocolate

Museo de la Farmacia Habanera La Reunión

O’Reilly #1, Plaza de Armas, Old Havana

Museo Armería 9 de Abril Firearms and bladed weapons C18th to 20th Mercaderes 157, e/ Obra-pía y Lamparilla, Old Havana

Museo del Ferrocarril Housed in the former Cristina railway station Estación Cristina, s/n, esq. a Arroyo, Old Havana

Palacio de los Capitanes Generales Cuba (Tacón) e/ Obispo y O’Reilly, Old Havana

Museo Napoleónico Finest collection of Napoleonic and French Revolutionary memora bilia outside France San Miguel #1159, e/ Ronda y Masón, Vedado

Museo Nacional de la Danza


Objects from Alicia Alonso’s collection

Aristocratic wealth, taste and passion

Línea y G (Avenida de los Presidentes), Vedado

17 #502 esq. a E, Vedado

Watch chocolates being made Mercaderes esq. a Am argura, Old havana

The most important pharmaceutical complex in Cuba

Brasil (Teniente Rey) esquina a Compostela, Habana Vieja

Museo de la Revolución

Museo Armería 9 de Abril

Revolutionary history

Firearms and bladed weapons C18th to 20th

Refugio 1 e/ Monserrate y Zulueta, Old Havana

Mercaderes 157, e/ Obra-pía y Lamparilla, Old Havana

Planetario

El Templete

Interactive cultural center

Commemorates the first mass held

Mercaderes 311 e/ Brasil (Teniente Rey) y Muralla. Plaza Vieja, Old Havana

Baratillo, esq. a O’Reilly, Old Havana


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Best places to eat in Havana El Atelier

CA

5

Bikos

CA

5

Café Laurent

CA

5

Carboncita

CA

5

Contemporary fusion

Spanish/Mediterranean


Italian (+delivery)

Calle 5 entre Paseo y 2, Vedado

Calle 19, No 1010, esquina a 12, Vedado

Calle M No. 257, entre 19 y 21, Vedado

Ave. 3ra No. 3804 entre 38 y 40, Miramar

(07) 836-2025

(07) 836-3603

(07) 831-2090/832-6890

(7) 203 0261 / 5 290 4984

CA El Chanchullero

CA Le Chansonnier

La Casa

CA

5

Casa Miglis

CA

5

5+

Contemporary fusion

Swedish

Calle 30 No. 865 entre 26 y 41, Nuevo Vedado

Lealtad 120 entre Áni mas y Lagunas. Centro Havana (07) 836-7075


Contemporary fusion

Teniente Rey 457ª bajo entre Bernaza y El Cristo

Calle J No. 257 entre Línea y 15, Vedado

(07) 872-8227

(07) 832-1576

CA 5+ Corte del Principe (Sergio’s)

Il Divino

Italian

Calle Raquel, No. 50 e/ Esperanza y Linde ro. Reparto Castillo de Averhoff, Mantilla, Arroyo Naranjo (07) 643-7734

Cuban/Creole

Ivan Chef Justo

Río Mar

(07) 881-7000

El Cocinero

CA

5+

International Calle 26, S/N, between 11 and 13, Vedado.

9na esq. 74, Playa (05) 255-9091

(07) 832-2355

La Fontana

CA

5+

La Guarida

CA

International

Contemporary fusion

Calle 46 No. 305 esquina a 3ra, Miramar

Concordia 418 entre Gervasio y Escobar

(07) 202-8337

(07) 866-9047

San Cristóbal CA

5

Santy

CA

5+

CA

5+

International

CA

5+

CA

5

International

CA

5

Cuban/Creole

Sushi/Oriental


Calle San Rafael No 469 entre Lealtad y Cam-panario (07) 860-9109

Calle 240A No 3023 y 3raC, Jaimanitas

Calle 29 # 205 entre B y C. Vedado (07) 830-0711

(05) 286-7039

5+

(05) 281-5883

Aguacate #9, esq.uina a Chacón, Habana Vieja (07) 863-9697

Starbien

CA

Callejón del Chorro No. 60C. Plaza de la Catedral


5+

Doña Eutimia

5+

3A y Final # 11, La Pun tilla, Miramar, Havana, Cuba

El Templete

CA

5

Spanish/Mediterranean Avenida del Puerto No. 12 esquina a Narciso López (07) 866-8807


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Best Bars & Clubs in Havana CA 5 Bertolt Brech Café Teatro Hippest Cuban musicians play here for fun. Calle 13 e/ I y J, Vedado.

Don Cangrejo

CA 5-

Where the Friday night party is. Avenida 1ra entre 16 & 18, Miramar

El Floridita

CA 5-

Hemingway’s daiquiri bar. Obispo No. 557 esq Ave. de Bélgica (Monser rate), Old Havana

Melia Habana sports Bar

Bohemio Bar

CA 5-

La Cecilia

CA 4

Elegant bar with beautiful vibe Calle 21 No 1065 entre 12 y 14.

Big venue, popular, PMM. 5ta Avenida, No. 11010, entre 110 y 112 Miramar

Ecaleras al Cielo.

Espacios

CA 4+

Stairway to Heaven. LGBT venue. Calle Zulueta No. 658 entre Gloria y Apodaca, Old Havana

La Fontana Bar

CA 5

Stylish Miami style lounge bar. Calle 46 No. 305, esqui na 3ra, Miramar

CA 5-

Laid back contemporary bar. Calle 10, e/ 5ta y 31, Mi ramar

El Gato Tuerto

CA 4+

CA 4+

Sports Bar, big screen TV Melia Habana Hotel Ave. 3ra entre 76 y 80, Playa

The after party bar (3am+). 1ra y 43, Playa

Mellow intimate ( jazz) club. Calle 88A No. 306 e/ 3ra y 3ra A, Miramar, Playa

El Sauce

Mio y Tuyo

CA 4+

El Tocororo

CA 5-

Mellow outdoor club. Avenida 9na #12015, e/ Calles 120 y 130, Miramar.

New hang-out for the cool crowd. Live music from 11pm

(07) 204-6428

Avenida 5ta B Entre 42 y 44

Privé Lounge

CA 5+

Fabulous setting, great service,cool vibe Calle 26, e 11 y 13, Vedado

Essencia Habana

CA 5

Spacious modern bar Calle B, entre Linea & Calzado. El Vedado

Melem Bar

CA 5-

Slick and popular bar. 1ra. e/ 58 y 60, Miramar

Fabulous bolero. Intimate Calle O, e/ 17 y 19, Vedado

Las Piedras Bar

CA 4

El Cocinero

CA 5

CA 4+

Expat favorite hangout Calle Trocadero e/ Agramonte & Avenida de las Misiones. Old Havana

Sangri-La

CA 5

Contemporary bar. Cool crowd. Avenida 21, e/ Calle 36 y 42, Miramar.

ToBARish

CA 4+

Russian themed bar Calle 23, e/ N y O (07) 833-2402


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