Whatson cubarealtours latest edition

WHAT’S ON

HAVANA!

Brutal beatdownconcerts August 15-25

p 21

Havana Carnival August9-11 & 16-18

p 26

Music festival in JibacoaAugust 2-4

p 15

PRODUCED BY .COM

AUG 2013

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.COMCuba Absolutely is an independent platform, which seeks to showcase the best in Cuba culture, life-style, sport, travel and much more...

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HAVANA CULTURE

page 2 WHAT’S ON HAVANA !

August is the month when Cubans finally concede that it may be warm enough to dip a toe in the ocean. After the national holiday on July 26th, in particular, the entire country strips off and heads to the nearest beach. ‘Vamos a la playa’ as the Cubans say. From the beach, it’s only a small hop to Jibacoa to catch the summer music festival from August 2nd to 4th. You don’t want to miss Cuba’s best Djs and the hordes of youth partying for 2 straight days.

Back in Havana, there is no let up in activities, exhibitions, concerts, festivals and performances. At 8pm on August 31st, there is an electronic dance party in Parque Villalón while Cuba’s hottest jazz pianist, Roberto Fonseca will be perfoming at Teatro Mella on August 20th at 8pm. For those that take their music several decibels louder, the extreme music Brutal Beatdown Summer Fest will be running concerts in six locations throughout the country from August 15th to the 25th.

And let’s not forget the Havana Carnival, which will be keeping Havana awake until the early hours the weekends of August 9th to11th and 16th to 18th.

Thanks to Conner Gorry for her piece, “ ”, Cuba: What You Know but Don’t Realizeand good luck with her “Cuba Libro: Havana’s 1st English-Language Bookstore & Café”, which opens on August 5th. We hope you enjoy this review. Any feedback and/or notices about events are always appreciated. You can contact us at [email protected].

AUGUST 2013

OTHER EVENTS IN CUBA

HAVANA GUIDE

PLASTIC ARTS

El Museo Nacionalde Cuba's Almacenes Afuera

p 7

PHOTO-GRAPHY

TOCATEGaleria Habana

p 11

DANCE

TIMBALAYE 2013Aug 19-22, HavanaAug 23-24, Matanzas

p 12

MUSICLa Cura de la Semana.Playa Bacuranao, Aug 3, 10pm

Playa Guanabo, Aug 24, 10pm

p 15

PERFORMINGARTS

GOLDFISH

p 24

FOR KIDS p 29

History of the Havana Carnival p 26

Other events in Havana p 28

The best bars & clubs in Havana p 40

The best place to eat in Havana p 41

Directory / Address book p 42

Read more at www.CubaAbsolutely.com

WHAT’S ONHAVANA!

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Cuba: What You Know but Don’t Realize by Conner Gorry

Over the years, I’ve dedicated (probably too) many hours analyzing, writing, editing, and commenting about the differences between here and there. The ‘there’ of which I speak is the US – from where I hail – but could easily be anywhere North, whither Big Macs and reality television conspire to make people fat and stupid.

Did I just say that? You betcha. I’m sorry if that applies to you, but my internal editor has been on sabbatical ever since a guy richer than Croesus got all up in my grill dissing Cuba like he actually knew what he was talking about.

Which is part of what sparked this post.

There’s a type of visitor here – usually imperious, moneyed men skidding down the hill of middle age towards moldering (and the aforementioned rich fulano fits the bill) – who has Cuba all figured after four days here. Sometimes even before getting here. Cuba is more complex than you could have imagined, you’re more close-minded than you care to admit, and your facile analysis belies the intelligence I’m sure you evidence in your back home life. For those in this category, I’ve crafted this post to clue you in. Just a little.

First, we’re facing a wave of economic, paradigmatic change here without precedent. It roils with an energy confusing, contradictory and encouraging (in its way), towards our shores. Indeed, already it’s breaking on our eroding sands. Like a tow surfer (see note 1) whose very survival depends on accurately calculating wave height, speed, and interval, while accounting for hidden (i.e. underwater) and surface (i.e. other surfers and their support crews) factors, we’re gauging the wave, trying to maintain balance, remain upright, and most importantly, keep from being sucked under.But as any tow surfer will tell you: surviving a 75-foot wave and riding it are two entirely different experiences – as different as summiting Everest with throngs of weekend

!page 3 WHAT’S ON HAVANARead more at www.CubaAbsolutely.com

warriors as attaining the peak without oxygen. One simply takes money and some machismo and motivation; the other requires experience, training, skill, meticulous preparation, and a measure of karma and respect born of intimacy with the context.

So as this monster, freak wave feathers and breaks over Havana, I want to ride it, not simply survive it. And to do that, I – we – have to measure and analyze the conditions, bring our skills and knowledge to bear, channel positive energy, and ensure our fear is healthily spiked with faith. The first step in successfully positioning ourselves to ride this wave, it seems to me, is to understand the culture, in all its contradictory complexities, which brought us to…right…now…

While many emphasize the differences between here and there, between the land of Big Macs and the tierra de pan con croqueta, I take this opportunity to explain how we are the same:

Opinions varyOne of the questions I field most often is: do people like Fidel/Raúl/socialism/the revolution? This is as absurd as asking do people like Obama/capitalism/federalism? Setting aside the fact that the question itself is unsophisticated and dopey (governance and mandate are not about like or dislike but rather about measurable progress and peace within a society, plus, any –ism is just theory; it’s how it works in practice that counts), I posit that it all depends on whom you ask. Up there, a brother from the Bronx is unlikely to share views with a Tea Party mother of two. Similarly, an 18-year old from Fanguito won’t agree with a doctor from Tercer Frente.

It’s obvious, but visitors tend to forget that here, like there, you must consider the source when posing such questions. Less obvious is that here, it also depends on how you ask the question. But that’s a more advanced topic beyond the purview of this post.



People like stuffOn the whole, Cubans are voracious shoppers – always have been, always will be. Whether it’s shoes, books, handbags, wooden/porcelain/glass/papier mâché tschotskes, fake flowers, clothes, or packaged food, Cubans will buy it. Or at the very least browse and touch and dream of buying it.

Some folks – like the ones who inspired this post – deny capitalist, consumerist culture ever existed in Cuba before now, revealing their lack of knowledge. I’m embarrassed for them; on the upside, it means many up there are clueless to fact that if you dropped a jaba bursting with a new pair of Nikes and Ray Bans, iPod (or better yet, Pad), some Levis, a pound of La Llave, gross of Trojans, and a couple bottles of Just For Men on every Cuban doorstep, with a note instructing them to come over to the imperialist dark side, a lot, the majority even, would do it. Being Cuban, a lot would pledge to ditch and switch just for the swag, of course, but that too, is an advanced topic beyond the purview of this post.

Until that day, folks here are gobbling up stuff as fast as the shelves can be stocked. In short, todo por un dolar is rivaling hasta la victoria siempre as most popular slogan around here.

It’s all about the kidsHere, as there, parents want a better life for their kids. While what constitutes “better” (again, here as there) depends on whom you ask, this desire to leave a more comfortable/equitable/safe/luxurious life and legacy to one’s kids is human nature. It drives people to rickety rafts, May Day parades, and long, hard overseas postings. It makes parents compromise their own mental health, spend beyond their means and completely subsume their own lives to their children’s. Case in point: have you ever seen what a Cuban goes through – psychically, financially – to celebrate a daughter’s quince? Hundreds, thousands of dollars and days, months, years of preparation are spent for the all-important photos, party, clothes, and gifts for their darling little girls. Families living six to a room in Centro Habana spending $5000 for their 15-year old’s celebration remind me of US folks who scrimp, struggle, and sacrifice to pay for their kid’s wedding/down payment/tuition. Children first – at all cost and any price, here as there.

We are the best in the worldDrop in anytime, anywhere in Cuba or the US and whomever you encounter will profess their country is the best. Greatness or weakness such bravado and pride? A little of both, I figure. That such hubris has contributed to where we are today, riding the wave, I have no doubt.

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

Continue to read full article + slideshow


http://www.cubaabsolutely.com/AboutCuba/article_Cubatoday.php?id=Cuba-What-You-Know-but-Dont-Realize

This island is unique in so many ways (both good and not so) and one thing that has always struck me is that Havana must be one of the only – if not the only – capital city where you can’t get an English-language newspaper or novel. The reasons are complex (what isn’t in Cuba?!) but it means literature lovers have to beg, borrow or steal books in English or bring their Kindle well-loaded.

This is all about to change with the opening on August 5th of Cuba’s first English-language bookstore and café, Cuba Libro. Located on a terminally shady corner in the desirable Vedado district, this ‘café literario’ is bringing the bookstore/coffeehouse concept to the island. All books and magazines pass through the ‘Conner filter’ (if you find a Harlequin Romance on the shelves, you get a free espresso!): I guarantee if you’re in need of quality reading material or conversation with interesting, creative Cubans, you’ll find it here.


In addition to featuring monthly shows by talented local artists – August showcases over a dozen captivating images by photographer Alain Gutiérrez – Cuba Libro offers many services travelers are after: water bottle refills; postcards, stamps, and mailing; a cultural calendar (so you won’t miss that hot concert or polemic play); and expert travel tips. This is an ethically-responsible business that offers a lending library for those who can’t afford books, a collective employment model where the entire team benefits, and an environmentally-friendly approach. Like Cuba itself, Cuba Libro strives for equity and a healthy, culturally-rich atmosphere.

This is also a regguetón free zone – we listen to real music at Cuba Libro! Come early to snag a coveted hammock or hanging chair in the garden.

Open Monday-Saturday, 10am-8pm.

Cuba Libro: Havana's 1st English-Language Bookstore & Café


Factoría HabanaTHROUGHOUT AUGUST

In El ardid de los inocentes, Cuban artists Celia y Yunior,

Ricardo Miguel Hernández, Grethell Rasúa, Luis Gárciga,

Marianela Orozco, Néstor Siré and Renier Quer make use of

photography, video and installation art to delve into the

one-to-one relationship between the individual and urban

context.


Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Edificio de Arte Cubano)

Almacenes Afuera allows visitors to the museum to see over 150 pieces from colonial times to the present from the museum's collections that have never been out of the vaults before.

!

ART



ARTCENTRO HISPANO AMERICANO DE CULTURA

GALERÍA VILLA MANUELA

BIBLIOTECA PÚBLICA RUBÉN MARTÍNEZ VILLENA

Opens August 9

Through

August 19

Throughout

August

Utopiart, a 14-piece show by contemporary artists from Cuba, Belgium, Holland and Mali, presents art as a creative utopia capable of connecting artists and viewers beyond geographic and cultural distances.

Intra corpora is an exhibition of painting and sculpture by Arístides Esteban Hernández Guerrero (ARES). The artist has said that this is “an exhibition of Medicine and Psychiatry” because it explores the human anatomy and the psyche of man The humor that has marked his previous productions, however, can still be subtly detected here.

In her project Flat, the University of the Arts student Aissa M. Santiso Camiade explores the image as the representation of ideoaesthetic paradigms that places the viewer in a temporary space in which societal paradigms no longer hold true.

CENTRO DE ARTE WIFREDO LAM

Through

August 17

Esto no es Uruguay presents videos, paintings and drawings by artists Erika Meza from Paraguay and Javier López from Cuba (Erika and Javier) who explore the complex Paraguayan reality through art.

GALERÍA EL REINO DE ESTE MUNDO.

Throughout

August

Biblioteca Nacional José Martí

Exvotos, a solo show by painter and printmaker Ibrahim Miranda.

MUSEO NACIONAL DE BELLAS ARTES


Reynerio Tamayo: A Chronicler of the Times by Ricardo Alberto Pérez

The last two canvases Reynerio Tamayo painted in the summer of 2013 are small and beautiful. The first, El origen del tercer mundo (The Origin of the Third World), focuses on female sexual organs in a manner similar to the maps that weathermen use when a hurricane is approaching. The second work is a unique chronicle entitled Toulouse Lautrec en la playa (Toulouse Lautrec at the Beach), which is an innocent pose that moves viewers.

Tamayo is one of those artists who think talent is not enough without creative discipline. Generally, he is in his studio early in the morning,working on one of his many projects. Since 1996, he has done 20 solo shows and an impressive number of group exhibitions. Most important, is his constant presence in the debate over visual arts in Cuba in the past decades.

Tamayo's work is easily identified by the “great public” in his paintings, sculptures and numerous graphic arts pieces, such as posters or caricatures, which have earned him several awards.

The artist was born in 1968, in Niquero, a town on Cuba's south coast, although he lived part of his childhood on the Isle of Youth where he attended elementary art school. He later moved to Havana where he studied at the National Visual Arts School and the Higher Institute of Art (ISA).

From the very beginning, acuteness and irony are the trademarks of his pieces, especially when the delve into his view of the artists of his generation during the era in which they were struggling to become members of the Cuban visual arts community. He tells us that those were the years when projects were conceived for “the love of art,” which ensured much controversy and pluralistic views.


One of Tamayo's major virtues is his openness to many subjects and styles. He harbors no prejudicesas witnessed in his Penicilina para los cheos y la tristeza (1987) and Gánsteres en La Habana (2012).

Tamayo's work carries a great richness due to the “smuggling” he constantly engages in of important artists from different periods. He radically manipulates these figures and irreverently connects them to Cuban idiosyncrasies. Along this runway, we have seen the parade of Velázquez, Van Gogh, Goya, Magritte, Dali, Malevich, Toulouse Lautrec, Pablo Picasso, Francis Bacon and more. Such intense and promiscuous contact has resulted in Magritte con bombín (Magritte with Bowler Hat), Huevos fritos con Francis Bacon (Fried Eggs with Francis Bacon), Radiografía de Velázquez (an X-rays of Velasquez), La silla de Van Gogh (Van Gogh's Chair), El morro de Toulouse (Toulouse's Lighthouse) and Puro Mondrian (Pure Mondrian).

Another feature that distinguishes Tamayo's work is his capacity to place subjects and icons that traditionally carry a heavy ideological load into a position of controversy, without running the risk of turning to tasteless pamphleteering. His Martí Astronauta (Astronaut Marti) was highly praised at the group show called El Martí de todos (Marti for Everyone) in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2006. His ironic comments on the obsessiveness of war have also provoked interest.

Reynerio Tamayo is responsible for creating images of a Havana that wavers between fiction and reality, between the past and the present.It is a mysterious Havana, salvaged from tales heard many times over that have attained substance and delight thanks to the magic of Cubans.



FUERA DE LIGA100x180 cmacrilico sobre lienzo2007

The best term to apply to Tamayo is “chronicler.” The artist uses very Cuban subjects such as baseball and cigars. The latter has been the centerpiece of many of his pictorial fantasies in which famous figures handle them. However, Reynerio also enjoys a sense of eclecticism that is nurtured by events and phenomena that take place in far-off countries, such as Japan.

Tamayo's passion for graphic arts has led him to create many posters since his student days when he produced the publicity for his one-man and group shows. His posters for Cuban films have also had a great impact: Havana Station, Barrio Cuba, Fábula, La bicicleta and Fuera de liga are some examples of his posters for the cinema.

Tamayo is very quick to react to provocative ideas, and his artistic sprit contains a sort of charm and wit that allow him to give many of those ideas a felicitous outcome, so much so that he has been dubbed by some critics as a chronicler of his time.



http://www.cubaabsolutely.com/Culture/article_couch.php?id=Reynerio-Tamayo-temperament-and-identity

TÓCATEGALERÍA HABANA

THROUGH AUGUST 23

Tócate. According to the curator Elvia Rosa Castro, the 13 Cuban photographers responsible for this exhibition “wanted to show something new, or, at least, visually attractive, dynamic and diverse. Free of prejudices….Tócate is, in a sense, a lesson in historiography and unveils that many young people are involved in serious matters, even those whose art rests on the most overwhelming conceptualism.” The 13 artists are Kenia Arquiñao, Álvaro José Bruet, Donis Dayán, Rigoberto Díaz, Angélica Ermus, Jesus Hernández-Guero, Julio Désar Llópiz, Jorge Otero, Ernesto Quintana, Nestor Siré, Ranfis Suárez, Senen Tabáres, and Rafael Villares.


PHOTOGRAPHY

PALACIO DE LOMBILLO

Throughout

August

Restauración, el anillo y el estanque, by Ossain Raggi, exhibits prints made through the silver on gelatin process. The pictures depict the spirituality of the Cubanacán art schools, which is generally is passed over given its exceptional architecture.

FOTOTECA DE CUBA

Through

August 19

Sarah N, fotografías 2005-2010 is a collection of photographs by Sarah Nouvel, daughter of the great French architecture Jean Nouvel. Sarah, who is autistic, and only communicates through photography, which has become a register of her relation with the world.

QUINTA DE LOS MOLINOS

Through Aug 30,

5pm

Retos de la Naturaleza is an exhibition of photographs and audiovisual compositions covering the challenges presented by Nature.

Al fin… el marSALA DE LA DIVERSIDAD

THROUGH SEPTEMBER 21

Al fin…el mar is an exhibition of submarine photographs, most of which have never been shown before, taken from 1963 to 1976 by the mythical Cuban photographer Alberto Korda whose photograph of Che Guevara is famous worldwide.


BALLET NACIONAL DE CUBA

SALA AVELLANEDA. TEATRO NACIONAL

AUG 23, 24, 29, 30 & 31, 8PM; 25, 5 PM The Ballet Nacional de Cuba presents The Magic of Dancing, an anthology of great moments of 19th-century choreographies including the Cuban celebrated Cuban versions of Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Coppelia, Don Quixote and Swan Lake, and The Gottschalk Symphony, choreographed by Alicia Alonso.

DANCE


BALLET

SEDE DE BB COMPAÑÍA

Through Aug 4 This Summer course by the BB Compañía includes classes in ballet, contemporary dance, and folk dances from Mexico, the US, South America, and Cuba as well as training in flamenco, makeup, hairdressing and costume design.


Aug 2 & 3,

8pm; 4, 5 pm

Aug 20

8pm

Performances of Le Corsaire, based on Marius Petipa's revival, by the Prodanza Ballet Company, directed by Laura Alonso, with first dancers Marien Valdés, Luis Javier Corrales, Patricia Hernández, Alejandro Izquierdo, Daniella Oropeza, Elaine Guillén and Janier Gómez.

The unique company Danza Voluminosa, made up of overweight dancers, will perform Fredy, una mujer que canta [Fredy, a woman who sings], based on the songs of a Cuban bolero singer who achieved certain fame in 1950s Cuba.

TEATRO MELLA

Aug 2 & 3,

8pm; 4, 5pm

Concert program by the emblematic Cuban dance company Conjunto Folklórico Nacional.

Aug 9 & 10,

8pm; 11, 5pm

Aug 27-28,

8pm;

The contemporary dance company Endedans presents 40 palillos x un peso, by choreographer Maura Morales.

Performances by the Ballet Folclórico of Costa Rica in Mi linda Costa Rica,


DANCE


RUMBA

by Ana Lorena

The Conjunto Folklorico Nacional de Cuba hosts the weekly Sábado de la Rumba, a mesmerizing show of Afro-Cuban religious and secular dance and drumming at El Gran Palenque in Vedado. Here on a Saturday afternoon, there is three hours of rumba, guaguancó and yambú to get you moving. Unless you are 100% “patón” (literally having large feet, but really meaning stiff), it is virtually impossible to stop your body from beginning to sway and your feet moving to the rhythm of the congas. Although on the tourist map this remains refreshingly a-lo-Cubano.

The term “palenque” means “palisade for the defense of a post or for enclosing a plot of land where a public festivity is to be held.” The word was used by runaway slaves in colonial Cuba to designate a place in the mountains where they created a kind of village that kept them safe from the cruel punishments of their masters. Freed from the potential danger of dying at the stocks, they were given the opportunity of practicing the culture and religions they brought with them from their African homeland. It’s not down to chance then that the courtyard attached to the Conjunto Folklorico Nacional’s home, located at 5th and Calzada streets in the Vedado district in Havana, is named El Palenque, given that African music and rituals, play the leading role.

Arguably, the most popular and anticipated event at El Palenque is Saturday’s Sábado de la Rumba, where the drums beat continuously from 3 to 6 in the afternoon. It’s three full hours of rumba (not the ballroom dance, mind you!) guaguancó and yambú. Quickly, the atmosphere is energized and you feel your blood rushing through your veins and your heart racing. Inadvertently, your body begins to sway and your feet move to the rhythm of the congas. There’s no age limit here and the dance floor is open to all. Visitors, whether from the island or from overseas, who are introduced for the first time to Afro-Cuban rhythms are guided by members of the dance company. Passersby can’t avoid the noise coming from inside and, out of curiosity, come into El Palenque, unaware that they will probably stay until the end and most likely come back for more!

El Gran Palenque Calle 4, between Calzada and Avenida 5, Vedado Tel: 7/930-3060 or 7/830-3939

The Conjunto Folklorico Nacional de Cuba hosts the weekly Sabado de Rumba, a mesmerizing show of Afro-Cuban religious and secular dance and drumming. The 2-3 hour shows are presented every Saturday at 3pm. Similar show are offered Thursday through Sunday at 10pm by the group Obbara at the Palacio de la Artesania, Calle Cuba 64, between Calles Pena Pobre and Cuarteles, Habana Vieja.


The Saturday Rumbaat El Gran Palenque


http://www.cubaabsolutely.com/Culture/article_dance_rumba.php?id=The-Saturday-Rumba-at-El-Palenque

V ENCUENTRO RUMBA CUBANA TIMBALAYE 2013


The International Cuban Rumba Festival was created to delve into the patrimonial basis of rumba -not as a musical archeological artifact but as a live and active manifestation of popular culture. The festival includes seminars on salsa, rumba and Afro-Cuban dances; courses on singing and percussion; lectures on music and anthropology; Cuban popular dance competitions; theatre and dance performances; and the presentation of the Fernando Ortiz-Timbalaye Prizes to the best rumba group, singer, dancer and conga player of the event as well as the best essay on Cuban rumba.

MON, AUG 19

TUE, AUG 20

TUE, AUG 21

Palacio de la

Rumba, 7:00 pm

10 am-1 pm & 2-4 pm

8:40-10:45 pm

11:45 pm

10 am-1 pm

8:30-11 pm

3-5 pm

Rumba Fiesta with Cuban dance and song groups and presentation of the participants in the festival.

Afro-Cuban and Cuban popular dance lessons

Folklore. Afro-Cuban and Cuban popular dance lessons.

Opening ceremony at Parque de los Artistas

Timbalaye gala: music and popular dances dedicated to Rumba and Son with the performances of Cuban and international folklore ensembles.

Longina Seductora, an artistic and musical project of poems and feelings based on Bolero, Son and Guaracha

Master lecture on Son and Rumba, which were both declared Cultural Heritage of Cuba in 2012.

Sede del Conjunto Folklórico Nacional de Cuba

Residencia Estudiantil de la Escuela Nacional de Ballet

Anfiteatro de Guanabacoa

Teatro America

Hotel Riviera

TUE, AUG 22

TUE, AUG 23-24

10 am-noon

10:30 pm

3 pm

6 pm

Master class on Cuban Rumba, conducted by Orlando López, dance and choreographer, founding member of the Conjunto Foklorico Nacional de Cuba (reservation needed).

Salsa concerts and closing ceremiony.

Performances by Rumba ensembles, and bands, lessons in singing, dancing and percussion, lectures, meetings, launchings of the magazine Timbalaye

Theoretical meeting on Cuban Son with the special participation of Pancho Amat, the most famous CubanTres player, National Prize-winner for Music.

Son and Cuban traditional music with the performance of Pancho Amat and his band El Cabildo del Son.

Sede de la Compañía Nacional de Danza

Palacio de la Rumba

MATANZAS

Pabellón Cuba

AUG 19-22, HAVANA

AUG 23-24, MATANZAS


Música Electroacústica AUG 31, 8 PM Parque Villalón, Calzada entre D y E, El Vedado Organized by the National Electroacoustic Music Laboratory along with DJ producer Iván Lejardi who also hosts the festivities, the Villalón Park right next to the Amadeo Roldán Theater will showcase the best Djs in Havana with a special guest performance by D´Joy de Cuba's Proyecto Analógica.


MUSIC

La Cura de la Semana PLAYA BACURANAO, AUG 3, 10PM

PLAYA GUANABO, AUG 24, 10PM

The La Cura de la Semana, or the Cure of the Week, is an electronic music project headed by DJ Ryan with the project's regular DJs plus several guest DJs who will play domestic and international electronic music. These seaside meetings will be dedicated to the protection and care of the environment; to saying no to addictions, violence and homophobia; HIV/AIDS prevention; and the practice of sports.

PROYECTO ANALÓGICA - NO SALSA PLEASE, THIS IS A DANCE PARTY by Ana Lorena

If you think that young Cubans are all listening to an old guy playing a guitar or dancing salsa to Los Van Van, you may want to think again. The electronic dance scene is very much alive and kicking with energy reminiscent of the United Kingdom in the 1980s when the youth were chasing the latest rave party around the M25. With a loyal following across Cuba, Djoy de Cuba and Kike Wolf recently (April 28, 2013) hosted the Electronic Music Festival at the Abreu Fontán Social Center. Over twenty Cuban DJs joined them in the festival, which showcased the various styles of electronic music made on the island in a party that lasted for twelve straight hours.


!

CONTEMPORARY FUSION & ELECTRONIC


http://www.cubaabsolutely.com/Culture/article_music_fusion.php?id=Proyecto-Analagica-No-salsa-please-this-is-a-dance-party


MUSIC

CASA DEL ALBA CULTURAL

LA MADRIGUERA

Aug 16, 7pm

Aug 16, 8pm

Performance by Síntesis, with an attractive fusion of rock music with Afro-Cuban rhythms.

Performance by the Vazz Brothers and César M.

CONTEMPORARY FUSION & ELECTRONIC

PIANO BAR DELIRIO HABANERO

Thursdays, 4pm Performances by Tammy and Pura Cepa

CAFÉ LA RAMPA

CASA DE LA MÚSICA DE MIRAMAR

Thursdays,

10pm

Fridays, 5 pm

Wichy D´Vedado, one of the most famous DJs in Havana, who plays the best of world music.

With Son as the foundation of their music, the band Klimax, directed by Giraldo Piloto, incorporates elements from jazz, pop, rap, punk, and Caribbean rhythms.

TEATRO KARL MARX

Aug 24 9:00pm

Aug 30 9:00pm

Performance by the Habana Show Company and guests.

Performance by Qva Libre.

TEATRO AMÉRICA

Aug 30, 8pm Grupo Mezcla.

CENTRO CULTURAL FRESA Y CHOCOLATE

Mon, 10:30pm Dj Wichy del Vedado, uno de los más famosos Djs de La Habana, con lo mejor de música World.

CAFÉ CANTANTE MI HABANA. TEATRO NACIONAL

Tuesdays, 5pm

Wednesdays,

5pm

Thursdays, 5pm

Golden performances by Descemer Bueno, Kelvis Ochoa and David Torrens

Performances by the popular band Qva Libre

Performances by Kola Loka.

Qva Libre



MUSICJAZZMUSIC

CAFÉ JAZZ MIRAMAR

Saturdays, 11pm Regular shows with Roberto Carcassés, pianist and composer

CINE-TEATRO MIRAMAR

Aug 26-28, 7pm Tribute to showman Bobby Carcassés, recipient of the National Award for Music 2013

HURÓN AZUL, UNEAC

Aug 8, 2pm Peña La Esquina del Jazz, hosted by showman Bobby Carcassés.

CASA DEL ALBA

Aug 10, 8pm Ruy López-Nussa (percussionist) and La Academia.

GAIA TEATRO

Aug 3, 9pm Gaia Jazz

ROBERTO FONSECA EN CONCIERTO

AUG 20, 8PM

TEATRO MELLA

Concert by pianist and compoer Roberto Fonseca, one of the most brilliant young jazz musicians to come out of Cuba.


!page 18 WHAT’S ON HAVANA

Leoni Torres en Concierto

SALA AVELLANEDA (TEATRO NACIONAL)AUG 9, 8PM

The vocalist and singer Leoni Torres, who now sings solo after starting out with the Charanga Habanera, is considered one of the most important figures within Cuban music today.

Read more at www.CubaAbsolutely.com

MUSIC

CASA DEL ALBA

CENTRO IBEROAMERICANO DE LA DÉCIMA

CASA DE LA CULTURA DE PLAZA

HURÓN AZUL, UNEAC

Aug 2, 8pm

Aug 3, 3pm

Aug 10, 7pm

Aug 10, 10pm

With his beautiful and powerful voice, Eduardo Sosa and guests perform highlights of the best Cuban trova of all time.

Performance by the duet Ad Libitum.

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

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

Aug 22, 6pm

Aug 25, 4pm

Performance by Vicente Feliú, one of the founders of the Cuban Nueva Trova movement, and guests.

El Jardín de la Gorda with the performances of trovadores from every generation.

JARDINES DEL TEATRO MELLA

Aug 10, 5pm Trova by Jade and her group.

MUSEO NACIONAL DE LA MÚSICA

TEATRO AVENIDA

TEATRO MELLA

CASA BALEAR


LA PÉRGOLA. MINISTERIO DE CULTURA

Aug 10, 5pm

Aug 10, 8pm

Aug 13, 8pm

Aug 16, 8pm

Aug 17, 8:00 pm

Aug 25, 6pm

A musical get-together with Israel Rojas, half of the popular duo Buena Fe.

Fiebre Latina, José Valladares, Ángel Bonne and Andrés Correa get together in a one-of-a-kind performance.

Concert by the band Azúcar Negra.

Tardes de Boleros, hosted by singer Maureen García.

Concert by singer Elaín Morales.

Performances by trovadores Samuel Ávila and Diego Cano.

BOLERO, FOLKLORIC, SON & TROVA

CASA DE CULTURA MIRTA AGUIRRE

Aug 25, 5pm A get-together with trovador Ireno García, author of emblematic songs, such as the very popular Andar La Habana.



MUSIC

CASA MEMORIAL SALVADOR ALLENDE

CENTRO CULTURAL PABLO DE LA TORRIENTE BRAU

CINE-TEATRO MIRAMAR

CAFÉ CONCERT ADAGIO

ASOCIACIÓN YORUBA DE CUBA

CAFÉ CANTANTE, TEATRO NACIONAL

Aug 30, 6pm

Aug 31, 5pm

Aug 31, 7pm

Thursdays, 10pm

Fridays, 8:30pm

Sundays, 4pm

Fridays, 11pm

Saturdays, 4pm

Peña La Juntamenta, with trovador Ángel Quintero and guests

A Guitarra Limpia is a meeting with trovadors accompanied only by their guitars.

Performance by songstress Vania Borges.

Performances by Maylú, the all-round singer of the moment, whose repertoire goes from arias of famous operas to Cuban, Latin American and international pop hits.

Performance by the folkloric group Obiní Batá

Performance by the folkloric group Los Ibellis.

In “Lo que la radio nos dejó” or What the Radio Left Us, singer-songwriter Santiago Feliú performs cover versions of Spanish rock and pop music from the 60s and 70s along with American and British rock music that were very much in vogue in Cuba at the time.

Performance by Waldo Mendoza, one of Cuba's most popular singers today.


Saturdays, 5pm La Utopía combines live performances by troubadours, impromptu performances by the audience, and videos of important domestic and international musicians of the past 50 years.

DIABLO TUN TUN

JARDINES DEL 1830

LA PÉRGOLA. PABELLÓN CUBA

PIANO BAR DELIRIO HABANERO

PIANO BAR TUN TUN

RESTAURANTE SANTO ÁNGEL

CENTRO CULTURAL FRESA Y CHOCOLATE

Saturdays, 5pm

Tue & Thu,

8:30pm; Sun,

5pm

Tuesdays, 4pm

Wednesdays,

4pm

Thursdays, 5pm(Casa de la Musica de Miramar)

Fridays, 9pm

Wednesdays,

9pm

Saturdays,

10:30pm

Sundays, 6pm

Performance by the singer-songwriter Ihosvany Bernal.

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

Performances throughout the month of trova singer-songwriters of different generations.

A get-together with Vocalité and guests.

A meeting with Ray Fernández.

A meeting with singer-songwriter Erick Sánchez who is fascinated with the island's popular music sounds and the daily experiences of ordinary Cubans.

Musical meeting with young songstress Milada Milhet.

Performance by Yeni Sotolongo, a young singer who boasts an exceptional voice and varied repertoire.

Aceituna sin Hueso and their lead violin play an interesting interaction of Celtic, Indian and Cuban sounds.

BOLERO, FOLKLORIC, SON & TROVA



LA SESIÓN AT DELIRIO HABANERO

TEATRO NACIONAL

FRIDAYS, 5PM

Cuba's newest spot for rap lovers, La Sesión includes rap as well as the best DJs in Havana, singers and musicians from other genres as well as visual artists and actors from the stage. Shows are hosted by the Cuban actress Edenis Sanchez and rapper Bárbaro “El urbano” Vargas. La Sesión is sure to become the rap/hip-hop's spot in the Cuban capital

CANCHA DE COJÍMAR

Aug 10 2:00pm Anónimo Consejo and Brebaje Man.

RAP, HIP-HOP

MAQUETA DE LA HABANA

Aug 31 5:00pm Hermanazos.

IGLESIA DE PAULA

Aug 2, 7pm The Swiss flutist Antipe Da Stella will perform together with members of the Ars Longa Early Music Ensemble.


Aug 25, 5pm De Nuestra América, a project directed by pianist Alicia Perea.

Aug 11, 5pm En Confluencia project hosted by Eduardo Martín.

Aug 18, 3pm Tarde de Concierto hosted by soprano Lucy Provedo.

CLASSICALMUSIC



CAFÉ CANTANTE, TEATRO NACIONAL

SUBMARINO AMARILLO

Sundays

4:00pm

Aug 2, 10pm

Los Kents, a “dinosaur” of Cuban rock, play their hits from the 60s and 70s.

Performance by the bandDoble A


Saturdays

5:00pm

Performance by the rock band Gens.

ROCK

A festival that insists on letting the world know that Cuban music is not only salsa and reggaeton, but also has a heavy metal tradition with an enthusiastic following

Back in May 2008, an unprecedented event in the history of rock in Cuba took place: the Salon Rosado de La Tropical was taken over by a dozen national metal bands to promote the launching of the compilation “Not Salsa, Just Brutal Music,” by the French label Brutal Beatdown Records. The concert turned into a veritable fiesta and was forever dubbed “Brutal Fest.” This first spring event was followed by two other Brutal Fests in autumn and winter.

Now, in 2013, Cuban and international metal bands will get together for the first Brutal Summer Fest to be held in Cuba. The summer edition of the Brutal Fest will include Cuban bands Combat Noise, Dead Point, Estigma DC, Mephisto, Switch, Metastasys and Tendencia, plus Mortuary, Cowards and S-Core from France, Splattered Mermaids from Sweden, Severe from Belgium, and Dezaztre Natural from Chile.

The event is organized by the French Brutal Beatdown Record Label with the collaboration of the Cuban Rock Agency and the Cuban Institute of Music. It is also sponsored by the Institute Français, the French Embassy in Cuba, Havana Club Internacional, Cuba Autrement and Los Portales.

Because of the festival's success, the event will be held twice a year-in February (Brutal Winter Fest) and August (Brutal Summer Fest). This year, the festival will travel to six cities in six different provinces. In addition to Havana, it will go to Santa Clara (Thu, Aug 15), Holguín (Sat, Aug 17), Bayamo (Sun, Aug 18), Camagüey (Tue, Aug 20), Sancti Spíritus (Thu, Aug 22), Havana (Fri, Aug 23 & Sat, Aug 24), and Pinar del Río (Sun, Aug 25). Fans will enjoy the most radical sounds of contemporary metal such as grindcore, death metal, hardcore and black metal. And like the name of the CD launched in 2008, this is Not Salsa, Just Brutal Music.

BRUTAL BEATDOWN SUMMER FESTIVAL

Contact:BRUTAL BEATDOWN RECORDS Telf: +53 (0)5270 8437

e-mail: [email protected]

www.facebook.com/brutal.beatdown.recordswww.brutalfest.com


Elpidio Chapotín Delgado: Cuba's Greatest Trumpeter?by Margaret Atkins

Elpidio Chapotín Delgado is reputed to be one of the great Cuban trumpet players of all time. At the age of 62, he is still determined to take full advantage of life. He lives in a cozy apartment in Havana with his wife Gloria who has prepared a huge snack for us. It is as if we were an infantry battalion instead of merely four people.

Chapotín loves to talk. There is practically no need to ask him any questions because he steadily weaves memories, views, and anecdotes together. He moves easily from one musical period of his life to another. “One thing I can say is that I am lucky to have been practically the only musician who played with Gonzalo Roig* and who is still active as a performer today,” he says before he quickly realizes that perhaps that was too absolute. He recalls the beginnings of Juan Formell, director of the famous band Los Van Van, when he was as bass player at the Habana Libre Hotel as well as and Chucho Valdés who played in Havana's now defunct Musical Theatre and then in the Orquesta de Música Moderna. “I learned from everybody: Formell, Chucho, Adolfo Guzmán, Rafael Somavilla, Tony Taño, Manuel Duchesne, Michel Legrand…” he continues as he recites the many outstanding Cuban directors and composers.

Chapotín, as everybody calls him, was born in Cuba but grew up in the United States. When he was nine years old, his father decided that it was time for his son, grandnephew of the legendary Cuban trumpeter Félix Chapotín, to begin studying the instrument. He took him to the legendary Mario Bauzá who lived in New York City in 1930 with his friend Frank Grillo. These two musicians were the grandparents of Latin Jazz. Back in Cuba in his early teens, he continued to study at the National School of Art under Raymonel Orcutt, Filiberto Ojeda and the soloist of the National Symphony Orchestra Marcos Urbay.


He started to play professionally when he was only 14. Havana fascinated him right from the start. “There were many orchestras, many theaters. The ICRT (Cuban Institute of Radio and Television) had five orchestras performing every day!” he exclaims. He speaks of that time with passion and nostalgia, effortlessly recalling theaters, nightclubs, cabarets, hotels, shows and artists who populated the city nights. “I was a kid when I started performing, but I witnessed it all because I went out to experience it firsthand.”

Like Julius Caesar, he could very well say, “Vini, vidi, vinci”--I came, I saw, I conquered-- for the young man became first trumpet of several orchestras, including the Gran Teatro de La Habana Orchestra, the Musical Theater Orchestra and the Tropicana Cabaret Orchestra.

Active military service interrupted his career. Luckily, the sounds from his trumpet continued even if they did become more martial when someone realized that he would serve better in a military band than in the special troops battalion.

Having completed his military service, he landed a spot on the National Radio and Television Orchestra. “I enjoyed that period in my life a lot because I've always liked to play with big orchestras, big bands and be part of big shows,” he confesses. Around the same time, he also collaborated with the Grupo de Experimentación Sonora del ICAIC, an experimental group whose members included many outstanding musicians and singer-songwriters, such as Silvio Rodríguez, Pablo Milanés, Pablo Menéndez and Emiliano Salvador.

The year 1988 saw the creation of NG La Banda and Timba, the most important popular dance and music genre in recent decades. Chapotín, who had been touring with the recently created Charanga Habanera--and which, he says,



was “just another one of those orchestras that played Cuban traditional music,” joined the NG--New Generation--project led by José Luis Cortés as first trumpet of the horn section. Popularly known as The Horns of Terror, they became incredibly popular thanks to the fascinating music composed by Cortés and the impressive performances of the band's musicians.

Chapotín recalls that “every two or three nights we played in a new neighborhood, which brought audiences closer to the new musical trend.” The band played at important festivals and venues, such as the Lincoln Center Festival, the North Sea Jazz Festival and the Montreux Jazz Festival, sharing the stage with such Salsa greats as Andy Montañés, Cheo Feliciano and Gilberto Santa Rosa. And Elpidio Chapotín was part of all this.

In 1996, when Timba was in full swing, the Cuban musician Juan de Marcos González and the American guitarist Ry Cooder brought together a number of legendary Cuban musicians for a recording that would be called the Buena Vista Social Club. In response to the strong competition represented by the Buena Vista Social Club, the directors of several salsa bands got together and formed the short-lived Team Cuba with a selection of musicians from different bands that would play the music of Los Van Van, NG La Banda, Adalberto Alvarez y su Son and Charanga Habanera (which had gained fame over the years). Needless to say, the first-rate trumpeter Chapotín was chosen for Team Cuba. He explains that “there was this fantastic show we did in Varadero once and another one at the Capitolio in Havana. We later did a short tour in Cuba and that was that.”

Chapotín has accompanied famous musicians, such as Elena Burke, Rosita Fornés, Pablo Milanés, Silvio Rodríguez and the award-winning Cuban classical pianist Frank Fernández. Today he is part of the Buena Vista Social Club as well as a show that goes by the name of The Buena Vista Bar. According to Chapotín, it is very demanding: “In this show you have to do a bit everything. You play, you sing, you dance. I perform right up front the stage and go down to the audience.”

Despite his long career, Chapotín is anything but tired. “I always say my time will pass when my health decides to call it quits, not when somebody makes that decision for me on account of my age. And whenever I get the chance to play a gig, I give my all and do my best. Work doesn't scare me at all.”

Luckily for us, Chapotín is not slated for retirement just yet. We will see him playing with the Buena Vista guys, or accompanying Omara Portuondo, with whom he has established an excellent artistic relation.

Just before we leave, the outstanding musician lets us into his sentiments: “I have achieved everything I have ever wished for--playing the trumpet…and success with the ladies, because I'm in love with love!

* Gonzalo Roig Lobo (Havana, 1890-1970) was a Cuban musician, composer, conductor and founder of several orchestras; a pioneer of the symphonic movement in Cuba, and author of the most famous Cuban zarzuela: Cecilia Valdés.



http://www.cubaabsolutely.com/Culture/article_music_fusion.php?id=Elpidio-Chapotin-Delgado-Cubas-greatest-trumpeter

GOLDFISH

SALA TEATRO TRIANÓN

FRI & SAT, 8:30PM; SUN, 5PM

The play, by young Cuban playwrights William Ruiz and Alejandro Arangoand performed by actors from the El Ingenio and Teatro de La Luna companies, takes an ironic and irreverent look into reality through TV shows, especially those made in the United States.

THEATER & PERFORMING ARTS


BACK TO MUSICALSANFITEATRO DEL CENTRO HISTÓRICO OPENS JULY 20, SAT & SUN, 9PM

Alfonso Menéndez's revitalized troupe returns to the stage of Havana's Amphitheatre in the Historic Center for a medley of famous songs from musical theater and films. Beautiful and suggestive music, excellent performances by young actors and singers, and splendid costumes enhance this production that includes selections from well-known musicals, such as “Masquerade” (The Phantom of the Opera); "Over the Rainbow” (The Wizard of Oz); “Septimino” (The Merry Widow); “When You're Good to Mama”, “We Both Reached for the Gun”, “All that Jazz” (Chicago); “Two Ladies” and “Maybe this Time” (Cabaret); “Yo me acaricio” (Cantando desnudos), “Singing in the Rain” (Singing in the Rain), “I Dreamed a Dream”, “Do You Hear the People Suing?” (Les Miserables), “Don't Cry for Me, Argentina” (Evita), “New York, New York” (New York, New York), “I Could Have Danced All Night” (My Fair Lady), “Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend” (Moulin Rouge!), “One” (A Chorus Line) and “Mamma mia” (Mamma mia!).

!


THEATER & PERFORMING ARTS

SALA TITO JUNCO. CENTRO BERTOLT BRECHT

Aug 1, 6, 7 & 8

7:00pm

Aquiles y la tortuga (1988), by the Cuban playwright, poet and narrator Reinaldo Montero explores the relations of a divorced couple who, not uncommon in Cuba, share the same roof and try to make a go of their marriage again.

SALA EL SÓTANO

Fri & Sat 8:30pm

Sun 5:00pm

through Aug 11

La prueba, by Swiss playwright Lucas Barfoss and the Espacio Teatral Aldaba company, examines the topic of abuse of power and manipulation in a dramatic gradation that goes from tragedy to farce, with elements of the Theater of Cruelty and Theater of the Absurd.

TEATRO RAQUEL REVUELTA

SALA TEATRO EL SÓTANO

SALA TEATRO EL SÓTANO

Opens Aug 9;

Fri & Sat 8:00pm

Sun 5:00pm

Fri & Sat 8:00pm

Sun 5:00pm

Aug 1-3 8:00pm

Muertecita de miedo, a one-man show in which comic actor Ernesto González Umpierre, better known as “El Flacomímico”, plays several roles.

Teatro del Silencio presents El Cerco by Cuban playwright Rubén Sicilia, in which three characters in a garbage dump reproduce universal conflicts, such as power, oppression, individual responsibility…in this play that is part theater of cruelty and dirty realism.

Conducted by Setch Panich from the US and the performances of dancers and actors from Havana and Alabama, the HavanaBama Project announces Alcestis Ascending, a rock version of Eurípides's tragedy Alcestes.

SALA TITO JUNCO. CENTRO BERTOLT BRECHT

Opens Aug 16;

Fri & Sat 8:30pm

Sun, 5pm

Escándalo en la trapa, written by José Ramón Brene, relives the life story of Enriqueta Faber, a 19th century woman who was forced to pass off as a man in order to study and practice Medicine.

SALA HUBERT DE BLANCK

Fri & Sat, 8:00pm

Sun, 5pm

La farándula pasa, by the Hubert de Blanck theater company, directed by Luis Brunet.


SALA TEATRO ADOLFO LLAURADÓ

Fri & Sat, 8:00pm

Sun, 5pm

The Nelson Dorr Theater Company reruns one of Dorr's most successful plays, La profana familia, an x-ray of a dysfunctional Cuban family in which he combines, as is customary, drama and humor. In this play, a middle-aged woman who has fought tooth and nail to keep the family union has to face her children's intolerance when she finds love once more.


The Havana Carnival is a traditional popular festivity whose origins can be traced back to 1576 when freed slaves were given permission by the town council of Havana to participate in the procession of the Corpus Christi Later, when the African councils celebrated Epiphany, they joined the parad that went up the streets to the Plaza de Armas to pay their respects to the Captain General.

A different show will be presented on each of the six days of the Havana Carnival 2013 with the performances of around 15-18 comparsas from Havana and Pinar del Río and Santiago de Cuba. These dance groups will present a broad historic journey from the most traditional, represented by the comparsa El Alacrán, which paraded for the first time in 1908, to the more contemporary, represented by Jóvenes del Este. The most popular dance groups and bands from the capital as well as the most popular shows from Havana’s nightclub will participate in the carnival.

The 2013 Havana carnival will be held on August 9-11 & 16-18

A history of the Havana Carnival from 1573 to todayby Ricardo Alberto Perez

Today, the Havana carnival provokes mixed feelings from Habaneros. On one hand, the complaints that locals voice are numerous: too much reggaeton, too much drinking and, of course, too high a possibility of rain. 'I'm definitely going to avoid it this year,' seems to be a reoccurring sentiment. Yet, on the other hand, thousands and thousands of people still spend the week of August partying down the malecon. It is true that in times gone past the Havana carnival has been more glamorous, the election of a Carnival Queen until 1970 was a real highlight while the floats of the 1980s were simply spectacular, but the current state of the Havana carnival is a clear reflection of the evolving nature of the country. Indeed, with such a long and storied history, the Havana carnival highlights the changing demographic and political landscape of the island over the last five centuries. In what follows, Ricardo Alberto Perez, a well-known Cuban writer and poet, explores the history and background of this erotic feast of the flesh.

The roots of the Havana carnival can be traced back to medieval Italy where the original carnival was probably tied to ancient Roman Bacchanalia or Greek Dionysia festivals. Held shortly before the onset of Lent in February when Catholics were forbidden to eat rich foods in preparation for Easter, the carnival became an integral part of the Christian calendar celebrated with parades and masquerade balls.

From Italy, where the carnival of Venice still holds a place of importance, the carnival tradition spread throughout Catholic Europe before leap frogging across the Atlantic in the wake of Iberian explorers and colonizers. Within a century of Christopher Columbus' historic journey, carnivals were held in the Cape Verde and Canary islands as well as in South America and the Caribbean.

In colonial Havana, where carnival festivities date back to 1573, a mixture of social classes paraded down the streets in carriages, on horseback, and on foot dressed in elaborate masks and costumes. Fireworks and streamers rained down on the decorated floats, huge figures called muñecones, and the dancing men known as faroleros.

The introduction of African slavery in Cuba added another dimension to the festival as new African musical instruments and dance forms were incorporated into the celebration. A seventeenth-century Italian visitor, Giovanni Francesco Giamelli Careri, remarked: “On Sunday, February 9, 1698, in Havana, before Easter, blacks and mulattos, in picturesque costumes, formed a congregation to revel in the carnival.”

The first Havana carnival of the twentieth century was held in 1902, the inaugural year of Cuba's first president. During the rich era of Cuban republican history, the



carnival flourished with new features including the selection of a queen who reigned over the celebration with her ladies-in-waiting. A few years later, in 1908, two large group of dancers who, in a uniform manner, dance a rhythmic step in time with accompanying instruments entered the carnival scene: Los Componedores de la Batea and El Alacrán. These groups, known as comparsas, were born in marginal neighborhoods in Havana and became emblematic expressions of both the Havana carnival and Cuban culture in general. These comparsas told stories, such as a brawl between the women of a tenement house and a religious narrative from the abakuá society, through their dance and choreographies. Successive decades witnessed the addition of other comparsas, including Las Boyeras, Los Guaracheros, Los Mambises, Los Marqueses de Atarés and La Sultana. The carnival ball was also born in this era. Held in designated neighborhoods and Spanish regional clubs, Habaneros hid their faces behind masks as an expression of unrestrained freedom.

The Cuban Revolution of 1959 once again altered the political landscape of Cuba and affected the Havana carnival. In 1970, the last carnival queen was elected in a televised national event that attracted millions of viewers. The ever popular carnival ball was also replaced by open air dances in large public spaces while the long-standing February festivities were moved to the summer months to coincide with the celebration of certain historic events. Although they are a far cry from the glory days of their predecessors, floats, comparsas and muñecones still parade down the malecón from La Punta to the Hotel Nacional every August to the delight of the thousands of revellers who gather on the streets to watch the parade.

The Havana carnival may not attract the hordes of tourists that its cousins in Venice and Rio de Janeiro do, but its history is richer and reflective of the abrupt changes that have rocked this island. Whether you interpret the carnival as a feast of the flesh or believe that it is used to reinforce a cultural and ethnological tradition, if you find yourself in Cuba in the summer, the Havana carnival is not to be missed.




http://www.cubaabsolutely.com/Vintage/article_tropicana.php?id=The-Havana-Carnival-1573-to-2012

OTHER EVENTS IN HAVANA


Feria de Arte en La Rampa

THROUGH SEPTEMBER 1PABELLÓN CUBA, HAVANA

As is customary every summer since the year 2000, the Art at La Rampa Crafts Fair opens its door at the Pabellón Cuba with an attractive offer that includes the sale of serigraphs, engravings, handicrafts, household goods, furniture, footwear, clothing, and ornaments -all made by national handicraft artists. Fashion shows, concerts and activities for the kiddies will also take place during the Fair.

Simposio Habana-Habanos

AUG 12-14 BIBLIOTECA PÚBLICA RUBÉN MARTÍNEZ VILLENA

The Symposium's central theme is Habano cigars: nature and identity, which offers up-to-date information on the studies being carried out on Cuban tobacco, the development prospects of the sector, the reasons why tobacco factory reading is considered a cultural heritage of the nation, Habanos in the domestic and international market, and Habanos in the movies.

Verde VeranoJARDÍN BOTÁNICO NACIONAL DE CUBA

WED-SUN, 8:30 AM-4PMCuba's National Botanical Garden has announced an extensive program of recreational, educational, cultural and sports activities for the summer and on its 45th anniversary.

Aug 6-18Cactuses and Succulents Festival: Exhibitions of live plants and contests, workshops on their conservation, distribution and diversity; cultivation techniques; landscaping using these plants.

Aug 21-25Palm Tree Festival: Exhibition of live plants, palm trees in visual arts and photography, and crafts and utilitarian objects made from palm trees.


Sueño de una noche de veranoOPENS AUG 9, FRI, SAT & SUN, 3PM, TEATRO DE TÍTERES EL ARCA

The El Arca Puppet Theater continues this month with Sueño de una noche de verano based on William Shakespeare's immortal A Midsummer Night's Dream with music by Mendelssohn.

Aug 2-4, 3pm, Teatro de Títeres El ArcaOpening of Federico y María, una historia de Trapo y Cartón, by the Caña Brava Company from the province of Cienfuegos.

FOR KIDS


!

Gran parque Metropolitano de La HabanaSAT & SUN THROUGH AUG 25, 9AM

Outdoor excursions around the Gran parque Metropolitano de La Habana, which includes: Jardines de la Tropical, Bosque de La Habana, Parque Forestal, Parque Almendares and Acuario Nacional. The latter includes dolphin shows. Departure from the John Lennon Park. For more information and reservations, call 831 2503.

!

Teatro Nacional de Guiñol

FRI 2, 3PM; SAT 3 & SUN 4, 11AM & 5PM. TEATRO una cucarachita martina, por teatro papalote.

FRI 9, 3PM; SAT 10 & SUN 11, 11AM & 5PM. TEATRO Caperucita Roja Rojita a version of little red riding hood.

FRI 16, 3PM; SAT 17 & SUN 18, 11AM & 5PM. TEATRO Tres eran tres, a version of The Three Little Pigs

FRI 23 & 30, 3PM; SAT 24 & SUN 25, 11AM & 5PM. Señora Luna, opening by Icarón Teatro.


ECOS DE CIRCUBA 2013


THROUGHOUT AUGUST, THU-SUN, 4PM & 7PM

CARPA TROMPOLOCO

Cuba's National Circus presents prize-winning acts from the past CIRCUBA 2013 Festival, which includes gymnastics, acrobatics, juggling, tightrope and much more, as well as prizewinners of the Erdwin Fernandez

Variety shows by Cuba's best circus artists

Aug 9-11, 11am, Teatro Mella

Aug 17-18, 11am, Cine-Teatro Miramar

Aug 25, 11am, Casa del ALBA Cultural

Carpa Trompoloco: 5ta. Avenida y 112, Miramar, Playa, Tel: 206 5609

!

MEMORIAL JOSÉ MARTÍ, PLAZA DE LA REVOLUCIÓN

Sat, Aug 10, 10am

Sat, Aug 24, 10am

Sat, Aug 31, 10am

Performance by the charismatic clown Alepito for the kids' delight.

Performance by La Colmenita

Varied show to celebrate the end of the Summer, including the performance of the children's company La Colmenita.


Aug 17, 11am Performances by the children's choruses Lunita, Pequeños Príncipes and Solecito Cantor.

CUBA'S NATIONAL CIRCUS ON TOUR AROUND CUBA

Las Tunas Aug 1-4, 4pm & 9pm, Sala Polivalente

Aug 2-3, 11am, Cine 28 de Septiembre

Aug 4, 11am, Cine Tunas

Santiago

de Cuba

Camagüey

Aug 10-11, 11am, 4pm & 9pm, Teatro Heredia

Aug 12, 4pm & 9pm, Teatro Heredia

Aug 14, 9pm, Parque Agramonte

Aug 15, 9pm, Palacio de los Deportes

Aug 16-18, 4pm & 9pm, Palacio de los Deportes

Aug 16-18, 11am, Teatro Principal

Aug 19, 9pm, Palacio de los Deportes

Guantánamo

Varadero

Cienfuegos

Aug 6, 8:30pm, Parque Martí

Aug 7, 4pm & 8:30pm, Sala Polivalente

Aug 8, 11am & 4pm, Sala Polivalente

Aug 26-29, 9pm, Teatro Cárdenas

Aug 21, 9pm, Teatro Luisa

Aug 22, 11 am, Cumanayagua; 9pm, Teatro Luisa

Aug 23, 4pm & 9pm, Teatro Luisa

Aug 24, 10am, Teatro Guanaroca; 4pm & 9pm, Teatro Luisa

FOR KIDS


Summer workshops for kids and teenagers Organized by the City's Historian's Office, these workshops aim to bring kids and teenagers closer to the cultural and historic legacy of Havana.

FOR KIDS


CASA VÍCTOR HUGO

Sat 10am Kids 7-10

Theâtre-Andro: Interactive exercises, games and representations of classic French literature for children, aimed at developing the imagination and encouraging creativity and stage presence.Registration: Tel: 866 7590e-mail: , [email protected] [email protected]

PROGRAM

CASA DE LA POESÍA

Thursdays

10am

Teenagers 13-18

Sueño de papel: Participants will make their own books, learn to write and appraise poems, and create handmade paper.Registration: Tel: 862 1801e-mail: [email protected]

CASA DE ARTES Y TRADICIONES CHINAS

CINEMATÓGRAFO LUMIÈRE

Saturdays

10am

Saturdays

10am

Kids and teenagers from age 7 and on

Alambrería artística: Workshop on how to make objects out of wire.Registration: Tel: 863 5450, 860 9976e-mail: [email protected]

Teenagers 13-17

El cine de tiras cómicas: Workshop on cinema appreciation. Registration: Tel: 866 4035; e-mail: [email protected]



QUINTA DE LOS MOLINOS

Aug 12-16

10am

Kids and teenagers

Aprende del ave de la paz: Workshop on pigeons and how to care for these birds

FOR KIDS

Aug 19-23

10am

Kids and teenagers

Qué debemos conocer de las aves: Workshop on ornamental birds.

Aug 19-23

10am

Aug 5-9

10am

Kids and teenagers

Introducción al arte del bonsái: Workshop on the cultivation and caring of bonsais.

TeenagersCuidado y protección de los animales: Workshop on animal care and protection.Registration: Tel: 873 6510; e-mail: [email protected]

IGLESIA DE PAULA

Aug 7-9

11am

Kids and teenagers 7-15

Viaje musical a través de los instrumentos antiguos: Introduction to the instruments used in the Ars Longa Early Music Ensemble Ars Longa and the arrangement of simple musical pieces.Registration: Tel: 860 4210; e-mail: [email protected]

CASA DEL VEDADO

CENTRO CULTURAL COMUNITARIO BELÉN

Aug 12-16

10am

Tue & Thu

10am

Aug 2

10am

Tue, Thu & Sat

10am

Mon, Wed & Sat

10am


Monumentos de la Avenida de los Presidentes: An approach to the history of one of the most important avenues in El Vedado through its monuments.Registration: Tel: 835 3398;e-mail: [email protected]


Fabulando: This workshop is aimed at contributing to cultural enrichment, incorporating wholesome recreational habits, increasing the consumption of children's literature and the expression of this literature through visual arts and creative writing.

Kids and teenagers

Los cuentos del tío Andrés: Workshop on storytelling techniques.

Kids and teenagers

Taller de actuación: Workshop on acting techniques appreciation.

Teenagers

Aprendiendo a bailar casino: Teaching of casino basic steps, figures and group dancing. Registration: Tel: 864 7918, 864-4479, ext. 109e-mail: [email protected]



MUSEO DE NAIPES

Aug 3, 10 & 17

10am


Taller de magia Sim Sala Bim: This workshop will let kids learn about the history of magic, enjoy videos and learn simple tricks. Registration: Tel: 860 1534

CASA SIMÓN BOLÍVAR

MUSEO NUMISMÁTICO

GABINETE DE ARQUEOLOGÍA

MUSEO NACIONAL DE LA CERÁMICA CONTEMPORÁNEA

VITRINA DE VALONIA / FACTORÍA HABANA

Aug 3,10, 17 & 24

10:30 am

Aug 8, 15 & 22

10:00 am

Aug 8, 15 & 22

10:00 am

Saturdays

10:00 am

Saturdays

10:00 am

Kids and teenagers

Filatelia: A journey into the world of postage stampsRegistration: email: [email protected]

Kids and teenagers

¡A clasificar monedas y billetes! Kids will learn to sort coins and bills from the 20th and 21st centuries, learn the countries they are from, identify each country's coat of arms and other interesting features.Registration: Tel: 861 5811;e-mail: [email protected]

Teenagers

En busca del pasado: In this Introduction to Archeology workshop, kids will learn the local history, arts and architecture. Participants will acquire skills for archaeological drawing and mural painting, as well as photography for research purposes.Registration: Tel: 860 4298;e-mail: , [email protected] [email protected]

Teenagers

La cerámica, los hijos del fuego: An approach to ceramics through visits to murals and pieces located in the Historic Center, meetings with artists from the Terracotta IV workshop, visit to the pottery workshop on Obispo St. and practical exercises that include making a vessel. Registration: Tel: 861 6130;e-mail: [email protected]

Teenagers 12-18

Taller de historieta manga: Workshop on manga comics on paper and how to transfer this to Photoshop.Registration: Tel: 868 3561;e-mail: [email protected]

FOR KIDSMUSEO DE ARTE COLONIAL

Saturdays

10am


Descubriendo la Plaza de la Catedral: This workshop will combine the information on topics related to the evolution of Cathedral Square with the creative work of the participants.Registration: Tel: 862 6440; e-mail: [email protected]


Rutas y Andares


RUTAS (ROUTES)

Tuesdays

10am

Handicrafts - Guided visits to museums (Casa de Asia, Casa de África, Casa de los Árabes, Casa de México and Casa Simón Bolívar)

Tuesdays

10am

Water - Guided visits to museums (Museo de la Farmacia Habanera, Farmacia Johnson, Farmacia Taquechel), Planetario, Aqvarivm, Sala de la Diversidad en la Sociedad Patrimonio, Comunidad y Medio Ambiente y Depósito del Automóvil)

Tuesdays

10am

Tuesdays

10am

Thursdays

10am

Tuesdays

10am

Thursdays

2am

Women: Presence and creation - Guided visits to museums (Museo de la Ciudad, Museo de la Orfebrería, Museo Castillo de La Real Fuerza, Museo de Arte Sacro (Convento de San Francisco de Asís), Museo de Arte Colonial, Museo Numismático, Museo del Tabaco, Museo de Naipes and Museo de Arqueología.

Visit to the Quinta de los Molinos (gardening, birds and trees)

Leonardo da Vinci - Life and work seen through the permanent exhibition at Convento de San Francisco de Asís

Cuban art today - themes and trends - weekly meeting with artists, critics and curators at Factoría Habana

Cubanness and tradition - Lectures on music, language, dance, beliefs, visual art, film and theater at Centro Hispano-Americano de Cultura

The successful traditional summer tours organized by the City Historian's Office since 2001 bring the rich cultural patrimony of La Habana closer to its people and visitors. This year, in its 13th anniversary, there is a greater focus on family participation. Tickets are on sale at Museo de la Ciudad, Convento de San Francisco de Asís, Museo Casa Natal de José Martí and Maqueta del Centro, Mon-Sun, 9am-6pm. For detailed information, call 866 4035 / 864 4336-37 (ext. 107) at the Centro de Información Cultural, Oficios No 8 entre Obispo y Obrapía, La Habana Vieja


Summer walking tours around Old Havana


ANDARES (WALKS)

Wednesdays

10am

Walking with walkers - Firemen of the 19th century, mural painting in Old Havana, lighting in Havana.

Thursdays

10am

Fridays

10am

Aug 2, 6, & 20;

always at 10am

Aug 7

10am

Tuesdays,

2am (free)

Architecture - architecture and restoration, mansions, and former hotels in Old Havana.

Architecture students show their city - churches, theaters and business centers in Miramar, and Historical Center

Virtual walks for the elderly - interactive talks using audiovisual aids (Casa Oswaldo Guayasamín, Casa de las Tejas Verdes and Planetarium)

Virtual walks for Kids - on its first year the Somos 1 (We Are One) walk has been designed for children with special needs. Activities with autistic children at Plaza de Armas,

Kid's Route Museo de la Ciudad - visit to the rooms in the museum that focus on means of transportation and the atmosphere of Havana in the 19th century


Comedy: Ecos del Aquelarre:

Opens Aug 4, Fri & Sat, 8pm; Sun, 5pm If you missed the Aquelarre National Humor Festival in July, August gives you the chance to enjoy some of the best comedy acts of the festival.Sala Covarrubias. Teatro Nacional

Festival Nacional del Humor Aquelarre

Once again, the Aquelarre National Humor Festival takes place during one of the hottest months of the year to ease us into the hot summer days with refreshing performances of the best comedians in the country. With stand-up comedians, variety performers, sketch troupes and much more, the 2013 Aquelarre will officially begin on June 30. The city, however, already began rocking with laughter on June 21 with the show De Doime son los cantantes by 2012 National Humor Award winner Osvaldo Doimeadiós, who is considered Cuba's most important comedian in the last 20 years and will be paid tribute during the festival's closing ceremony.

Organized by the Centro Promotor del Humor, the opening and closing ceremonies of this year's Aquelarre will take place at the 8,000-seat Karl Marx Theater in Miramar. Enrique “Kike” Quiñones, the Director of the Centro Promotor del Humor said that this year's program includes workshops (one on drama and situation comedy will be given by Doimeadiós himself), and lectures open to the general public at Casa Cultural ALBA from June 27 to June 30, and a season of Italian comedy films at the 23 y 12 movie theater from July 1 to July 7.

The presence of artists from all over Cuba makes Aquelarre different from other festivals. Fifteen groups from 11 different provinces will be participating this year in Cuba's top comedy event, so this will be a fantastic opportunity for both Habaneros and visitors to fully appreciate comedy from the rest of the nation. Year after year, tickets are often sold out days before the shows, so be prepared. If you cannot find a ticket, look for people selling an extra ticket or two for up to five times their value outside of the theater! If you're in town and attend one of the shows, you'll soon realize, paradoxical as it may seem, that Cuban humor--cutting and thought provoking--is actually no laughing matter.



Havana: City of Fountainsby Ricardo Alberto Pérez

Visitors to our city are constantly tempted to stop and rest in any of the numerous parks and plazas, which range from a simple corner in Old Havana to an entire city block in Vedado. The trees are always green (no matter the season of the year) and, if you happen to be in one of these parks just before the sun goes down, you'll be treated to a concerto by hundreds of birds getting ready for the night.

When you decide to take a break in one of these parks, look for the fountain. In the 19th century, when famous architects and city planners came to Cuba to supervise construction, fountains took centre stage in the buildings of new avenues and plaza.

In the city, some fountains are more public and some are more private. Large and imposing or small and humble, they are scattered throughout the city from posh residential areas to working-class neighborhoods. Today, the older fountains, which have witnessed the transformation of Havana, are interspersed with more recent fountains that are ready to receive the fluttering wings of birds and the endless playfulness of children.

Some fountains have gone beyond their actual existence to be eternalized in literature. Alongside a poem by Cuban poet Emilio Ballagas dedicated to the La Fuente de La India:

Behold Havana, the color of snowGentle Indian girl of fine structureDominating a crystalline fountainSeated on a throne of fine alabaster…

The Neptune Fountain, began in 1836, was imported from Italy and situated on the avenue along Havana's port. Besides its ornamental function, it supplied water to three boats at the same time. After it lost this role in 1871, it was


successively relocated to various corners on Paseo del Prado, the small plaza attached to La Punta Fortress and a park in Vedado, where it remained for many years until it was finally rescued by the Historian's Office of Havana and returned to its original site.

Built around the same time as the Neptune fountain, the Fuente del Conde de Villanueva in the Plaza de San Francisco in Old Havana is made of white marble with a fluted column and four lions resting on pedestals whose mouths spew water.

Fountains have also been built to pay tribute to illustrious Cubans who have helped to make our lives more enjoyable. The fountain on Obispo Street (near El Floridita) immortalizes Don Francisco de Albear, the engineer who designed Havana's aqueduct, which is considered one of Cuba's scientific wonders of the time.

The 20th century saw the construction of new fountains. The Fuente de Las Américas, built as a tribute to the discoverer of the Americas, was inaugurated in 1924 as part of the construction of Avenida de las Américas, now known as 5ta Avenida. Made in white marble, four Nereids each hold the valve of giant oysters from which water slowly flows.

The Fuente Luminosa, or Luminous Fountain, is found in the roundabout where 26th Ave, Vía Blanca and Rancho Boyeros Ave come together. This fountain, the first that visitors arriving in Havana often see, was built during Ramón Grau San Martín's presidency in the 1940s. Because he was single, his brother's widow Paulina Alsina served as First Lady and took charge of the fountain's construction. Because Paulina was a large lady, the people mischievously called it “Paulina's Bidet”.

At the entrance of the world famous Tropicana nightclub,



two fountains stand out: the Fountain of the Muses and the Fountain of the Ballerina. The former, designed by Italian Aldo Gamba, was completed in 1920. Originally placed at the entrance of the National Casino, it was relocated to Tropicana in 1952. The Muses fountain is a circle of dancers on the edge of a marble basin. The Ballerina fountain, located in the path leading to the Bajo las Estrellas and Arcos de Cristal lounges was made in marble by Cuban sculptor Rita Longa in 1950 and has become the symbol of the internationally known cabaret.

Finally, there is the Fuente de la Juventud-Fountain of Youth—which was made in August 1978 for the 11th Festival of Youth and Students held in Havana. Its design was based on the Festival's logo and it is located at the end of Paseo Street just off the Malecón.

In the end, there is no shortage of fountains in Havana and, if fountains and their history interest you, then you can spend hours travelling around Havan in search of the well-known and more hidden fountains of the city.



http://www.cubaabsolutely.com/Travel/article_general.php?id=Havana-City-of-Fountains

OTHER EVENTS AROUND CUBA


Verano en Jibacoa

AUGUST 2-4 PLAYA JIBACOA, PROVINCIA MAYABEQUE

The festival, which takes place by the sea, is very popular with the young generations of Cubans. For three days and three nights, there will be non-stop music and dance by the sea with Djs Iván Lejardi, Alejandro Nuñez, Reitt, Diemen Duff, Denis Ever, Richi Pellicer, OBI, Dairon Cardona, The Vazz Brother's and Thellus, rap, reggae, rock and pop bands and soloists, such as Dejà Vu, David and Ernesto Blanco, Qva Libre, Karamba and Triángulo Oscuro.

August 2-4 Gibara

The town of Gibara in the eastern part of Cuba will host this electronic musical festival with the performances of electronic music producers and Djs Electro Zona (Holguín), Sector Electrónico (Holguín), Iván Lejardi (Havana), D´Joy de Cuba (Havana); the Pauza duet, made up of Zahira Sánchez Rodríguez and Paula Fernández Rodríguez (Havana); I.A., made up of Iliam Suárez and Alexis de la O (Havana), OBI (La Habana) and Wichy de Vedado (Havana). anniversary.

FestivalESTEREO G 2013


Teatro Bertolt BrechtNo se lo digas a nadie Don’t tell anyone!Calle 13, e/I y J, VedadoT. 830 1354 / 832 9359

El Cocinero Havana’s coolest and best new bar/restaurantCalle 26, e 11 y 13, Vedado

Don CangrejoFriday night party venue for

young & beautiful crowdAve. 1ra No. 1606, entre 16 y 18, MiramarT. 204 5002

Ecaleras al CieloNightclub attracting a mostly LGBTQ crowd658 Zulueta Street, between Gloria and Apodaca, Old HavanaT. 863 3009

EspacioHip new bar with valet parkingCalle 10, entre 5ta y 31, Miramar

El Gato TuertoLate night place to hear BoleroCalle O, entre 17 y 19, VedadoT. 833 2224

Melem BarYoung hip crowd – can get smoky1ra y 60, Miramar

Sangri-LaYoung hip crowd, modern basement venue42 y esq. 21, Miramar

El SauceOpen air nightclub – attracts the best Cuban singersAvenida 9na #12015, entre 120 y 130T. 204-6428

El TocororoMostly expatriates with Cuban friends, live musicCalle 18, entre 3ra y 5ta, MiramarT. 204 2209 / 202 4530

La FontanaSouth Beach Miami style comes to

Havana outside + cozy renovated basement Calle 3ra A, esquina 46, No. 305Miramar, HavanaT. 202 8337

3D BARRecently opened, smallish place, quite coolMalecon entre Paseo y Presidente

Privé Lounge (It is never late here) Calle 88A No. 306 e/ 3ra y 3ra A, Miramar, Playa, PlayaT. 2092719


HAVANA’S BESTBARS & CLUBS

Sangri-LaCALLE 42 Y ESQ. 21, MIRAMAR

Sangri-La was the first in the new wave of bars to open in the summer of 2012 and has become the place to be for the young (and not so young) party goers. This is located in the basement of a Miramar mansion up on 11th Avenue (&42nd street). The crowd that comes here is the same one that will make it to Fontana and Melem later. This is the Havana . Sangri-La is a little more Farándulaunpredictable than the others and is probably the most interactive with more of an open plan set up encouraging more mixing. There are boothes all around the outside which make a comfortable place to get snacks (or even a full dinner). I have never been convinced by the food here although the non-smoking rule does at least mean that you can eat without tobacco fumes floating over!



BEST PLACESTO EAT IN HAVANA

El Chanchullero (Spanish tapas) Teniente Rey 457ª bajos / Bernaza y El Cristotel:(07) 872 8227; 05 276 0938

El Atelier (Experimental fusion)Calle 5 entre Paseo y 2, Vedado tel: (7) 836 7075

Bohemia (Café)Calle 21, esquina 14, Vedado

La Buena Vida (Vegetarian) No 917, Calle 46, entre 11 y 9na. tel: (07) 202 5816

La Carboncita (Italian)Ave. 3ra No. 3804 entre 38 y 40.tel: (07) 203 0261 / 290 4984

La Casa (International) Calle 30 No. 865 entre 26 y 41. tel:(07) 881 7000

20 Best places to eat in Havana

El Beduino (Arabic) 5ta entre 4 y 6, Miramar

Bollywood (Indian)Calle 35 No 1361, entre La Torre y 24, Nuevo Vedado Tel: 883 1216

Casa de MiglisLealtad 120 entre Ánimas y Lagunas tel: (7) 864 1486

El Azador del Rey (Grilled meats) 3ra e 18 y 20, Miramar

Le Chansonnier (International)Calle J No. 257 entre Línea y 15, Vedado Tel: 832 1576

Doña Eutimia (Cuban-creole) Callejón del Chorro No. 60, Habana ViejaT. 05 281 5883; 05 270 6433

El Deluvio (Italian)Calle 72 No. 1705 entre 17 y 19, Playa T. 202 1531

Casa Lala (Spanish) Calle 24 No 360 entre 21 y 23, Vedado T. 830 1410

Los NardosPaseo de Martí (Prado) 565 entre Teniente Rey y Dragones. tel: (07) 863 2985

El Piccolo (Italian) 5ta A No. 50206 entre 502 y 504, Guanabo, Habana del Este tel: (7) 796 4300

Río Mar (International)3A y Final # 11, La Puntilla, Miramar

Café Lauren (Spanish)Calle M No. 257, entre 19 y 21, VedadoTel: 831 2090 / 832 6890

El Divino (International) Calle raquel no. 50 e/ Esperanza y LinderoReparto Castillo de Averhoff, Mantilla

Calle 10 (International)Calle 10 No 314 btwn Avs 3 & 5, Miramar. Tel: 205-3970

Corte del Principe (Italian)Calle 9 esq. 74, Playa T. 05 255-9091

Bikos 19 Y 12, NO 1010 +53 783 188 46

Bikos, which I am reliably, told means kisses opened in June 2013 on the site of the old Galeria paladar. This is pure Spanish food and has quickly established itself as the location of choice for Havana's Spanish expatriate community who appreciate the exceptional dishes. Look for simple appetizers and tapas such as a Russian salad, solomillo with blue cheese, tortillas and croquetas. Simple they may but don't underestimate the sheer quality.

Good service, a nice air conditioned bar/smoking room and custom made chairs that resemble the original Coppelia chairs, what's not to like. Bikos also offers breakfasts that include fresh fruit, home made juices, and Benedictine eggs that are to die for…

Malecon 23 (New location with beautiful view over the Malecon) Havana, Cuba 7 862 7735


Ballet Nacional de Cuba

Café Neruda

Casa de África

Casa Alejandro de Humboldt

Casa de Artes y Tradiciones Chinas

Casa de Asia

Casa de las Américas

Casa de los Árabes

Casa del Benemérito de las Américas

Calzada 509 entre D y E, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 855 2946

Malecón 355 entre Manrique y San Nicolás, Centro Habana

Obrapía 157 entre Mercaderes y San Ignacio, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 861 5798

Oficios esquina a Sol, La Habana Vieja Tel. +(53) 7 863 9850

Salud 313 entre Gervasio y Escobar, Centro HabanaTel. +(53) 7 863 5450 / 860 9976

Mercaderes 111 entre Obrapía y Obispo, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 863 9740

Calle 3ra. esquina a G, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 838 2706-09

Oficios 16 entre Obispo y Obrapía, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 861 5868

Obrapía 116, entre Mercaderes y Oficios, La Habana Vieja Tel. +(53) 7 861 8166

Casa de la Comedia (sala-teatro)

Casa del Conde Lombillo

Casa Fundación Oswaldo Guayasamín

Casa Juan Gualberto Gómez

Casa de la Obra Pía

Casa de la Orfebrería

Casa de los Condes de Jaruco

Jústiz 18, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 863 9282

Empedrado entre Mercaderes y San Ignacio, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 860 4311-14

Obrapía entre Oficios y Mercaderes, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 861 3843

Empedrado entre Aguiar y Cuba, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 866 4114

Obrapía entre Mercaderes y San Ignacio, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 861 3097

Obispo 113 entre Oficios y Mercaderes, La Habana Vieja Tel. +(53) 7 863 9861

Plaza Vieja, La Habana Vieja

CULTURAL CENTRES

Casa de la Poesía

Casa y Parque Simón Bolívar

Casa Víctor Hugo

Caserón del Tango

Casona de Línea

Centro Cultural Bertolt Brecht

Centro Cultural Dulce María Loynaz

Muralla 63 entre Oficios e Inquisidor, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 862 1801

Mercaderes 158 entre Obrapía y Lamparilla, La Habana Vieja Tel. +(53) 7 861 3988

O’Reilly 311 entre Habana y Aguiar, La Habana ViejaTeléfono 866 7591

Jústiz entre Baratillo y Oficios, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 861 0822

Línea 505 entre D y E, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 833 8562

Calle13 esquina a I, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 832 9359

Calle 19 esquina a E, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 835 2732

Centro Cultural Pablo de la Torriente Brau

Centro de Danza de La Habana

Centro Hispano-Americano de Cultura

Centro de Teatro y Danza

Conjunto Folklórico Nacional de Cuba

Escuela Nacional de Teatro

Fundación Ludwig de Cuba

Convento de Belén

Muralla 63 entre Oficios e Inquisidor, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 861 5162

Prado 111, entre genio y Refugio, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 863 9131 / 866 0808

Malecón 17 entre Prado y Genio, Centro HabanaTel. +(53) 7 860 6282

San Ignacio 166 entre Obispo y Obrapía, La Habana Vieja.Tel. +(53) 7 862 9650 / 862 9448

Calle 4 número 103 entre Calzada y 5ta., El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 830 3060

Calle 11 esquina a 146, Cubanacán, PlayaTel. +(53) 7 208 4923

Calle 13 núm. 509 entre D y E (5to. piso), El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 832 4270 / 832 9128

Compostela entre Acosta y Luz, La Habana Vieja

Fundación Habana Club

Avenida del Puerto 262 entre Luz y Sol, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 862 4108


ADDRESS BOOK


3D BAR

Don Cangreco

Espacio

Melem Bar

Sangri-La

(Recently opened, smallish place, quite cool) Malecon entre Paseo y President

(Friday night party venue for young & beautiful crowd) Ave. 1ra No. 1606 entre 16 y 18

(Hip new bar with valet parking) Calle 10, Entre 5ta y 31, Miramar

(Young hip crowd – can get smokey)1ra y 60, Miramar

(Young hip crowd, modern basement venue) 42 y 11, Miramar

Tocororo (Mostly expatriates with Cuban friends, live music) Calle 18, entre 3ra y 5ta, Miramar

BARS

Dos Gardenias

Ecaleras al Cielo

El Gato Tuerto

El Sauce

La Cecilia

La Maison

La Pérgola

La Piragua

La Zorra y el Cuervo

Piano bar Hotel Panorama

Calle 7ma. y 26, Miramar

658 Zulueta Street, between Gloria and Apodaca Old HavanaTel. (537)863 3009

Calle O entre17 y 19, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 55 2696

Calle 9na. Entre 120 y 130, PlayaTel. +(53) 7 204 7061

5ta. Avenida entre 110 y 112, Miramar

Calle 16 entre 7ma. y 31, Miramar

Ministerio de CulturaCalle 13 entre 2 y 4, El Vedado

Calle O y Malecón, El Vedado

(La Casa del Jazz Cubano)Calle 23 esquina a O, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 833 2402

Ave. 3ra. y 70, MiramarTel. +(53) 7 204 0100

NIGHTLIFE

ART GALLERIES

Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wifredo Lam

Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales

Centro Laboratorio Artístico de San Agustín (LASA)

Centro Provincial de Artes Plásticas y Diseño

Colección Arte de Nuestra América Haydée Santamaría

Empedrado esquina a San Ignacio, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 863 9781 / 861 3419

San Ignacio 352 esquina a Teniente Rey, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 862 5279, 862 9295 / 862 3533

Calle 23 esquina a 35, San Agustín, La Lisa

Oficios 362 entre Luz y Santa Clara, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 862 3228 / 862 3295 / 866 0280

Casa de las Américas Calle G entre 3ra. y 5ta., El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 838 2706-09

Gabinete de Arquelogía

Instituto de Literatura y Lingüística

Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA)

Proyecto Cultural Arte Tiempo

Proyecto Cultural Comunitario Todas las Manos

Tacón 12 entre O’Reilly y Empedrado, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 861 4469

Dr. José Antonio Portuondo ValdorAvenida Salvador Allende 710, Centro HabanaTel. +(53) 7 878 6486

Calle 120 entre 9na. y 13, Cubanacán, PlayaTel. +(53) 7 271 9771

Cárdenas 114, bajos, entre Gloria y Apodaca, La Habana Vieja Tel. +(53) 7 537-8 61 2838

Trocadero 303 esquina a Águila, Centro HabanaTel. +(53) 7 861 3260

Vitrina de Valonia

San Ignacio entre Teniente Rey y Muralla, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 868 3561

Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (UNEAC)

Unión Latina

Calle 17 esquina a H, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 832 4551-53Tel. +(53) 7 832 4551-53

Callejón de Jústiz 21, entre Oficios y Avenida del Puerto, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 866 8142 / 866 8255Tel. +(53) 7 832 4551-53

CULTURAL CENTRESCULTURAL CENTRES

Fototeca de Cuba

Galería Avellaneda

Mercaderes 307 entre Muralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza Vieja, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 862 2530Tel. +(53) 7 832 4551-53

Teatro NacionalCalle Paseo y 39, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 870 4651



ART GALLERIES

Galería de Arte Malecón

Galería Carmen Montilla

Galería Collage Habana

Galería Factoría Habana

Galería Forma

Galería Fresa y Chocolate

Galería Fundación Habana Club

Galería Fundación Ludwig

Galería Galiano

Galería Habana

Galería Haydee Santamaría

Galería Julio Larramendi

Calle D, entre 1ra, y 3ra., El Vedado

Oficios 162 entre Amargura y Churruca, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 866 4114

San Rafael 103 entre Consulado e Industria, Centro Habana

O´Reilly 308 entre entre Habana y Aguiar, La Habana Vieja

Obispo 255 entre Cuba y Aguiar, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 862 2633

Calle 23 entre 10 y 12, El Vedado

Avenida del Puerto y Sol, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 862 4108

Calle 13 esquina a D, 5to. piso, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 832 4270 / 832 9128

Galiano esquina a Concordia, Centro HabanaTel. +(53) 7 862 5365

Línea 460 entre E y F, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 832 7101

Calle G entre E y F, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 832 4653

Hotel Conde de VillanuevaMercaderes 202 entre Lamparilla y Amargura, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 862 9294 / 862 9293

Galería La Acacia

Galería Latinoamericana

San José 114 entre Industria y Consulado, Centro Habana Tel. +(53) 7 863 9364 / 861 3533

Casa de las Américas Calle G entre 3ra. y 5ta., piso 2, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 832 4653

Galería Orígenes

Galería Palacio de la Artesanía

Galería Mariano Calle 15 núm. 607 entre B y C, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 838 2702

Gran Teatro de La HabanaPrado y San Rafael, Centro HabanaTel. +(53) 7 863 6690

Cuba 64, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 33 8072 y 861 9796

Galería El Reino de Este Mundo

Galería René Portocarrero

Galería Raúl Martínez

Galería Raúl Oliva

Galería Roberto Diago

Galería Servando

Galería Servando Cabrera

Galería Víctor Manuel

Galería Villa Manuela

Biblioteca Nacional José MartíBoyeros entre 20 de Mayo y Aranguren, Plaza de la RevoluciónTel. +(53) 7 881 1757

Teatro NacionalCalle Paseo y 39, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 870 4651

Palacio del Segundo CaboO’Reilly 4 esquina a Tacón, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 862 8091 ext. 151

Centro Cultural Bertolt BrechaCalle13 esquina a I, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 832 9359

Muralla 107 esquina a San Ignacio, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 862 3577

Calle 23 esquina a 10, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 833 9599

Calle 42 entre 1ra. y 3ra., La Copa, PlayaTel. +(53) 7 203 7171

San Ignacio y Callejón del Chorro, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 866 9268

Calle H número 406 entre 17 y 19, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 832 2391

Galería 23 Y 12

Hotel Los Frailes

Taller Experimental de Gráfica de La Habana

Taller de Serigrafía René Portocarrero

Calle 23 esquina a 12, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 831 1810

Teniente Rey 8 entre Oficios y Mercaderes, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 862 9383

Callejón del Chorro, Plaza de la Catedral, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 862 0979

Cuba 513, entre Teniente Rey y Muralla, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 862 3276 / 861 9354Tel. +(53) 7 862 3276 / 861 9354

Centro Cultural ICAIC

Cine Acapulco

Cine Chaplin

Calle 23 entre 10 y 12, El Vedado

Avenida 26 esquina a 39, Nuevo VedadoTel. +(53) 7 833 9573

Calle 23 entre 10 y 12, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 831 1101

CINEMAS



Maqueta de La Habana

Monumento de la Cárcel de La Habana

Museo Antropológico Montané

Museo de Arqueología

Museo de Arte Colonial

Museo Biblioteca Servando Cabrera Moreno

Calle 28 núm. 113, entre 1ra. y 3ra., MiramarTel. +(53) 7 204 2661 / 332661Memorial José MartíPlaza de la RevoluciónTel. +(53) 7 882 0906 / 884 0551

Cárcel entre Zulueta y Prado, La Habana Vieja

Edifico Felipe Poey, Plaza Ignacio Agramonte, Universidad de La Habana, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 879 3488

Tacón 12 entre O’Reilly y Empedrado, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 861 4469

Plaza de la Catedral, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 862 6440

Calle Paseo 304 esquina a 13, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 835 2027 / 836 0010

Fototeca de Cuba


Museo de Naipes Inquisidor y Muralla, Plaza Vieja, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 860 1530

Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes

Museo Nacional de la Cerámica Contemporánea

Museo Nacional de la Música

Obispo 61 entre Baratillo y Oficios, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 863 2687

(Arte Cubano)Trocadero entre Monserrate y Zulueta, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 862 0140, 861 3858 y 863 9484

Centro Asturiano (Colección Universal)San Rafael entre Zulueta y Monserrate, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 862 0140 / 861 3858 / 863 9484

Calle Mercaderes, esquina a Amargura, La Habana Vieja

Capdevila 1 entre Habana y Aguiar, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 861 9046

Galería Mariano Calle 15 núm. 607 entre B y C, El

MUSEUMSCINEMAS

Cine La Rampa Calle 23 entre O y P, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 878 6146

Cine Payret

Cine Riviera

Cine Yara

Cine 23 y 12

Cinematógrafo Lumière

Cine-teatro Trianón

Multisala Infanta

Fundación del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano

Prado 513, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 863 3163

Calle 23 entre F y G, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 830 9564

Calle L esquina a 23, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 831 1723 / 832 9430

Calle 23 entre 12 y 14, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 833 6906

Mercaderes entre Obispo y Obrapía, La Habana Vieja

Línea entre Paseo y A., El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 830 9648

Infanta entre Neptuno y San Miguel, Centro HabanaTel. +(53) 7 878 9323

Quinta Santa Bárbara, calle 212 núm. 21254 esquina a 31, La Coronela, La LisaTel. +(53) 7 271 8311 / 271 8141

MUSEUMS

Museo Casa Natal de José Martí

Leonor Pérez 314, entre Picota y Egido, La Habana Vieja Tel. +(53) 7 861 3778

Museo Castillo de la Real Fuerza

Museo del Chocolate

Museo de la Ciudad

Museo de la Danza

Museo Ernest Hemingway

Museo Farmacéutico Taquechel

Museo de Historia Natural

O’Reilly entre Avenida del Puerto y Tacón, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 861 6130

Amargura esquina a Mercaderes, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 866 4431

Tacón 1 entre Obispo y O’Reilly, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 861 5001

Línea esquina a G, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 831 2198

Finca Vigía, San Francisco de Paula, San Miguel del PadrónTel. +(53) 7 891 0809

Obispo entre San Ignacio y Mercaderes, La Habana Vieja

Obispo 61 entre Baratillo y Oficios, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 863 2687



Basílica Menor del Convento de San Francisco de Asís

Gran Teatro de La Habana

Iglesia de San Francisco de Paula

Jardines de la Tropical

Oficios y Churruca, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 862 9683

Prado y San Rafael, Centro HabanaTel. +(53) 7 861 3077-79

Desamparados y San Ignacio, Alameda de Paula, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 860 4210

Avenida Tropical y Rizo, PlayaTel. +(53) 7 881 8767

MUSIC

Liceum Mozartiano de La Habana

Avenida Tropical y Rizo, PlayaTel. +(53) 7 881 8767

Museo Napoleóni-co

Museo Numismáti-co

Museo de la Perfumería

Museo Postal Cubano

San Miguel y Ronda, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 879 1412 / 879 1460

Obispo entre Cuba y San Ignacio, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 861 5811

Oficios, entre Obispo y Obrapía, La Habana Vieja

Avenida de Rancho Boyeros entre 19 de Mayo y 20 de Mayo (Ministerio de Comunicaciones), Plaza de la RevoluciónTel. +(53) 7 870 5581

Museo de la Revolución y Memorial Granma

Museo del Ron

Museo del Tabaco

Refugio 1 entre Monserrate y Zulueta, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 862 4091

Avenida del Puerto 262 entre Luz y Sol, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 862 4108

Mercaderes 120 entre Obispo y Obrapía, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 861 5795

MUSEUMS

Parque Histórico Militar Morro-Cabaña

Sala del Transporte Automotor

Carretera de la Cabaña, La Habana del EsteTel. +(53) 7 861 6130 / 861 5001

Oficios y Callejón de Jústiz, La Habana Vieja

Fototeca de Cuba


MUSIC

Maxim Rock

Oratorio San Felipe Neri

Palacio del Teatro Lírico Nacional

Sala Lecuona

Teatro Amadeo Roldán

Bruzón 62, entre Almendares y Ayestarán, Plaza de la RevoluciónTel. +(53) 7 877 5925

Aguiar esquina a Obrapía, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 862 3243

Zulueta 253 entre Ánimas y Neptuno, La Habana Vieja

Prado y San Rafael, Centro HabanaTel. +(53) 7 861 3077 / 3079

Calzada y D, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 832 4521-22

THEATRES

Centro Cultural Bertolt Brecht

Cine-teatro Trianón

Gran Teatro de La Habana

Sala Adolfo Llauradó

Sala Argos Teatro

Sala Hubert de Blanck

Calle13 esquina a I, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 832 9359

Línea entre Paseo y A, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 830 9648

Prado y San Rafael, Centro HabanaTel. +(53) 7 861 3077-79

Calle 11 entre D y E, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 832 5573

Ayestarán 307 esquina a 20 de Mayo, El CerroTel. +(53) 7 878 5551

Calzada 657 entre A y B, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 830 1011

Teatro América

Teatro Astral

Teatro El Sótano

Teatro Fausto

Teatro Karl Marx

Teatro Mella

Teatro Nacional

Galiano entre Concordia y Neptuno, Centro HabanaTel. +(53) 7 862 5416

Infanta 501, Centro HabanaTel. +(53) 7 878 1001

Calle K entre 25 y 27, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 832 0630

Prado y Colón, La Habana ViejaTel. +(53) 7 863 1173

Calle 1ra y 8, MiramarTel. +(53) 7 203 0801 / 209 1991

Línea entre A y B, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 830 4987

Paseo y 39, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 879 3558 / 879 6011

Teatro Nacional de Guiñol

Calle M entre 19 y 21, El VedadoTel. +(53) 7 832 6262 / 832 8292



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