CUBA TRIP 2013: Selection
Read MoreThese photos were taken on a two week edcuational trip across Cuba, with stays in Eastern Cuba, Central Cuba, and Havana. Cuba is 780 miles long, the largest island in the Caribbean. The listed cities are mentioned in photo captions. Note the proximity of Eastern Cuba to Haiti and Havana to Miami. Movements of Haitians to Cuba produced a strong French influence in Cuban arts and architecture, especially along the Caribbean coast of Cuba. Easy travel between Miami and Havana has had strong cultural impacts on both Florida and Cuba.
Monument to Antonio Maceo, hero of the Cuban War of Independence from Spain. ( Santiago de Cuba.)
Despite the elite Cuban prejudice against Afro-Cubans, Antonio Maceo quickly rose from the rank of private to brigadier general in the Cuban War of Independence from Spain. (This is the war known in the U.S. as the Spanish American War.) Maceo was known for his bravery, superior mastery of strategy, and ability to outmaneuver and vanquish the better armed Spanish army. After many victories, he died in battle. Alberto Lescay, sculptor.
Pompadour dancers in Guantanamo, Cuba. Slave owners with their slaves fleeing the Haitian Revolution brought French drum dancing (Tumba Francesa) to eastern Cuba. These dancers are part of a group maintaining this tradition, and their efforts have received international recognition.
http://www.guantanamocity.org/en/culture/tumba-francesa.html
http://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/10384888/Viddal%20-%20Chap7%20MakingCaribDance.pdf?sequence=1Cuba has several ballet companies that are top-ranked internationally. The Director explained that part of their success is based on a unique Cuban style that takes advantage of their stronger dancers. We visited the campus of the company while they exercised, rehearsed, and prepared materials for performances.