Cuba, Day 05
Dance, Art, and Music
This was a day for dance, art, and music. We loaded onto our bus with our trusty driver Fortun, and headed off to attend a rehearsal of the Irene Rodriguez dance company. A Prima Ballerina who has also taken top awards for dance in Spain, Irene also teaches Flamenco. Both men and women were at the rehearsal that, we gather, goes for eight hours with occasional water breaks.
It was really intensive and impressive. The foot work, and the precise taps on the wooden dance platform made our ears ring, but it was also a form of music. We were entranced and could have stayed all day. As we left, we gave them an enthusiastic round of applause.
Our next stop was at the studio and village of the famous artist, José Fuster. His art is colorful and whimsical, and we really enjoyed going in and out of the various gallery rooms.
Fuster has given back so much to his community. The village streets are lined with houses whose exteriors are decorated by the artist’s mosaics. His art was inspired by both Gaudi and Picasso with perhaps a little Dali thrown in for good measure.
Lunch was at a local, state-owned restaurant. The food was actually quite good, and we enjoyed a leisurely meal on the covered terraces which gave us protection from the insistent rain.
At our next scheduled stop, we had a few minutes before our program began. Some of us took off across the street to find a few photos. Suddenly, there were blaring horns, and a bridal car came towards us, the bride-to-be seated on the back of a Chevy convertible. Two little flower girls sat with her in the seat below. We crossed to the other side, so we could catch them coming around. It was a great photo op, and we had fun for a few minutes. I called to the bride, who had smiled at me on the other side of the street, and she turned and smiled again.
We were scheduled to attend a “demonstrative” living lecture given by Professor Alberto Faya, a radio and TV personality who has performed around the world, including in the U.S. He gave us a history of Cuban music, almost from the time of the Indians who were exterminated by Spaniards, to influences of contra-dancing, American blues and jazz. Throughout the hour-long program, he weaved music in, both his own, and that of four young and extremely talented musicians, one, his son.
Faya was a most engaging speaker, singer, and presenter, and he captivated us with his stories and performances. It was hard to tear ourselves away, but after many purchases of he group’s CD, we climbed back on the bus to head back to our hotel and sharing of images. Before we left, however, I said to the musicians in my fractured Spanish that they had a passion for their music just as we had a passion for our photography.
What an amazing day it was. Everyone was thrilled with what we had been privileged to watch.
Next: An Eclectic Day