NYC Preview: Afro-Cuba Culture on the Upper West Side
Starting this Sunday, May 1 and running through next Sunday, May 8, The Source Project explores the African presence in Cuban culture. Kicking off with a free street party this weekend, the program includes concerts, dancing, films, and a talk on Cuba’s marine biology. Here’s a quick round-up of the schedule, capped by a concert next weekend by the Pedrito Martinez Group with Issac Delgado.
VIDEO – Catching Up with This Year’s Lucas Awards
As the world gets ready to welcome the new year, we salute the Cuban music and video industries with a selection of less well-known Lucas-winning clips.
Haydée Milanés: “My father is certainly the greatest influence over my career.”
Fresh from winning multiple Lucas Awards for her video clip Canción fácil, Haydée Milanés talks with Cuban Art News about upcoming projects, singing with her father, and what makes an ideal performance space.
Cuban Ballet Meets Silicon Valley: Carreño Presents Alonso’s Giselle
Last month, the Silicon Valley Ballet presented the first U.S. performance of Giselle, the ballet classic as choreographed by Cuban ballet legend Alicia Alonso. Elizabeth Schwall takes a look at the ballet, the dance company led by José Manuel Carreño, and the influence of Cuban ballet worldwide.
VIDEO – Sirique: A Champion of Cuban Music Returns in Rediscovered Photographs
Blacksmith by day, musician and music lover in his off hours, Alfredo González Suazo—better known as Sirique—ran one of the most important spaces for Cuban music in 1960s Havana in his blacksmithing shop. One day, a young photographer, Ernesto Fernández, turned up and started shooting. José León Díaz spoke with Fernández about that day. Added bonus: a classic video documentary on "La Herrería de Sirique."