This entire country seems to move to a Cuban rhythm, as if its beating heart were percussive and its stories told in song. But there isn’t just one type of Cuban music: salsa, rumba, baroque, jazz, son cubano and many others can be heard on any single day in Havana. Many of these are unique to Cuba, where West African and European influences have merged in this steamy cultural hot pot.
InsightCuba caught up with Darcie Goldberg, Executive Director of the Chester County Art Association, following the organization’s two consecutive trips with insightCuba. The non-profit, cultural institution, founded in 1931, provides art education and exhibition space for artists of all ages and aspirations.
InsightCuba caught up with Shabnam Samoohi, an insightCuba tour leader that also runs DirectfromCuba.com, an organization dedicated to fostering educational exchange between Cuba and the USA, with an emphasis on music and dance.
Join insightCuba and the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance (ALJA) for a musical adventure in Cuba this December with GRAMMY Award-winning pianist, composer & educator, ARTURO O’FARRILL, and his special guest, NEA Jazz Master, RANDY WESTON.
I arrived to dancing in the streets. There was an all-women conga line proceeding down the dusty road, circling back on itself and returning to the small hall where it had started, a bottom-shaking, whooping caterpillar. As they wound past me - sweating under the weight of my rucksack - they beckoned me to join in. With just a moment’s thought, I threw down my bags and joined the party. That set the tone for my entire experience in Baracoa.
