RUMBA FESTIVAL IN CUBA!
CUBA’S 10TH INTERNATIONAL RUMBA FESTIVAL AUGUST 17TH-31ST 2018
Cuba’s 10th International La Ruta de la Rumba Festival will take place August 17th through August 31, 2018. Cuba’s main rumba bands will participate, as well as invited groups from Italy and Mexico. The Festival kicks off on August 17th in Havana, and then works its way towards the eastern end of the island before culminating in the province of Guantanamo on the 31st with a gala event. The festival includes workshops, dance classes for various skill levels, and conferences by rumba experts. Cuban dancer and choreographer Isidro Rolando, who has been awarded Cuba’s National Dance Prize, will give a much-anticipated conference in Havana.
The community event was created by the Timbalaye project, with the idea of bringing rumba as a Cuban cultural expression to Cuban neighborhoods and parks. Rumba has its origins in the working-class neighborhoods of Havana and Matanzas. It was declared a National Cultural Treasure of Humanity in 2016.
According to the president of the organizing committee, Ulises Mora, this year’s festival is dedicated to fostering an inter-cultural dialogue about rumba and other popular dance styles. It is sponsored by Cuba’s Ministry of Culture, the Fernando Ortiz Foundation, the Hermanos Saiz Association, Cuba’s Union of Writers & Artists, and the Timbalaye Project. This is one of those events that screams “support for the Cuban people!”
By Clao York