A mixture of Afro-Caribbean dance and classical European ballet last graced the United States back in 2002, and now after nearly a decade it will get the chance to grace our state again this upcoming Spring when the Cuban rumba and dance troupe, Los Muñequitos de Matanzas return to the country. Coming to New York City to partake in the ¡Sí Cuba! Festival, the Los Muñequitos de Matanzas will join more than two dozen artists to take part in the wide-ranging festival celebrating the Cuban arts which will last for more than two months from March 31st to June 16th.
The festival was founded with the implication to build a relationship between the United States and Cuba by presenting almost every form and style of Cuban culture and arts to be presented at Carnegie Hall and during an outdoor project entitled, Big Screen Project. The event will include music, paintings, theater, dance, film, literature, and photography from performers and artists from over 14 city art organizations and Cuba itself. While the festival is promoting the bridging of arts between the United States and Cuba, there are political connotations coming from the festival itself.
During the Obama administration, US relations with Cuba has lighten up a bit with the travel restrictions between the countries being loosened up and allowing an exchange of artists between both countries. Basically, a foreign exchange of artists if you will. Relationship between the US and Cuba seem to be growing since just last month, the White House announced that Americans can send money to Cuban citizens, travel to the country for religious, academic, and cultural exploration.
Author of Cuba: What Everyone Needs To Know and Senior fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations, Julia E. Swig refers to this exchange in an interview with the New York Times that the exchange of arts is a suitable platform since “both governments have clearly identified the cultural space as a safe space for them to pursue connections between the two countries,” and the use of arts is between than any other alternative because to build on the relationship would be like, “Ping-Pong diplomacy, except that it’s happening in the cultural sphere.”
Chairman of the Cuban Artists Fund, Ben Rodriguez-Cubenas, Cuban-American himself, comments on how substantial the exchange has been for Cuba and notes that “when [Cuba] was closed, and it was hard for Cuban artists to travel to the U.S., they were still producing and having their shows. Cuba has always had a vibrant arts scene, and Americans are now discovering that.” Rodriguez-Cubenas’s Fund main objective is devoted to promoting the cultural exchange occurring at the moment between the U.S and Cuba.
Doing its part for the exchange, the Cuban government has eased on some of their restrictions on the private economy which allows artists the freedom of being creative with the possibility of earning financial leeway. And as a result of the Cuban government allowing the creative growth of its artists they will finally have the shot to attain an outside world recognition for their works.
Some of the artists at the festival will be Alberto Casado and Rocio Garcia who will present their pieces in a joint exhibit called Concealed Faces. Curator of contemporary Cuban art at the Museum of Fine Arts in Havana, Corina Matamoros identifies the show as being a show that will not only consist of political issues but various topics of society which involve poverty, crime, and sexual identity.
Meanwhile the performers of the festival will be presented by known-named dancers and dancers to make a name for themselves in the future. One of the known-named performers will be the 90-year-old Alicia Alonso of the National Ballet of Cuba and Los Muñequitos de Matanzas who performed in NYC back in 2002, while the soon-to-be-known performers will be El Ballet Folklórico Cutumba Danza Contemporánea de Cuba. Aside from artists and dancers, you can expect Cuban novelists to partake in the upcoming Spring festivities so mark your calendars when New York City becomes Cuba for two artistic months.
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