Page 131 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Cuba

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Orchestra, while the Gran Teatro
de La Habana (see p86), which
has excellent acoustics, hosts
opera and other productions.
The lovely Basílica de San
Francisco de Asís (see p78) is an
atmospheric venue for choral
and chamber music concerts.
The Agrupación Anfitriona de
Música Antigua “Ars Longa” puts
on Renais sance and Baroque
concerts in the beautiful Iglesia
de San Francisco de Paula.
A traditional son band performing on the street
Ballet
Nightclubs and Discos
Classical dance is popular in del Callejón de Hamel in
Cuba thanks to the promotion Centro Habana, one of the city’s Salsa is the staple of nightclubs
of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba, most popular weekend venues. and discos. Havana’s hottest
founded by the international salsa venues are the twin
ballet star Alicia Alonso. This Casas de la Música in Centro
institution organizes a biennial Hip Hop, Rock and Jazz Habana and Miramar, where
international ballet festival and Hip hop is very popular in nightly events don’t warm up
promotes specialist courses for Cuba. An international festival until after midnight. 1830 Club,
foreign dancers. Performances is held every August in Centro located next to the tunnel to
take place in the Gran Teatro de (see p39), where La Madriguera Miramar, is a very popular al
La Habana (see p86). Visitors are hosts live performances in the fresco salsa venue, as is La
often shocked to discover many botanical gardens. Gruta on La Rampa. The Café
performances featuring taped The Teatro Karl Marx is the Cantante, in the Teatro
music. The Teatro Mella hosts main venue for big­name rock Nacional, has regular live bands.
occasional ballet shows. and pop stars. Rock music is The Salón Turquino, on the top
also played and danced to in floor of the Tryp Habana Libre
Playa’s Salón Rosado de la hotel, is the classiest salsa spot.
Tropical, usually referred to As with many Cuban nightclubs,
as La Tropical. Río Club was foreigners are likely to be
the most famous rock venue approached by potential
in Havana in the 1970s, when partners hoping to have
it was called Johnny Club. their entrance paid.
People still use its old name. Café Concierto Gato Tuerto
Cubans love jazz, and Cuba’s is famous as home of the blend
leading jazz musicians are pop­ of Cuban and North American
ular the world over. An annual music called feeling. This small
jazz festival is held in venues venue fills quickly, so arrive
throughout Havana. Among the early. Fans of the bolero should
La Zorra y El Cuervo – a popular and best of these is La Zorra y el head to Dos Gardenias.
crowded jazz venue Cuervo, a cramped and smoky
basement bar. Cuba’s top per­
Folk and Traditional Music
formers, such as Chucho Valdés,
Traditional Cuban music covers play the spacious Jazz Café and
a broad range of styles includ­ the Café Jazz Miramar.
ing rumba, guaguancó, son, Other music venues include
danzón, bolero and punto El Sauce, which puts on every­
guajiro (see pp34–5 and p144). thing from salsa to Cuban
Some of the best perfor­ indie rock, and the basement
mances are based on Afro­ of the Café Teatro Brecht, which
Cuban forms, as perfected plays host to groups such as
by the Conjunto Folklórico Interactivo, a collaborative
Nacional, which performs an Cuban jazz­funk band. The
open­air rumba every Saturday intimate bar of the Centro
and hosts lessons for Cubans Asturiano hosts up­and­
and foreigners. Similar perfor­ coming singer­songwriters
mances are hosted on Sundays and one of the latest hip
at the Asociación Cultural venues is Vedado’s Fábrica A live musical performance at one of
Yoruba de Cuba, and at Rumba de Arte Cubano. Havana’s many nightclubs

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