What’s On Havana, listings and reviews of cultural events in Havana, updated monthly, Havana events and schedules and timetables for nightlife and cultural events

Visual Arts

	En tiempo de bolero Galería Servando Cabrera Moreno	Through 19 July / 2010
	Important Cuban artists from different generations and aesthetic trends, including Diana Balboa, Agustín Bejarano, Zaida del Río, Nelson Domínguez, Eduardo Roca(Choco), Aziyadé Ruíz, Raúl Santoserpa and José Omar Torres, present works which establish subtle or explicit links with bolero.

	Es lo que Es Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wifredo Lam	Throughout July, 2010 / 2010
	The Cuban-Americanartist, TonyLabat, wholives in the US since the 1970s, where he is a lecturer and Director of the Department of New Genres at the prestigious San Francisco Art Institute, exhibits in Havana for the firsttime. A pioneer of video-installation, Labat proposes a tour of his 20 years as an artist, which is diverse and transgressor.

	Gráfica alemana actual Galería Villa Manuela Calle H número 406 entre 17 y 19, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 832 2391	Throughout July /2010
	Illustrations and posters by renowned German artists. The works are divided into two series: posters by the activist, publicist and designer Klaus Staeck, important poster artist of postwar Germany; and the portfolio Projekt Flagge Zeigen (Táking Sides) prepared after the German reunification in 1990.

	Trabajos de diploma Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales	Throughout July, 2010
	A great opportunity to measure new Cubanart, this collective exhibition gathers four diploma works by young artists who have recently graduated from the National Arts Institute—Lesbulles de l'amour. Homenaje a René Magritte, by Carlos Caballero; Imitandoalos dioses, by Naivy Pérez and Rewell Altunaga; Enblanco, by Wiskelmis Rodríguez, and Elrey Midasnoshatocado, by Gustavo del Valle.

	Federico mialhe, 1810-1881 Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Arte Cubano)	Throughout July / 2010
	The collections Isla de Cuba pintoresca and Paseo pintoresco por la Isla de Cuba (Picturesque Islan d of Cuba and Picturesque Tour Around the Island of Cuba), beautiful graphic testimonies ofunquestionable romantic airs is a significant legacy of the painter and engraver Federico Mialhe, who was professor of Drawing and Painting, and director of the San Alejandro Art Academy in Havana.

	Aburrido del chocolate Museo Servando Cabrera Moreno	Throughout JuLY / 2010
	Paintings by one of the young Cuban artists whose works has to be followed closely—Michel Pérez(Pollo). The critic and curator Píter Ortega has seeninhim “multiple influences: Asian art, PopArt, advertising, etc. and all is done with a praiseworthy technical.”

	El sol después de la lluvia Museo Servando Cabrera Moreno	Throughout JuLY / 2010
	An exhibition with works by Enrique Martínez, who has lived in México for almost 20 years, and Vicente Rodríguez Bonachea, one of the most important figures of contemporary Cubanart, who has carried out significant work as a children’s books illustrator.

	XVIII salón de la ciudad Centro Provincial de Artes Plásticas y Diseño	Throughout July, 2010 / 2010
	Aselection of works, which includes photography, installations, sculpture, video-art, engraving and drawing, presented at the Salon under the theme of “Migrations and its reflection on culture”.

	X Bienal de Cerámica Salón Blanco del Convento de San Francisco	Throughout July, 2010
	On evaluating the out come of the Ceramics Biennial, which was dedicated this year to sculptures, installations and projects, the Director of the Museo Nacional de la Cerámica Contemporánea Cubana, Alejandro G. Alonso, noted that “Beyond prizes and special mentions, we value the interest for opening horizons within a manifestation that has long surpassed the limitations of the so-called decorative arts or applied art, which become limited under the spirit of the works that were put to the public for their consideration…” He was referring to the technical excellence, beauty and conceptual solidity of the works presented, whichare now being exhibited.

	Aires de Gracia Palacio de Lombillo	Opens 8 July / 2010
	Prominent representatives of today’s Cuban art, such as Ileana Mulet, Zaida del Río, Carlos Guzmán, Ernesto García Peña, Ernesto Rancaño and Vicente Rodríguez Bonachea, use fans as a base for the works which are now being exhibited as a tribute on the 41st anniversary of the Museo de Arte Colonial, which holds an exquisite collection of fans.

	Feria de Arte en La Rampa Pabellón Cuba, Havana	1st July-31 August / 2010
	As is customary every summer since the year 2000, the Art at La Rampa Crafts Fair opens its door at the Pabellón Cuba, emblematic building of the architecture of the 1960s, with an attractive offer that includes the sale of serigraphs, engravings, handicrafts, household goods, furniture, footwear, clothing, ornaments…all made by national handicraft artists. Fashion shows, concerts and activities for the kiddies will also take place during the Fair.

¿Qué Es lo que Hace a los Espejismos de Hoy tan Diferentes, tan Atractivos?

	¿Qué Es lo que Hace a los Espejismos de Hoy tan Diferentes, tan Atractivos? Galería Factoría Habana	Throughout July / 2010
	A collective exhibition by artists Gisele Beigelmann, Joan Fontcuberta, David Trujillo, Lino Lago, Glenda León, Gisela Motta & Leandro Navarro, and Enrique Marty from Latin America and Spain According to its curator, Claudia Giannetti, the exhibit, “deals with the notions and systems that support the construction of realities in today’s world, besides exploring the potential idiosyncrasies of the digital era. In this sense, the art of deception--with the dual facet of deceiving and being deceived (consciously or unconsciously)—becomes the articulating idea of this exhibition.”

	Rutas y Andares Havana Historical Centre	July-August, 2010
	Every summer, the City Historian’s Office conducts tours to learn the secrets of the Old City Wednesdays: Andar con los andantes Thursdays: Andar la arquitectura Fridays: Andar por las presencias culturales Saturdays: Andar la cultura

El mundo minoico-micénico y la obrade emile gilliéron e hijo

	El mundo minoico-micénico y la obrade emile gilliéron e hijo Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Centro Asturiano (Colección Universal)San Rafael entre Zulueta y Monserrate, La Habana Vieja Tel. +(53) 7 862 0140, 861 3858 y 863 9484	Throughout July / 2010
	Original works from the Conde de Lagunillas Collection of the Fine Arts Museum of Cuba—thelargest collection in Latin America focusing on ancient times—and of the Dihigo Museum of theUniversity of Havana will join the magnificent copies made by Emile Gilliéron and his son based onarchaeological findings in Crete, made available in Cuba thanks to the collaboration of theWinckelmann Institute in Berlin.

	Fábrica de Arte Cubano	Sat, 8:00 pm-2:00 am / 2010
	Headed by the talented musician X Alfonso, this new experimental and deliberately informal project, has aroused the interest of the younger public. According to its organizer, “There is time here for all types of art and you go from one to another with prior notice. This means that the viewer can spend a half hour enjoying paintings when all of a sudden a short film or documentary is screened, or a play is staged, all quite unexpectedly.”

	Macondo visto por Leo Matiz Centro Hispano-Americano de Cultura	Throughout July, 2010
	Fifty photographs by the Colombian artist Leo Matiz, who is successful where other artists have failed—giving faces and environments to the characters of the mythical village of Macondo, the setting of one of the greatest Latin American novels of all time: One Hundred years of Solitude by his fellow countryman and friend, Gabriel García Márquez.

	Fotografía de los 60 Galería La Acacia	Throughout July, 2010
	Considered the golden age of Cuban photography, the 1960s marked the consolidation of the style of great artists, such as Alberto Korda and Raúl Corrales, who transmitted a poetic spirit to the epic of the times. Alongside these two artists, other photographers made significant contributions to the aesthetics of that creatively explosive decade in all of the arts.

	Long.e.vidad Fototeca de Cuba	Throughout July, 2010
	Twenty-seven black and white photographs taken by Ariel Chang, who explores emotions, conflicts and attitudes that are characteristic of old age.

	Planos e identidades Galería Belkis Ayón. Centro Experimental de las Artes VisualesAntonio Díaz Peláez	Throughout July, 2010
	Twenty-two 22 portraits both in colour and black and white, which for the critic Ariel Camejo express the “coincidence between landscape and its perspective…the subtle overlapping of the urban and human horizons.”

	Apuntes para estudio de perfil Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales	Throughout July, 2010
	The exhibition, which was the graduation thesis for Adrián Fernández from the National Arts Institute in Havana, shows the infinite visual potentials of an everyday object.

Music

	Gerardo Alfonso y su grupo Bar La Cañitas, Hotel Habana Libre Calle Lesquina a 23, El Vedado	1, 8, 15, 22 y 29 July, 10:30 pm to 3:00 am / 2010
	Ameeting with this very much liked singer-songwriter whose nonconformist and demystifying songs, dedicated either to Ernesto Che Guevara or Havana (“white sheets hanging from the balconies”), have become hymns for a large sector of Cuban youth

	Peña del Ambia Hurón Azul, Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (UNEAC) Calle 17 esquina a H, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 832 4551-53	9 and 23 June, 5:00 pm / 2010 Hurón Azul
	The best place to go for those seeking to become acquainted with authentic African-Cuban traditions, hosted by the poet Eloy Machado, aka. El Ambia.

	El Jardín de la Gorda Centro Iberoamericano de la Décima Calle A entre 25 y 27, El Vedado	18 July 2010, 5:00 pm / 2010
	Sara González, emblematic voice of the Cuban Nueva Trova, at her monthly gatherings where the audiences can enjoy, in an informal atmosphere, the performances of some of the best Cuban troubadours.

	Sigo Aquí Sala Atril, Teatro Karl Marx Calle 1ra y 8, Miramar Tel. +(53) 7 203 0801 / 209 1991	2, 9, 16, 23 and 30, 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm / 2010
	Café concert with the versatile singer and composer Anabell López, a favorite of many composers of different styles thanks to her beautiful and melodious voice and strong stage presence.

	Peña de Rochy Balneario Universitario El Coral Calle 1ra. esquina a 42, Miramar	24 July 2010, 8:30 pm / 2010
	Performance by Cuban singer Rochy with her group and guests.

	Leonardo García Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, theatre of theArte Cubano Building	3 July 2010, 7:00 pm / 2010
	Concert with the trovador Leonardo García, accompanied by bassist Dariel Ramos and percussionist Armando Osuna.

	La esquina de la luna Sala Galich, Casa de las Américas Calle 3ra. y G, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 838 2706-09	7, 14, 21, 23 y 28 July 2010 / 2010
	Ameeting with Haydée Milanés, who adds a charismatic personality and a varied repertory of Cuban music to her sweet gentle voice

	Peña de Los Kents Café Cantante, Teatro NacionalCalle Paseo y 39, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 870 4651	6, 13, 20, 27 June, 4:00 pm / 2010
	Los Kents, another “dinosaur” of Cuban rock, play their own hits from the 60s and 70s.

	Eduardo Sosa Casa del ALBA	4 July, 8:00 pm / 2010
	A meeting with trovador Eduardo Sosa whose excellent voice and guitar playing work charms on his selection of Cuban trova of all time.

	La Clave del Enigma	30 July, 8:00 pm / 2010
	La Clave del Enigma: Composer and trovador Alberto Faya and guests.

	La vuelta al musical en 70 minutos Anfiteatro de La Habana Vieja Avenida del Puerto entre Cuba y Peña Pobre, La Habana Vieja Tel. +(53) 7 33 1718	Sat and Sun, June, 9:00 pm / 2010
	Around Musicals in 70 Minutes is the suggestive name of Alfonso Menéndez’s latest work, a tour of famous works, many of them based on the animated film versions—The Phantom of the Opera, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, Beauty and the Beast, Anastasia, The Lion King, Hercules, The Little Mermaid and Aladdin. The beautiful and suggestive music, the excellent performances by young actors and the splendid costumes all enhance this production which will probably run until the end of the summer.

	Noche de Boleros Hurón Azul, Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (UNEAC) Calle 17 esquina a H, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 832 4551-53	3, 10, 17, 24 and 31 July, 10:00 pm / 2010
	Lovers of this romantic genre par excellence have the opportunity of meeting and enjoying the performances of the best Cuban boleristas.

	Casa trovada Casa de las Américas	8 July 2010, 7:00 pm / 2010
	Casa Trovada: Performance by trovadoras Yaíma Orozco and Irina González as part of Casa de las Américas summer program.

	Descarga de Ivette Cepeda y su Grupo Snack Bar of the Telégrafo Hotel. (For reservations, call 861 1010 or at the hotel desk)	29 July 2010, 8:00 pm,
	Descarga de Ivette Cepeda y su Grupo. An informal meeting with the versatile contralto Ivette Cepeda, who has been much celebrated thanks to the subtleties she brings to her voice and her wide repertory of Cuban and international music.

	Trovando Patio-bar of the EGREM record label San Miguel 410 entre Campanario y Lealtad, Centro Habana Tel. +(53) 7 862 0673	6, 13 and 20 July 2010, 5:00 pm / 2010
	A place where troubadours and poets get together for a unique performance in a bohemian atmosphere, combined with the launching and sale of record albums, books and magazines.

	La Trova sin Traba Hurón Azul, Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (UNEAC) Calle 17 esquina a H, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 832 4551-53	8 and 20 July 2010, 5:00 pm / 2010
	Different generations and styles converge in a natural combination of traditional, new and very new trova.

	Líricos en San Felipe Oratorio San Felipe Neri Aguiar esquina a Obrapía, La Habana Vieja	7:00 pm unless otherwise indicated / 2010
	3 July 4:00 pm The soprano Yilam Sartorio, accompanied by the pianist Esperanza Rodríguez, has invited the soprano Dayamí Pérez, the countertenor Ubail Zamora and the tenor Rigoberto López for this concert 8 July 7:00 pm Lírica Intramuros will dedicate this performance to the 600th anniversary of the birth of Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, with a concert by Milagros de los Ángeles, Ubail Zamora and the choir of the Teatro Lírico Nacional, conducted by Eduardo Díaz. 17 July 4:00 pm The Lyceum Mozartiano has prepared a program with works by Cuban and Spanish composers. 22 July 7:00 pm Lírica Intramuros announces the performance of soloists and pianists of the Teatro Lírico Nacional. 24 July 4:00 pm The outstanding singer and teacher María Eugenia Barrios, accompanied by the pianist Sandra Pérez, and guest soprano Ivette Betancour, will sing a selection from her repertory.

	Charangueando Café Cantante, Teatro Nacional Calle Paseo y 39, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 870 4651	1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 July, opens 5:00 pm, / 2010
	Aregular space for Cuban charanga dance bands—ideal instrumental format for the danzón,mambo and cha-cha, hosted by the legendary América band.

	Verdadero Complot Third Saturday of the month, 4:00 pm / 2010 Centro Hispano Americano de Cultura Malecón 17 entre Prado y Genio, Centro Habana Tel. +(53) 7 860 6282	17 July 2010, 5:00 pm / 2010
	Aspace for young trova talents, and the live recordings of their performances. This month with thetrovadora from Holguín province, Aliannys Abad Bonet

	Peña de Lynn Milanés y su grupo Centro Cultural Fresa y Chocolate Calle 23 esquina a 12, El Vedad	3, 10, 17, 24 and 31 July , 6:30 pm / 2010
	Lynn Milanés—daughter of the famour singer-songwriter Pablo Milanés—with a selection of well-liked Cuban songs, which range from bolero to pop.

	Peña de Pancho Amat Sede provisional del Museo Nacional de la MúsicaObrapía 509, entre Bernaza y Villegas, La Habana Vieja	15 July 2010, 5:00 pm / 2010
	The popular tres player Pancho Amat and Cabildo del Son with a sample of the most Cuban ofCuban song and dance styles, son.

Theatre

	El Canto del pozo ciego Sala El Sótano	Opens 10 July, 2010 / Fri and Sat, 8:30 pm
	The opens El Canto del pozo ciego, by playwright Jorge Ignacio Cortiñas, directed by Jorge Luis Cacheiro. According to Gerardo Fulleda León, this is “the story of insularity, hope and resistance despite misfortunes, farewells, love, nostalgia and fear. It is also a hymn to individual liberty, hope, love and the echoes that come from its voice.” For the very first time, a Cuban theater company joins a prize-winning playwright and a director, who are both Cuban-American.

	Sábado de Luna llena Teatro Hubert de Blanck	Through 18 July / Fri and Sat, 8:30 pm / Sun, 5:00 pm - Sala
	Sábado de Luna llena is a theatre clip with songs, texts and images, based on an original idea of othon blanco, directed and acted by Blanco himself, who has said that the play “combines on stage and almost randomly, images that are characteristic of the theatre, texts that are common in drama, dialogues with the audience, songs, lights and shadows, seeking to let the imagination run free to play with other people’s stories, which may be similar to ours and drive us to fly to the world of possible—and even impossible—dreams.”

	Antígona SalaTeatroAdolfo Llauradó	Tue, Wed and Thu, 7:00 pm / 2010
	Opening of Antígona, by Reinaldo Montero, who, with his customary poetic coherence, brings up to date the Greek myth, as he has done before, among them the successful Medea.

	Mefisto teatro Centro Cultural Bertolt Brecht	Fri and Sat, 8:30 pm / Sun, 5:00 pm
	Mefisto teatro undertakes the musical again, this time the famous Chicago, which first opened in broadway in 1975. Deliberately drifting away from the 2002 film version, the director, Tony díaz, has formed a cast of bright young hopes and experienced actors.

	Reino dividido SalaTeatroAdolfo Llauradó	Tue, Wed and Thu, 7:00 pm / 2010
	Directed by Carlos Celdrán, Argos Teatro puts on again Reino dividido by the Cuban playwright Amado del Pino. The play recreates the personal relationship between the great Spanish poet Miguel Hernández and the Cuban revolutionary and journalist Pablo de la Torriente Brau, in the midst of the contradictory and violent historic and social scene of the Spanish Civil War.

Events

Encuentro Nacional de Septetos Ignacio Piñeiro

	Encuentro Nacional de Septetos Ignacio Piñeiro Patio-bar of the EGREM record label	6, 13 and 20 July 2010, 5:00 pm / 2010
	The Encuentro Nacional de Septetos Ignacio Piñeiro (Ignacio Piñeiro National SeptetMeeting) is aimed at reaffirming the validity and development of the vocal and instrumental form atofseptets, which perform traditional and popular Cubanmusic. During the 15th Meeting, a symposium will be held at the Museo de Artes Decorativas. Discussions will focus on the vulgarity of certain lyrics in son, timba and reggaeton; a competition of tres players; and a dance on July 4 that the Jardines de la Tropical with bands such as Son del Barrio, Son de Cuba, Cristal, Mi Nuevo Son and the Septeto Habanero.

Dance

	Giselle Gran Teatro de La Habana	23-25 July, 7:00 pm / Fri and Sat, 8:30 pm / Sun, 5:00 pm
	Giselle—choreographed by Alicia Alonso based on Jean Coralli’s and Jules Perrot’s classical ballet and one of the favorites within the vast repertory of the Company—will be danced by young and rising stars of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba.

	Ecos company Centro Hispano-Americano de Cultura	24 July, 5:00 pm
	Performance by the Ecos company

	Té-Danza-Video ok Centro de Danza de La Habana	19 June 2010, 10:30 am / 2010
	Screening of audiovisual materials on contemporary dance. Although it is especially meant for students and professionals, the general public is welcome to attend.

	Punto Fugaz ok Centro de Danza de La Habana	24 June 2010, 5:00 pm / 2010
	Interdisciplinary and multi-referential meeting aimed at associating artistic processes and projects, as well as raising awareness and disseminating artistic creations. The relation with other manifestations and the development of new contents in constant relation with present-day artistic and choreographic creation is highlighted. For the public in general.

	FolkCuba El Palenque	4-18 July
	Interdisciplinary and multi-referential meeting aimed at associating artistic processes and projects, as well as raising awareness and disseminating artistic creations. The relation with other manifestations and the development of new contents in constant relation with present-day artistic and choreographic creation is highlighted. For the public in general.

	Santiago de Cuba Carnival Santiago de Cuba	24-27 July
	Although many Cuban towns hold their own carnival festivities, none attracts a greater crowd than the Santiago carnival: the whole city seems to move to the rhythm of conga lines, the sound of the Chinese trumpet and dozens of percussion instruments, both traditional and unconventional—bass drums, congas, pots and pans, and spoons—which lead dancing crowds down the steep roads of the city.

	El Patio de la Rumba El Palenque	Sat, 3:00 pm
	El Patio de la Rumba: weekly gathering with dancers and musicians of the Conjunto Folklórico Nacional and guests, dedicated to one of the most popular musical and dance genres in Cuba,

A PREVIEW OF THE COMING MONTHS

	Cubadanza Teatro Nacional 3-14 August
	Workshop on the techniques developed by the Cuban school of modern dance.

Festival Internacional de Rap “Habana Hip Hop”
Havana
August

Hip hop became a sensation in Cuba during the 1990s when this festival was born. Since then, the event has attracted an increasing number of hip hop artists from other countries, as well as featuring many important local groups. There are more than 1,000 rap groups in Cuba today. More recently, the festival has also included rap dancing, graffiti artists, a series of films, and a colloquium with discussion of hip hop culture and issues regarding this type of music which has delved into controversial aspects of Cuban life, such as racism and emerging economic inequalities.

	Fiesta de los Orígenes Matanzas 19-21 September
	Academicians, researchers and historians will get together to discuss aspects related to the significance of the contribution made by the French to the formation of Cuban culture. The program includes lectures, panels, exhibitions, films, passacaglia and book launchings.