Aquiles has obsessively favoured scrap material from the bodywork of old cars or containers of the most varied types to make small walking human figures, or perfectly flattened squares grouped according to an impeccable arrangement. He has not abandoned canvas, however, using a combination of techniques to produce an abstract work where graffiti connotes the emotional impact in the direction that the artist is interested in.
Rumba, a term for various forms of song and dance with a strongly African character, goes back to the 19th century and is played using congas, or, in the absence of these, wooden boxes, drawers, bottles, etc., accompanied by claves (two cylindrical hardwood sticks that are beaten together) or spoons. Characteristic of urban environments, especially Havana and Matanzas, several forms can be identified in rumba: the yambú, the oldest, is a courting dance for couples, but where the pelvic movement called vacunao is not made; in the variant called columbia, the men dance solo making acrobatic gestures that imitate those made by the íremes or little devils from the abakuá rites; in guaguancó, still frequently danced in working-class
neighbourhoods, a story or event is usually told, while the couple, with their dance, depict the ritual of seduction-possession which is consummated when the woman-her attention straying for a moment-is 'vaccinated'. The so-called stage or ballroom rumba became popular in the early 20th century when it was performed in the vernacular theatre; even today, it is danced in variety shows, sometimes accompanied by an orchestra, as a fusion of the three forms of rumba, with the women wearing a dress with many flounces and a long train, which famous Cuban rumberas have exhibited the world over, including the cinema. But nothing can beat the freshness and creativity which arise spontaneously when a guaguancó is danced in the middle of a get-together with music and rum.
| Cuban Rumba |
| by CubaAbsolutely Team |
Cuban Music
Cuban Music
