Events

Habanarte: A Top-of-the-line Festival

isel 21-07-2016

Habanarte Festival is scheduled to hold its third edition on September 8 - 18, with its catchy initial motto “all of the art at once”. The meeting aims at putting all Cuban artistic expressions together, for their usual audience and visitors, which are numerous these days.

Habanarte has taken a step further and more opportune. It has organized Primera Línea International Music Forum, with Womex (World Music Expo) circuit as partner, “the utmost professional show” according to UNESCO, with folkloric, ethnic, traditional and alternative music.

The initiative is supported by the Cuban Ministry of Culture, Music Institute, Artex S.A Artistic and Literary Promotions Company, EGREM and Colibrí record labels and its international partners, as organizers of Womex, are Piranha Arts (Berlin, Germany), Nordesia (Santiago de Compostela, Spain) and Endirecto (Munich, Germany).

As for the announcement of the program of Habanarte and Primera Línea, the organizers gave a press conference at the recently-opened Artex’s cultural center, El Tablao, at Alicia Alonso Grand Theater in Havana, which was attended by Nadia Naranjo, director of Cultural Industries, Ministry of Culture; Ivette Leyva, director of Communication, Mincult; and Spanish Antonio Martinez, organizing committee of Primera Línea.

Nadia Naranjo pointed out that the Forum is dedicated to professionals from the music realm in an effort to give media hype to the Cuban music and establish distribution channels. “It’s all about showing the world the potential of the Cuban music, so people interested learn how to work with our institutions as a mechanism to hire artists.”

On the other hand, Antonio Martinez, who has devoted his work to put Latin American artists on the map, especially Cuban professionals, by means of his Endirecto Company, underscored that Womex accepted the coproduction of the Forum “because Havana is a special and important space.”

A country that has given birth to such boldface names as Lecuona, More o Milanes, and houses a talented and diverse local cultural treasure, needs that show, Martinez said. “There is offer, there is demand and we have to put them together. It’s our goal.”

The coordinator of the Forum explained that this year it’ll be dedicated to the promotion of Cuban music, but the upcoming editions “will be open to international music, especially in the Caribbean sphere.”

Primera Línea will engulf concerts, the so-called showcases, so an international jury is working on a list that comprises nearly thirty artistic bands. The jury is made up of Maestro Adalberto Alvarez; critic Pedro de la Hoz, the new director of Colibrí record label, Carol Fernandez; Antonio Martinez and France's Christine Semba, director of special programs for Womex Piranha Arts.

Primera Línea includes professional visits to the facilities of EGREM and Abdala, premises where live music is played (classic, popular, jazz, rock), Higher Art Institute (ISA is the Spanish acronym) and Amadeo Roldan Conservatoire, Hamel Alley, and the internationally famous Tropicana cabaret.

WHAT TO ENJOY WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF HABANARTE?

Cuba’s National Ballet is slated to open the 3rd Habanarte Festival on September 8. Havana International Ballet Festival will be held on October 28 – November 6. The list also includes Cuba’s Spanish Ballet, Rosario Cardenas’ company and Danza Abierta (with a world premiere: Vuelvo, directed by Susana Pons).

Drama will be represented by Teatro El Público Theater and Argos Teatro, directed by Carlos Diaz and Carlos Celdran, respectively, who have won the National Theater Award, Rita Montaner Company, and Teatro D´Dos.

As for fine arts, the Visual Arts Development Center is scheduled to host a Special Show dedicated to young artists, Cuba’s Photographic Library is going to exhibit Retrospectiva, by photographer Jose Agraz, Habana Gallery will be showcasing a personal exhibit of Tonel paintings and El Reino de este mundo Gallery, at Jose Marti National Bookstore, will have Ricardo Elias’ display.

Music has a strong presence in Habanarte. Troubadours will have a special moment, with performances by Frank Delgado, Raul Torres, Polito Ibañez, Gerardo Alfonso, Roly Berrio and Ernesto Blanco, among others; and a concert has been announced, along with the Spanish Collaboration Agency, between troubadours Adrian Berazain (Cuba) and Alberto Alcala (Spain).

Moreover, jazz will be represented by Yasek Manzano, Aldo Lopez Gavilan, Ruy Lopez Nussa; and popular dance music is going to be played by Van Van, Elito Revé y su Charangón, David Calzado y su Charanga Habanera, Bamboleo, Adalberto Álvarez y su Son, D’ Primera, Manolito Simonet, NG la banda.

Habanarte has a new theme song, entitled Capitalia and authored by young violinist William Roblejo, winner of JoJazz 2010 award. Roblejo said that this song was inspired by Havana, “a fusion among several styles, I call it contemporary jazz and I mixed bluegrass, country, flamenco. The Cuban identity can be felt by touching and listening to it.”

Once again, Habanarte Festival is complemented by one of the main events in the Cuban capital, Arte en La Rampa fair, which kicked off on July 1st and will come to an end on September 18th, at Pavilion Cuba.

Paradiso, Artex’s cultural tourism agency and official incoming agency for the event, has designed two passports:

Passport 1:

PRICE: 150.00 USD

It includes information related to the event and, at the end, 15 sheets that can be used as tickets to attend different activities during the festival:

1 ticket for a performance by Cuba’s National Ballet.

1 ticket for a performance by Cuba’s Spanish Ballet.

1 ticket for a guided tour through Havana Grand Theater (which can coincide with the showcase by Primera Línea).

1 ticket for a Matinee at one of the Music Houses in the capital.

4 tickets for Artex’s cultural centers.

2 tickets for Arte en la Rampa fair, at Pavilion Cuba. 1 ticket for a heritage tour.

1 guided visit at the National Museum of Fine Arts.

1 ticket for a visit to Cuba’s Photographic Library.

1 ticket for a visit to the Visual Arts Development Center.

1 ticket for a dance lesson at Artex Cultural Center, Arte Habana.

Passport 2:

PRICE: 30.00 USD