5th International Children’s Arts Meeting, Corazón Feliz, to be held in May
Environmentalism, puppet theatre and the musical creations of Trova singer Silvio Rodríguez will be the focus of the 5th International Children’s Arts Festival, Corazón Feliz. The event will be held from 28 May to 2 June in various locations around the Cuban capital.
This new edition has broadened and diversified its activities, with the main aim of teaching values, recovering Cuban identity and promoting a culture of peace among children, as the organisers, singer Rochy Ameneiro, founder of the event, and actor Rubén Darío Salazar, general director of the National Puppet Theatre of Cuba, announced at a press conference.
The event will begin with a concert at the Teatro Martí entitled «Songs to Share«, a tribute to the work of Cuban singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez for children. The concert will feature arrangements by the young pianist and composer Rodrigo García, the general design by Zenén Calero and the artistic direction by Rubén Darío Salazar, both recipients of the 2020 National Theatre Awards.
In addition to the main venue, performances will take place in the National Museum of Fine Arts auditorium, La Proa and El Arca theatres, always in the afternoon. Performers include Edelis Loyola from Holguín, Rosa Campos and Abrakadraba from Cienfuegos, the duo Gabi and Sofi, Teatro de Las Estaciones, and Noria from Matanzas, Titirivida from Pinar del Río, Rita del Prado, Enid Rosales, Rochy Ameneiro, Compañía Teatro Infantil la Colmenita, Habanasueños, Cascabel, Cuentos para Federico, and the La Proa and Teatro Tuyo companies from Havana. From abroad, Mariana Mallol from Argentina/Mexico, Manuel Morán from Puerto Rico/United States, and La Sonrisa del Lagarto and La Rous from Spain will take part.
Other details include theoretical sessions entitled «Thinking with the Heart«, which will be held at the Abelardo Estorino Theatre of the Ministry of Culture. The Day of Reading will return to the José Martí Birthplace Museum in Old Havana.
Corazón Feliz will also feature visual arts workshops and exhibitions, including the Arte 92 group from the capital’s Diez de Octubre neighbourhood and the Argentine illustrator Estrellita Caracol, who is attempting to create the world’s largest collage.
Two exhibitions will enliven the event: «Puppets from Around the World«, by designer Abdel de La Campa, and «A Graphic Gift for Las Estaciones«, by a collective of Cuban and foreign designers paying tribute to the iconic group from Matanzas.
Once again, the event will reach out to the community with a camping experience at the Joseíto Fernández Cultural Centre in Centro Habana, with screenings of Juan Padrón films, culinary events, music and theatre.
Translated by Luis E. Amador Dominguez
