Danzón Habana Festival 2024: Defense and Safeguarding of Cuba’s National Dance

With the pride of safeguarding, promoting, and enriching one of the cultural heritage assets that Cuba presents to the world, the XIII Edition of the Danzón Habana International Festival 2024 will take place from September 26 to 29.

Its program highlights dance workshops and competitions at the Cultural Center of 31 and 2, in Vedado, and the Colloquium in the Villena Hall of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (Uneac), which includes keynote lectures, presentations, and panels dedicated to the national dance and its influence on Cuban culture.

Led by musicologist and radio host Ysela Vistel, a member of the event’s Organizing Committee, we also learned that the 145th anniversary of Las alturas de Simpson, the first danzón created by Miguel Failde, and the anniversary of José Urfé’s birth, as well as the 85th anniversary of the Aragón Orchestra and the 115th birth anniversary of Barbarito Diez, are some of the inspiring milestones that support this year’s event, which also celebrates its 20th anniversary.

The International Danzón Colloquium will offer keynote lectures, presentations, and panels, with the central theme being the relevance of the danzón, its influence on the genres and forms of music throughout the Americas, and other related topics. There will also be book and album presentations. The theoretical segment of the event will be chaired by musicologist Ms.C. Alicia Valdés Cantero.

Can you specify the artistic performances and concerts by Cuban and foreign groups participating in the event?

A varied program has been designed, aligned with the usual spaces for performances, peñas danzoneras (danzón social clubs), and fixed meetings, in which members of the Community Movement of Friends of Danzón, the Charanga Orchestras, and the Cuban Piquete Típico will participate.

The public will have the opportunity to enjoy dances at the Cultural Complex of 31 and 2, the Casa del Alba Cultural of Havana, the Salón Rosado de la Tropical Benny Moré, the Yoruba Association, and galas at the Teatro América. The orchestras that will lead the artistic presentations include Charanga de Oro, Estrellas Cubanas, Siglo XX, América, Rubalcaba, Sublime, Piquete Típico Cubano, the Failde Orchestra, and pianist and composer Alejandro Falcón with his trio Cubadentro. To complement these performances, the Ballet of Teatro América and renowned soloists, vocalists, and instrumentalists will join.

Among the guests and participants, who are the notable figures?

Notable personalities include Roberto Méndez Martínez, poet, essayist, critic, narrator, and Full Member of the Cuban Academy of Language and Corresponding Member of the Royal Spanish Academy. Also attending will be Mexicans Eduardo Martínez Muñoz, MSc, affiliated with the Interinstitutional Doctorate in Art and Culture (DIAC 2021-2025) from the University of Guanajuato and Member of the Network of Social Studies of Music; Jorge Alberto Rivero Mora, PhD, sociologist, historian, and promoter of popular culture; and maestro Félix Rentería, professor of ballroom dance academy.

The Danzón Habana International Festival serves as an ideal platform to promote the development and vitality of this genre in Cuba and worldwide. What actions are being taken to help Danzón seek a candidacy for Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on the UNESCO Representative List in the coming years?

In Cuba, danzón, our national dance, enjoys excellent health, although it is not sufficiently showcased and supported by the institutions responsible for providing such backing. Across the country, the Community Movement of Amateur Danzón Artists has been working for 47 years to rescue and promote local traditions.

In addition to their work and initiatives, it is worth highlighting their efforts with different age groups and the numerous meetings, festivals, and regular events where they program their activities. Orchestras and composers have also contributed to this intense work by enriching and revitalizing our national dance with new tones, colors, and the fusion of genres.

Danzón has evolved over time, from its traditions, music, and dress style, always preserving good taste, elegance, and Cuban identity. This festival will bring all the danzonero work to light and contribute to the possibility that, in the coming years, the genre could integrate into the candidacy list for Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity approved by UNESCO.

Translated by Luis E. Amador Dominguez