Today the day was less intense dance-wise, but there were good theoretical spaces in which the history of dance in Ciego de Ávila, and in Morón in particular, rejoiced.
The city of El Gallo welcomed the 13 artistic units attending the 3rd edition of Danzar en casa. And the Reverbero Park became the epicentre of the event. A giant platform had been built for the performance of these groups, just at the entrance of the Reguero theatre. The Cuban flag was flying high, beautiful.
And as we were in the land of Famn Zetwal, and the event was dedicated to these star women, there was no better place to delve into the emergence of this dance-music group and the vicissitudes they had to overcome with intelligence and the support of the Nicolás Guillén Foundation, especially Larry Morales, who could not miss the event.
The voodoo chants accompanied each story, each anecdote told by its protagonists. So much was said about this group, pride of its people, in the authoritative voice of Yoelxy Pilliner López, with his conference Famn Zetwal: music, dance and identity, that we listened to him in Creole pronouncing complete sentences, mixed with emotion and respect for these empowered women who knew how to forge a path above and beyond everything they had lived through, and which was not beautiful in its beginnings.
When Famn Zetwal sang and danced, the participants had no choice but to join in the round, raise their arms to the sky and let themselves be carried away by this rhythm that catches everything and makes it their own.
No one seemed untouched by this way of playing the drums and the cowbell, of singing and moving the body, of evoking Haiti in its journey of freedom and beauty.
Who could escape the many chanting bodies, shaking shoulders and hips amidst smiles and cheers?
In the afternoon section, the audience returned to the gazebo in the Reverbero Park to listen to a brief but concise talk entitled Dance and its relationship with the exact sciences, given by MsC. Yoana Pavón García, who managed to capture everyone’s attention in one fell swoop, earning a well-deserved and concise round of applause.
Lisandra Gómez de la Torre, director of the Ballet Contemporáneo de Camagüey, took advantage of the evening to present an acknowledgement from this important Cuban group to Lian Díaz Arias, president of the Provincial Council for the Performing Arts, and Lupe Díaz Beracierto, president of Danzar en casa and the production company Latin Luli’s Production, for all the support and organisation of such a necessary event as Danzar… She asked them all not to let this space, already vital for Cuban dance, die.
Next, the Mexican Lourdes Fernández Serratos took over the stage with the support of Javier Contreras Villaseñor, who led an open and enlightening dialogue after Lourdes’ beautiful and successful dance exercise.
The audience, frankly participative, raised their points of view on the exercise, gave their opinions and even suggested possible adjustments for a better version of it. A matter that helps in the formation of dancers and in a correct group creative process.
The afternoon waned with the return to the city of portals and the memory of Famn Zetwal’s voodoo chants, together with the almost vivid image of the dancer Vivian Díaz.
(Written by Vasily MP)
