Earlier this year Cuba’s Habana Compás Dance played the Straz Center. Earlier this month, the Straz Center’s Board visited Cuba. Early next year the Grammy-nominated Tiempo Libre music group will perform at the Straz, and hopes are high for a Cuban National Ballet appearance. The commitment is obvious.
And last Sunday the Cuban nexus was further underscored when the highly interactive, 11-piece Havana Cuba All-Stars ensemble put its Cuban roots son music on display at the Straz. It was part of the celebrated group’s debut tour of the U.S. The crowd of 778 (capacity 960) was more than receptive. Couples danced in the Ferguson Hall aisles.
“Cuban culture is part and parcel of our own Tampa culture,” points out Straz President and CEO Judy Lisi. “We want to introduce this community to the world. The arts in Cuba–from performing to visual–are fantastic.
“When our board was in Cuba,” recalled Lisi, “we were reminded that Cubans regard Tampa as a sister city. As things open up, Tampa could be the place.”
BTW, the All-Stars’ band leader (and Trumpet 1) Michel Padrón gave a shout-out to Jose Martí and his historical Tampa connection. No reference, notably enough, to the death of Fidel Castro.