The orchestra that will close the event bears the name of the musician who introduced this genre in Cuba, with the song “La engañadora” (The Deceiver), played for the first time on the corner of Havana’s Prado and Neptuno streets.

The main goal of the vent was a dance competition in which couples from the community participated, thus demonstrating the excellent work of the so-called houses of culture to preserve traditional rhythms, Festival Artistic Director Henry Gutierrez stated.

The event also consisted of concerts by emblematic Cuban orchestras, such as America, Estrellas Cubanas, and Enrique Jorrin, and amateur artists and dance groups that livened up the festivities.

Organized by the Directorate of Culture in Old Havana municipality, the festival recalled the origins of cha-cha-cha, whose name comes from the characteristic sound made when the feet rub on the floor, 2020 National Dance Award Johannes Garcia said.

Conceived as a space to defend Cuba’s autochthonous sonorities and cultural heritage, the Festival has succeeded in articulating the actions of several institutions in more than three decades to preserve the sounds that identify Cuban music.

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