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Cuban NYC

Cuban NYC is centered in Union City, New Jersey.

Cuba is the sacred heart of Latin culture in the Americas. As the main port of the Spanish transatlantic trade, Havana was the center of colonial Spanish American power. Whatever happened in Havana, spread across the Spanish-speaking world, including back to Spain. That is still true.

Most Americans know Yoruba African American traditions through Cuban Yoruba which absorbed the Dahomey and Kongo traditions that also rooted in the Americas. We are all mixed together.

Cuban Rumba is a taproot of what we now call Latin music. Cuban Son evolved into Salsa in New York City and Timba in Cuba. Cubop (Latin Jazz) developed in 1940s New York City along with Bebop (Modern Jazz).

Latin American dancers dream of training with the Ballet Nacional de Cuba because it can launch international careers. The Joyce Theater and New York City Center have a legacy of developing Contemporary Dance in Cuba.

Cuban NYC Restaurants

Cuban NYC Festivals

Cuban New York City

Cuban Culture

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Cuban NYC News

Cuban NYC Archive

April 2023

Paquito D’Rivera joins the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis for Tres Aguas & Music of Colombia, premieres of Elio Villafranca’s “Tres Aguas” and Edmar Castaneda’s “Music of Colombia;” at Jazz at Lincoln Center on Columbus Circle; on Friday, April 14, 2023 at 8pm. From $41. 🇨🇺🇨🇴

Dance Theatre of Harlem presents New York premieres by William Forsythe and Tiffany Rea-Fisher, George Balanchine’s “Allegro Brillante,” and works by Resident Choreographer Robert Garland at New York City Center in Midtown, Manhattan, Wednesday-Sunday, April 19-23, 2023. From $35. 🌍🇺🇸🇧🇷🇨🇺🇭🇹

January 2023

Pianist Dayramir Gonzalez plays Cuban jazz at the Winter Jazzfest Brooklyn Marathon at National Sawdust in Williamsburg on Saturday, January 14, 2023 at 7pm. $65. 🇨🇺

Pedrito Martinez and his rumba bring Echoes of Africa to Drom in the East Village on Sunday, January 15, 2023 at 8:30pm (7:30pm doors). From $25. 🇨🇺

December 2022

Pedrito Martinez plays a Cuban Rumba and Timba Holiday Show at Drom in Manhattan’s East Village on Thursday, December 15, 2022 at 7pm. From $30. 🇨🇺

Pedrito Martinez plays a Cuban rumba and timba Pre-New Year’s Eve Party at Drom in NYC’s East Village on Friday, December 30, 2022 at 9pm. Party starts with a Shani Talmor salsa dance class at 7pm. From $25. 🇨🇺

November 2022

World Ballet Day 2022 is a streaming behind-the scenes look at a day in the life of a ballet company including American Ballet Theater, Alvin Ailey American Dance Company, and many leading global ballet companies on Wednesday, November 2, 2022. 🇺🇸 🇧🇷 🇨🇺 🇫🇷 🇮🇹 🇲🇨 🇵🇷 🇿🇦 🇪🇸

Sotheby’s Contemporary Evening Auction, an art auction of ground-breaking contemporary artists, features work by Alice Neel, Josef Albers, François-Xavier Lalanne, Basquiat, Alighiero Boetti, Philip Guston, and Louise Bourgeois who were either Latin or influenced by the Latin world. The art auction exhibition is at Sotheby’s New York in the Upper East Side, Friday, November 4-16, 2022. The auction is Wednesday, November 16, 2022 at 7pm. 🇨🇦 🇨🇺 🇫🇷 🇭🇹 🇵🇷 🇲🇽 🇮🇹

DOC NYC 2022, America’s largest documentary film festival, is at IFC Center in Manhattan’s West Village, SVA Theatre and Cinépolis Chelsea, Wednesday, November 9-17, 2022. It continues online to November 27. 🇧🇷 🇨🇺 🇩🇴 🇨🇦 🇮🇹 ✡️ 🇻🇪 🇺🇸

October 2022

The American Ballet Theatre 2022 Fall Season brings the World Premiere of Rudd’s “Lifted” with an All-Black cast, plus Ratmansky’s “Whipped Cream,” Ashton’s “The Dream,” Ratmansky’s “The Seasons,” Jessica Lang’s “Children’s Songs Dance,” and Kylián’s “Sinfonietta,” with African American, Argentine, Brazilian, Cuban, Filipino and Spanish dancers to the David H Koch Theater in Lincoln Center, October 20-30, 2022. From $40. 🇦🇷🇧🇷🇨🇺🇵🇭🇪🇸🇺🇸

Multi-Grammy winner, Aymée Nuviola, “La Sonera del Mundo,” celebrates the birthday of Celia Cruz “The Queen of Salsa” at the David Rubenstein Atrium in Lincoln Center on Friday, October 21, 2022 at 7:30pm. Free. 🇨🇺

September 2022

The Axel Tosca Trio featuring Xiomara Laugart plays Cuban Jazz at Zinc Bar in Greenwich Village, on Thursdays from 9pm-midnight. $20. 🇨🇺

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, a celebration of the Americas, through October 15. 🇦🇷🇧🇴🇧🇷🇨🇱🇨🇴🇨🇷🇨🇺🇩🇴🇪🇨🇸🇻🇬🇶🇬🇹🇭🇳🇲🇽🇳🇮🇵🇦🇵🇾🇵🇪🇵🇷🇪🇸🇺🇾🇻🇪

The Queens Hispanic Parade 2022 marches on 37th Avenue from 69th St to 86th St in Jackson Heights, Queens on Sunday, September 25, 2022 starting at 11am. 🇦🇷🇧🇴🇨🇱🇨🇴🇨🇷🇨🇺🇩🇴🇪🇨🇸🇻🇬🇶🇬🇹🇭🇳🇲🇽🇳🇮🇵🇦🇵🇾🇵🇪🇵🇷🇪🇸🇺🇾🇻🇪

Roman Díaz, one of NYC’s top rumberos, plays Cuban Rumba at Mi Salsa Kitchen in the Lower East Side on Wednesday, September 28, 2022 from 8:30-11pm. 🇨🇺

Xiomara Laugart, the Nueva Trova star, sings Cuban Jazz at Mi Salsa Kitchen in the Lower East Side on on Friday, September 30, 2022 from 9-11pm. A DJ spins until 2am. 🇨🇺

May 2022

Carmen Herrera, The 1970s: Part 1 shows the legendary Cuban abstractionist’s 1970s work at Lisson Gallery in Chelsea, Tue, May 3 – Jun 11, 2022. 🇨🇺

Los Van Van featuring Alexander Abreu (Habana D’Primera) play Cuban Timba at La Boom in Woodside, Queens on Fri, May 13, 2022 at 10pm. From $70. 🇨🇺

The Ballet Hispánico Gala 2022 Noche Tropicana, honors Thalía with the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, at The Plaza Hotel in Midtown on Mon, May 16 at 6:30 with dinner and dancing. From $1,500. 🇨🇺🇲🇽🇵🇷

April 2022

Dance Theatre of Harlem at the 1st City Center Dance Festival starts with a Gala Performance that includes the NY premieres of “Higher Ground” and an extended “Balamouk” by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa at New York City Center in Midtown, Tue, Apr 5 at 7pm and regular performances Fri-Sun, Apr 8-10. From $35. 🇧🇷🇨🇴🇨🇺🇭🇹🇺🇸

Mike Zito Band and Albert Castiglia play Blues guitar at the Iridium in the Times Square Theater District on Tue, Apr 12 at 8pm (6:30pm doors). $35. 🇨🇺🇮🇹

Pedrito Martinez plays Cuban Rumba and Timba at Roulette Intermedium in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn on Sat, Apr 23 at 8pm. From $25. robertbrowningassociates.com 🇨🇺

March 2022

Latin American Art, including a newly discovered Diego Rivera, goes on view at Christie’s in Rockefeller Center on Wed, Mar 2-10 for auction Fri, Mar 11 at 11am.
🇦🇷🇧🇷🇨🇱🇨🇴🇨🇷🇨🇺🇪🇨🇲🇽🇳🇮🇵🇪🇻🇪

The Big Three Palladium Orchestra is the sons of the Big Three: Tito Rodríguez Jr, Mario “Machito” Grillo and Tito Puente Jr, hosted by Joe Conzo Sr and featuring Fania All-Star and Puente’s bongo player John “Dandy” Rodríguez, at Lehman Center in Jerome Park, The Bronx on Sat, Mar 5 at 8pm. From $45. 🇨🇺🇵🇷

Dayramir Gonzalez plays Belgian singer Mar Bel’s “Encuentro” album release party at Ideal Glass Studios in the West Village on Sun, Mar 6 at 7pm. 🇨🇺

Raúl Cordero : Heaven is a Place in the Mind, paintings and installations on the age of distraction, is at Richard Taittinger Gallery in the Lower East Side, Mar 10 – Apr 24. richardtaittinger.com 🇨🇺

Orquesta Broadway celebrates its 60th Anniversary with Cuban Charanga (flute, strings & percussion) for dancing at the David Rubenstein Atrium in Lincoln Center on Fri, Mar 11 at 7:30pm. FREE. 🇨🇺

Cuban trumpeter Kalí Rodriguez-Peña celebrates his “Melange” album release at The Django in Tribeca on Tue, Mar 15 from 7-9:30pm. 🇨🇺

Join Cuban fashion and art evangelist Evan Elkowitz at the William Pérez open studio celebrating his Cuban Artists Fund residency at 208 East 51st St, 2nd Floor in Midtown East on Fri, Mar 18 from 5-8pm. startupcuba.tv 🇨🇺

Oye Como Va is a Deborah Resto tribute to the women of Latin music at Flushing Town Hall in Flushing, Queens on Thu, Mar 31 at 7pm. $15. 🇨🇺🇵🇷

Omar Sosa and Seckou Keita present their new album “Suba,” Global Music reuniting the Caribbean and Mother Africa, at Roulette Intermedium in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn on Thu, Mar 31 at 8pm. $25. robertbrowningassociates.com 🇨🇺🇸🇳🇻🇪

February 2022

Trova legend Xiomara Laugart celebrates Mi Salsa Kitchen’s 1st Anniversary with Cuban Timba at Mi Salsa Kitchen in the Lower East Side on Fri, Feb 25 from 9-11pm. 🇨🇺

The 7th Neighboring Scenes Latin American film festival is in person at Film at Lincoln Center, Feb 24-28. $15 per film or $80 All-Access Pass ($20 students). 🇦🇷🇧🇷🇨🇱🇨🇴🇨🇷🇲🇽🇵🇪🇺🇾🇻🇪

Tributo a Bebo Valdés, the world premiere screening of Ricardo Bacallao’s documentary of the 2019 tribute concert by grandson Emilio Valdés, is streaming at the Cuban Cultural Center on Sat, Feb 19 at 7pm. Free. 🇨🇺

Pepito Gomez sings a Buena Vista Social Club tribute of Cuban Son at Drom in the East Village on Sun, Feb 13 at 5:30pm & 8pm. $55. 🇨🇺

Remember Carmen Herrera, legendary New York Cuban abstract artist, 1915- Feb 12, 2022. 🇨🇺

Pedrito Martinez plays Cuban Rumba and Timba live at Harlem Stage (with the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute) in Manhattanville, Harlem on Fri-Sat, Feb 11-12 at 7:30pm. From $25. 🇨🇺

Cuba is the Sacred Heart of Latin Culture in the Americas

Cuba is the sacred heart of Latin culture in the Americas because it was Spain’s main colonial port. Whatever happened in Cuba spread across the Spanish Americas and even back to Spain (Rumba Flamenca).

In modern times, American gangsters and big business took over, so Cuba expelled the Americans which earned it great respect across Latin America.

A lot of Latin music and Latin dance is originally Cuban. Lucumí, the beautiful African Diaspora religion, is the root of many Latin music traditions. It becomes secular in Rumba. 1950s Cuban dance music evolved into Salsa in New York City, and Timba in Havana.

Cuban Culture

Cuban culture has a big influence on the world, far beyond its size. A lot of Caribbean culture is really Cuban culture. During the Colonial Period, Havana was one corner of the triangular trade, so whatever happened in Cuba spread across the Spanish Americas and even influenced Spain. Later, standing up to the Americans gave Cuba a unique credibility.

Cuba

The Havana Film Festival (International Festival of New Latin American Cinema) is in Havana in December. It’s one of the good times to visit.

Caribbean NYC

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