Cuban culture in the Bay Area is represented by a small but tenacious community that has flourished with limited resources and less attention than some of the larger Bay Area Latino communities. It's amid these challenging dynamics that Cuban choreographer and dancer Ramon Alayo founded the Cuba Caribe Festival. The festival was developed in conjunction with Dance Mission in 2005 and proved to be a huge success, tapping a real need in the Cuban community for cultural representation in the Bay Area. According to Alayo, "When I came here eight years ago, there was nothing. A lot has happened since then."
The festival is produced by Cuba Caribe, a nonprofit co-directed by Alayo and Jamaica Rose Itule Simmons. The organization promotes Cuban culture in the Bay Area though classes, performances, community outreach and the popular Cuba Camp, an annual cultural retreat that focuses on being inclusive, "At the camp, we don't just teach dance from Cuba but Cuban Dominican, Cuban Brazilian and others."
This year Alayo, along with fellow Cuban choreographer Susana Arenas, have broadened the festival to include a wider representation of the African Diaspora, including modern, folkloric and even hip hop. "It was important to me to show all the Caribbean dance, especially the ones that came from Africa. Caribbean dance includes Brazil, Puerto Rico and even Senegal." Some of the styles of dance that will be represented in the festival this year include orisha, rumba, mambo, chachacha, son, salsa, as well as Afro-Cuban modern and Afro-Haitian.
Fusion energy
The festival opens with Arenas' Yo Soy Cuba (April 14-16), a folkloric exploration that showcases this dynamic choreographer's unique approach to secular and religious dance, fusing both Spanish and African influences. Arenas is a popular teacher in the Bay Area and has trained an exciting group of dancers in a style that represents this distinct pocket of Cuban culture.
Africa Here (April 21-23) is a showcase featuring Allan Frias & Mind Over Matter, as well as Alayo's work, Loco Bloco (drum and dance ensemble), Grrrl Brigade (Dance Mission's junior company) and Michelle Martin & Konpayi (Afro Haitian). Frias was featured in the Fox reality series So You Think You Can Dance and is an engaging performer. Seeing him in his element will be a unique opportunity for Bay Area audiences to see a locally undiscovered talent.
This program is also a chance to see the how the African aesthetics have influenced the pan-American culture in a myriad of ways, from popular culture to world music.
The final program (April 28-30) will feature two new works by Alayo, including a new trio and a longer group work called After Rain. The longer work will explore the duality of West African culture, encompassing destruction and creation as represented by the region's climate of rain and drought. As a Cuban of African decent, Alayo hopes to use environmental imagery to create a metaphor that examines the passages of modern culture, especially fear and renewal.
All performances 8 p.m., except Sundays at 2 p.m. (see www.cubacaribe.org for details). Dance Mission, 3316 24th St., SF. Tickets ($12-$20): www.ticketweb.com, (415) 273-4633.