My 15-year-long ballet “career” has introduced me to astounding music, from Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade for Strings in C major” (from George Balanchine’s “Serenade”) to Danny Elfman’s “Beetlejuice” score (from a funky piece by my amazing Westside Ballet teacher Veronica Apodaca). Now, I’m again adding to the list. In a recital this Friday at The Colburn School’s Zipper Hall, I’ll perform two pieces with Colburn’s adult ballet class – and our music ranges from 19th century classical to 20th century Latin jazz. Continue reading
Category Archives: Cuban
[Blog] Read This Now: “We’ll Always Have Fidel” by Anne Louise Bardach
Author, journalist and Cuba-whiz Anne Louise Bardach hits the nail on the head with a recent article in Pacific Standard magazine. She argues: “We’ll Always Have Fidel.” Continue reading
[Blog] Masanga Marima Brings “Guantanamera” from L.A. to Zimbabwe and Back (+ Video)
The simple tune and patriotic lyrics of “Guantanamera,” Cuba’s signature song, have traveled to numerous far-flung corners of the planet. Even unlikely ones, I learned last Friday at a concert by Masanga Marimba at MacArthur Park’s Levitt Pavilion. Masanga Marimba blends African and Latin American musical styles, mostly played on seven Zimbabwean marimbas ranging from … Continue reading
[Blog] Summer Reading: China, North Korea, Russia, Ukraine, Cuba and New York City
We’re nearing the end of those “lazy, crazy, hazy days of summer,” as Nat King Cole put it in his 1963 pop hit. The days have been especially lazy, crazy and hazy for those of us who just graduated college. Plenty of time for reading! No syllabus necessary. My picks have taken me to the … Continue reading
[Blog] Our Havana Habit
Sultry dancers, daiquiris, and the mambo. Cuban, or American? Perhaps both? In “The Havana Habit,” Columbia professor Gustavo Perez Firmat explains the numerous ways in which America has sucked up Cuban culture, creating an imagined vision of this exotic island. He argues that “No other Latin American nation has left as pervasive an imprint … Continue reading