Film Screening:

The Black Roots of Salsa: The Emancipation of Cuban Rumba
(Christian Liebich, 2010, 135 min, Switzerland/Cuba, in English and Spanish w/ English subtitles, Color, Digital)

-- Introduced by Prof. Andrea E. Woods Valdés (Program in Dance)!

A historical journey into dancing and music of the Afro-Cuban culture. This documentary traces the complexity of many traditional and cultural movements in Cuba. The deeply rooted approach to the life of the descendants of historically deported African slaves is expressed in the Cuban 'Rumba'. The traditions are carried on through the generations, and the film shows how they evolve and how they are preserved. Showing the personality of each of the artists in their cultural work, it discovers the Afro-Cuban religions as performances and explores their influence on one of the most progressive movements of today's music and dance performance. Without the rhythmic pattern called 'Clave', originating in the 'Abakua' tradition, the world–renowned 'Salsa' would not exist.

Cost: Free and open to the public.

Sponsors: The Dance Program and the Program in the Arts of the Moving Image (AMI).

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