The Cuban Music and Dance Movie Thread

[bailar y tocar]

This is about movies that are about Cuban music and dance:

La Tropical, Cuba 2002
Documentary about the music venue in Havana called Salon Rosado de Tropical.

El Benny, Cuba date?
A musical biography of Benny Moré and the era of the mambo plus his decent and death due to alcohol.

Van Van Fever, Cuba 2010
Documentary of Los Van Van's 2006 tour of the island to reconnect with their home based fans.

I haven't seen these yet:

La Salsa Cubana / La Rueda de Guanabacoa, Cuba/US 2011
Screening at the Chicago Latino Film Festival April 4 and April 9.

The Black Roots of Salsa, Cuba/Switzerland date?
Advance screening at a salsa festival in Poland, no release date as yet.

 

[timberamayor]

This is about movies that are about Cuban music and dance:

La Tropical, Cuba 2002
Documentary about the music venue in Havana called Salon Rosado de Tropical.

I give this documentary 6 stars out of 5 For those who haven't seen it, the filmmaker hung out for a week or two at La Tropical (voted Best Venue to Dance Timba) and picked out a few people musicians, professional dancers and "audience" and followed their lives closely. It gives you such a true look at a cross-section of life in Cuba with La Tropical as the common point bringing it all together. A must see!

El Benny, Cuba date?
A musical biography of Benny Moré and the era of the mambo plus his decent and death due to alcohol.

I like this movie but I wish they had started with his childhood to give us more background about how he became who he became and how he got into music in the first place. But I really like the movie.

Van Van Fever, Cuba 2010
Documentary of Los Van Van's 2006 tour of the island to reconnect with their home based fans.

I haven't seen this one yet. I also recommend the documentary "Ya empezó la fiesta". It's an Argentinean documentary from right about 2001 right after they won the Grammy for "Llegó Van Van". It has some very interesting interviews in it.

I haven't seen these yet:

La Salsa Cubana / La Rueda de Guanabacoa, Cuba/US 2011
Screening at the Chicago Latino Film Festival April 4 and April 9.

The Black Roots of Salsa, Cuba/Switzerland date?
Advance screening at a salsa festival in Poland, no release date as yet.

I haven't seen them either. I doubt they will be coming to Sweden any time soon, so I hope they are available at the filmmakers' websites.

I don't know if you've seen "Popular!" the documentary by Jen Paz about La Charanga Habanera from what may be their most popular period ever, when "Soy Cubano, Soy Popular" had been released and Ebblis "El Boni" Valdivia, Leoni Torres, Aned Mota and Noel Diaz were the singers and Yulién Oviedo was still on timbales, as well as singing lead on a few songs. My two favorite CH CDs are "Tremedno Delirio" and "Soy Cubano, Soy Popular", and CH used to be my favorite group, so I really enjoyed this documentary.
youtube.com/watch?v=X_wfhLqRm5Q

Yulién from the Documentary pre-reggaeton
youtube.com/watch?v=qiugnTvr5PE

Yulién pre-charanga
youtube.com/watch?v=6kda24hwPiQ

She also did one that is a sort of Reaggaeton versus Salsa in Cuba video called "The Animals of Cuban Music" playing in the name of the famous reggaeton song "Soy el animal". It's also interesting. A look at things a few years later. Yulién Oviedo has left CH to do reggaeton. Lots of interviews with Alexander Forever from Gente D'Zona as well as with timba musicians and other reaggaeton musicians.
havanabuzz.com/

I have to think if I can remember other documentaries or movies...

 

[bailar y tocar]

This is about movies that are about Cuban music and dance:

I haven't seen these yet:

La Salsa Cubana / La Rueda de Guanabacoa, Cuba/US 2011
Screening at the Chicago Latino Film Festival April 4 and April 9.

The Black Roots of Salsa, Cuba/Switzerland date?
Advance screening at a salsa festival in Poland, no release date as yet.

Just saw La Salsa Cubana/La Rueda de Guanabacoa, Cuba/US 2011. They had a screening at the MSP Latin Film Festival. The show was sold out so they scheduled another show post festival.

The film follows a group of rueda dancers from Guanabacoa, a town just outside Havana, and their challenges as they get ready for the TV rueda championship on Bailar Casino. In parallel, there are documentary interviews with the old timers who were there when rueda de casino was invented in the early 60's. Some of them are still dancing and doing it well.

The rueda group specific scenes and interviews are actually typical of all dance groups. The conflicts, differences in artistic direction, egos etc are the same in all dance groups. Those scenes would translate to any dance team.

The rueda de casino history interviews are fascinating. A lot of things I didn't know about rueda, its origins, who danced it, how it evolved and what it has become today in Cuba.

After the movie our dance team performed a rueda at the after party club. I was a little anxious that we would look bad compared to the Cubans on film. We had one of the tightest performances ever, maybe the tightest ever. Inspiration ? Rising to the challenge ?

If there is a latin film festival in your town, you should advocate to have the film shown there.

 

[azzey]

Any way to watch these documentaries online? or another way? e.g. DVD

We have film festivals here but haven't seen anything on Cuba.

 

[terence]

We have film festivals here but haven't seen anything on Cuba.

The majority of English people in the UK, would think you had missed out a word before cuba ( Oxo or maybe Sugar )

 

[bailar y tocar]

3rd Annual Minnesota Cuban Film Festival announced..

www. mspfilmsociety.org/content/3rd-annual-minnesota-cuban-film-festival

Films with music and dance content:

March 8
Nosotros, la Música (We are the Music)
Director: Rogelio Paris
Runtime: 66 min
Language: Spanish with English subtitles
Year: 1964
Showtime: Thu, Mar 8 at 7pm

Synopsis: Mesmerizing black and white footage of 1960s Cuba, the iconic performers indivisible from the audience. Paired with Alabbá (2010), an exploration of the Santería religion, past and present.


March 29
Yo soy, del Son a la Salsa (From Son to Salsa)
Director: Rigoberto Lopez
Runtime: 100 min
Language: Spanish with English subtitles
Year: 1996
Showtimes: Thu, Mar 29 at 7pm

Synopsis: 1996 Grand Coral award-winner. A joyous exploration of 100 years of Cuban and Caribbean music starting in the mountains of Oriente province. Interviews with the great salseros!

 

[timberamayor]

www. mspfilmsociety.org/content/3rd-annual-minnesota-cuban-film-festival

Films with music and dance content:

March 8
Nosotros, la Música (We are the Music)
Director: Rogelio Paris
Runtime: 66 min
Language: Spanish with English subtitles
Year: 1964
Showtime: Thu, Mar 8 at 7pm

Synopsis: Mesmerizing black and white footage of 1960s Cuba, the iconic performers indivisible from the audience. Paired with Alabbá (2010), an exploration of the Santería religion, past and present.


March 29
Yo soy, del Son a la Salsa (From Son to Salsa)
Director: Rigoberto Lopez
Runtime: 100 min
Language: Spanish with English subtitles
Year: 1996
Showtimes: Thu, Mar 29 at 7pm

Synopsis: 1996 Grand Coral award-winner. A joyous exploration of 100 years of Cuban and Caribbean music starting in the mountains of Oriente province. Interviews with the great salseros!

jealous

 

[bailar y tocar]

This film was awesome. The rights are owned by RMM succesor so it should be available. A must see for every salsero. The narrator is a very young Issac Delgado (now I know why so many girls were crazy about him in 1996!). They start off tame and easy in Oriente. Then the fireworks begin with interviews and music by all of the past and living greats (living in 1996). Arsenio, Cachao, Machito, Mario Bauza, the Titos: Puente, Rodriguez, Gomez, Cheo, Papo Lucca, Marc Anthony, Oscar, Lavoe, Willie Colon, Ruben & many many more. The closing is with LVV and Mayito in 1996 (no wonder the girls are crazy about the Cubans). The theme is about how salsa is the common culture of Cuba, PR, Colombia, Venezuela, Nueva York and that the Son, Guaracha, Mambo, Pachanga was rebranded as Salsa so it could travel all over the world and reach all the places where people post on salsaforums today.

A Must See!

You can probably find it online somewhere, the film was marketed by Ralph Mercado's company which is based in NY.

www. mspfilmsociety.org/content/3rd-annual-minnesota-cuban-film-festival

Films with music and dance content:

March 29
Yo soy, del Son a la Salsa (From Son to Salsa)
Director: Rigoberto Lopez
Runtime: 100 min
Language: Spanish with English subtitles
Year: 1996
Showtimes: Thu, Mar 29 at 7pm

Synopsis: 1996 Grand Coral award-winner. A joyous exploration of 100 years of Cuban and Caribbean music starting in the mountains of Oriente province. Interviews with the great salseros!

 

[bailar y tocar]

Bump.

The 4th Annual Minnesota Cuban FilmFestival is underway. Quoted below was last year's highlight - a must see for anyone who listens/plays/dances salsa.

Yo soy, del Son a la Salsa (From Son to Salsa)
Director: Rigoberto Lopez
Runtime: 100 min
Language: Spanish with English subtitles
Year: 1996
Synopsis: 1996 Grand Coral award-winner. A joyous exploration of 100 years of Cuban and Caribbean music starting in the mountains of Oriente province. Interviews with the great salseros


This film was awesome. The rights are owned by RMM succesor so it should be available. A must see for every salsero. The narrator is a very young Issac Delgado (now I know why so many girls were crazy about him in 1996!). They start off tame and easy in Oriente. Then the fireworks begin with interviews and music by all of the past and living greats (living in 1996). Arsenio, Cachao, Machito, Mario Bauza, the Titos: Puente, Rodriguez, Gomez, Cheo, Papo Lucca, Marc Anthony, Oscar, Lavoe, Willie Colon, Ruben & many many more. The closing is with LVV and Mayito in 1996 (no wonder the girls are crazy about the Cubans). The theme is about how salsa is the common culture of Cuba, PR, Colombia, Venezuela, Nueva York and that the Son, Guaracha, Mambo, Pachanga was rebranded as Salsa so it could travel all over the world and reach all the places where people post on salsaforums today.

A Must See!

You can probably find it online somewhere, the film was marketed by Ralph Mercado's company which is based in NY.

This year's program has 3 (out of 6) films with musical content.

 

[bailar y tocar]

The 4th Annual Minnesota Cuban Film Festival Music/Dance Films.

Irremediablemente Juntos (Hopelessly Together)

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Cuba • 104 min • Spanish w/English subtitles • Narrative • 2012
Directed by: Jorge Luis Sánchez
From the director of El Beny, a musical drama with a frank take on race, class divisions and corruption.


One Among Thousands

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USA • 77 min • Spanish w/English subtitles • Documentary • 2009
Directed by: Carlos G. Meier
A bittersweet documentary about Santa Fe musician Victor Alvarez, on of the "Peter Pan" children, who revisits his Cuban homeland for the first time in 43 years.
Special Guest Appearance by Victor Alvarez!


Los 100 Sones Cubanos (The 100 Cuban "Sones")

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Cuba/Dominican Republic • 81 min • Spanish w/English subtitles • Documentary • 2010
Directed by: Edesio Alejandro, Rubén Consuegra
In search of authentic Cuban sones (a Cuban musical tradition), the filmmakers travel the island for the best examples of the music and its artsts.

 

[timberamayor]

wish we got more cuban films here. i'¨ll have to watch for these on the internet

 

[bailar y tocar]

An unlikely addition to the Cuban Music and Dance Movie Thread:
"Chef" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2883512/

The movie is mostly about food and a father/son relationship but there are salsa bands playing with Jose C Hernandez aka "Perico" singing lead vocals. http://www.pericohernandez.com/biography.html
He is a famous 'sones tradicional' singer who also performed with Nachito Herrera at the "A Night in Havana" event in St. Paul Minnesota a few weeks ago.

 

[timberamayor]

Here is the link finally to Emepzó la fiesta - the Van Van documentary from 2000 when they won the Grammy, ver good documentary

 

[timberamayor]

Documentary about the making of the Me dicen Cuba CD

 

[Groove On]

Anyone seen this one yet? The Black Roots of Salsa
https://www.atticindependent.ch/en/the-black-roots-of-salsa

Looks pretty good! I just want to read some reviews before I purchase.

 

[timberamayor]

I don't think this link was posted here yet.

 

[timberamayor]

Trailer with English subtitles. By an French photographer and as I understand it is still being edited. Looking forward to seeing it when it's done

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=900919640082838

 

[terence]

I don't think this link was posted here yet.

Very enjoyable. I wish there had been more freeform Salsa. tad too heavy on Rueda for me .

 

[timberamayor]

Very enjoyable. I wish there had been more freeform Salsa. tad too heavy on Rueda for me .

Yeah, I think people tend to zero in on rueda as something special to catch the interest of foreigners. Personally I enjoy the occasional social rueda but am not a hardcore rueda dancer who is mainly into rueda.

 

[terence]

Yeah, I think people tend to zero in on rueda as something special to catch the interest of foreigners. Personally I enjoy the occasional social rueda but am not a hardcore rueda dancer who is mainly into rueda.

I will admit that, it's a great way to get all together for fun, but has little value in the social salsa scene .