Monday, October 20, 2008

my latest cultural outing

Nicaraguan and Cuban history are very much intertwined (especially since the 1960s)--and their intermingling of revolutionary fervor and cultural appreciation was very much on display this past week in Nicaragua's National Theater.

Last Wednesday night a variety of Nicaraguan dancers and musicians payed tribute to Cuban Culture Day by offering us (me and my friend Renee, and 500+ of our fellow aficionados of good Latin music) a full repertoire of some of the most popular songs to come out of Cuba in the last couple centuries. From afro-caribbean dance to classical big band 40s style to tropical flavor to the acoustic wonders of Silvio Rodriguez, it was a spectacular show. At the end, the dancers even came out among the audience and danced in the aisles. (Wish I had pictures of that, but it all happened so fast...)

I have to say, I have become a huge fan of all kinds of Latin music since I have moved here--Mana, Juanes, Alex Campos, Juan Luis Guerra, Julieta Venegas, Los Toros Band, and many, many more. But my latest musical addiction is without a doubt Silvio Rodriguez. I can't even put it into words, but this man's lyrics (and chord progressions)--even when I don't understand all of them--move me deeply. Just have a listen...





Me siento muchas veces que soy como este corazon que Silvio describe, un corazon con muros (aunque quizas no tan fuertes porque todavia entra mucho dolor), que se esconde, en fuga, herido de dudas de amor...

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