by Claudette Sells –
(A pre-pandemic trip) The band strikes the first chord, and the demonstration dancers begin their salsa performance. The packed audience smiles and sways to the music. We wait patiently for the opportunity to join in. My husband takes my hands and leads me to the dance floor. He raises his hand, signalling me to do an underarm turn, and we proceed with our dance.
My husband Brian and I are avid Latin dancers. We enjoy many different styles of Latin dances including salsa, cha-cha and rhumba. It was my husband’s dream to dance on his 65th birthday to the music of the Buena Vista Social Club in Cuba.
The Club plays authentic Cuban music dating back to 1930. Ry Cooder, an American guitarist, went to Havana in 1996 and recorded an album with the group, which included some of the top Cuban performers of all time. The record was immediately a hit, and the tropical Latin music inspires Latin dancers worldwide.
We planned our two-week trip to Cuba six months before Brian’s birthday. Once we arrived, we made reservations for the Buena Vista Social Club performance. Dinner and the performance is CDN$100 and gives you a great seat in the club. I wore a floral dress with a flaring skirt, and Brian was in his best slacks and a light jacket.
Havana is a major tourist area, and while the buildings are old and run down you will find musicians on the streets, in the restaurants and in the bars. The Buena Vista Social Club performs at the Sociedad Cultural Rosalia de Castro in Havana. The beautiful 19th century carved building is ragged, but the inside, with its high ceiling and wooden floors, gives the room remarkable warmth.
As we entered, we could feel the air of anticipation in the room. The band members took their positions on stage and tuned their instruments. The lead singer came on stage and asked the audience where they were from. People shouted out their countries: “Columbia, Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil” and Brian yelled out: “Canada!” As the band played the first few notes of the popular song Chan Chan, I was filled with excitement. We danced the rhumba, and I could see on Brian’s face that his dream had come true.
Partway through the evening I had to leave the room briefly, and when I returned Brian was not sitting in his seat. I looked around and finally saw him dancing with two Cuban ladies. As he danced the rhumba with them, he had one lady do an underarm turn to the left, then the other lady did an underarm turn to the right. When the song ended, he looked over and saw that I was back in my seat. He returned to his seat and said, “The ladies’ husbands are in the band. They looked really bored, so I asked them if they would like to rhumba.”
When the evening ended, we returned to our hotel and went for a drink in the lounge. Other guests that were at the concert commented that they were overjoyed with the music. Although most of the members of the original Buena Vista Social Club are no longer alive, the next generation is enthusiastic and captures the original passion of Cuban music. I was mesmerized by the music and felt that I had been transported back to 1950.
When we got back home, I asked Brian where he would like to go for his next birthday. He smiled and said: “I want to go back and dance in Havana again.”
