“Havana Fénix”: For Cuba!

I love you, city, because I see you far from death, / because death passes and you look at it with your fish eyes, / with your radiant face of a fish that feels free; because death comes and you feel it how it moves its invisible hands, / how it snatches and asks, / how it bites and you look at it, / you hear it without moving, you disdain it…

Gastón Baquero “Testament of the fish”

He Marti Theaterprecisely one of the buildings affected a year ago by the tragic explosion in the hotel saratoga in which 47 people lost their lives, hosted the presentation of Havana Phoenix, under the direction of Lizt Alfonso (Havana, 1967).

The admired Cuban choreographer and teacher sent the world a message that is as powerful as it is necessary in these times: it is possible to be reborn from the ashes if the wills are added, putting love and courage in everything that is done for Cuba.

“The work of the restorers of Old Havana is the common thread,” Alfonso had announced at a press conference on the premiere. Photo: Courtesy of René Arencibia.

Havana Phoenix, which comes six years after the last premiere of the company founded in 1991, begins by evoking the man who “the stones will remember”, according to the prophetic words of Fina García Marruz about the Historian of the City. The unmistakable voice of Eusebio Leal returns, while a large group of dancers of different ages move across the stage.

“I have seen it come out of the ruins and rise like the Phoenix Bird”, repeats over and over again Leal, the architect of impeccable restoration works such as that of the Martí Theater itself, reopened to the public in 2014 after years of work.

That’s where it all begins.

Premiere of “Habana Fénix” at the Martí Theater, May 5, 2023. Photo: Courtesy of René Arencibia.

Each choreography elicits applause from the public. It is difficult to portray Cuba in almost fifty minutes, and yet LADC does it! If the riot of color and the impetus of the dancers were not enough to captivate the viewer, the soundtrack selected for the occasion exquisitely condenses what takes place on the scene. The live musicians, led by Carmen Souto, add a touch of distinction.

Even though the title of the work reveres the Cuban capital, no one could accuse it of being Havana-centric: the choreographies by Diana Fernández, Claudia Valdivia, Laura Abreu, Daira Jay, Yohara García and Alfonso herself constitute a tribute to all Creole grace and the mixture that we inherit from African and Spanish roots.

“In Havana Phoenix the ethnic, the historical, and the everyday that make us up are pronounced, separated, and merged.” wrote in his blog Silvio Rodríguez about the premiere.

For the work, the troubadour points out, “Roldán, Lecuona, Simons, Fariñas, Brouwer, Valera, Lucía Huergo, Guido and Aldo López Gavilán pass by. And the mystery of Geydi Chapman’s voice, accompanied by four good musicians, reveals Sindo, Liuba María, and Gerardo Alfonso to us”.

It is that when almost everything seemed to be said through bodies in motion, a performer of great carats like Geidy Chapman entered the Martí stage to give away songs by Sindo Garay, José Antonio Quesada, Gerardo Alfonso…

Chapman knows and masters the show well. She walks elegantly, controls her time and gestures. It’s her and her portentous voice. She is not needed anymore.

Premiere of "Havana Phoenix" at the Marti Theatre. Photo: Courtesy of René Arencibia. — Premiere of “Habana Fénix” at the Martí Theater. Photo: Courtesy of René Arencibia.

The creativity of LADC It has no limits and separates from all cliché. His references to emigration expose the wounds of the crisis. Boldness on stage is the goal: a rumba with castanets? Yes, from dance everything is possible. Is “Havana Fénix” a movie? Also, from a non-linear narrative; although their chronological order is well defined.

The choreographic pictures do not seem to seek a careful formality in the movement, simply because Havana, all of Cuba, is a “riot” of daily emotions. In any corner of the city you can hear a drumbeat, salsa dancing or delivery music. The company thrives on all of this.

Havana Phoenix, released on Friday, May 5 and on the billboard throughout the month, is moving at the same time that it makes you laugh and reflect on those three questions that Paul Gauguin asked himself: Where do we come from? About us? Where we go?

References to emigration reveal the wounds of the crisis. Photo: Courtesy of René Arencibia.

Before the final minute, the boys scream. Leal’s voice returns to remind us from his erudition that this city (meaning this country) rises like a Phoenix. There is a lot of emotion in the Martí Theater. The dancers come down from the stage, interact with the audience. They know that their message has penetrated.

From the balcony Lizt Alfonso raises her fist and over the applause her cry can be heard: For Cuba!