Just a year ago, Luna Manzanares had never acted on stage.

Contemporary dance of Cuba celebrates in 2014 its 55 years of work on scenes of the Island and worldwide. Since that September of 1959, when it was born under the name of modern dance ensemble, have made history for the company more than 280 premieres and ovations to theatre packed it in Havana that in New York and London, Rome and Buenos Aires, Paris and Madrid, São Paulo, and Barcelona.

One of the most important and popular musicians today is undoubtedly Descemer Bueno. Although his beginnings in music were not in fact as songwriter, it's precisely his career as songwriter which has taken him to stardom.
"I am very proud of being born in Cuba. I believe that the world needs the Cuban talent so music still lives on", said Descemer in exclusively for Cubasí.

One of the most important and popular musicians today is undoubtedly Descemer Bueno. Although his beginnings in music were not in fact as songwriter, it's precisely his career as songwriter which has taken him to stardom. He's got a wide musical career; he was part of the group Estado de Animo later joining Yerba Buena. Composer of the Year at the Cubadisco Festival 2013 for his album Bueno.

His work as a composer verges on the excellence, a good example of this is the Goya Award to the best Original Soundtrack in the film Havana Blues, a film by the Spanish director Benito Zambrano. He has collaborated with international artists, but his projects with singer Enrique Iglesias are the most recognized worldwide. Iglesias produced the song Bailando which he sings next to duet Gente de Zona. Many of Descemer's song are really catchy and show a before and after in his career.

He speaks about his career in an interview for Cubasí.

– Descemer, you have a wide career as musician, however you are worldwide recognized for your talent as songwriter and composer. Which are your main sources of inspiration?

– I am inspired by all the key facts, before I was really inspired by songwriters like Silvio, Pablo, and Santiago. Musically I have always loved Jazz and instrumental music. After I graduated as guitarist I began a career as bass player and I played for a lot of people like Santiago, Julio Fowler and troubadours like Vanito Brown and Kerwin Du Bois.

– Of all their compositions, which one has meant more to you and which one launched you to the fame?

– Fame is really fickle when you are a composer; we hardly ever see fame, although there are well-known composers within the world of composers. There are also people who are interested in the life of those who make music, but they are very few. In my particular case, I am very lucky because I have songs in my repertoire that people enjoy greatly. Many of my songs are in the voice of other artists like Luz Casal, and Ana Torroja from Spain. They are among the most outstanding voices of Spain. There's also Enrique Iglesias a more international singer whose career is large in the English-speaking market, Thalía from Mexico, Marco Antonio Solís with the song El perdedor, and Cuando me enamoro with Juan Luis Guerra, but back then many people outside Cuba didn't know who was Descemer Bueno, I was only known in the ethnic migration and I truly believe the song Bailando is the one which has won me a place in the planet, so to speak, because people are looking at faces internationally unknown like Gente de Zona and me, this has been like a cross over for us.
– Talk to me about the new disk you are preparing, what artists participate in it?

– We are aiming at getting at the international market and to that purpose I am planning repeat the formula. It is not just the help of a nice voice singing next to you, but rather the person you approach to ask for a favor. They contribute with their followers, I have very good friends who have already made formal requests to join me in the disk like Ana Torrojas who is also a star, there's also Reyli Barba, Julieta Venegas, and Enrique Iglesias.
They are artists who work very well in Mexico. Mexico is an objective for me; it's a country where music and songs are loved. I had a good experience there with Enrique opening shows at the Auditorium and I think it's a perfect country to receive me.

– You have collaborated with famous artists like Enrique Iglesias.

– I have been very lucky with Enrique, in the album launched for Latin America I have a duet with him of the song Loco. After that came Bailando which I made popular here, starting with Havana and later spread throughout the whole island, it has reach number one in 23 countries and it may be the song of the summer. It's probably one of the most important songs in Enrique's career and mine, no doubt about it.

– Bailando is one of the most popular songs. What do you think that is?

– I wrote this song thinking of Enrique and I took it to him when it was still premature. We both finished it and we wrote in a way that was comfortable for him to sing it. Afterwards Randy and Alexander gave it a finishing touch, I didn't think the song could be improve any further and yet, they put in the most interesting parts, though little, it was great.

The success can be given to many things, for example, the strength of Cuba as promoter of not just sport and medicine, but also music capable of convincing the world, a very natural fusion of what we know as flamenco culture, urban music and good lyrics.
I am very proud of being born in Cuba which has always shown to the world a lot of musical talent. There are truly artists that have heart to participate with us on what would be the Cuban music's phenomenon from the underground music until the most contemporary and custom music.

– You have had the opportunity to travel and know new horizons, however, you have not given up your roots.

– I feel very well in Barcelona, it is one of the cities I like the most in the world; New York, Guadalajara, Mexico DF. I have not visited as many countries as I wanted to; I know little of Latin America. What I find interesting of a nation is how I can interact with the most creative elements of that nation; it is very hard to break so many chains and so many closed doors that it is very difficult to open them all. In Cuba there are many artists who have been very important during their time and they approach me wondering the keys for a comeback, the only thing that is necessary is to keep working hard and I believe I have done. Working is one of the things that bring me near the roots of my country, I have a family of musicians who supports me and a wonderful team that I would love to have in other places.

Carlos Acosta has announced that he will retire from classical ballet with a "swan song" production of Carmen.
Acosta, the world-renowned dancer, said he would make his final appearance in classical ballet in two years' time.
In September 2015, he will choreograph and star in an entirely new production of Carmen to Bizet's music for the Royal Ballet. At the end of the 2015/16 season he plans to retire from classical ballet – though he will continue to perform in more contemporary works.
Speaking at the Hay Festival, he said he had been "grieving" for the end of his career for some time, and joked that he would have to employ a choreographer to devise a dance for him sitting down.

Watch the video of Maykel Blanco y su Salsa Mayor here

Cuban famous poetry-reader Luis Carbonell died today (24 May) at 90 years old.
Carbonell died of a heart attack and they are going to hold the wake at the Villena Hall of the Cuban Union of Writers and Artists, where top-level figures are expected.

The special recognition Living Heritage was granted today (May 21) to Evanny Lubens Ylien, member of the group of Haitian Culture, Benito Patois, on the occasion of the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.

Bailando (Dancing), the popular song interpreted by Spaniard Enrique Iglesias and Cuban Descemer Bueno and the Cuban group Gente de Zona occupied the first position on the list of Hot Latin Songs of Billboard, the US music charts.

Last weekend on May 10, the Havana Pride Conga March took place in the island capital. Luckily, photographer Eric Politzer was there to capture the festive occasion, which was the kickoff of a week of events that culminates with the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.

Ernán López-Nussa carried off four awards at Cubadisco 2014, including the Grand Prix. Sacrilegio (ProduccionesColibri, 2014) is the title of the album that also won in Anthology of Versions, Jazz, Recording, and CD-DVD categories.

An unprecedented event will take place in Havana from September 11 to 21: Habanarte, a great festival of national culture that will deal with all Cuban artistic expressions. Representing music, singing and dance there will be more than 100 famous groups or soloists.
Sponsored by Cuba's Ministry of Culture, Habanarte is to have a program that also covers Plastic Arts, crafts, literature, audiovisual materials, and theatre. There will be also a set of theoretical events where instrumentation, music, and dance master classes stand out for their importance, as well as visits to community projects, museums and historical places.

Juan Formell, who died Thursday, May 1, in Havana, was one of the most internationally recognized Cubans of his time, and an artist whose music transcended boundaries: national, generational, and political.

From May 1st-17th, one of Cuba's top artists Ernesto Villanueva is coming to London's fashionable Fitzrovia to exhibit his work.

The 7th Cuban Day against Homophobia (IDAHO) will include a regional conference of the International Association of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex People in Latin America and the Caribbean (ILGALAC),for the first time in Cuba.

After nine years, the first Cuban animated full film in 3D Menique ('Little finger'), directed by Ernesto Padron, will be premiered in the cinemas of the Caribbean island during the first week of July.
Menique was a long and arduous process which seemed it would never come to an end. ICAIC's (Cuban Film Institute) first experience in 3D turned it into a school for its makers. It was an extended and hard path for the little hero to show his adventures to the public since in the seventies Tulio Raggi cherished the idea and asked Ernesto Padron to design the characters. The old project never materialized, although Padron always thought of doing it.
The voices of the film have been recorded by Lieter Ledesma, Yoraisi Gómez, Manuel Marín, Corina Mestre, Carlos Ruiz de la Tejera and Osvaldo Doimeadiós and its soundtracks went by Pancho Amat, Edesio Alejandro, the National Symphonic Orchestra, Miriam Ramos, Anabel López and Ernesto Yoel Espinosa. Unlike many people might think, it wasn't the lack of financing which slowed down the production.