Afrekete Afro-Cuban Dance, Music and Culture Festival comes to Magnetic Island in May
The intoxicating rhythms of Cuban music will entice and nourish the soul when an Afro-Cuban festival comes to the North. Get the details.
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The intoxicating rhythms of Cuban music will entice and nourish the soul when the Afrekete Afro-Cuban Dance, Music and Culture Festival returns to Magnetic Island in May.
The popular festival is dancing back to the island for a weekend of workshops delving into the roots of salsa from May 23-25.
Afrekete president Christina Monnoron said there would be performances, drumming, and a Cuban band from Melbourne at the festival.
“There also an intercultural market day on Sunday, where everybody is welcome and we’re going to share some drum and dance workshops and some performances,” she said.
The president said Cuban salsa music tapped into the soul.
“It’s a heartbeat and its part of the innateness of all of us as humans. We love to move our body to the intrinsic drumming, and so that drumming is in the music of today, the salsa music.
“So part of that is connecting us to each other, connecting us to rhythm, connecting us to nature.”
She said salsa had its beginnings in Cuba.
“Salsa was made popular around the world, but its roots are deeply entrenched in Cuba, coming from Africa, mixed with the melodies of Spain.”
She said the event would not be possible without the support of the Queensland Government and the Townsville City Council and other local performance groups.
“We’ve got the Global Dance Collective, the Townsville Drum Collective and the Rhythm Connection with Alex Salvador. We’ve got local performers and our wonderful guest artists educated in Cuba, who are coming from around Australia and New Zealand.”
She said participants could buy tickets to individual workshops, party events or get a weekend pass.
“The whole experience is the full weekend pass, which is to come with us on that wonderful journey,” she said.
There is an early free event Thursday May 22 with a Rumba at the Rum-Bar at Heritage Exchange Townsville then starting on the island on the Friday for the Welcome Ceremony Welcome to Cuba on Maggie Party with the White Havana Nights event with live band Saturday night
The main events will take place at Amaroo on Mandalay in Nelly Bay and for more information and tickets go to afrekete.com
Originally published as Afrekete Afro-Cuban Dance, Music and Culture Festival comes to Magnetic Island in May
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