Afro Cuban Dance Festival

The Afro-Cuban Dance Festival reaches its eleventh edition in 2027, held over twelve days in Havana. For the past three years it has run inside the Conjunto Folklórico Nacional de Cuba's own building in Vedado, across its three studios, with numbers capped to what those rooms hold comfortably. It is closer to a study camp than a festival. More than forty hours of workshops in Afro-Cuban dance, music, rhythm and song, with live musicians playing for every class rather than only for the evenings. No competition element, and the organisers say plainly that it is built for growth rather than ranking, open to beginners and professionals alike. 2027 is structured differently because it coincides with the Conjunto's sixty-fifth anniversary. Classes start later in the day so that participants can attend the anniversary events happening around them, and registration includes a pass to the Conjunto's own workshops, panel discussions and performances. That access is the reason to choose this year over another. Teaching is selected by Maestro Domingo Pau, sixty years in the tradition, and by Luanda Pau, a former soloist with the Conjunto who now works between Havana and London. Dionisio Paul, Lázara Nápoles and Yohana Duzatz are also billed. Accommodation is not included: the organisers point participants at casas particulares within walking distance rather than selling a hotel package. Cuba requires a tourist card and travel health insurance, so this needs more planning than a European weekend.