Watched this film with such a growing sense of excitement! It’s one of the best, most authentic films I’ve seen on the Cuban music scene. When most of us think of Cuban music it’s usually Salsa or Cuban Salsa that comes to mind – this film shows how much Rumba is at the root of all of it, as a music and a dance.
This film shows Rumba at it’s vibrant best, from the street up, how it’s played sung and danced today as it always was, and what it means to people who perform or more to the point ‘live it’, whether in the back streets or on stage, whether the musicians and dancers are commercially successful or not.
I was lucky to get to know this inner world of rumba, the nuances of the music and dance when researching and making a film on Cuba and the Rumba for BBC. I can honestly say I’ve never seen such an authentic portrait of it on film, what it is and what it means to people. It’s the real deal. Even if aficionado’s know that Reggaeton music and dance is the new trend in Cuba and across the Caribbean, Rumba is the dance that brings people together, deeply expressing Cuban culture and identity from way back.
Knowing your identity, knowing who you are gives you strength, and strength to resist those who seek to define you in other ways?
Go and see it! It’s truly a ‘must watch’ for all those out there who want to experience not only the ‘real’ authentic roots music of Cuba, but the heart of it!
BARBARA ORTON
