Productions Julio Hong in Montreal  invites a great master of Afro Cuban dance to Montreal for a month. Daisy Villalejo, soloist , choreographer and teacher for years at the Cojunto Folklorico Nacional de Cuba is presently giving classes ,workshops and privates in Montreal until she leaves on March 14th.  You can get more information about this amazing opportunity HERE. You can call Marie Jose Miron 514 918-0600 or connect with teacher Orlando Alfonso  (514) 967-4347.

We are hoping to arrange for her to come to Toronto next week-end and will inform dancers as soon as possible.

PS if you are in Montreal please send us pics and video footage . We also want to send out our support to amazing dancers and teachers there Julio Hong and Orlando Alfonso as well as to Marie Jose to have the vision and generosity of bringing a great teacher to fellow dancers.

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At York University, Accolade Building, Recital Hall, Red Lobby.  4700 Keele St.

March 04, 2009  12:15 p.m.
Free

Graduation Masters Recital by Cuban-Canadian Pianist Glenda del Monte Escalante.

…. playing Works by Two of Cuba’s Great Composers: Manuel Saumell (1817-1870) and Ignacio Cervantes (1847-1905).

If you’re not lucky enough to be able to get to York University on a Wednesday noon-hour: watch for Glenda’s gigs around town, worth catching!

a PS: Glenda has entered a reputable internet international song writing competition.  UPDATE: she is a finalist.  She says … “VOTE FOR ME ONCE EVERYDAY” … go to: http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/PVWelcome2008.htm

Here the song on her myspace site.

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$22 in advance or $25 at the door

Jane is joined on stage by her group The Spirits of Havana and special guest vocalists Elizabeth Sheppard and Telmary Diaz and will be performing songs from her new critically acclaimed CD “Embracing Voices“ as well as a wide variety of songs from her many award winning albums.

Touring begins in April, catch the show before it hits the publicity fan.

Percussionist Papiosco is booked for this date, and vocal Desandann plus other Cuban musicians of note.

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CBYE Presents Hansel & Gretel by the Cuban National Ballet at Hamilton Place Theatre Thursday, Feb 26, 2009 07:30 PM

There will be a Special School Matinee of Hansel and Gretel will be performed at Hamilton Place on Thursday, February 26 at 10:30 AM. School tickets can be ordered on line calling 905-512-1453.  (ed note: I saw Giselle last year in the same theatre, same company, and it was definitely very impressive.)

For the main show, order tickets at ticketmaster.

Click here to see a short article on the ballet and the Cuban version… by Pastor Valle-Garay, Senior Scholar, York University.

Excerpt: “It will be a joy to watch particularly because well over one hundred Canadian youngsters are about to share the stage with the Cuban performers.  The local talent will assume the roles of dancing flowers, witches, cats and otherworldly visions in a production that promises to fulfill the most demanding wishes of the audience.”

How long to get there?  You can play with this Google map.  From City Hall, Toronto it’s 49 minutes to Hamilton Place.  Note the early start, 7:30 pm. so you can be in bed before midnight!

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See the myspace page, interesting.
Latin Fiesta Sports Bar and Grill (1002 St. Clair Ave. W. Toronto)

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Miami promoter brings HeavyHitter-Merengue Sensation Jhonny Jhon-Ex-Toros Band Carlos Cruz and Universal Music 90 Millas all in ONE Night @ La Vita Banquet Hall this Sat-Feb-21. Tickets $30 at the Door or in advance (Food and Drinks to be sold at the venue) 4000 Steeles Ave. West.

Video ad here.

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Legendary bassist Cachaito Lopez from The Buena Vista Social club . Cachaito died on February 9th 2009 following complications after an operation .

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Ruben Fuentes tells us:

I am the owner of Tango Cafe Dance Studio Corp. We have a rueda weekend workshop for the weekend of march 21st, with Orquesta Antonetti finishing it up on Saturday Night. This would be a great opportunity to get our communities together. Please check our web site. The instructor is from Salsamania in Tampa. Please call the studio, we would love for you to be there and your students. We have made arrangements with Holiday Inn Express for those that are coming in from out of town. The workshop is reasonable and we can show how Casino Rueda is alive and well in Rochester New York. The studio number is 585-271-4930.

Kerri Vaughn and Ruben Fuentes
Tango Cafe Dance Studio

We (at this site CubaInToronto.com) are not a dance studio, we gather Cuba related news.  So, here’s news: According to maps.google.ca, it’s 2 hours 55 minutes to Rochester from Toronto.   If you’ve lived by Lake Ontario all your life… and never seen it from that side… why not visit our neighbours for a rueda party!

Rueda in Rochester

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Not Just Tourists – Toronto is an idea to connect Canadians and Cubans at a humanitarian level.  Please go to the site to check the dates.

You can still go to the resort… lie on the beach for a week or two.  Or, hang out on Calle Obispo or at the Casas de la Musica.

Then, one afternoon, deliver a suitcase of much needed medical supplies to a Cuban clinic or hospital near you. Most Cuba visitors find the experience the absolute highlight of the vacation, find a new way to connect with the real Cuba, and do it every year afterwards.

NJT finds the bags, packs them, has a doctor inspect and certify them… and gives you instructions to get to the clinic.  So it’s easy!

But they need help here at home to get it all together.  They collect supplies, used suitcases, and find storage.  Then they put in hours, with the supervision of Canadian doctor and nurse volunteers, to get everything organized.  You can help.

Sort and pack sessions this month, usually on Birchmount Ave.  Wed Feb 18 at 7 p.m,Tues Feb 24 at 7 p.m, Sat Feb 28 at 10 a.m.

Also badly needed now:  medium sized suitcases, either soft or hard sided, as well as duffle bags, sports bags, and soft bags of various kinds. The suitcases and bags need to be relatively clean and have working handles or straps. We have found that large suitcases with heavy wheels and handles, or foldable clothing bags don’t serve our purposes.

Please send an email to njttoronto@gmail.com

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Do not forget Tonight Ricky Franco at LULA LOUNGE SAT FEB 14 2009 www.lula.ca

Read more…

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