Music and dance celebrate the sister city relationship between St. Petersburg and Havana.
In Matanzas, the ones present also met with the First Secretary of the Communist Party, Mario Sabines Lorenzo, and visited places of sociocultural interest in the Athens of Cuba.
The public in Matanzas enjoyed two hours of music and dance on Friday evening at the Sauto Theater, during the Dialogue of Cultures show, dedicated to celebrating the 25th anniversary of the establishment of sisterhood relations between St. Petersburg and Havana and the 510th anniversary of Santiago de Cuba.
The extensive program offered an approach to the music and dance of that Russian city and some of its most outstanding artists, including Valentina Dolguina, Grigori Chernetsov, Iraida Nikolaeva and the State Dance Ensembles Barinia, the Cossack Ataman and the Bis-Kvit.
Folk, popular, and traditional music from both countries filled the Matanzas Coliseum. From the Russian city, they performed «Saint Petersburg, Proud White Bird,» «Leningrad Waltz,» «Flight of the Bumblebee,» «Katyusha,» and «Music of Friendship,» composed especially for the occasion. From the Cuban repertoire, they played «Seduce Me,» «Twenty Years,» and «Until Forever, Commander.»
The concert also included the screening of various audiovisual materials with extensive information about the relations, projects, and working agreements between Saint Petersburg and Cuba in areas such as education, culture, the economy, and high technology, as well as images of important local celebrations in the second-largest city of the Russian Federation.
Attendees at this vibrant presentation filled with color, music, dance, and culture included the Governor of Saint Petersburg, Alexander Dimitrievich Beglov; the Governor of Matanzas, Marieta Poey Zamora; Osbel Marrero Acosta, Provincial Director of Culture; and the City Historian of Matanzas, Leonel Pérez Orozco.
This Friday’s concert at the Sauto Theater in Matanzas is part of an official visit by the Russian delegation to Cuba, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the establishment of sister city relations between St. Petersburg and Havana.
In Matanzas, they also met with the First Secretary of the Communist Party, Mario Sabines Lorenzo, and visited sites of sociocultural interest in the Athens of Cuba. The delegation expressed their gratitude for the warm welcome from the people of Matanzas and described it as a beautiful city, rich in culture and traditions.
The artistic talents will perform today at a gala at the National Theater of Cuba in Havana.
Written by Jessica Mesa.
