Amid blackouts and distress, a Havana couple keeps their weekly dance nights alive
For LA Times
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Alberto and Mercedes have been running Peña Los Tradicionales for over 20 years. I share the feeling of everyone I’ve met there—dancing is the only thing that calms my mind and helps me forget about the world.
I arrived at the Arab Union on a Sunday during the last nationwide blackout. Alberto wasn’t there, but I was given only vague directions to his home. I asked around in every building on the block until I found him. I knocked on his door, and he opened it as if we had known each other forever. He invited me to sit and called out to his wife upstairs, “Mercedes, come down—we have visitors!” As we talked about the history of the peña, their love for dance, and their children and grandchildren now living in Florida, the power suddenly came back on, and Alberto’s phone began ringing nonstop.
Sunday afternoons at the Arab Union are sacred for those who gather at Los Tradicionales—community spaces like this take on even greater meaning in tough times.
For LA Times
Alberto and Mercedes have been running Peña Los Tradicionales for over 20 years. I share the feeling of everyone I’ve met there—dancing is the only thing that calms my mind and helps me forget about the world.
I arrived at the Arab Union on a Sunday during the last nationwide blackout. Alberto wasn’t there, but I was given only vague directions to his home. I asked around in every building on the block until I found him. I knocked on his door, and he opened it as if we had known each other forever. He invited me to sit and called out to his wife upstairs, “Mercedes, come down—we have visitors!” As we talked about the history of the peña, their love for dance, and their children and grandchildren now living in Florida, the power suddenly came back on, and Alberto’s phone began ringing nonstop.
Sunday afternoons at the Arab Union are sacred for those who gather at Los Tradicionales—community spaces like this take on even greater meaning in tough times.
[spanish]