Todo Cuba: Public Lecture, Community Dialogue and Dance Workshop

In collaboration with The Committee on U.S. Latin American Relations (CUSLAR), the Latin American and Caribbean Studies (LACS) program is sponsoring this three-part event series on the contemporary crisis in Cuba. The series seeks to analyze and encourage dialogue about Cuba's multidimensional crisis, its relationship to a newly-assertive U.S. hegemonic stance in the Western Hemisphere, and potential responses from domestic civil society networks that work on human rights and social justice issues in Latin America. The conversations, guided by the expertise of Professor Eric Hershberg from American University, will take place both on campus and in the downtown Ithaca area, bridging the gap between university and local community audiences. With the goal of uplifting Cuba's rich cultural tradition, the series will also feature a dance workshop led by Lisnay López Luna and Adolfo Castillo Duvergel. This fun and interactive class will explore the evolution of Cuban musical and dance traditions and their influence on popular, contemporary rhythms such as salsa.

Eric Hershberg is Professor Emeritus of Latin American Studies and Political Science at American University in Washington, where he was inaugural director of the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies. Previously, he has been a visiting professor or researcher at Simon Fraser University, Columbia University, NYU, New School, Princeton University, and Southern Illinois University. Between 1990 and 2006 he was Director for Latin America at the Social Science Research Council, in New York, and was president of the Latin American Studies Association between 2007 and 2009. His most recent publications include "North American Regionalism: Stagnation, Decline or Renewal?" (co-edited with Tom Long; University of New Mexico Press), translated and published by the Colegio de México under the title "“El regionalismo en America del Norte: ¿estancamiento, declive, o renovación?,” and “Cuba: Regime Resilience Amidst Economic Collapse,” co-authored with William M. LeoGrande, Revista de Ciencia Politica. Vol. 45, No. 22, pp. 229-256 (2025).

Workshop:

From Changüí to Son Cubano: The Roots of Salsa, a dance workshop.

Dancers and Educators - Lisbet Lisnay López Luna and Adolfo Castillo Duvergel

Adolfo Castillo Duvergel began his professional career in 2008 as a dancer in the company of musical shows of the Provincial Music Center of Guantánamo. He was a member of the Babul Folkloric Ballet company in the province of Guantánamo and served as a dance specialist in the Provincial Music Center. In 2019, he began to work as a dancer in the Soldance Company in the province of Matanzas and as a teacher of Folkloric and General Dances at the Professional School of Dance of that province. In 2021, he created the DanSaril project that brought together dancers with the aim of exchanging experience and experimenting with dance creation and artistic expression on stage while cultivating the value of cultural traditions and respect for Cuban cultural identity. In 2022, he was selected by the International Dance Council (CID) to be an active member of this prestigious institution that belongs to the UN, representing traditional Cuban and Caribbean popular culture. Since February 2024, he has been residing in Ithaca and working as part of the Salsa Ithaca team, teaching Master Classes and workshops on Latin, Afro-Cuban, and percussion Dances to contribute to the development and preservation of Latin, Afro-Cuban, and Caribbean cultures.

Lisbet Lisnay López Luna is a professional dancer who graduated from the Alfredo Velázquez Carcases Professional School of Dance in the province of Guantánamo (2018). Professor of modern dance technique at the Professional School of Art of Matanzas, Lisbet began her professional dance career in 2018 in the Babul Folkloric Ballet Company as part of its Social Service. Here, she participated in different events, shows, cultural and artistic galas, and national tours, gaining vast experience and raising her technical-artistic level. In 2020, she began working as a teacher of modern dance technique at the Alfonzo Pérez Isaac Professional School of Art in the province of Matanzas. She stood out for her excellent results in the training and preparation of elementary school students. That same year, she performed as a professional dancer in the Somos Latinos company. From 2021 to 2024, she has worked with the DanSaril Project as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer, and as a dancer in the Soldance Company in the tourist center of Varadero. Since February 2024, she has lived in Ithaca, New York, working with Salsa Ithaca in its cultural events, classes, workshops, and performances.

The on-campus events will take place in Willard Straight Hall on September 11th. Professor Hershberg's lecture, "Cuba’s multidimensional crisis and Donald Trump’s (Marco Rubio’s…) revival of the Monroe Doctrine," will run from 4:30 pm to 5:45. The lecture and discussion will be immediately followed by the dance workshop, "From Changüí to Son Cubano: The Roots of Salsa," and will run from 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm. This fun and interactive class will explore the evolution of Cuban musical and dance traditions and their influence on popular, contemporary rhythms such as salsa.

Co sponsored by Government Department, MeCha and ACAU, Salsa Palante