It took us a while to reenter present day life after a most incredible journey to Cuba with the LA Mural Conservancy. It was such a bucket list for Steve and I. We knew Al Nodal from our New Orleans days, and our wonderful Bill Hemmerdinger--an LA artist who knew Kent Twitchell--called and said you will love these people why dont you go? We only had ten days to get ready, get our place handled and the dog who we never ever leave, ha, a wonderful Hurricane Katrina creature.
We went on faith and it turned out to be the trip of a lifetime--and Steve's 70th birthday present.
Cuba is an enigma I can't describe, the most beautiful setting on earth, with an old European elegance, a ruin whose story is so sad you couldn't write it without falling into despair.
What I found in the surreal week after was the way the faces of the people, the music, the very poignant and sophisticated contemporary art, the Santería, the poverty, the intelligence of our tour guide Oscar... haunted day time and dream time.
I felt like I had fallen through the rabbit hole. We spent time in the mosaic community of José Fuster, with beautiful children riding in the evening light...
Then we spent a day with the gorgeous Folklorica Nacional de Cuba dance troupe, in a restored dance hall with wooden floors and beams that only made a frame for these masculine male dancers, elegantly and powerfully presenting a ritual of war dances, and sword handling, waiting for the women in royal blue skirts to dance around and among them in a rhythm of sensual yet such elegant forms.
Oh my, I can't seem to come out of the dream for now. Who would want to?
-- Kate and Steve Sidwell
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