A bass drum, cowbell and chekere sounded throughout the audience as Siete Potencias marched into the Mission Cultural Center Theater, kicking off a long awaited reunion performance on Friday, Nov. 15.
Siete Potencias is a decorated folkloric drum, dance and vocal performance troupe that hails from the eastern region of Cuba known as “Oriente.” The group was formed on Sept. 13, 1999 in Havana, Cuba. Though formed in Havana, the group represents Afro-Cuban music specifically from Oriente.
“Oriente” consists of what is currently divided in Cuba as the five easternmost provinces of the island. This region has its own particular folklore due to the immigration of Haitians to Cuba.
At the start of the 19th century, the ethnic makeup of eastern Cuba changed as French plantation owners and their Haitian slaves fled Haiti’s revolution and immigrated to the eastern tip of Cuba. These newly arrived immigrants brought their language, rhythms, dances, songs, stories and religion with them and gave the East rare folkloric traits within the Afro-Cuban pantheon.
Siete Potencias’ story begins long before their formation in Havana. All of the members originate from either the Santiago or Guantanamo provinces in Cuba, and many of them have known each other since childhood. The relationships within the group consist of lifelong friendships, which is apparent when they are performing.
Manuel Suarez, founder of “CultuCuba,” arrived in California in the year 2000. Since then, he has been steadily building awareness and interest in the music and dance of Oriente in the Bay Area.
Suarez cultivates workshops, dance classes and Carnival groups to promote his culture. In 2003, “La Comparsa de CultuCuba” was awarded top honors by the Mission Cultural Center and has continued to contribute to the San Francisco Carnaval each year since.
This past year, CultuCuba launched a Kickstarter campaign that fundraised to bring the rest of the Siete Pontencias group from Cuba to the Bay Area. The mission was successful, enabling the group to reunite on American soil for the first time.
“It was an emotional experience, because some of the group members were here and others were not,” said Suarez, expressing his feelings about the performance. Only five of the 16 members made it to the United States while the rest were denied visas.
Despite the missing members, Siete Potencias poured their hearts into the performance like it was their last chance to perform together as one.
During the first half of the show, the group demonstrated their knowledge of the Afro-Haitian influence in Cuba.
They performed rhythms and dances from the “Tumba Francesa” cycle including Yuba, Frente and Mason.
“These three dances are influenced by the French culture and the final dance, Mason, is an Afro interpretation on 19th century French upper-class waltz dancing,” said Suarez while elaborating on the history of the dance styles. This imitation of Eurocentric dancing by the Afro-Cubans was the inspiration and root of partner dancing in Cuba, manifesting into various other popular forms of dance such as Changui, Son and later, Salsa.
The second half was dedicated to pan-Cuban national identity. The set included: Abakua, Guaguanco, Columbia and a Conga Oriental. All three rhythmic origins are important to Cuban history and culture.
The Abakua, an Afro-Cuban men’s initiatory fraternity, were “the first multiracial ethnic Cuban institution,” and were also responsible for liberating many black slaves by purchasing their freedom. Their songs and dances were executed with power and grace.
The group thundered on with a Guaguanco and Columbia, which form part of the Rumba faction. They are derivatives of the entire African Diaspora in Cuba, are played in every province and represent a national platform where Cubans can express political, social and cultural dialogues in an improvisational, musical manner.
The group sublimely exited with a Conga Oriental, the carnival rhythm of Cuba. This parade and rhythm has significant historical importance in Cuba. It was used for cover in an attack on the Moncada Barracks in 1953 led by Young Fidel Castro along with a group of revolutionaries.
Though the attack failed, the rhythm represents the rebellious spirit that the drums have always had in Cuba, and for that matter, the world.
The bass drums roared, the dancers moved to the beat, as colorful costumes flapped and their feet succinctly pounded to the rhythm. The vocal chorus soared above it all while the audience could not help but feel infected by the sights and sounds of the comparsa.
Smiles were plentiful, energy was high and emotions were strong. Perhaps the best part of seeing Siete Potencias was witnessing a reunion of a family of friends who hadn’t seen each other in 13 years share the same stage, and partake in what brought them together in the first place — their passion for music and dance.
For those who missed the shows, Siete Potencias will be in the Bay Area through Dec. 9 giving workshops at Malonga Center for the arts in Oakland and visiting local schools.
To find out more about Siete Potencias please visit www.cultucuba.org.