406 Chapter 18
Cubans who regularly attend these events must have some level of
disposable income, not only to pay the entrance fee (which ranges
from $25-50 MN or $1-2 CUC), but more importantly to be able to
consume alcohol and soft drinks, sold only in divisa (beers are usually
$1-1.50 CUC, sodas are $0.50-1.00 and the cheapest bottle of rum is
just under $4). Most of the cabarets establish contracts with a particu-
lar rumba group to perform a weekly gig, the exception being the
Delirio Habanero in Vedado, which, at least as recently as 2008, has
boasted a weekly rotation of the current top three “names” in Havana
rumba: Yoruba Andabo, Clave y Guaguancó, and Rumberos de Cuba.
At these gigs, rumba groups usually perform three sets, each lasting
30-45 minutes. Given that the groups have three sets to fill, they usu-
ally perform one set of Afro-Cuban folkloric music—almost always
several Santería-derived orisha dances, but sometimes also a choreo-
graphed dance representing Bantu/Congo traditions, an Abakuá, or an
Arará piece—which is sandwiched between two rumba sets. Between
sets a DJ spins popular recorded music, almost always a mix of timba
(contemporary Cuban dance music) and reggaetón songs.
Yoruba Andabo’s Saturday peña at Cabaret Las Vegas is exemplary
of these “for-profit” gigs because of its longevity and popularity
among local audiences. The group began performing there in 1998
(p.c. with Geovani del Pino, December 2006), and every time I have
attended the peña, they have had a packed, standing-room-only audi-
ence that is composed largely of young Habaneros. The day and time of
the event—Saturdays, late afternoon/early evening—contributes to
the party-like atmosphere as everyone is eager to spend their dispos-
able income drinking, dancing and singing along to their favorite
rumba group’s songs.
Rumba audiences in Havana.
While I have touched on the issue of audience demographics at the
respective Havana rumba venues, noting the approximate percentage
of Cubans to foreigners, it is important to emphasize the ways they are
entangled with the politics of place. In other words, who comes to