Politics and Civil Society in Cuba

Rumba Performance and the Politics of Place in the Era of Cultural Tourism 409

the cabaret venues are usually attended by people ranging from 25-50

years old, Yoruba Andabo’s longstanding peña at Cabaret Las Vegas

tends to attract a younger audience—the majority are in their early 20s

and early 30s. I believe this age range has much to do with the style of

rumba they have adopted in the last few years, particularly their incor-

poration of reggaetón choruses into their songs.

In terms of the gender dynamics at rumba events in Havana, I have

found that, unlike the composition of rumba groups—in which male

performers predominate—contemporary audiences are characterized

by a fairly equal ratio of men to women. Women in rumba (and folk-

loric) groups almost invariably occupy the role of singers or dancers,

and it is extremely rare to see a woman playing percussion, except in

the case of all-female groups like Rumba Morena. Even among the

singers, women usually account for only one or two out of five or six

singers in an average rumba group. Notwithstanding the gendered

associations of the practice, female rumba aficionados are often the

most animated spectators at any given event, particularly in the arena

of dancing. As in other Caribbean contexts, women do not play the

role of “shrinking violets” at rumba events—they often dance in an

explicitly sexual manner and are not afraid to go up to a man and initi-

ate the danced game of sexual possession that is represented in the

rumba guaguancó.^7

The various types and contexts of rumba performance in

Matanzas

A portrait of Matanzas’ economic situation within the context of post-Soviet-

era tourism.

7. The guaguancó—long the most popular genre within the rumba complex—is famous
   for its characteristic couple dance, which is sometimes discussed as symbolizing a roos-
   ter’s sexual pursuit of a hen. The male dancer repeatedly attempts a vacunao (from the
   verb vacunar, meaning “to vaccinate”), a pelvic thrust directed towards the female’s groin
   area that symbolizes sexual possession. The vacunao can also be performed by thrusting a
   leg or another appendage towards the female’s groin. The woman’s role in the dance is
   to protect herself from this symbolic possession by covering her groin area with her skirt
   or a scarf.