Annenberg Center Presents CUBA FESTIVAL

Evoking the rhythms, passion, and pulsating energy of Cuba, our vibrant neighbor to the south, the Annenberg Center's three-week Cuba Festival, March 22-April 13, presents the country's hottest emerging stars and revered and beloved icons, showcasing the rich artistic talent of Cuba through music and dance.

· The Cuba Festival opens with a pioneer of contemporary dance in Cuba. The award-winning DanzAbierta makes its Philadelphia debut performing the local premiere of full-length work, Malson (2009), a sharp and melancholic love letter to Havana based in a virtual world of relationships and conflict. Cuba's bustling streets, colorful cityscapes, and blue sea come alive in film vignettes that partner with high-energy movement and original music by renowned Afro-fusion composer X Alfonso. (March 22-23)

· One of the world's best Afro-Latin hand percussionists, Pedrito Martinez seamlessly combines pop and folk influences, beautiful tenor vocals, an infectious energy and killer dance moves. Martinez is a modern proponent of Afro-Cuban rumba traditions and batá rhythms, and has performed and recorded with many of the greats including Wynton Marsalis, Paul Simon, Eddie Palmieri and Paquito D'Rivera. The Grammy Award nominated Pedrito Martinez Group is making their Annenberg Center debut. (March 24) (Please note that while this show is currently sold out, additional tickets could become available. Please call the Annenberg Center Box Office at 215.898.3900 for up-to-date information.)

· Discovered and championed by Quincy Jones, and boasting piano chops reflective of the jazz greats, Grammy nominated pianist Alfredo Rodríguez makes his Philadelphia debut. His sound is informed as much by Bach as it is by his Cuban and jazz roots, and he's known for music that always tells a purposeful and distinctive story. (April 5)

· She's been called a hybrid of Aretha Franklin's soul and the flavor of Cuban salsa queen Celia Cruz. Daymé Arocena makes her Annenberg Center debut with fearless vocals that draw on the rhythms of Afro-Cuban traditions, the nimble athleticism of jazz and the catchy hooks of pop. Only in her mid-twenties, the Cuban songstress' music is soulful and raw, and with a million-watt smile and personality to match, her energetic performances are nothing short of phenomenal. (April 6)

· Winner of six Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards, Cuban pianist Chucho Valdés is at the top of his game with his "dazzling, deceptively casual virtuosity" (The New York Times). A key figure in the evolution of Afro-Cuban jazz for the past 50 years, Valdés returns to the Annenberg Center with his trio of Cuban jazz talents to close the Cuba Festival. (April 13)

The Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts' 2017-18 season, the first under the leadership of Executive and Artistic Director Christopher A. Gruits, features a return to a full dance series of six dance ensembles; premiere theatrical productions; musical artists from diverse genres including jazz, world music, classical and hip-hop; a three-week Cuba Festival, and family and holiday programming. Four world premieres and nine Philadelphia premieres will take place on the Annenberg Center's stages and six artists or companies will make their Philadelphia debuts. The Annenberg Center launches its inaugural artist residency with renowned choreographer Mark Morris and a new residency partnership with The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia.

ABOUT THE Annenberg Center FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

The Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts serves as a major cultural destination and crossroads connecting Penn and the greater Philadelphia region through innovative human expression in theatre, music, dance, and film, serving an annual audience of almost 50,000. The Annenberg Center also serves as a key resource for the arts at Penn, connecting master artists with Penn students in support of and as an enhancement to the arts curriculum. Student performing arts groups are also key users of the Annenberg Center's multiple performance and rehearsal spaces, while also staffing many operational roles throughout the academic year. In reflection of Penn's core values as a world-respected academic institution, the Annenberg Center emphasizes artistic and intellectual excellence, diversity, and rigor in its presentations; prioritizes broad inclusiveness in the artists, audiences, and groups it serves; manages outstanding performance, conference, and meeting facilities; and stresses comprehensive event planning, production support, and customer service. The Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is a major provider of performing arts access for school children and actively engages a broad range of primary, secondary, and post-secondary student audiences and inclusive constituencies from the campus, community, and greater Philadelphia region.

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