“Las Comparsas de Cuba” is a series of portraits and ambient shots of the most famous groups of carnival dancers in Havana and nearby provinces. This series aims to get closer to the subject in order to portray them in a more intimate way and coloured by the beautiful background that is Cuba.
Las Comparsas are groups of organised dancers that enact choreographed dance during carnival season. The tradition of the Cuban carnival, with its costumes and rhythms, reflects the mixed culture of the country, from its Spanish colonisation to the African and Arabs roots.
The Cuban carnival is celebrated in all of the island’s provinces, but the most popular are in Havana, Matanzas and Santiago de Cuba. The tradition of the carnival is still strong and almost each neighbourhood, specially in Havana, has its own group of Comparsas. Religion is also part of the Carnival, The Abakuá and its rituals, for example, are very common to see during the carnival seasons.
Shot between various neighbourhoods of the province of Havana and Matanzas, Las Comparsas de Cuba includes the group of: Los Componedores de Batea, Los Marqueses de Atares, Centro Comunitario Sociocultural de Matanzas and Las Comparsas Afro-cuban de Limonar.
