Cuban Expressionism

Rose Eichenbaum captures Cuba’s love for communication in dance, music, and art

Rose Eichenbaum was in Cuba as part of a student cultural outreach program with Woodbury University’s School of Media, Culture, and Design. Here are a selection of images published in our October 2013 edition. For a complete view of Eichenbaum’s journey to Cuba, visit our online edition by clicking here.

Pictured above, Cuba’s premier touring dance company, Danza Contemporanea de Cuba, rehearses.

Movement

Even in the heat, Cubans communicate with passion, grace, and economy of motion.
Dance is in everything they do.

Martí

Pictured above, painting an image of Cuba’s cultural icon, José Martí, is Kamyl. Kamyl says, “The first time I painted Martí, I found God.” José Martí, (1853-1895) embedded in the national psyche, represents the soul and consciousness of the country. Fasci­nation with the man, who spoke so eloquently of personal and national liberation for the Cuban people, continues to this day. His image, often reimagined and reinterpreted, appears everywhere.

Expressions

Cuban faces are testament to the nation’s waves of immigration from all continents. Everyone from flower sellers to musicians to celebrated photographer Roberto Salas stopped and posed for Eichenbaum’s camera.

Spaces

In Cuba, the buildings tell their own elaborate stories. The terraces are places to cool off and view life on the streets — look up and you’ll see a smiling face looking down at you. Below, Cuban documentary filmmaker Rolando Almirante, a lecturer at the EICTV International Film School, leads Woodbury University professor Cookie Fischer and her students in a visual literacy workshop. At left, the Havana media interviews the American students for comments on their visit.

Photojournalist Rose Eichenbaum has captured notable images of the world’s artistic luminaries and is the author of several photographic collections including Masters of Movement: Portraits of America’s Great Choreographers; The Dancer Within: Intimate Conversations With Great Dancers; The Actor Within: Intimate Conversations With Great Actors; and The Director Within: Storytellers of Stage and Screen. She is on faculty at Woodbury University and her work can be seen at www.roseeichenbaum.com.