Cubanite, The Sell-out Salsa Night Comes To Brighton
Published 1st Nov 2002 by Kirsty Almeida

'like a night out in Havana' The Guardian

Cubanite, the sell-out salsa night from Manchester's Lowry Theatre is coming to Brighton Hove Centre on the 15th of November. In a unique fusion of blistering live music, stunning displays of dance, carnival percussion and the participation of you the audience on the dancefloor, Cubanite gives you the rhythms and the moves to keep you up dancing all night.

Whether your enthusiasm is for dance, theatre, live music or simply trying something new this is one event you cannot miss. The evening features music by rising talents Descarga, "the cutting edge of the UK salsa scene" according to Jazz FM's Latin Hour DJ Mike Chadwick, and kicks off with a dance show by British Champions Lisa Jones and Banderas Perez and acclaimed jazz dancers Donald Edwards and Delene Norman. With the combination of explosive dance and the live eight piece band putting fire into everyone's feet, they pull the audience onto the dancefloor and turn the theatre into a salsa street party for the night. Descarga take them on a roller coaster ride through the various forms of Cuban music and salsa from the wider world, performing both Cuban classics and original songs in styles from Rumba to New York Jazz-Salsa.

Don't worry if you've never salsa'd before - there's a pre-show dance class for beginners led by Cubanite's award winning instructors. Places are limited so its better to book early.

Cubanite originated in Manchester's Lowry Theatre in January 2001, where it was set up by a team of young jazz and salsa musicians intent on giving people the opportunity to dance to live music. Drawing on the talents of bands and dance groups from Leeds to Birmingham, they quickly made a name for themselves for presenting theatre events with a twist - nights where the theatre is transformed into a dance club and the audience become part of the action.

With the current Latin music trend established as a global craze the team is intent on bringing originality back to the mainstream. The touring show features live band Descarga, an eight member collective of salsa and jazz musicians who have spent the last three years playing and studying Cuban music together. "When I came back from Cuba in February, my lasting impressions were of the vibrantly colourful street parties where everyone joins in" says musical director Matthew Owens, "I wanted to give our show that atmosphere." Several other Cubanite performers have experienced similar scenes on their travels in Cuba. "It's quite obvious when you go there that there is salsa for the tourists, which is all the classic stuff that people have heard for years, and then there is the salsa which people do as a way of living, which you have to be lucky to find because it is not advertised. It appears to take place by accident in the back streets." says percussionist Hugh Lawrence.

Cuban dancer Banderas Perez says Cuba has "a different vibe from the purist views that dominate here. Over there the what-is and what-is-not-salsa debate is not an issue. You just dance."

It has not all been plain sailing. When the team was turned down for Arts Council funding in June they had doubts about whether they could go ahead. Despite having experience working on the production teams of the Commonwealth Games Ceremonies and Yorkshire Playhouse's Carnival Messiah, this is the first time the team have produced their own show, and the decision to risk all was daunting. "I'm pleased we made the decision to go ahead. That really made us realise what was important to us about our project," says Stephen Band, "It's not about profit or fulfilling national artistic strategies - that it is art goes without saying - it's about giving musicians and performers the chance to shine and about giving audiences a great night out. That's what drives us to do what we do."

time 7pm
date 15th of November
where Hove Centre

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