Soul of Cuba

Educational Seminar for Students of Music, Art & Culture

Take a stroll through Havana’s Old Town, and you’ll likely hear 4 or 5 live bands and musicians on any given street corner. Walk to one of the plazas and see dancers performing traditional Salsa, Mambo, Cha Cha Cha and Pachanga. And if the sounds and rhythm are not enough, enjoy to an abundance of street art and culture thriving throughout Cuba.

The Soul of Cuba offers undergraduate students the unparalleled opportunity to learn about Cuba first-hand through an academic lens. Led by a world-renowned expert of Cuban music and culture, Dr. Kenneth Schweitzer, students will design and conduct authentic field research into the intersection of music, religion, and culture in Havana, the oldest city in the New World. Through observation of public rituals, students will be exposed to Afro-Caribbean religions like Santería, Palo-Monte, and Vodun. They will get an insider’s view to musical rituals and have the opportunity to learn Caribbean dance styles with internationally renowned instructors. Finally, behind the scenes tours of Havana’s rich museums, monuments, and plazas will fill out our understanding of Cuba’s cultural and political history.