Her favorite circus is the U.S. Ringling Brothers, and she loves when the audience says: “How is it possible that she do that?” With no trace of haughtiness, ReimiCaridad Cardona tells you that she simultaneously dances more than 20 hoops on her body, and in her numbers she includes twirls and splits. Then she says that those hoops are actually hoses lined with color papers, a bit heavy and capable of causing a hernia. This woman in her twenties loves the art of circus. In 2015 she graduated from the National Circus School with a golden diploma. As a child she toured Cuba as part of children’s groups and had her first contacts with the public, of which she prefers the most humble because they appreciate more her presentations. How did you get to the world of the circus? I started as a child in the Angeles del future project of the Marianao House of Culture. My idea was to prepare myself physically to pass the tests of the National Dance School, but the circus trapped me. When I was in ninth grade I did the tests to enter the National Circus School and to my delight I passed. There...

For Alejandro Pérez at times the story of a song rapidly comes out, for others it takes weeks. During the creative process he listens nonstop to the songs which he will later turn into images. He has them in his car, at home and on his laptop. Thousands of ideas come out, but until he comes up with the one that seems perfect for him he doesn’t present it to the artists, who usually leave the creation of the story to him. His most recent video clip already has more than 90 million visits on YouTube. It’s “Súbeme la radio,” where Enrique Iglesias and the Puerto Rican duo Zion and Lennox sing the piece composed by Cuban Descemer Bueno. “Bailando” (2014), his most successful and international clip, also made by Enrique Iglesias, Descemer and the Cuban duo Gente de Zona, is the eighth most viewed in the history of YouTube with almost two billion visits. In Cuba Alejandro Pérez already had a solid career as film director of photography and video clip maker, but he decided to take a leap to the market of international music and now he sort of has the Midas touch in his profession. A great...

This January 5 the U.S. Alaska Airlines company initiated its commercial flights to Havana, a destination that will have daily flights from the city of Los Angeles to José Martí International Airport. According to statements by Francisco Albiter, general director of the company for Mexico, Costa Rica and Cuba, Alaska is flying to Cuba with Boeing 737-900s with capacity for 181 passengers, the airline’s most renovated fleet. The flights originate in Seattle (Washington), with a stopover in Los Angeles and arrive in the Cuban capital at 4:55 p.m., after a close to two-hour flight. Founded in 1932, Alaska Airlines is at present the fifth largest U.S. airline. Its arrival in Havana closes the cycle of arrivals of the eight companies authorized by the Department of the Treasury, which began with JetBlue in August 2016. American Airlines, Delta, Frontier, Southwest, Spirit, y United complete the list. Albiter commented that the Cuban-American population of the United States’ west coast had never had a flight to the Cuban capital, and to travel to the island they had to go to Florida or make other combinations. This increases the relevance of Alaska’s services in Cuba. “The west coast is the country’s third region where...

Next October 19 Cuban and U.S. scientists will hold an exchange in Havana about the zika virus and other arboviruses (viruses transmitted by arthropods). Specialists from the two countries will share the experience and will present “their studies and principal researches on the topic,” according to the announcement made yesterday in a press conference by Ileana Morales, national director of science and technological Innovation of the Ministry of Public Health. The meeting’s principal goal is to take the first steps for a strategy of regional collaboration focused on the prevention and control of those diseases, in addition to seeking ways of making more sophisticated the health services, increase the diagnosis capacity and improve the chemical use. In fact, the event is part of the Regional Meeting program devoted to the topic that will be held October 20 and 21 at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba. Moreover, it will serve as the preparatory meeting for a high-level one between Cuban and U.S. scientific institutions, Morales announced. Cuba was chosen as the venue for the event because of its relevant results in the prevention and control of diseases caused by the transmitting mosquito, the Aedes aegypti. “The response given in Cuba to...

The first meeting of the Bilateral Economic Dialogue between Cuban and U.S. officials was held this September 12 in Washington, where both delegations talked about topics of interest for a post-blockade context, according to the Cuban Foreign Ministry official site. The Department of State reported in a press briefing that the topics discussed were, among others, “trade and investment, labor and employment, renewable energy and energy efficiency, small business, intellectual property rights, economic policy, regulatory and banking matters, and telecommunications and internet access.” Similar meetings will be held on the road to rapprochement. In this one it was agreed to continue following up on specific topics and the creation of working groups that will meet periodically alternating the venues. Cuban and U.S. delegations: Photo: Cubaminrex. During this first meeting, the Cuban delegation insisted that the elimination of the blockade is a sine qua non condition to advance in economic, commercial and financial relations, and toward the total normalization of bilateral ties. According to the figures given by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez, the economic damages to Cuba amount to 4.68 billion dollars. The voting in real time of the www.cubabloqueo.cu site until now account for 2,688 users who reject the...

JetBlue, the first airline to re-commence scheduled flights between the US and Cuba this August 31, will land a plane at full capacity with 150 passengers, including its Executive Director, Robin Hayes, and Secretary of Transportation of the United States, Anthony Foxx. Giselle Cortes, Director of International Airports in the US airline said in press conference in Havana that are "extremely pleased by the exchange with the Cuban authorities in this process." "It's a real pride to land in Cuba first," she added. Giselle Cortes, director of International Airports, during his speech at the press conference on the next flight to Cuba from the US airline Jet Blue, at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba. Photo: Abel Padron / ACN. "JetBlue wants to be Cuba’s preferred airline, with excellent service and high quality and a fee of $99 one way with amenities including health insurance," she said. "Studies in the US have found that when JetBlue is introduced to the market our competitors’ rates go down by an average of $32, which forces them to provide lower prices and a better quality of service." It is known that American Airlines has launched a flight priced $74. We just cut the ribbon...

Determined, categorical and self-confident. That’s how the most famous cigar maker in Cuba, Jose Castelar, or simply Cueto. Cueto is the proud holder of the world record for largest cigar rolled by hand so far. A few days ago he beat his record which is already registered in the Guinness record books. On August 12 Cueto completed 90m-long, hand-rolled cigar, and raised his flag in The Official Guinness World Records, as he had done in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2009 and 2011. This famous 71 year-old roller works in the shop La Triada, in the San Carlos de la Cabaña Fort, the same place where he made his earlier records which gave him the name of Habano Man. With the new record (which he dedicated to nonagenarian Fidel Castro) he beat the 81.80 meters set in 2011, but this time also reduced the time taken to make it by two days. Even under the celebratory spotlights, and with the brevity of a catch-up, Cueto said his impressions OnCuba, under the initial "protection" of the modesty of the plural from that is not enough to cover up the famous person that he is. "We got the last record we got a few...