{"id":324849,"date":"2025-06-24T18:04:31","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T22:04:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/?p=324849"},"modified":"2025-06-24T18:04:31","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T22:04:31","slug":"havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/opinion\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"Havana\u2019s N\u00e1utico Club. My first dance experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

Perhaps that literal metaphor would be useful to me: \u201cThe city is collapsing and I\u2019m singing\u201d and writing. Yes, there are lyrics that don\u2019t fit into a song, and it would be pretentious to compose the Cantata de los M\u00e1rtires del Salitre. But it\u2019s impossible for me to walk impassively through the twisted empire of rust.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some wise counselors say (be careful), that the saltpeter in Cuba is different from other coastal saltpeter. That the saltpeter in our sea is more powerful in terms of nitrate content, more concentrated than that of the Atacama or the Salar de Uyuni.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hence the catastrophe of Cuba\u2019s architectural heritage beyond the coast. Hence the state of the \u201cVista al Mar\u201d (Sea View), the houses in the N\u00e1utico district, the old social and sports clubs of the former Marianao Beach.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Photo: Frank Delgado.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What would become of Venice dealing with Cuban saltpeter, or Las Palmas, or Kunghams, or Miami? Damned salty sea that surrounds us, despite everything, you won\u2019t be able to defeat the new visionaries of Baracoa and Santa Fe who reinforce their houses with the ineffable Jaimanitas stone, the nummulitic, the shellfish, the sedimentary limestone rock, made up of skeletons and shells of aquatic animals and is the distinctive element of the fortresses of La Muralla, the Morro, La Caba\u00f1a and Atar\u00e9s.<\/span><\/p>\n

It wouldn\u2019t be conducive to wander like an Eternaut through Dystopia. Sometimes the answer is simple and lies in history.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, sometimes it resists; despite the confabulation of variables, it still resists. Like a reluctant and robust clamor. Like a timeless and metaphysical dolmen, it resists.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes it not only resists, sometimes the structure is almost intact. I\u2019ve been trying for days to find the list of materials for the construction of the Havana N\u00e1utico Club, one of the iconic works of the Modern Movement in Cuban Architecture.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Photo: Frank Delgado.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Havana N\u00e1utico Club, also known as the Marianao N\u00e1utico Club (F\u00e9lix Elmuza Workers Social Club), located at the end of 152nd Street in the current Playa municipality, was founded in 1933 by businessman Carlos Fern\u00e1ndez Campos.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was a middle-class club whose annual membership fee of 52 pesos was quite different from that of its neighboring Havana Yacht Club (now the Julio A. Mella Workers Social Club) or the Miramar Yacht Club (now Club Habana).<\/span><\/p>\n

By the early 1950s, the Club\u2019s membership was approaching 5,000, so the businessman was forced to resize it.<\/span><\/p>\n

To this end, he called on architect Max Borges Recio (1918-2009), one of the city\u2019s great poets (as architect Ricardo Porro liked to say), designer of iconic buildings such as the Neurological Hospital and the Partag\u00e1s Building (16th and 23rd, Vedado), the Tropicana Cabaret and the original bus stops at 23rd and 41st (Kolhy neighborhood) and at 41st and 42nd, Playa.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Photo: Frank Delgado.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The result of the call was one of the most cited and studied constructions in Cuban architecture. Now, alongside the essential ticket office, the party and dance halls, a restaurant, a caf\u00e9, a bar, and a covered terrace that ran parallel to the sea were perfectly intertwined.<\/span><\/p>\n

To carry out the work, Borges used a solution reminiscent of the one he used at the Tropicana Cabaret: a system of stepped vaults connected by metal structures and glass.<\/span><\/p>\n

These skylights let in light, but never the sun. Thus, the N\u00e1utico Club, while not the most glamorous of the social clubs of the time, acquired the best covered dance floor in Havana, with its uneven surfaces and impressive granite floors.<\/span><\/p>\n

The N\u00e1utico was, by far, the beach of my childhood, the center of our weekly excursions. We used to walk there from the Flores neighborhood and enter through the Club\u2019s 1ra C entrance in the N\u00e1utico neighborhood.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Photo: Frank Delgado.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Its maritime facilities were no longer operational. The shaft of the lifting crane reminded us of its rowing and sailing past. Tennis had been replaced by volleyball. But its Olympic-size swimming pool, its baseball field, its squash and handball courts, and my beloved playground with swings, chairs and seesaws were still in operation.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, the Workers Social Club had two self-service cafeterias, a haven for croquettes and bulk malt drinks, a counter pizzeria with stools, with a small table selling Neapolitan pizzas, spaghetti and lasagna, the Bar Terraza, a refuge for my dad and Uncle \u00d1ico, and a restaurant, also self-service, whose signature dish was Spaghetti al burro (much later I learned that \u201cburro\u201d means butter in Italian).<\/span><\/p>\n

It was a Sunday in the late 1960s. I know this because I heard the word matin\u00e9e for the first time. With my mom, my sister and my aunt Sara we occupied some of the colorful wooden lounge chairs on that covered terrace that ran parallel to the sea.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Photo: Frank Delgado.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My dad and Uncle \u00d1ico were enjoying some highballs (rum and ginger ale) at the bar above the pizzeria, where children weren\u2019t allowed. On the stage of the large ballroom, an orchestra was getting ready. Scurrying through one of the rooms in the main building, I bumped into the great Felo Bacallao. A while later, peering indiscreetly through a restaurant window, I tried to decipher the immovable tangle of Pepe Olmos\u2019s hair. There was no doubt. The Arag\u00f3n orchestra was about to play.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Arag\u00f3n, a brass band-style band, had existed since 1939 and had been a popular favorite for 30 years; however, the place wasn\u2019t crowded, despite their many hits. There were several families with children at that matinee. I remember that relaxed and cheerful atmosphere. Years later, Marianao Beach became a \u201crisk zone\u201d because of the dances held at its social clubs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At that time, the Arag\u00f3n was directed by Rafael Lay Apestegu\u00eda (violinist and choir) and also featured Richard Eg\u00fces, arranger, composer and flautist (composer of \u201cEl bodeguero\u201d). Celso Vald\u00e9s Santandreu and Dagoberto Pascual Gonz\u00e1lez excelled on the violins. The combination of the wood-keyed flute, the violins, the unison vocals with sweet melismas by Lay, Pepe Olmos and Bacallao, and the closing kettledrum of Orestes Varona were the Arag\u00f3n\u2019s distinctive and inalienable hallmark.<\/span><\/p>\n

The orchestra was completed by bassist Jos\u00e9 Ram\u00f3n Beltr\u00e1n, Jos\u00e9 Crist\u00f3bal Palma Perell\u00f3 on piano, Panchito Arbol\u00e1ez on guiro and Guido de Jes\u00fas Sarr\u00eda on the conga drum. Alejandro Tom\u00e1s Vald\u00e9s Soa (Tomasito), cellist, great dancer and creator of the \u201cchaonda\u201d rhythm, and the charismatic conga drum player Guillermo Gonzalo Garc\u00eda Vald\u00e9s (Guillermito Cabecita), weren\u2019t yet in the orchestra.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even though I was a child, I was one of those who had the most fun at that matinee. Despite my age, I was a true Arag\u00f3n fan and knew almost all the songs. It was my first dance and, I think, my first big live concert.<\/span><\/p>\n

From the moment it started out with the \u201cArag\u00f3n, Arag\u00f3n\u2026 si t\u00fa quieres un rico danz\u00f3n, ponle el cu\u00f1o…\u201d line, it was all euphoria and singing (by the way, the Arag\u00f3n\u2019s opening theme was written by Enrique Jorr\u00edn, who was literally \u201cthe competition\u201d; what solidarity back then).<\/span><\/p>\n

I really enjoyed the classics, and in fact, my mother taught me a lesson on the song \u201cCero codazos,\u201d a boxing song by Rafael Lay that I called \u201cRompan limpio\u201d (\u201cLes pido a los\u00a0<\/span>seconds<\/span><\/i>\u00a0que no me mojen la esquina…\u201d). Then came \u201cQu\u00e9 bien estamos\u201d and \u201cSabrosona,\u201d also by Lay.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEl bodeguero,\u201d \u201cCero penas,\u201d and \u201cFelicidades, Gladys\u201d by Richard Eg\u00fces, and the wise and humorous \u201cChaleco,\u201d co-authored with Orestes Varona (\u201cEng\u00e1\u00f1ame bien, chaleco, que te conoc\u00ed sin mangas…\u201d). We had our share of \u201cPare cochero\u201d by Marcelino Guerra and \u201cAquel pa\u00f1uelito blanco\u201d by Enrique Bonne. (Incidentally, the Arag\u00f3n used the montuno from another Bonne song, \u201cPepe cabecita,\u201d composed for Pacho Alonso for a traffic campaign and later changed to \u201cGuillermito cabecita.\u201d)<\/span><\/p>\n

And for less experienced dancers, like my dad and Uncle \u00d1ico (my cousin Gisela was a beautiful teenager and could already go out alone, so she wasn\u2019t there that afternoon), there was danz\u00f3n, the dance almost ad libitum. \u201cHasta la Reina Isabel baila el danz\u00f3n…\u201d by Electo Rosell (Chep\u00edn Chov\u00e9n).<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Photo: Frank Delgado.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But the Arag\u00f3n didn\u2019t just live off the classics; the orchestra had reinvented itself and taken on contemporary themes, with new arrangements without losing its mark, and they had been resounding hits. So I enjoyed \u201cBusca los lentes\u201d by Rolando Vergara, \u201cVen ven morena\u201d by Ram\u00f3n Paz, \u201cPreg\u00fantame c\u00f3mo estoy\u201d and \u201cMi son es un vacil\u00f3n\u201d by Julio C\u00e9sar Fonseca, \u201cNo me molesto\u201d by Jorge Zamora, and, although my mother doesn\u2019t remember, I swear I heard the orchestra that day with Las D\u2019Aida performing \u201cAj\u00e1, viv\u00ed\u201d by maestro F\u00e9lix Reina, with Teresa Caturla singing the lapidary phrase \u201c…y para el amanecer mi mam\u00e1 me oblig\u00f3 a casarme con \u00e9l…\u201d (Misplaced as \u201cJaj\u00e1, viv\u00ed,\u201d it was a colloquial phrase in those years.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The orchestra left the most requested songs for last, and while Uncle \u00d1ico tried to theorize about Felo Bacallao\u2019s juggling moves (whether he put salt on the floor, or whether his shoes were special. In any case, Felo was the precursor to the Moonwalk, and I\u2019m left speechless every time I see his performance), they launched into \u201cUn final repente.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The song had been a hit sung by young Maggie Carl\u00e9s, but Arag\u00f3n\u2019s arrangement was priceless. We all sang along. The end was approaching, and everyone was requesting the same song. Lay, Richard, Felo and Olmos had embraced modernity and dared to take on that new rhythm created by Holgu\u00edn native Juanito M\u00e1rquez, influenced by the Venezuelan joropo, which the conga drum player struck with a stick on the shell of the instrument, the \u201cpa\u2019ca.\u201d <\/span>\u200b\u200b<\/span>It was a collective madness, absolute insanity. I clung to Migdalia gratefully and said,<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, this party is so great, Mom.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

She, as if forgiving me, hugged me and said,<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, come over here, Nen\u00e9.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The N\u00e1utico was, by far, the beach of my childhood, the center of our weekly excursions. We used to walk from the Flores neighborhood and enter through the Club\u2019s entrance on 1st C in the Club N\u00e1utico neighborhood.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12345810,"featured_media":324851,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14135],"tags":[14971,19256,35016],"ppma_author":[35015],"class_list":["post-324849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","tag-cuban-architecture","tag-featured","tag-the-nautico"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHavana\u2019s N\u00e1utico Club. My first dance experience | OnCubaNews English<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The N\u00e1utico was, by far, the beach of my childhood, the center of our weekly excursions. We used to walk from the Flores neighborhood and enter through the Club\u2019s entrance on 1st C in the Club N\u00e1utico neighborhood.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/opinion\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Havana\u2019s N\u00e1utico Club. My first dance experience | OnCubaNews English\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The N\u00e1utico was, by far, the beach of my childhood, the center of our weekly excursions. We used to walk from the Flores neighborhood and enter through the Club\u2019s entrance on 1st C in the Club N\u00e1utico neighborhood.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/opinion\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"OnCubaNews English\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-24T22:04:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/club-nautico-2-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1020\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Frank Delgado\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Frank Delgado\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/opinion\\\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/opinion\\\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"frankdelgado\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ca32097ecb223fba7a8460e36c5eef69\"},\"headline\":\"Havana\u2019s N\u00e1utico Club. My first dance experience\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-24T22:04:31+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/opinion\\\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1761,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/opinion\\\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/club-nautico-2-1.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"cuban architecture\",\"featured\",\"The N\u00e1utico\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Opinion\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/opinion\\\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/opinion\\\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/opinion\\\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\\\/\",\"name\":\"Havana\u2019s N\u00e1utico Club. My first dance experience | OnCubaNews English\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/opinion\\\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/opinion\\\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/club-nautico-2-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-24T22:04:31+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ca32097ecb223fba7a8460e36c5eef69\"},\"description\":\"The N\u00e1utico was, by far, the beach of my childhood, the center of our weekly excursions. We used to walk from the Flores neighborhood and enter through the Club\u2019s entrance on 1st C in the Club N\u00e1utico neighborhood.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/opinion\\\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/opinion\\\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/opinion\\\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/club-nautico-2-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/club-nautico-2-1.jpg\",\"width\":1020,\"height\":768,\"caption\":\"Photo: Frank Delgado.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/opinion\\\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Portada\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Havana\u2019s N\u00e1utico Club. My first dance experience\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"OnCubaNews English\",\"description\":\"Revista sobre Cuba\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ca32097ecb223fba7a8460e36c5eef69\",\"name\":\"frankdelgado\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0e104f5d59bad33c3c9c6c610d455f3711b6acb9c76bc44e5b54a9248a24e168?s=96&r=g68cd4968318714f749b521badfe90fb0\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0e104f5d59bad33c3c9c6c610d455f3711b6acb9c76bc44e5b54a9248a24e168?s=96&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0e104f5d59bad33c3c9c6c610d455f3711b6acb9c76bc44e5b54a9248a24e168?s=96&r=g\",\"caption\":\"frankdelgado\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/author\\\/frankdelgado\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Havana\u2019s N\u00e1utico Club. My first dance experience | OnCubaNews English","description":"The N\u00e1utico was, by far, the beach of my childhood, the center of our weekly excursions. We used to walk from the Flores neighborhood and enter through the Club\u2019s entrance on 1st C in the Club N\u00e1utico neighborhood.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/opinion\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Havana\u2019s N\u00e1utico Club. My first dance experience | OnCubaNews English","og_description":"The N\u00e1utico was, by far, the beach of my childhood, the center of our weekly excursions. We used to walk from the Flores neighborhood and enter through the Club\u2019s entrance on 1st C in the Club N\u00e1utico neighborhood.","og_url":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/opinion\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\/","og_site_name":"OnCubaNews English","article_published_time":"2025-06-24T22:04:31+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1020,"height":768,"url":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/club-nautico-2-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Frank Delgado","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Frank Delgado","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/opinion\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/opinion\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\/"},"author":{"name":"frankdelgado","@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/ca32097ecb223fba7a8460e36c5eef69"},"headline":"Havana\u2019s N\u00e1utico Club. My first dance experience","datePublished":"2025-06-24T22:04:31+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/opinion\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\/"},"wordCount":1761,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/opinion\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/club-nautico-2-1.jpg","keywords":["cuban architecture","featured","The N\u00e1utico"],"articleSection":["Opinion"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/opinion\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/opinion\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\/","url":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/opinion\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\/","name":"Havana\u2019s N\u00e1utico Club. My first dance experience | OnCubaNews English","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/opinion\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/opinion\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/club-nautico-2-1.jpg","datePublished":"2025-06-24T22:04:31+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/ca32097ecb223fba7a8460e36c5eef69"},"description":"The N\u00e1utico was, by far, the beach of my childhood, the center of our weekly excursions. We used to walk from the Flores neighborhood and enter through the Club\u2019s entrance on 1st C in the Club N\u00e1utico neighborhood.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/opinion\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/opinion\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/opinion\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/club-nautico-2-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/club-nautico-2-1.jpg","width":1020,"height":768,"caption":"Photo: Frank Delgado."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/opinion\/havanas-nautico-club-my-first-dance-experience\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Portada","item":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Havana\u2019s N\u00e1utico Club. My first dance experience"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/","name":"OnCubaNews English","description":"Revista sobre Cuba","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/ca32097ecb223fba7a8460e36c5eef69","name":"frankdelgado","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0e104f5d59bad33c3c9c6c610d455f3711b6acb9c76bc44e5b54a9248a24e168?s=96&r=g68cd4968318714f749b521badfe90fb0","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0e104f5d59bad33c3c9c6c610d455f3711b6acb9c76bc44e5b54a9248a24e168?s=96&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0e104f5d59bad33c3c9c6c610d455f3711b6acb9c76bc44e5b54a9248a24e168?s=96&r=g","caption":"frankdelgado"},"url":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/author\/frankdelgado\/"}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":35015,"user_id":12345810,"is_guest":0,"slug":"frankdelgado","display_name":"Frank Delgado","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0e104f5d59bad33c3c9c6c610d455f3711b6acb9c76bc44e5b54a9248a24e168?s=96&r=g","0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324849","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12345810"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=324849"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324849\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":324858,"href":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324849\/revisions\/324858"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/324851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=324849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=324849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=324849"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=324849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}