Over the past few years, I have traveled to Havana, Cuba several times with a group of 5 other dance photographers.  As a trained social/cultural anthropologist who has conducted academic research in West Africa, Cuba has always appealed to me. But travel to the island has been restricted by the US embargo in which US citizens have been forbidden by statute.  “Touristic activities” remain prohibited but there are certain travel categories under which Americans can travel. We travel under a visa category “support for the Cuban people.” This means that Americans must lodge in “casa particulares” which are private homes. We are allowed to visit Cuban-owned businesses, we can enjoy tours run by Cubans, we can visit independent museums, and we eat in locally-owned restaurants.  But there remain many challenges and considerations. American credit and debit cards are not accepted. And the internet is very limited and provided only by a Cuban telecommunications company called ETECSA.

The purpose of these travels was to photograph ballet dancers from the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. Many of these ballet dancers were indeed photographed but along the way we gained access to a dance rehearsal of Santería dancers which fell more in line with my personal interests.