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"This video dances with so much of
the musical spirit of Cuba. Informal gatherings with neighborhood
musicians, club dates, spontaneous dancing..."
Jan Wax, Radio KZYX
"One is awed by the diversity of the talent both in front
of and behind the camera..."
Zeno Okeanos, Boogalu Associate Producer
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| TREMENDO
VACILON
a panorama of Cuban
music & dance
DVD
67 minutes
filmed in Santiago and Havana, Cuba
genres presented: son, changüí, rap Cubano, rumba, dance cabaret,
jazz Cubano, Cuban salsa casino, carnaval comparsa
"Tremendo Vacilon" is an eclectic panorama
of music and dance in Cuba today, celebrating the diversity, artistry,
and passion of people enjoying and performing their music and dance traditions.
Shot in Havana and Santiago, the film consists of 18 intimate performance
events, some formal and others spontaneous, that display the range of
Cuban genres.
featured performance events and artists:
Sensacion Habano - dancing pair
Mitad Y Mitad - rap/hiphop group
Changüí Mi Havana
- impromptu changüí music party
Gigantesco - circus comparsa performing group
José Lusson Bueno - singer
Iroso Obba - party "vacilon" rumba
Pinos Nuevos - dance company cabaret show
Live Santiago Dance Party - featuring changui,
casino, despelote, and rueda de casino dancing
Kokoye Dance Company
- choreographed drumming
Cuarteto Mágico - saxophone jazz group
Juan Carlos Sarmiento - grand troubadour
Changüí Santiago - changüí
music - Casa de La Trova
Organo Guantánamo - organ street music
- Santiago
Obini Irawo - women's folklore group
Carnaval in the town of San Luis, Santiago Province
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view movie clip
photo gallery
click on image to view next photo
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SalsaVideoReviews.org
"This is a must buy for anyone interested in Cuban music, dance, culture...
We loved this video. This video gives an overview or a look into Cuban music
& dance & culture. The video was filmed in 2001-2002 so it gives
you views of some of the most current groups & dancers in Cuba today
playing both traditional & modern music & dance styles."
Jan Wax - Radio KZYX - Philo, Calif.
"This
video dances with so much of the musical spirit of Cuba. Informal gatherings
with neighborhood musicians, club dates, spontaneous dancing, an amazing
lurch through the crowded streets of Santiago during Carnaval - the China
Cornet and brake drums wailing. A smokin' descarga in an alleyway. A jazz
saxophone quartet. Want to see what the Casa de Trova and Casa del Caribe
look like? They're all here. The cameraman must have made himself invisible
to capture the life in this film. Highly recommended."
David Penalosa -Vice-President Bembe Records,
"Boogalu Productions has created one of the best videos of Cuban music
and dance I have ever seen! Despite the seemingly "low-tech”
one-camera approach, they have achieved a sense of intimate excitement.
With none of the typical distractions of the quick edits associated with
a multiple camera shoot, the viewer can sit back and take in the visual
and auditory feast. It feels like you are there with a ring-side seat. Be
prepared to see some unique music and dance"
Brian Dring - Rhythm Magazine
"I was blown
away by a documentary on Cuban music and culture which came my way recently.
Tremendo Vacilon presents only a slice of the vast array of the fresh and
as of yet undiscovered raw talent in Cuba today. The camera moves restlessly
from one scene to scene, exploring the incredible diversity of music being
rehearsed and performed in living rooms, bars, casinos, park benches and
basements. Cubans love their music and the scenes, both intimate and unrehearsed,
reveal how inseparable are the music and the dance which accompanies it
(or it the other way around?) .
Included is footage of a group of young rappers polishing their craft in
a makeshift studio, casino and cabaret dance couples with a dizzying repertoire
of moves, a street rumba band, changui performers, a jazz quartet, and a
few minutes of Carnaval Comparsa which bears striking resemblance to the
same celebration as it is enjoyed in Brazil, Haiti, Trinidad, or even New
Orleans.
While Buena Vista Social Club captured the essence of established practitioners
of an older era of Cuban music, this film concentrates on the vibrant scene
going on in Havana and Santiago today."
A.S. - The
Netherlands
"I just wanted to give you some feedback on
Tremendo Vacilon... Great! is just the word for it... my girlfriend got
so excited when she saw the couple 'Sensacion de Habana' dancing, that she
pulled me off the couch and we started dancing and copying their combinations
right then and there! As I'm the casino addict of the two, her seeing this
DVD got her entirely contaminated with the casinobug as well... Gracias!!".
Zeno Okeanos - Boogalu Associate Producer
"Boogalu Productions has captured something very special with
this latest film Tremendo Vacilon shot on location in Havana and Santiago
de Cuba last year. Described as "18 intimate performance events",
I would like to add the cinematography to this list. Granted that Cuban
musical and dance talent would seem to be ubiquitous, it is no small matter
to capture this with a camera.
We are fortunate that this film compiles a cornucopia of fortuitous moments,
spontaneous events, and cooperatively planned displays. One is awed by the
diversity of the talent both in front of and behind the camera.
Independent film making has entered a new era with the combination of digital
video, digital desktop editing, and the internet. Cocteau's dream was that
the film would rival poetry when the tools would be as available as pen
and paper. Well, maybe we are there. For the price of a rare antique Parker
pen and a stack of custom handmade paper, you got it. Forget the Hollywood
production studio and the million dollar budgets, we now have film poets
blossoming all around us able to express themselves without the usual and
predictable fetters. But you, yes you, need to complete the equation. And
what a wonderful thing it will be.
Now what's left, is for you, the potential audience, to circumvent the corporate
hold, and seek out what you know to be of deep interest to you, and buy
the book, the poem, the CD, or the video. Dreamers, start your search engines,
and go to Boogalu.com.
If you liked the Buena Vista Social Club or thought it was interesting,
and if you enjoyed the series called Routes Of Rhythm about the history
of Cuban based music, then I think you will find much substance in Tremendo
Vacilon. But alas, you may not be able to see this independent video in
a theater near you or even on PBS anytime soon. This is a grass roots production
made in the spirit of the independent film poet, for the aficionado, which,
for the mere price of two good CDs, you can own for repeated viewing and
learning... yes there are dance moves and drum parts that will be a revelation
to you. The overview will move you. That is the special something I was
talking about.
I had the good fortune both to spend time with Señor Boogalu in Cuba
in the summer of 2000 and also to be able to give him some post production
assistance from my own years as a filmmaker. He has taken to the camera
most naturally and also to film editing. What I first noticed is how he
was able to flow with the people in Cuba. There is much mutual respect and
love. This is how he happens to be in the right place at the right time
so much of the time. I truly believe he has a special talent in that context
and am looking forward to the future productions which will be drawn from
his next visits there.
Those of us who love this music and dance and are engaged by the richness
of the popular and folkloric culture can look forward to further installments
which may hold some more of the answers to its mysteries."
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