It is said that every Cuban is born to dance. It is in their blood. Cuba wouldn't be the delightful island that it is without the rhythm of salsa or the pulsating beat of an Afro-Cuban rumba. Dance in Havana offers a rare opportunity to engage with the Cuban people and experience the complex and exhilarating world of traditional and contemporary dance in the largest island of the Caribbean.

Cuba is an intoxicating and rhythmic paradise. Everything from sensual salsa to classical ballet, Cuban dance is a fertile mixture of African and European influences. Havana has innumerable contemporary and traditional dance companies as well as classical ballet schools that have survived the political and economic changes of this small and resilient island. Monumental colonial buildings open their doors every day to thousands of Cuban children, whose primary focus is dance, whether it be rumba, salsa, guaguanco, classical ballet, contemporary dance or the exotic flamenco. Join photographer Jennifer Spelman on an unforgettable journey through song, music and authentic Cuban dance.

To offer you unparalleled access to the world of dance in Cuba, English speaking Cuban photographers who live in Havana will serve as our local hosts and translators for this cultural exchange. In alliance with Cuba's premier photographic organization, Fototeca de Cuba, and its Director Nelson Ramirez, our unique program allows U.S. participants to learn about Cuba's long and colorful history and have educational exchanges with Cuban dancers and artists.

Our home for the week is Convento Santa Brigida, a beautifully restored convent in the heart of Old Havana, one block from Plaza Vieja. Featuring simple but comfortable accommodations with private bathrooms, light-filled group meeting spaces, a library, a chapel, and nuns as our lovely hosts, the convent is a serene base to return to after the daily adventures in bustling Havana.

This 8-day U.S. government-approved educational exchange program visits the dance and musical centers of Old Havana and the nearby neighborhoods to meet the Cuban people and discover an authentic Cuba.

Join Jennifer and our experienced staff in Cuba for an organized educational exchange through the Pearl of the Antilles and experience, Dance in Havana through your own eyes. The music, the rhythms, the sounds and most of all, the spirited and gracious Cuban people are the focus of this program that enables you to better understand this fascinating country.

True to the requirements of a people-to-people license with U.S. Treasury Department, Dance in Havana focuses on educational exchanges with the Cuban people and recording their amazing lives with our cameras.