One of the things that attracted us to Cuenca is its reputation as a cultural center not only for Ecuador, but for Northern South America. So far we have not been disappointed! There are many cultural events each week. Yesterday we stumbled upon a festival with an awesome dance band. Lucia and I attended a celebration commemorating the 150th anniversary of the founding of a religious order, which had traditional music and dance. I've gone to two concerts at the Old Cathedral, one by the Cuenca Symphony, and another by the University of Cuenca Symphonic group. The Old Cathedral is a little chilly, but has amazing acoustics and is a lovely setting for classical music.
Last night we attended one of the 10 events happening as part of an International Dance Festival that includes groups from Bolivia, Mexico, Colombia, Brasil, and of course Ecuador, organized by the University of Cuenca. Last night was all folkloric dance, and the festival includes contemporary dance, ballet and and flamenco. The photo to the left is a poor image of one of the pieces by the group from the University of Cuenca, a piece about Cuencanos. There were lots of swirling skirts throughout, and the piece we all enjoyed a lot was one in which the men wore pants that made them look like wild animals.
The start time for the concert was a little challenging (8:00 PM, our usual lights out time!), but everyone enjoyed what they saw before drifting off to sleep despite the pretty lively music and dance.
So far everything we've seen has been free, except last night's performance which cost us a grand total of $15. That is pretty nice on the budget.
The first three days in November are holidays celebrating (respectively) Ecuador's and Cuenca's independence. More than 200 events are scheduled between now and November 30 as part of the celebration! We should be pretty cultured by the end of it!
The start time for the concert was a little challenging (8:00 PM, our usual lights out time!), but everyone enjoyed what they saw before drifting off to sleep despite the pretty lively music and dance.
So far everything we've seen has been free, except last night's performance which cost us a grand total of $15. That is pretty nice on the budget.
The first three days in November are holidays celebrating (respectively) Ecuador's and Cuenca's independence. More than 200 events are scheduled between now and November 30 as part of the celebration! We should be pretty cultured by the end of it!