The International Rumba Festival, Timbalaye 2014, is underway in Cuba with classes on the genre for guests from Mexico, Italy and Cuba.

In Central Havana, National Dance Prize Winner, Silvina Fabars, exchanged views on his experiences as an Afro Cuban dancer. Fabars, who has taught at the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan and Cuba, and has also shared his experiences and teachings in Angola, Ghana, Mozambique, Argelia, Zambia, Nicaragua and Iraq, showed her skills in performing different movements and steps. It has been reportedly said that the international event is about to grant the Timbalaye Scholarships in the audiovisual and research areas aimed at rescuing and developing Rumba as an essential element of the Cuban identity and culture.

Rumba is a music and dance genre that has been declared a National Heritage by the Cuban Heritage Commission due to its connections with the memory and tradition of the Cuban nation. Timbalaye kicked off last Sunday and is currently underway in the provinces of Havana, Pinar del Río and Cienfuegos until August 24th. The VI edition of Timbalaye is sponsored by the Cuban Writers and Artists Association –UNEAC-  the Saíz Brothers Young Artists Association, the National Heritage Council, the House of Africa and the Cultural Tour Agency Paradiso.