The company was founded by renowned professor and dancer Leonardo Martinez Moya. A group of previous dancers and masters of the Conjunto Folkorico Nacional de Cuba from different generations, came together to give birth to this project.
The objective is to promote, share and simultaneously preserve the knowledge of traditional folkloric Cuban dances. For this group of masters, it’s an honour to work with a group of passionate dancers and musicians from around the world, who through their love of the Cuban culture have joined them on this magical journey through dance, song and music. The ambition is to perform and represent our art in as many places as possible.
It’s also a huge honour and tribute to the Cuban people, their culture, their diverse ethnicity, and the legacy of all the masters, dancers, musicians and Cuban artists before them who are spreading Cuban culture around the world.
In Cuba, the Conjunto Folklorico Nacional de Cuba has been representing Cuba’s heritage through dance and performance since 1960. Find out more about our directors and teachers.
Leonardo Martinez Moya – Founder and Director
Leonardo graduated from the Escuela Nacional de Arte (ENA) and Institutio Superior de Arte (ISA) and became principle dancer at the Conjunto Folkorico Nacional de Cuba where he danced for 25 years. As a choreographer and professor at the Conjunto, he inaugurated two important pieces: Moforibale a Chango, Ochanigue.
He arrived in Italy in 2008 and has been teaching and acting as choreographer ever since, touring across more than 30 countries around the world. His goal is to promote Cuban culture in Italy through Proyecto Lucumi. Today he teaches contemporary and Cuban folk techniques, Afro Cuban (Yoruba, Congo, Arara, Abakqa, Bantù), popular Cuban dances, (Son, Mambo, Cha cha cha), Rumba (Yambu, Guaguancò, Columbia), Dances Campesinas, African Haitian, Cuban Salsa (Timba, Rueda de Casino).
Arelys Savon Beltrán – Choreographer & teacher
Arelys is a graduate of the National School of Art and by the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) University of Art in Cuba. She was a solo (principle) dancer and teacher of the National Folkloric Ensemble of Cuba, with which she has toured Europe, Japan, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, the United States and many other countries, and has participated in various television programs, films and modeling activities.
Since 2004, she lives in Italy, where she is a member of the Italian Federation of Sports Dance participating as a competition judge, she is a first-class teacher MIDAS- ASC Danza, contributing to the training, promotion and development of Cuban culture in Italy, work that she is currently doing in various countries across Europe.
Sergio Larrinaga – Choreographer & teacher
Sergio was principle dancer and choreographer at the Conjunto Nacional Folkorico de Cuba. He was also teacher and choreographer at the Teatro America in la Havana, director and choreographer of the dance company Yoruba Andabo and much more over the course of his long career.
Currently he lives in Italy where he is a member of the Federazion Profesional de Danza (FPD). He continues to Cuban and Afro-Cuban dances around the world.
Mireisi Muchuli Morales – Choreographer & teacher
Coming soon…
International Company of Cuban Dances 