Discover Cuba: Courses and workshops in Havana for tourists

When travelers ask us what they can do in Havana, we have an infinity of attractive experiences and activities to propose to them to discover Cuba from its roots and live its culture and traditions.

Within the trips to Cuba that we custom design we also include courses or workshops in Cuba suiting your preferences, hobbies or professions, so that you can learn from Cuban talent and creativity from the Caribbean island itself.

Next, we show you our selection of courses and workshops in Havana related to photography, music, dance, contemporary dance and Caribbean rhythms.

The companies or institutions that launch these calls are among the most representative and avant-garde within the Cuban cultural panorama, so both its instructors or professors, as well as its proposals, are super attractive and differentiating.

Cuba can be recognized very easily through photographs or postcards, because it has those colors, dream beaches and architectural wonders that make it distinctive, authentic and, above all, very photogenic.

If you are lovers of visual arts, dare to take a course at EFCH, a school created on the initiative of Tomas Inda, its general director, and a magical place in Havana Vedado, which is the flag of Cuban art and creativity and where you can begin or improve your level of photography.
There are various courses in Havana, ranging from basic to professional level, for children and adults, and you also have the possibility of specializing in different types of photography: documentary, advertising, conceptual, etc.

After this course, you will be able to capture with your lens the charms of colonial Havana, or unveil the architectural wonders of modern Havana.

And if your visit coincides with one of the art biennals taking place in Cuba you will have chosen the ideal moment to appreciate much of the good photographic art that is produced on the island.
If you do not have time for a course, at least we recommend a guided tour of Havana for photographers.

The mixture of cultures has created in Cuba a fusion of rhythms and styles with a long tradition and world-renowned quality.

Havana Music School is a Cuban music school that we love because it is created by musicians and for musicians from all over the world, with workshops in Havana adapted for students of all levels, music teachers and professional musicians.
Excellent teachers, who are prestigious Cuban musicians, will instruct you to guarantee a comprehensive and fascinating experience, and above all fun for you to leave Cuba with the same tumbao (rhythm, flow) that Cubans have.

You can discover the magic of Cuban music with two-hour classes of any instrument you want or you can sign up for a percussion workshop to learn the Cuban rhythms of the Conga, Bongós, Maracas, Claves, Güiros, Shekere and Timbales

They also have a highly demanded workshop for Musical ensembles, where to learn to play in a group with various musicians and teachers songs of Cuban popular music. If you go with friends, you can sign up as a group and choose the instrument you want to play and select your favorite songs. An unforgettable experience!
If you are interested in singing or dancing salsa, you can also train with them, and then we suggest you walk around the city and take a tour to discover music in Havana, don't miss our guided tour.

If you are attracted to that part of Cuban culture that is most linked to African heritage, to the drumbeats and dances of the slave ancestors, then undoubtedly you must join the Folklore International Workshop by the Conjunto Folklórico Nacional.

The Conjunto Folklórico Nacional de Cuba is an emblematic company created in 1962 with the purpose of rescuing popular and traditional Cuban culture: songs and dances of Yoruba, conga and abakuá origin, rumbas and comparsas, peasant music and popular dances, among others.
Folkcuba, as this workshop is also known, welcomes Cuban and foreign fans every year at the company's headquarters. During 15 days a course is developed in Havana with a super interesting program, aimed at getting to know the most popular African dances and songs in Cuba.

It takes place in two editions, one in winter and one in summer, in which the little ones at home can also participate. We assure you that for the little ones this experience will be amazing!

The teachers, who are talented dancers from the Folkloric Ensemble, also teach salsa, son, rumba, mambo, conga, chachachá, mozambique and the dances and ryhtms of Santeria, among other popular Cuban rhythms.
And while on a course, do not miss this wonderful city and its popular Cuban rhythms in our guided tour Havana and salsa.

In Havana the artistic proposal in dance is very wide and varied. Contemporary dance has gained strength on the island as a result of important companies that have managed to gain a foothold on the national and international scene.

A trip to discover Cuba and this special and magnetic art must include guided tours through Havana to the headquarters of the best dance companies or the most emblematic theaters of the capital and, why not? carry out a contemporary dance workshop.
COMPAÑÍA DANZA CONTEMPORÁNEA DE CUBA: The Company Danza Contemporánea de Cuba, was founded in 1959, and is one of the most recognized groups on the world scene. Its dancers are trained at the National School of Dance and trained in the modern Cuban dance technique based on Afro-Cuban rhythms.

Cubadanza is its International Workshop consisting of 15 days of Modern Dance, which instructs students and fans about the techniques and rhythms that make up the basis of the most contemporary Cuban dance.

We encourage you to participate in one of the 2 annual editions of this workshop, this summer from August 2 to 13, or in its winter edition, which is normally in January, an excellent time to travel to Cuba. Both editions have a two-week work program, so you will need to spend more than 10 days in Cuba.
MICOMPAÑIA: From the hand of the Spanish dancer and choreographer Susana Pous, MICOMPAÑÍA is a fresh and enriching proposal that we recommend for lovers of modern dance and theater.

The company's headquarters are located in Villalola, in the municipality of Marianao in Havana, being a space born to create, rehearse and develop dance projects without limitations.

A space where improvisation, sensoriality and bodily experience are the protagonists of the dance. In this interview, Susana Pous herself tells you about her unique school and her company.
Villalola opens its doors for travelers who want to live a thematic experience, from an intensive 1-day workshop, to 1-week or 1-month workshops, where you can work and learn dance, theater, traditional and folkloric Cuban dances and, above all, share and exchange with young creators and dancers.

Cuban cinema is recognized worldwide for the quality of its films. And believe us if we tell you that cinema in Cuba is much more than the beautiful Ana de Armas!

The directors and actors of Cuban cinema have achieved many national and international successes, which has earned them the respect and prestige they have today.
Cuban film Fresa y Chocolate managed to be nominated for the 1994 Oscars for best foreign film. Other recent Cuban films such as Inocencia,was nominated for the Goya Awards, being premiered during Festival Internacional de Cine Latinoamericano in 2018.

The prestigious San Antonio de los Baños International Film and Television School, was founded in the 1980s by Gabriel García Márquez, under the auspices of the Fundación del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano, runs during the year various theoretical and practical workshops.

The facilities, just 38km from Havana, are very comfortable, surrounded by green and spacious areas. Both those who are passing through, as the students of the regular courses share ideas and creative concerns in an environment full of young energy.
The workshops are international and change every year proposing very interesting topics. Students and film lovers from all over the world are taught by excellent producers, screenwriters and film directors from various latitudes, which makes their courses extremely attractive and valuable.

You have thousands of choices to enjoy your holidays in the real Cuba and its cultural power.

And if you are looking for courses on other topics, whether they are gastronomic courses, sports courses or other subjects or hobbies of your interest, all you have to do is contact us at viajes@cubaunique.com and we will make the best suggestions.
So, if you are thinking of organizing a trip to Cuba, whether to travel with your family, with your group of friends or with your classmates, with your couple or even in your honey moon, on your own or in one of our tailor made trips, don't miss any of our recommendations to travel to Cuba without complications and to know about the evolution of COVID-19 situation in Cuba.
We suggest some of our most popular organized tours , and, if it is not what you were looking for, we will design your personalized trip, and above all, we suggest that you follow our tips to live the authentic Cuban culture.
Now you also know some courses and workshops in Havana to learn and enjoy on your trip to Cuba!

Article written by Gabriela Rodríguez, independent Cuban guide.

Video produced and edited by Javier Ernesto Hernández-López.

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