Tengo Talento: Showcasing Cuban Talent

This guest post comes to us from Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi. A graduate of UC Berkeley, he received his MA degree from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Prior to graduation, the Pan-African Film Festival honored Eli with the Student Filmmaker Award for his first solo feature length film, Inventos: Hip Hop Cubano. Eli continues to utilized music as a tool to provide insight into culture and socio/political community struggles.  In 2010, he released his second film, Home Grown: Hip Life in Ghana. His current production Revolucion Sin Muertos “Revolution Without Death” captures a youth movement in Comuna 13 in Medellin, Colombia, where Hip Hop is utilized to empower a Peace Movement. 

Tengo Talento is about the new generation of talent in Cuba. World renowned artist take to the streets to find the next talent in their field. Travel on a journey from Havana to Santiago searching the next stars in Jazz, Hip Hop and Rumba.

We are a collective of visual artists, musicians and producers developing an internet audiovisual and radio program series on the new generation of Cuban talent. We want to motivate and encourage all young people to pursue their dreams and tell amazing stories full of passion, creativity and sacrifice. We intend bring you on a journey to find the next generation of Cuban talent!

We invite you to meet:

Julito Padrón, one of the most outstanding Cuban trumpeters. He introduces us to a young man who is only 15 years old with a spectacular sound that promises to be a big star.

Yrak Saens is one of the pioneers of rap in Cuba. He makes up one half of the group Doble Filo. He takes us on a journey to Santiago de Cuba to find a new sound and discover the the new talent of Hip Hop Cubano.

Jennyselt is a dancer of Afro Cuban Folklore, with great prestige within Cuba and internationally and currently dances with the group Yoruba Andabo. She seeks her successor to keep the legacy of Afro-Cuban culture, dance and religion alive. Jennyselt takes us to the side of Havana that is rarely seen by tourist, Juanelo. Where there is a community project teaching the next generation of dancers.

The release of the Jennyselt video will appear shortly on our website!

Thanks Eli for sharing your new project with us, we can’t wait to follow the series and see more Cuban talent!