WOMAD

Guillermo Davis & Jose Ferrera

From Cuba

Guillermo Davis, 'el Iyawo', and Jose Ferrera are both originally from the Danza Libre Company of Guantanamo Cuba. They have both established themselves as two of the UK's foremost proponents of Cuban and Afro-Cuban dance and percussion. Guillermo and Jose have collaborated in a variety of projectssuch as the Arts Council's 'Creative Partnerships' in London andEast Anglia and ChicaAfrica educational services and communityeducation projects for children.With WAC College of performing Arts and Media they providepossibly the UK's first Afro-Cuban dance teaching module atUniversity level in their Foundation Degree in Peforming Arts, aswell as doing occasional summer schools there for schoolchildren.Their residency experience includes work with F-IRE Rhythmic Arts collective at City University London, and workshops with many groups and events such as Drum Camp, WOMAD, Mambo City and JazzXchange.Guillermo is director and founder of ¡Siáa-Karáaa! CubanCarnival Comparsa, the UKs first ongoing Cuban Carnival groupwhich has performed each year at Carnival del Pueblo(London's Latin Carnival) and this year also at Notting Hill Carnival and the Thames Festival Night Carnival procession along the river working with Mandinka Arts.He is director and founder now of his own Cuban Cabaret group of dancers Tropicanita London who perform Cuban popular dances in full Cuban cabaret costume sometimes with Afro-Cuban Dance, at big parties and corporate events.