Arts for Childhoods Will Continue to Have a Happy Heart

Rochy Ameneiro, leader of the Happy Heart platform and general director of the festival, along with Rubén Darío Salazar Taquechel, National Theater Prize (2020) and director of Teatro de las Estaciones, explained that the meeting will include theoretical events, workshops, performances, and flashmobs, blending music, visual arts, theater, and architecture, among other disciplines.

A polychrome wooden replica of Pelusín’s likeness, hand-painted by artist Zenén Calero, National Theater Prize (2020), was presented to Esther Hirzel, director of ICAIC’s Animation Studios, who expressed her team’s willingness to participate in the event’s magic. The studio will support the programming with a mobile cinema and screenings of its productions.

A special highlight is the opening concert honoring Campo and del Prado, titled The Gnomes Eat Peanuts, to be held at the Teatro Martí under the musical direction of Rodrigo García Ameneiro. The concert will feature the Havana Chamber Orchestra conducted by Maestra Daiana García, the Luna Vocal Ensemble—expanded to 70 members including children’s choirs Alegretto, Voces Blancas, and Mi Sol—along with Anabell López, Haila María Mompié, Lidis Lamorú, Malva Rodríguez, Tania Haase, the group Espirales, Gabi y Sofi, Las Estaciones, young Olivia Emili González, Rochy, Habanasueños, and Teatro Tuyo.

García Ameneiro detailed the complexities of weaving together the distinct works of Rosa and Rita in a single show, noting that the team is devoting the same effort as in previous galas dedicated to Teresita Fernández (2025) and Silvio Rodríguez (2024). The DVD of the latter concert, nominated for a Cubadisco 2026 award in the Children’s Audiovisual category, will premiere on Monday the 25th at 4:00 p.m. at the Charles Chaplin cinema. Salazar Taquechel called this a special tribute to the founding troubadour of the Nueva Trova Movement on his 80th birthday.

Venues such as Teatro de la Orden III, home of La Colmenita, will host the premiere of A Superferolytic Invention, a theatrical version of Trip to the Moon by Las Estaciones, where Pelusín and a dog build a rocket using a bucket and a broom. Salazar Taquechel noted that the prestigious company uses glove puppetry alongside other beloved characters from Dora Alonso’s universe, including Gelasito, Tontolina, Benita, Chilingo, and Gruñón.

Another premiere continues the echoes of the recent Matanzas Puppet Festival (FESTITIM) with the presentation of Threshold, where Teatro Tuyo offers a masterclass in clowning, alongside Charibari featuring singer-songwriter Enid Rosales.

Productions from the Happy Heart platform have had recent impact, such as The Little Goat, where Rita del Prado joins actress and puppeteer Dila Martínez, which will also have a place in the festival at the National Museum of Fine Arts’ Theater Hall.

José Martí will be present through the play Pepe, performed by children and teens from the Abrakadabra company at the Teatro Martí, while Dayana Deulofeu and her daughter Emma will explore stories from The Golden Age at the Apostle’s birthplace museum on Paula Street.

Highlights also include a flashmob on May 26 at 5:00 p.m. at the Plaza of the Belén Convent, led by the Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba company—an urban dance intervention promoting nature and the environment.

Federico’s Gathering with Maykel Chávez and Annie Garcés, Gatoypon’s Party, as well as performances by Teatro La Proa, Titirivida, and La Colmenita with a new staging of Martina the Little Cockroach, will ensure the delight of children and families.

For Saturday the 30th, renowned multi-instrumentalist Janio Abreu will lead a large group of music students from the Manuel Saumell Elementary School of Music in a playful presentation about instrument families through contradanzas, danzones, guajiras, and Cuban son.

Graphic Portrait of Zenén Calero, an exhibition of the relentless designer’s work, will be on display at the Museum of Fine Arts. Other creative spaces include a stop-motion workshop by audiovisual creator Ivette Ávila, an architecture-and-childhood workshop by Finland’s Amanda Puerto-Lichtenberg, and a giant collage workshop for International Children’s Day by Argentine artist Estrellita Caracol.

For a Smile, a gala by renowned Holguín-based creator Lidis Lamorú, will close the VII International Meeting of Arts for Childhoods Happy Heart on May 31 at the Teatro Martí.