Entertainment

HAVANA, Cuba, Nov 17 (acn) Cuba’s Lizt Alfonso Ballet Company got standing ovations on Friday from the public present at the capital’s Grand Theater, during a special gala dedicated to the 493rd anniversary of the founding of Havana.

Directed by its founder, choreographer and dancer Lizt Alfonso, the troupe devoted every movement and reverence to the rich history of the city, founded as Villa de San Cristobal de La Habana.

The gala closed the many activities held over the last few days to celebrate the date, by various cultural institutions, Havana residents on the island and abroad, and friends from many parts of the world, who recalled the city’s traditions and…

LONG BEACH, USA — Cuba Tours and Travel (CTT), a fully licensed Cuba travel agency, has announced that the company will lead a special trip to the 28th edition of the Havana International Jazz Festival, to be held December 12-19, 2012.

For nearly three decades, the big names of world jazz have performed on Havana stages during this grand music celebration. Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Carmen McCrae, Michel Lengrand, Charlie Haden and Chucho Valdes all have wowed crowds under the balmy Havana night sky.

“That’s the majesty of the Cuban super-virtuosos: They play with a technical brilliance that has no real equivalent, but they undergird their work with African…

Trinidadian-Canadian director Ian Harnarine continues to get praise for his film at screenings around the world. Not only was his debut, “Doubles with Slight Pepper” (Executive Produced by Spike Lee) awarded the jury prize for the Best Canadian Short Film at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), it also won the Genie Award (Canada’s OSCAR) for Best Live Action Short Drama in March.

The film has been selected by renowned international programmer Danny Lennon to screen at Telefilm Canada’s Not Short on Talent program representing Canada’s newest cinematic voices, in the Cannes Markets’ international short film showcase….

This year’s BVI Music Festival includes something for every music lover: Jamaica’s legendary reggae band Third World, Grammy award winning British songstress Estelle, rhythm and blues group Forever Motown, and Soca Monarch of St Vincent and the Grenadines Delroy ‘Fireman’ Hooper are all set to take centre stage on the weekend of 25-27 May for a full-fledged beach jam on Tortola’s Cane Garden Bay.

The BVI’s wide selection of artistes will also heat the stage to display the diverse talent and sound deriving from this Caribbean nation. Acts such as Ritical, Quito and The Edge, A Type of Toad, Mullah Gwop, Ouida, B’More and Lincoln Ward are all generating…

ST THOMAS, USVI — Guests and diners at Iggies at Bolongo Bay Beach Resort on St Thomas, US Virgin Islands, were treated to an unbelievable moment on Monday night when music legend Stevie Wonder got up on stage for an impromptu performance.

Wonder had been dining at the beachfront restaurant listening to the local Becca Darling band. Shortly after the band played his song, “Living for the City,” Wonder got onstage to play harmonica for a cover of “House of the Rising Sun.”

Later, Wonder returned to the stage to join legendary rock guitarist and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Dave Mason for a rocking blues jam. Mason…

Vantan Design Institute (Head Office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, President: Shunji Nagasawa) operates a number of schools with the goal of training emerging creators in a wide range of creative fields such as fashion design and styling, hair styling and makeup, interior design, and visual arts. After entering into an agreement on October 21st, 2011 with IMG Fashion, the producer of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York, Vantan Design Institute will officially take part as a participating collection in Mercedes -Benz Fashion Week at Lincoln Center in February 2012, with a fashion show to be conducted by selected students from the Institute.

The fashion show is being held as a “Vantan Tokyo”…

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The 2012 Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival – The Art of Music, set for January 26 to 28, has been praised for its selected mix of current and more traditional offerings.

Putting together an all-star Jamaica lineup on the opening night of the festival is seen as significant as the securing of Canadian superstar Celine Deon, according to a prominent music writer.

Influential New York-based music writer, Patricia Meschino, who has covered all major Caribbean music festivals, credited Art of Music Productions (AMP) chairman Walter Elmore and his team for highlighting the indigenous music of Jamaica — past and present — during the festival’s opening on…

Roots Reggae artiste Fantan Mojah will make his first ever appearance on an African hosted event stage when he performs at the Lion Lager Summer Beer Festival at Glamis Arena, Harare Zimbabwe and Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo along with Beres Hammond, Cocoa Tea, Sungura giant Sulumani Chimbetu and popular Zimbabwean Dancehall Chanter Winky D and Stunner.

A release by the Beer company states the following:Leading Jamaican conscious reggae artists Beres Hammond, Cocoa Tea and Fantan Mojah are billed to perform at this year’s Lion Lager Summer Beer Festival which takes place in Harare and Bulawayo next month.

Sungura giant Sulumani Chimbetu, popular Zimbabwean dancehall chanter Winky D and…

Michael Abboud MD is a practicing OBGYN in Brighton Beach Brooklyn.

His practice is dedicated to G-Spot Enhancement, vaginal rejuvenation, laser hair removal, stretch marks & scar management, chemical peels, rosecea, facial fillers, liposuction, cellulite reduction, weight loss, vein removal and osteopathic manipulation.

To accommodate his patient’s multilingual needs, Dr Abboud is fluent in Russian and English. This he says enables for better understanding and communication of patients concerns and better patient care for individuals with language barriers.

To be able to serve patients in Brooklyn New York, Dr Abboud recently launched a new website which he says will be used to provide up-to-date information regarding the advancements of OBGYN care.

To learn…

August 24, 2011 Queens Fashion Week is an eclectic series of runway shows and networking events that ‘shine a spotlight’ on the fashionable lifestyle available throughout Queens, New York, and beyond. We work with Independent Fashion Professionals worldwide and celebrate diversity through fashion.

What’s ‘haute’ about Queens? Well, plenty! This season Queens Fashion Week is getting down to business in the most stylish way possible. Staying true to our directive of ‘shining a spotlight’ onto the ‘fashionable lifestyle’ available throughout Queens- our spring season will be full of the trendiest Designers and industry professionals, along with some very pleasant surprises!

This season we are encouraging…