Guaracheros de Regla was the name of a

carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

comparsa of Havana, Cuba. Created by Humberto Medina, known as the

Guarachero Mayor The guaracha () is a genre of music that originated in Cuba, of rapid tempo and comic or picaresque lyrics. The word had been used in this sense at least since the late 18th and early 19th century. Guarachas were played and sung in musical thea ...

Overview

The group started in 1959 in ReglaThe Guaracheros de Regla, the most popular carnival comparsa in Cuba, celebrated its 50th Anniversary
/ref> and in 1960 were invited to the

Havana carnivals The culture of Cuba is a complex mixture of different, often contradicting, factors and influences. The Cuban people and their customs are based on European, African and Amerindian influences. Music The music of Cuba, including the instruments a ...

. One of the top dance groups during the 1960s. As was the traditional custom, they started in La Punta on the

Malecón A jetty is a structure that projects from land out into water. A jetty may serve as a breakwater, as a walkway, or both; or, in pairs, as a means of constricting a channel. The term derives from the French word ', "thrown", signifying somet ...

and danced southward on Prado Avenue to circle in front of the Capitol, where the judges would assess their mastery in the competition. Guaracheros de Regla were an extremely accomplished "comparsa" (dance group), usually winning the top honor in the comparsa contest taking place every year at the Havana carnival. Originally young adults of college age and older made up the body of dancers, but when Raul Castro decided in 1965 to put every male older than 15 years in military service, all of a sudden all the dancers who were able to join the comparsa were barely in their teens.

References

Dance companies Culture in Havana Carnival music 1959 establishments in Cuba {{Dance-stub