Guaracheros de Regla was the name of a

carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...

comparsa A comparsa is a group of singers, musicians and dancers that take part in carnivals and other festivities in Spain and Latin America. Its precise meaning depends on the specific regional celebration. The most famous comparsas are those that part ...

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

. Created by Humberto Medina, known as the Guarachero Mayor.

Overview

The group started in 1959 in

Regla Regla () is one of the 15 municipalities or boroughs (''municipios'' in Spanish) in the city of Havana, Cuba. It comprises the town of Regla, located at the bottom of Havana Bay in a former aborigine settlement named ''Guaicanamar'', Loma Modelo ...

The Guaracheros de Regla, the most popular carnival comparsa in Cuba, celebrated its 50th Anniversary
/ref> and in 1960 were invited to the Havana carnivals. 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 man-made structure that protrudes 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", signify ...

.They danced southward on Prado Avenue to circle in front of the

Capitol Capitol, capitols or The Capitol may refer to: Places and buildings Legislative building * United States Capitol, in Washington, D.C. * National Capitol of Colombia, in Bogotá * Palacio Federal Legislativo, in Caracas, Venezuela * National Ca ...

, where the judges would assess their mastery in the competition. Guaracheros de Regla was an extremely accomplished "comparsa" (dance group), usually winning the top honor in the comparsa contest 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 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