Big swingin' Harry -- the day I played baseball in Cuba

<p style="text-align: justify;">It was cigars all round when Harry Leech sparred with an Olympic champ. Wednesday May 11 2011. Standing on a baseball diamond in Guanabacoa baseball stadium on the outskirts of Havana, a fleeting resolution crosses my mind -- I have to stop getting myself into these situations. I'm holding a baseball bat, squinting through the glaring sun at the man standing on the pitcher's mound.Jorge Fumero, over six feet tall and a former pitcher for Industriales, Cuba's top baseball team, was the pitcher on the Cuban Baseball team that won the Olympic Gold medal in 1996 and can send a ball at well over 100kmph. Read More

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With Twists and Turns, Cuban Troupe Makes U.S. Debut

<p style="text-align: justify;">Andrea Mohin/The New York Times. Danza Contemporánea de Cuba performed at the Joyce Theater on Tuesday.By CLAUDIA LA ROCCO. Published: May 11, 2011. Though Danza Contemporánea de Cuba has been in existence for more than five decades, it is only now enjoying its first American tour. Given the dearth of exchange between the United States and Cuba in recent decades, anticipation had been understandably high before Tuesday night, when the troupe made its Joyce Theater debut as part of the interdisciplinary festival ¡Si Cuba! How would these performances compare to those of more familiar companies? Read More

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