Icon of Afro-Cuban dance and music dies at 94

HAVANA, Cuba, Sep 15 (ACN) Renowned artist Zenaida Armenteros, prima ballerina, singer, actress, and founder of the Cuban National Folkloric Ensemble (CFNC by its Spanish acronym), died on Sunday at 94, according to sources from the Ministry of Culture (Mincult).

The renowned "Ayagba—Queen in the Yoruba language—of Cuba," a teacher of the purest Afro-Cuban traditions, was born in the humble neighborhood of Carraguao, in El Cerro, Havana, to a working-class family.

She barely managed to complete primary school to contribute to the family's livelihood by working as a servant in amateur artist programs, although her artistic inclination for singing had begun in childhood, when she learned ancient African dances.

Her fame rose to prominence after her debut with the CFNC, founded by the celebrated Rogelio Martinez Fure in 1962. There, she performed leading roles as a dancer and doubled as an extraordinary actress and magnificent singer.

She also received the Espejo de Paciencia distinction from the Provincial Cultural Institution and the Ache recognition from the Camagüey Folkloric Ballet.

As a singer, dancer, and later a teacher for the new generations of artists who joined the Folkloric Ensemble, Armenteros was one of the pillars that sustained the development of Afro-Cuban culture.

Among her most notable achievements is her participation as a singer on radio, television, theater, cabaret, and film since 1946. She tenaciously joined the CFNC's repertoire of classical works and performed a variety of roles, from dance troupe to leading dancer, leading actress, and leading singer.

Later, through years of accrued talent and acclaim, she became a professor of Afro-Cuban songs in the summer courses of the Dance Arts Faculty of the Folklore Department of the High Institute of Art, and performed as a singer at Folkcuba International events.

Zenaida was awarded the Alejo Carpentier Medal, the Distinction for National Culture, the National Dance Award in 2005, and was named an Artist of Merit from the Cuban Writers and Artists Association (UNEAC), among many other recognitions.

Both the institution to which she devoted herself body and soul for several decades, and the Ministry of Culture, sent heartfelt condolences to family and friends, mourning the irreparable loss of one of the most integral artists the Cuban scene has ever produced.