When Tania Vergara traveled back to her hometown of Camagüey, Cuba, in 2025, she didn’t just visit family and old friends. She brought back recordings. The calls of street vendors, known as pregoneros, had followed her through the neighborhood, and she noticed that many of those calls carried more weight than they used to. Selling was survival. Being heard was the point.
Those recordings became the foundation of “Echoes of My Barrio,” an original work premiering Saturday, Oct. 24, at 3 and 7 p.m. at Sarasota Contemporary Dance. The piece weaves movement, live music from Cuban musician Rey Pantoja, batá drumming by Dairon Batista, and improvisation into a reflection on belonging, displacement, and resilience, all rooted in Afro-Cuban traditions.
Vergara’s resume runs deep on both sides of the water. She founded Endedans, Cuba’s first contemporary ballet company, in 2002, relaunched her company in Sarasota in 2023, and recently earned an inaugural Creative Champion Award from the Arts & Cultural Alliance of Sarasota. Her “Casa Havana” also took SRQ Magazine’s Gold Award for Best Local Dance Performance.
Tickets for both shows are available through Sarasota Contemporary Dance. Which local performance have you seen lately that stayed with you? Tell us in the comments.
