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• 01 / 30 / 2010

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It is not that Juan Formell, the leader of Los Van Van, Cuba's most famous dance band, doesn't have any political views. It is just, he says, that he doesn't come to the United States - or to Miami, where Los Van Van play Sunday night - to promote them.

``We came here to do music, just music, and nothing more,'' Formell said Thursday afternoon as he sat on the patio of the Doubletree Grand Hotel in Key West, where he and Los Van Van were slated to play that night. ``We didn't come to the U.S. to do any kind of politics or ideology or anything like that,'' he said.

``If you ask me a political question, I'll answer you - I'm not a mute,'' Formell said. ``But this is not about sharing an idea or an ideology - you can think in one way, I can think in another. But we're talking about music.''

The mood at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park on Thursday night, where Van Van performed in a concert honoring the 150th anniversary of the birth of José Martí, the hero of Cuban independence, was also resolutely, joyfully musical. The people packed in front of the outdoor stage were mostly young, Cuban and adept at winding their hips; those behind them were largely older, Anglo and amateurs at salsa motion. But they had a similar attitude towards Van Van's music.

``I love [Van Van's] music,'' said Key West resident Bernard Ames, 83, there with his wife Rosalee Sprout, 71. ``I love all kinds of music.'' Sprout, who said she'd traveled to Santiago de Cuba, screwed her face up in distaste when asked about the political implications of Los Van Van's visit. ``It's NOT political,'' she said. ``This has nothing to do with politics.''

Standing next to the corner of the stage, Ray Rodriguez, 44, who'd come from Cuba to Miami five years ago, took a break from dancing to agree with Sprout's sentiments. ``I'm Cuban,'' he said, when asked what brought him to the show. ``Music has nothing to do with politics. Anyway, I live in a democratic country, don't I?''

Formell said he'd had doubts when John Cabañas, the Cuban-American owner of C&T Charters who had brought Van Van here and was producing the Key West and Miami shows, suggested performing in the city where Van Van's 1999 concert caused so much turmoil.

``I was a little afraid that the same thing would happen - `oh yeah, Miami again, the same story,''' Formell said. But he said he'd been surprised by the reaction when they arrived at Miami International Airport on Wednesday. ``Before the press was very aggressive, but this time it was very peaceful. There was a dialogue.''

Formell credited Colombian rock star Juanes' gigantic Concert for Peace in Havana in September with changing his mind about returning to Miami - and the political ambiance on both sides. ``There are always going to be people against this,'' he said. ``But I thought that it's possible to do [a Van Van] concert here in a way that's more peaceful, and I said, ok, let's do Miami.''

Formell also credited younger Cuban-Americans with more interest in the island's culture - and said he was eager to reach them. ``There are a lot of Cubans born here in the U.S. but with parents born in Cuba, and they're just as Cuban as they are on the island, and they're followers of our tradition. There's a big group of young people that are coming with another idea, and you can see the same thing in Cuba too. It seems like this tension is lifting, and things are changing.''

Source: www.miamiherald.com/