Teté Caturla

It was one of those special nights at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba. At the Compay Segundo Hall or 1930 as it is called, Orquesta Jorrín, the creator of Cha cha cha, was performing. It was there where I met Teresa García Caturla or Teté as she is fondly known. 

Cha cha cha is a dance of Cuban origin and its music was introduced in 1953 by a Cuban composer and violinist Enrique Jorrín. Now you may ask, what about the Ballroom cha cha? Well, it was brought to England by a man named Pierre after he visited Cuba, who eventually created it. But the Cuban Cha cha cha is more sensual and more complex than the Ballroom cha cha.

When Teté came to stage, I saw and felt people’s admiration. She is 74 years old, full of energy, a high quality Cuban singer. She is the daughter of Alejandro García Caturla, one of the most important Cuban composers of the 1920s and 30s. In 1963, she joined Cuarteto d'Aida, an all-female group. She even performed in Finland in 1987. In 2004, she recorded the highly successful, Llegó Teté. 

I love the song Piel Canela the most. We danced with this song in Hotel Nacional de Cuba at the Compay Segunda Hall in July 2011.