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Listen: The Blues ProgramCuban comparsa dancer Irene Fernandez outside The Queen Cafe- Key West, Florida.
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Series 1640, RG 158, Emelia and Irene Fernandez, Cuban Comparsa Dancing ; Box 10, FF3
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Irene and Emelia served as master artists of the comparsas dance for several apprentices. The comparsas tradition was revived by Emelia Fernandez in Key West. Danny Acosta led the band that accompanied the dances. The Cuban dance has African roots and is usually performed in long conga lines. Dancers dress in elaborate, ruffled outfits. The tradition began in Key West in 1938. Emelia herself arrived in Florida in 1959. She and her daughter revived the dance tradition in the early 1990s.
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