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LATIDOS TRIPS TO CUBA

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Classes with professionals in Cuba: We will arrange classes for you with professional dancers in Havana or a Casa Particular (staying with a Cuban family). This service is for those who want to travel alone, without joining our exclusive tour.

Cost: $200+ HST for setting up the classes in Havana with some of the best professional dancers in the country.
Cost: $200 + HST for setting up a Casa Particular in Havana in Centro Havana at a high standard.
If you choose to purchase both services, we will only charge you a total of $300 + HST.
**If you would like to get the contact of more instructors, an extra charge will be added.

Terms: Because of the nature of the service, the fees are non-refundable. So be sure to book when you are sure you will travel. The Casa has to be paid in full upon arrival, classes are paid per day. For classes, you will be able to keep the contact of the instructors and contact them directly, but you will not be able to share it with anyone. If you would like us to set up the classes again for future trips, the same fee will be charged. The details of the instructors cannot be passed and they will not accept students who are referred through other students. The fee is for one person or a couple. For group fees please contact us in order to get a quote. We will fix the price of your classes for you ahead of time so that the price will not fluctuate. Part of the fee you will pay us goes to pay the instructors and improve their lifestyle in Cuba.

Latidos Productions is organizing an exclusive trip to Cuba - 2 full weeks of excitement, culture and a unique and in depth look at the Cuban way of living. A unique Cuban travel experience with a focus on Cuban dance, music and the Orishas.

Only 7 lucky people will get to travel with Chen Lizra one on one, for a tour which will transform their lives!

Next July 8-22, 2010

Number of people: ONLY 7 people
Age limit: 25-45
Cost: $1300 CAD (+ HST for Canadians. Private tour guide fee only for an exclusive tour/experience. Does not include any expenses)
Non refundable deposit: $300
Promo: 2 guys who will register before Feb 28th, 2010 will pay only $850 CAD (+HST for Canadians only or $14 extra for international wire)
From where: anywhere in the world!

Read the tour testimonials now!!

Escape the holiday blues and spend New Years in Havana! Forget about family obligations, holiday stress and the cold weather.. Leave it all behind and come and join us for an experience of a lifetime inside Cuban culture. What better way to spend your Xmas and New Years than inside one of the richest cultures full of music, dance and unique religious experiences… not to mention stunning beaches.

This is a tour for people with passion for Cuban dance and music and a desire to see Cuba from the inside, not as a tourist, the unbeaten path. It’s also for people that want to see Santeria ceremonies and learn more about the the power and beauty of the Orishas.

Tour Cuba and see life through Cuban eyes which is a 100% from the heart. No matter what you are looking for – afraid to open your heart, looking for a new spiritual path, want to become more sensual/seductive.. - you will see your life transform and your walls dissolve. This is a tour of transformation through the magic and beauty of Cuban culture. There is no way of telling ahead of time what your transformation will be about, it depends on what is deep inside your heart… but what is for sure is that Cuba will bring it out and melt those walls down. You will see what not many have seen in Cuba – why Cuba gives so much energy to the ones that visit it, and why they feel they have to come back.

Find out how it works by reading the Sabrosura blog - get a sense for it!

How does it work?
Only seven people will get to go with Chen Lizra on a personal tour to Cuba. They will each pay $1300(+HST) for their private tour guide ($300 non refundable). The price is only a tour guide fee and does not include any of the trip expenses. In exchange, Chen Lizra will travel with the lucky seven and show them life in Cuba from the inside, organize music/ dance classes for those who are interested, recommend hotels or organize a stay with a Cuban family in some of the best private homes, go out with them to the best shows in the city - Folklore and Salsa, and explain how the system works. Basically this the kind of tour and the kind of activities that you will not find in a tour guide book. It is about going deep into the culture and letting the warmth of Cuba melt your walls down. On weekends, people will get to see Trinidad and Vinales. Trinidad has one of the best music and Afro-Cuban scenes in the country. Since the PMT is for the private tour guide only, people can join from anywhere in the world and for however long they want out of the two weeks. You don't pay for what you don't do! And you get to go with seven other awesome people who all have the same passion! This is an intimate tour which will get you inside the beating heart of the music and dance scene of Havana and the life of Cubans, beyond what you would see on your own. The tour is perfect for people that like to go with the flow..

What you will see: (things can vary based on what is available at the time of travel)

A full day guided tour of Havana so you get the feel for the city and a bit of the history
First week more guided and structured, second week more free time to go after the things that interest you
By the time you will be leaving, you will feel like you are living in Havana
You will interact with locals
All casas are screened for best families and best homes in the heart of Havana
All teachers are screened so that you will not interact with bad characters and study with those that know how to teach well, not just dance well
One on one classes with some of the best dancers and musicians in the country (not group classes)
Watch a class in the National Folklore group of Cuba – one of the top three groups in Cuba for Afro-Cuban - see how professionals train. An unforgettable experience!
Top Cuban Salsa bands in the country (depending on who is in the country at the time. Many of the groups that are missing during the summer come back and give it all at Xmas and New Years) - usually we will go to 1-2 shows during the trip
Nonstop parties in the best places in Havana where the locals hang, nonstop dancing and music
You will see Afro-Cuban shows from such groups as Grammy award winning Yoruba Andabo and The National Folklore Group of Cuba (one of top three groups for Afro-Cuban folklore in the country) - depending on who is available at the time
Private party with dancers from the National Folklore Group of Cuba - some of the best dancers in the country
A look at different parts of the country for getting a better sense of the full life: 2 days tour to Trinidad with two beach visits, one day tour to Vinales
Incredible Afro-Haitian show in Trinidad with a complete different style of dance than Havana - Gaga, Vodu, Tumba Francesa (Yoruba Andabo and National Folklore Group perform Rumba and Yoruba, not Haitian)
Seeing Orishas dances (Yoruba) as well as the game of Afro-Cuban Rumba
You will eat great food, not the way that most tourists eat in Cuba, in each part of Cuba on your trip
Seeing a ceremony of the Orishas (if available at the time of the tour)

It is important to point out that the way the Cuban system works is very unpredictable and messy. So although these things are planned, things can change and some of these things will not be possible during your travel. For example: groups might not perform at the time, or they might travel outside the country, the schedule of the instructors might suddenly change, a religious ceremony might not happen during those two weeks and so on. So what you see here is a guide but not an itinerary. The main thing when traveling to Cuba is not to look for a "perfect" experience like in many Western countries but to learn to accept the rapid changes which will get you into the culture and warm your heart. As they say in Cuba when things do not work as planned, and you can expect that to happen every day - welcome to Cuba!

The only things that you will not be able to opt out of are weekend trips and the private party with professional dancers from the National Folklore of Cuba. You also will not be able to leave Havana during the week. Besides that the plan is flexible and will allow you to pick and choose what you would like to do and tailor it to your needs. The trip is unique in that sense. For your life to be deeply affected you need to stay within the guidelines of the tour and to keep attending as many activities as possible, or you will experience it as a tourist and not from the inside.

Javier (who works in a Cuban travel agency and helps organize the tours):”Chen, within the few days that I have worked with you, I can say that you are a very special person. No one organizes these kind of a tours inside Cuban culture. We will post it on our website and direct people that are looking for this kind of a trip to you.”

What did those that attended liked about the tour:

Learning about the Orishas and seeing a Santeria religious ceremony which tourists don’t usually get to see
Going to various music/dance venues especially those with professional dancers
Dancing with great dancers and professional dancers all through the tour
Loved how non judgmental all of the dance instructors were
The instructors were amazing
Seeing amazing live music shows nonstop
Meeting locals and socializing with them
Having an old grandmother cook for us, the food was amazing
Seeing Cuba from the inside, not as a tourist
Getting free time to explore the city on my own
Shopping. Shopping. Shopping
Loved the family we stayed with and the house – very sweet! Such great people
Having the group to bond with and living in such close proximity of each other and everything
The option to opt out of group outings and do other things, the freedom is appreciated as it makes the structuring trip much more enjoyable
The flexibility of plans – spontaneity and fluidity
Beach visits and the trip to the reef on the way to Trinidad which was stunning
Seeing Trinidad with an inside look at the music and dance scene
Exploring different cities and significant Cuban locations – Trinidad and Vinales
This tour transformed my life
The opportunity to see the real life of Cuban people without the superficiality of a tourist attraction
I loved the closeness and bonding of a small group
I loved the end of tour party with the professional dancers
I felt privileged to watch the dancers from the Conjunto practice

Who isn’t this tour for:

People who are looking to just party
People who would rather be in a resort
People who are just looking to be every day on the beach
People who are looking for a sex trip
People who are looking for a cheap way to go to Cuba
People who are looking for a tour with a focus on monuments and history
People who come with a closed heart and mind
People who do not fit with a structured tour of any kind and does not accept authority
People who cannot handle rapid change well

Why should I travel with Chen Lizra?
Chen has been to Cuba many times. She trains on a regular basis in Havana with some of the best dancers in the country and has the right kind of network to get you into the culture and the dance/music scene. She also toured in other places and knows her way around, and has the right network to make things happen in Cuba. Chen has personal friends who will welcome you into their lives and help with whatever you need. She can set you up with the best family stays in Cuba and dance/music classes with professionals. On top of that she speaks the language and can help translate and deal with whatever will come up. And most importantly, Chen knows the culture and knows how to move inside it - get to the best and avoid the bad. She will teach you how Cubans think so that in the future you will be able to easily come back on your own and have the network of people who will welcome you back...

Refund will be issued based on these terms:

61– 90 days before departure date - 20 % of remaining costs are kept
31 - 60 days before the departure date – 50% of remaining costs are kept
0 - 30 days before the departure date – 100% of remaining costs are kept

Remaining costs are defined as the total amount paid to LATIDOS, less the non-refundable deposit, including all applicable taxes.

If you are interested in joining this trip please call us at 604-708-2170, Reserve your spot today! Space is limited!

Feel free to contact us about any of these services or for any other services you may require!! We welcome travel invitations!!