Rhythms of Havana: Music, Dance & Cultural Exchange with Yazmin & Beat Zero

An Educational and Cultural Immersion in Havana

Created in collaboration between Yazmin & Beat Zero and Son Dos Alas, this unique nine-day People-to-People educational program invites participants to explore the rich history, cultural significance, and living traditions of Cuban rhythm through direct engagement with the artists, educators, dancers, and cultural practitioners who sustain these traditions today.

For singer-songwriter and pianist Yazmin, Cuba has been far more than a musical influence. Since first discovering Cuban music as a teenager, the island has played a transformative role in her artistic development. Her studies in Havana, ongoing musical collaborations, and years of leading travelers to Cuba have fostered a deep connection to the country, its people, and its musical traditions. Through her work with Beat Zero, Yazmin blends Cuban influences with Folk, Rock, and Jazz traditions, creating a distinctive sound rooted in cultural exchange and artistic curiosity.

Joining forces with Son Dos Alas, a leader in educational and People-to-People travel to Cuba, this program moves beyond conventional travel experiences to provide meaningful access to the musicians, dancers, scholars, and entrepreneurs who shape contemporary Cuban cultural life. Together, Yazmin and Son Dos Alas have designed an experience that combines musical exploration with cultural understanding, offering participants opportunities rarely available through traditional travel programs.

Throughout the program, participants will engage directly with Havana's vibrant jazz, salsa, and rumba communities through private performances, rehearsals, workshops, lectures, and discussions. The itinerary emphasizes both the historical foundations and contemporary evolution of Cuban rhythm, examining how music functions as a vehicle for identity, community, spirituality, resistance, and creative expression.

Highlights include private encounters with master musicians and dancers, salsa instruction, performances by Havana Compass Dance and Rumba All Stars, a behind-the-scenes rehearsal visit with Yazmin & Beat Zero, and a special farewell concert by the band. Participants will also experience Cuba's broader cultural landscape through visits to Old Havana, Cojímar, the Fine Arts Museum, the Hemingway House at Finca Vigía, the Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba Company, and Finca Tungasuk Farm, where conversations around food, sustainability, and entrepreneurship complement the program's artistic focus.

Designed as an OFAC-compliant People-to-People delegation, the program provides direct educational engagement with Cuban society while fostering meaningful relationships between travelers and local communities. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the historical, social, and cultural forces that have shaped one of the world's most influential musical traditions.

At Son Dos Alas, we recognize that Cuba is a destination unlike any other. Rather than standardizing experiences, we design each program to highlight the island's unique historical, cultural, political, and geographic realities. Our boutique approach prioritizes meaningful engagement, ethical partnerships, and sustainable support for Cuba's emerging entrepreneurial sector. We strive to ensure that interactions between visitors and local Cubans are mutually beneficial, fostering long-term relationships, academic collaboration, cultural understanding, and professional exchange.

Program features OFAC-compliant legal travel documentation, Cuban visas, pre-departure orientations and materials, airport transfers, accommodations in family-owned casas particulares, daily breakfasts, all program lunches, transportation for scheduled activities, bilingual guides and translators, gratuities, and all educational, cultural, and performance-based programming detailed in the itinerary.

More than a music program, Rhythms of Havana is an invitation to experience the island through the people who create, preserve, and live its rhythms every day.

Group Size and Dynamics

All of our Son Dos Alas programs are thematically custom designed by our joint US and Cuban team of professionals who take great pride in curating each immersion experience. To achieve quality programs, we limit the size of delegation membership to a maximum of fourteen participants. This allows us to create programs that share the weight of programs costs to make them accessible for all travelers, while also allowing us to couture programs that meet participant’s individual needs and interests.

Local Transportation

All transportation for program content activities is included. Airport transfers and daily transportation is conducted either in large busses or in air conditioned vans.

Airfare

Airfare is not included. It is expected that delegates arrange their own air travel to/from Havana to participate in all days of program content including arrival and departure of the outlined program. Cuban visas are only for the duration of the program, delegates may not arrive early nor extend their stay beyond the visa/program dates. Airport transfers will be arranged to suit individual delegates arrivals and departures. 

Lunches and evening dinner

All daily breakfasts are provided at your accommodations. All lunches, as well as the special welcome and farewell dinners, are included and will be hosted at premier paladares. These privately owned restaurants have been carefully selected to provide guests with high-quality service and an authentic taste of Cuba’s evolving gastronomic scene.