Oquestra Aragon, the Cuban ban credited with spreading the cha-cha around the world.
By Shant Shahrigian May 11, 2017 –THE BRONX — When Orquesta Aragón, the Cuban band credited with spreading the cha-cha around the world, came to the Beacon Theater in 1983, it was a passionately political affair.
Anti-Castro protesters heckled concertgoers entering the Upper West Side venue and vendors sold communist propaganda inside, according to a New York Times account at the time.
A lot has changed in U.S.-Cuba relations since then, but Latin music expert René López said people who see the band on Saturday at the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts in the Bronx can still expect an “electric” show.
“It’s festive. It’s special because they don’t come here that often,” said López, a Latin Grammy-Award winning producer who lives in Westchester. “Dancing breaks out in the aisles sometimes.”
