Yaíma Rodríguez wins best vedette award at Uruguay carnival

February 20, 2023

The Cuban dancer and candombe choreographer paraded and danced at the front of the Afrocan comparsa.

Yaima Lázara Rodríguez Fernández won the award for best vedette at the Desfile de Llamadas of the Uruguay carnival, celebrated the second weekend of February.

The Cuban dancer and candombe choreographer paraded and danced at the front of the Afrocan comparsa wearing an eye-catching yellow outfit and in front of thousands of people who gathered on Isla de Flores street in Montevideo to witness the spectacle, according to press reports.

Between Friday, February 10 and Saturday, February 11, 45 comparsas competed and paraded down Isla de Flores street, from Zelmar Michelini to Minas, in one of the country's largest popular celebrations, which this year is named in tribute to the centennial of painter and sculptor Carlos Páez Vilaró.

Although the Afrocan comparsa, which the Cuban paraded with, finished in ninth place, the dancer was recognized as the best vedette par excellence in dance and her image, according to the evaluating jury that considers the dances, movements, design, and aesthetic execution in conferring this recognition.

The Desfile de Llamadas is one of Uruguay's largest popular festivals, in which comparsas from throughout the country compete and parade through the streets with music and dance.

At the carnival, a total of 45 comparsas competed and marched to the rhythm of candombe, a manifestation of popular music that has its origins in Africa and is distinguished by the sound of drums.

This celebration dates back to the 19th century and generally takes place during the Christian Lenten season.

The presence of Cubans in Uruguay is increasingly visible as their community continues to grow and settle. Thousands of Cubans arrive each year to establish themselves in that country where they have ceased to be a transient community and are putting down roots in the territory.