Ran Kan Kan: Azúcar! Cuban Dance Night- at the Old Fire Station

Ran Kan Kan, Oxford’s Cuban-style big band, will be bringing the sweet sounds of Cuban music and dance to liven up cold November nights. The evening starts with a Cuban dance class, from the charismatic Ariel Rios, to get you in the mood to shake your stuff Cuban-style. 20-piece Oxford-based big band, Ran Kan Kan play music from the golden age of Cuban dance bands, made famous by Buena Vista Social Club, with funky mambos, son montuno and rumba. Our growing fan base delight in dancing the night away at regular gigs at Oxford’s Old Fire Station, The Isis Farmhouse and other local venues. Lead singers Trisha Pena, and Melisa Akdogan are supported by virtuoso brass and woodwind sections, funky violin and complex and syncopated Latin rhythms from a 6-piece rhythm section. Ran Kan Kan was formed in 2011 by musicians attending a Cuban music workshop – a meeting of Oxford-based Latin percussionists and jazz musicians – which led us on a long musical journey, exploring the roots of the glorious Cuban music that inspired salsa. The evening starts with a Cuban dance class to get you in the mood to shake your stuff Cuban-style. * In Havana, gig audiences call out “Azúcar” (sugar!) to celebrate sweet and virtuoso solos.