Cuba's greatest living bolero interpreter — Omara Portuondo began her career in the 1950s as a singer and dancer in Havana's cabarets, became a star of the revolutionary cultural scene, and reached global audiences through the Buena Vista Social Club.
Born in Havana to a baseball player and a dancer, Omara Portuondo started as both a singer and a dancer, performing in the renowned Cuarteto d'Aida alongside her sister Haydée. She developed an intimate, emotionally precise bolero style rooted in the traditional Cuban trova and son-bolero tradition, and became one of the most beloved voices on the island through the 1960s and 1970s.
The Buena Vista Social Club recordings brought her to international attention. Her duets with Ibrahim Ferrer — particularly Silencio — are among the most moving moments in the documentary. She has continued recording and touring into her 90s, remaining the living embodiment of the Cuban bolero tradition. Her voice, like the tradition itself, has only deepened with time.