When Eduardo Robel was studying at Cuba’s National School Of Art, he learned a valuable lesson: to make the best of what you have. And when everything was dramatically reduced during the pandemic, this proved more pertinent than ever.

‘Musical instruments were always in short supply when we were students, and my teacher always told me to make “more with less”,’ recalls Robel. ‘So we would improvise with whatever we found. It was hard to get hold of violins or trumpets, unless you had your own, so the music was essentially percussive as boxes, bottles and barrels could always be found. They were great parties where we jammed together, swapped instruments and invented choreography with the dancers.’

When covid struck, Robel found his teacher’s words ‘stuck in my head’ and he created Mas Con Menos (Spanish for ‘more with less’) to remember the spirit of those days. ‘Covid took away our reason to live,’ he says. ‘Two years being separated from stages without feeling the adrenaline of live performance was devastating. It felt like we couldn’t breathe, talk or feel. Our means of expression had been taken away.’

After such an enforced break, and soon to arrive in Edinburgh as one of three groups performing in a feelgood show called Havana Street Party, the members of Mas Con Menos aren’t taking anything for granted. ‘We now realise what a unique gift this is,’ says Robel, ‘so we value it more. Every show we perform now, we give it our all in case we ever lose the chance to play again.’

Performing alongside Mas Con Menos will be Kufesa Contemporary Ballet, and street dance group Los Datway. All three companies were formed during lockdown, with the latter in particular experiencing a phenomenal boost from the increase in online activity. ‘I put Los Datway together because I saw that on the streets of Havana there were many young people who loved to dance but had not been trained at the National Dance School, so couldn’t join official dance companies,’ explains director Ernesto Rodrigues. ‘So I invited a few talented individuals to form a new dance collective. But with the arrival of covid, our only outlet was through social media so we made videos of our company that merged with the urban environment where we lived.’

What started as a simple desire to share their work suddenly exploded when the group won $10,000 in a TikTok challenge set by Latin pop sensation Ozuna. ‘Immediately we became stars in Cuba,’ says Rodrigues. ‘We had come from the streets, almost from nowhere, and in our first year together we won a major competition and a life-changing cash prize. We were recognised nationally and internationally; Reggaeton star Daddy Yankee posted one of our videos on his site and it went viral with 2m views in just a few days. No other Cuban dance company or music group has ever had such success.’

Considering that just a few years ago, internet access in Cuba was virtually non-existent, Los Datway’s achievement is cause for celebration across the island. ‘We’ve become an inspiration for the young people here,’ says Rodrigues. ‘And to go to Edinburgh is one more incredible step on our journey.’

Havana Street Party, Underbelly Bristo Square, 4–29 August, 5.25pm.