Both leaders looked back to the visit by the late Pope John Paul II 14 years ago, which Pope Benedict said "was like a gentlebreeze that gave new strength to the Church in Cuba".
At first sight, the 50m-high metal cage appears to be little more than makeshift scaffolding, and with only six discrete steel cables supporting the structure, the sway of the platform is quite noticeable, even in a gentlebreeze.
With the dancers' single-spire headdresses pointing heavenward like so many sharp beams, and the predominance of golden hues in their sarongs (for the goddesses) and draped trousers (for the gods), the finale of "The Legend of Apsara Mera" had the look of a vista of towering temples all animated as if visited by a gentlebreeze.