2010 Latino Cultural Festival

Details

Parent Category: Other Festivals

Category: Music

Published on Saturday, 07 August 2010 20:31

Written by Perry Santanachote

New York City’s second largest park, Flushing Meadow Corona Park, has become a community hub for the vast Latino and Asian populations of the great borough of Queens. The historic 1,255-acre park is also home to the Queens Theatre in the Park, which for the past 17 years has nurtured the Queens community as it transformed into the most diverse borough in the city.

The Chase Queens Theatre in the Park is now in its 14th year. Starting July 29 to August 8, 2010, the theatre has lined up 13 events including music, dance, comedy, spoken word, film, and family-friendly performances, such as a concerts by Leon Gieco, a pop-folk musician who has been called the Argentine Bob Dylan; Carlos Varela, one of Cuba's most talented and emblematic artists; Colombia folk musician Jorge Velosa, who will perform his creation, a new musical style called carranguero music; and singer Susana Baca, who has been instrumental in the international popularity of Afro-Peruvian music.  This year's participants hail from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, the United States, and Venezuela.

“Despite the severity of the economic situation, this festival continues to flourish due in large part to its many supporters and sponsors, and of course, the curatorial vision of the Festival's artistic director, Claudia Norman, who has brought over 200 companies and artists to perform at the Festival since its inception in 1997," said Jeffrey Rosenstock, executive director of Queens Theatre in the Park.

The Queens Theatre in the Park highlights Spanish, African and Caribbean influences, presents rich folk traditions, and spotlights a range of popular and cutting edge artists. Under the direction of Claudia Norman, the theatre has transformed into the nation's largest Latino multi-disciplinary cultural festivals. This once local effort to better serve Latino audiences has become a major cultural attraction in the northeast.

This year's schedule includes the contemporary voices (dance commission, young poets from the boroughs, film), the traditional and popular forms (tango, milonga, urban dance, comedy troupe), the legends (Yomo Toro, Leon Gieco, Susana Baca, Jorge Velosa) , and the new generation of singers and songwriters (Carlos Varela, Pistolera, Lucia Pulido, Claudia Acuña, Aquiles Baez)," said Claudia Norman.

The schedule is as follows:

Thursday, July 29, 2010 at 8 p.m.
Contra tiempo, Urban Latin Dance Theatre
Los Angeles-based contra tiempo fuses salsa, Afro-Cuban, West African and hip-hop styles to create an invigorating dance performance. Its professional dancers, artists and musicians are also immigrants, teachers and activists. Tickets $35 day of, $30 advance, $28 multi-show

Friday, July 30, 2010 at 8 p.m.
YOMO TORO Y Los Latino Del Son
Yomo Toro, a musical maestro and cultural icon, is known as the "Jimi Hendrix of salsa." Toro's pioneering use of the "cuatro" (Puerto Rico's 10-stringed guitar) has thrilled fans of all ages in concerts throughout the world. His dexterity and originality can be heard on his multiple recordings with Willie Colon, Aresenio Rodriguez and Hector Lavoe. Tickets $25 day of, $20 advance, $18 multi-show

Saturday, July 31, 2010 at 2 p.m.
Pistolera (Moona Luna)
Fans of all ages have already enjoyed Pistolera's music. Now, Moona Luna continues the party with upbeat songs for the whole family. Moona Luna, the first female-led, bilingual band of its kind, is the new musical project brought to you by the Latin-alternative group Pistolera. Inspired by the birth of lead singer and songwriter Sandra Velasquez's first child, Moona Luna tunes continue the Brooklyn band's tradition of peppy rhythms and joyous melodies. Free event.

Sunday, August 1, 2010 at 7 p.m.
Tango y Vida
Six dancers, seven musicians, a singer and an actor present the history of tango live on stage.  These international artists embody the heat, energy and controlled abandon that is the Argentine Tango.  Tickets $35 day of, $30 advance, $28 multi-show

Tuesday, August 3, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.
Alejandro Caceres Dance Company
Adventurous contemporary Chilean dancer and choreographer Alejandro Caceres premieres a bold new piece at Queens Theatre in the Park called Dilei. It explores the perception of time that shapes our social discourse.  Free event.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010 at 7 p.m.
Bonafide Rojas
Def Poetry Jam star and poet Bonafide Rojas emcees an open call to all poets and songwriters. Sign up for the opportunity to present your poetry and songs to audiences at Queens Theatre in the Park. Free event.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.
Al otro lado (To the Other Side)
Like many young men in Sinaloa, the drug capital of Mexico, Magdiel faces two choices to better his life: trafficking drugs or illegally crossing the border into the United States. But Magdiel has a special talent that could be his ticket out: composing corridos, ballads about the narcotics underworld and illegal immigrant life. For over 200 years, corridos have been Mexico's musical underground newspaper. This film explores the world of drug smuggling and immigration through corrido music. Free event.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010 at 8 p.m.
Los Chantas Tango Quartet
Collaborating with dancers Jennifer Wesnousky and Orlando Reyes, Los Chantas will present a night of Milonga tango, a form of social dance born in Buenos Aires.  Wesnosky and Raphael will be giving a "fast course" foraudiences who are dancing tango for the first time.  Los Chantas Tango Quartet is a New York-based multinational tango ensemble with a playful, improvised style. Free event.

Thursday, August 5, 2010 at 8 p.m.
Leon Gieco
Considered the “Voice of the Argentinian people," folk performer Leon Gieco brings his socially conscious songs to Queens Theatre in the Park.  His gruff voice, poetic lyrics and unique blend of rock, folk, pop and blues has earned him a huge international following. Tickets $25 day of, $20 advance, $18 multi-show

Friday, August 6, 2010 at 8 p.m.
Carlos Varela
With his six-man electric band, Carlos Varela will rock your socks off one minute, and break your heart the next. Often compared to Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan, Varela is one of the most popular and provoking singer-songwriters in Cuba. His beautiful melodies combine traditional salsa and "cha cha cha" with international folk and pop music. Tickets $30 day of, $25 advance, $23 multi-show

Saturday, August 7, 2010 at 8 p.m.
Jorge Velosa and Los Carrangueros
After a Madison Square Garden performance, which was televised in more than 20 countries, Jorge Velosa returns to New York City for the first time in 15 years. Velosa invented an entire musical genre known as "carranga" and for over 30 years has devoted his life to cultivating Colombian regional music. Tickets $30 day of, $25 advance, $23 multi-show

Sunday, August 8, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.
Susana Baca
Grammy Award-winning singer Susana Baca will perform selections from her new CD, Seis Poemas.  With a voice that has been called, "the quiet storm," Baca pays tribute to Chabuca Granda, one of the great figures of Latin American song, and Federico Garcia Lorca, one of Spain's most influential writers. A key figure in the revival of Afro-Peruvian music, Baca also explores the rich sounds of her African heritage. Tickets $30 day of, $25 advance, $23 multi-show

For more information, visitL queenstheatre.org.

Tickets available:
By phone at 718-760-0064, Tue-Sat, 12-6 p.m.
In person at Queens Theatre in the Park
or online at the url above.

2010 Latino Cultural Festival
July 29 to August 8, 2010
Queens Theatre in the Park
Flushing Meadows Corona Park
111th St. and 51st Ave.
Corona, NY 11368

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