Directory of North American nightclubs |
||
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
CALIFORNIA |
|
ILLINOIS |
MICHIGAN |
NEW JERSEY |
NEW YORK |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Search Results for: Van+Van
Eduardo Ron and his Fondo Blanco Band liven up great events in Miami
Once again, the Venezuelan talent in the United States is a source of inspiration for the subject of these lines and it is the turn of Venezuelan musician, sound engineer and DJ Eduardo Ron. The artist has kindly taken a few minutes of his time to answer our questions about his career and group, so here are the most important topics of our conversation.
How Eduardo started in music in his native country
Since Eduardo was just a five-year-old boy, he proved to have a very capable hearing at home and already liked music very much, so his parents decided to enroll him in piano lessons, although he confessed that the instrument was not his thing. At school, he became part of bands with which he gradually found his preferred style and genres.
With these groups, he even competed in school band contests in Caracas, which are very common in the city. Over time, the only one of his close friends who ended up devoting himself to music was him, to the point that he became a ‘’one-man band’’ who took care of almost everything in his own musical project.
It was until 20 years ago where he began to include singers, percussionists and other musicians to be part of his group. That is when he changed the name to ‘’Fondo Blanco’‘, taking Eduardo’s last name, which is Ron (rum in Spanish), as inspiration.
What things Eduardo learned besides the piano
From a very young, Eduardo always liked to have contact with the part of the audio and equipment, which led him to study sound engineering at the Taller de Arte Sonoro. In addition to that, although he loves percussion and masters it to some extent, he was a keyboardist and singer for many years. He is no longer doing either at the moment, as he has decided to devote himself entirely to music production, mixing and mastering.
When Eduardo decided to move to the United States
About 14 or 15 years ago, Eduardo decided to move to the city of Miami due to the political and economic situation in Venezuela at that time. For the same reason, he had no choice but to start from scratch with the project in these new lands and return to play, something he had not done for years, but the situation warranted.
The artist describes the Miami music market as complicated, since the competition is fierce. A huge advantage he had was that he studied English since he was very young, so the language issue was not a problem for him, but that did not make the other drawbacks easier to solve.
One of the first surprises Eduardo got was that, in Miami, he has done no more than 50 events a year, while in Venezuela he had as many as 140 in a year. This is because the market is gigantic and it is difficult to make a big name in it, not to mention that live orchestras do not have as many bookings as before due to cost reductions.
Two years later, he had already got new artists working with him and his situation had stabilized successfully, although the process was not easy. Moreover, even today, he cannot demand exclusivity from those who work with him because he does not have the economic muscle for that, so he has a long list of musicians whom he calls for certain events. One of the first ones he always calls is Army Zerpa, whom he described as one of the best bassists and arrangers he knows, which is why he has become a key person for his project.
Artists with whom Fondo Blanco has shared the stage
Fondo Blanco has been fortunate to share the stage with great artists such as Oscar D’ León, Ricky Martin, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Marc Anthony, among others. Of course, the contact with these luminaries taught Eduardo many things and he assures that one of the best shows he offered was during a Santa Rosa concert, where there were more than 12,000 people. He assures that this is one of those days he will never forget.
However, just as he has had very positive experiences as the previous one, obviously not everything is rosy. The Venezuelan told us that one of those not so good days was during a Ricky Martin concert, an event he had to open that day. It turns out that his equipment was damaged two hours before his turn and he had to try to fix it in front of the crowd of 30,000 people who came to see the Puerto Rican superstar, but nothing he did worked and the audience began to hiss.
That same day, Ricky Martin’s keyboardist asked him to borrow his keyboard because his was damaged and, when returning it, it was totally messed up and what Eduardo had there had been deleted.
Today, although he remembers this with humor, the experience was so unpleasant that it led him not to accept other proposals due to fear that the same thing could happen again. However, once these fears were overcome, he continued to play with his band and has managed to adapt to what the Miami market required both locally and internationally, which shows that the goals and targets should not be disregarded no matter however difficult the circumstances become and Eduardo Ron is a great example of that.
Read also: What a pleasure to talk to Pablo Pérez ‘‘El Alcalde de La Salsa’’
Burju Pérez
North America / USA / Boston
Burju Pérez. From Dance to the Fashion Industry
Turkey is considered one of the countries with the most successful traders in the world and with a big musical influence of the Islamic and Western culture, well, from this country come the wonderful professional salsa dancer Burju Pérez, an entrepreneur who fused the tempo with the comfort and fashion of footwear.
Born in Turkey but arrived from 2 years old to Boston, Massachusetts. From very young, Burju began in the world of rhythmic gymnastics and dance. “My parents say I danced before I walked, or at least I started them both at the same time. I always had a wiggle and a bop”, said Burju for an American media.
Over the years, she learned other rhythms such as: Hip hop, Jazz and classical. Once at the university, she really dabbled in Latin dance, there a dance group was formed and she met her current husband Víctor, whose roots from Puerto Rico and who by that time was already an expert in Salsa dancing.
Once associated both personally and professionally, Burju and Víctor embarked on their way to conquer the most important congresses and festivals in the country as qualified Salsa dancers, starting with the nation’s largest annual convention, LA SALSA FEST, which for that time was only made in two cities of the world: one in San Juan (Puerto Rico – original headquarters) and the other in Los Angeles, (US).
Russia, China, Japan, Turkey, Lithuania, Germany and all Western Europe were also witnesses to the rage of the audience that generated this duo on the dance floor, who stepped on the best stages, generating great respect in the salsa community for being a couple of high competitive range.
Burju during the decade of the 90s began to add her identity to the attire, painting his shoes and creating her own style. By 2003, this regular salsa girl from the stages of Boston and New York had the opportunity to belong to Juan Matos’ Fogarate Dance Project, which was held every weekend in New York. For the same period, Matos came up with another project, this time in Italy and Turkey and for which he had no partner dance so Burju was the ideal candidate to make this tour with him for a month, working full time.
Burju Shoes
Once in Milan, this choreographer and professional dancer began to create her own project, an idea that would satisfy the needs of the dancers, simply a hybrid between dance and fashion, was the creation of Burju Shoes. In Milan, where I was based for the project, there is this very high fashion and lots of people not wearing dance shoes when they dance.
I was like, “Oh, I’m not trying to be left out.” So when I was social dancing I was rocking these hot fashion shoes I bought there, but every night I was nearly crying because I was in so much pain. That’s when I was like, OH MAN! I want to combine fashion with comfort for dance shoes. She explained in an interview.
Burju Shoes (created in December 2010) are the perfect combination between the avant-garden design, contrast of colors, versatility and comfort, made to highlight the distinctive beauty in each dress and coziness when dancing.
Burju decided to create this company in his home, Boston, a very welcoming place where the scenes and the Latino community has grown exponentially.
When I first started my business, I asked a lot of ladies that were well known (in the dance and salsa world) to help me with a collective push with the brand. These girls not only endorsed it, but became part of the brand and helped with the designs. I even named shoes after them!, said she. I had my own following, but it was so wonderful to have all these girls supporting me and spreading the word.
When I felt weak, I had people to lean on who were not just friends but collaborators in the scene… I’m so grateful for the love and support here. She added. The Burju Shoes business was the change in the footwear industry’s perception for the ladies. The belief for years that the beauty of the shoe was synonymous with pain and tiredness of the feet was in the past.
Burju Shoes offer you elegant shoes that you can use to do your dailies and go to work, they are also perfect for a dinner, cocktail and especially for a night of total fun and a lot of Latin dance.
Burju also cared about brides, and created a wide selection for them for that special day.
Burju thanks to his experience as a professional dancer with 14 years of career, travel and in addition to her creative intuition, she has created great innovative designs in each shoe, which are flexible for the comfort of the user and functional for each occasion.
The construction of each pair of shoes is derived from custom made patterns, high-end manufacturing and high quality materials: satins, leathers, sparkle, faux animal prints and other synthetic or man-made materials.
For the outer soles, the options of suede (more traditional for dance shoes) to the street sole which is great for indoor and outdoor use. I think people appreciate that we put a higher standard on presentation… At the end of the day, selling is not my main mission. But I will educate you and help you find what’s right for you, and help you feel good about yourself. I think this draws people in, said
Even though I don’t dance as much as I used to (since I got pregnant four years ago), and went the fashion and entrepreneur route, I’m still connected to this dance scene through my work and like giving back to the community… I want to show people that arts and business can function together. Burju Perez
Dancing in Riverside
North America / USA / Chicago
Dancing in Riverside, an incredible dance academy that provides PRIVATE DANCE LESSONS as the quickest and most effective way of learning how to dance This type of learning is based in dance science and it maximizes the mind/body connection with an emphasis on the student’s personal experiences.
GROUP DANCE CLASSES consisting of a group of students that can range in numbers, from 6 students to 20 or more, and one dance instructor. In a typical group class at Dancing in Riverside, they will teach 2 to 4 patterns in whichever style that the class is learning. In addition to learning those individual patterns, also will teach you how to be able to instantly use the patterns in any social setting. We teach a variety of classes such as Ballroom, Latin, Swing, Salsa and much more.
The benefits of dancing
In Dancing in Riverside, you will learn all the benefits of dancing, such as:
- Physical Benefits
Lose Weight: A recent study that was published in Volume 8 issue #3 of the Journal of Applied Research, suggests that the combination of a proper diet and a regular dance program could be the key to shedding those extra unwanted pounds. The study was conducted by the Department of Physical Therapy at Loma Linda University in the city of Loma Linda California. The researchers combined a sensible diet with a 1 hour a day dance program, and this is what they found: 7.5 pounds lost, 3.2 inches lost from the hips and 28.6% increase in the core muscle strength.
Healthier Bones
Circular System / Stronger Muscles Brain Function
- Mental Benefits
According to the New England Journal of Medicine, studies have found that dancing increases cognitive activity, and subsequently decreases the risk of developing dementia. And based on a reading of these results by Stanford University, dancing frequently reduces the risk of dementia by 76% – considerably more than any other activity studied, including reading. The reason for this is that dancing requires you to make split-second, rapid-fire decisions, basically with every step you take. These kind of exercises have been shown to increase and maintain brain function in people of all ages. According to Stanford, In freestyle social dancing, both men and women are spontaneously open to the infinite possibilities of the moment, responding to one’s partner and to the music.
- Social Benefits
Improved social skills Connecting with community and meeting new people Providing a forum of self-expression
You can learn all of this and much more in Dancing in Riverside
http://www.dancinginriverside.com
Location: 1760 Chicago Ave J11/13, Riverside, CA 92507, EE. UU.
Types of Dancing
Beside you will learn different dances and type of application such as:
- Social Dancing: Social dancing is designed to develop poise and confidence on the dance floor. Its primary objective is to strengthen the individual’s leading or following ability to the point that no matter who your partner is, you will feel physically and mentally confident. The patterns used are generally suitable for smaller floors and so is the arm styling. Advanced styling is not the primary objective of social dancing.
- Showcase Dancing: Showcase dancing is a means of developing one’s ability by spending concentrated time on one or more dances. Preparing a showcase routine is very beneficial for developing confidence, style, pattern knowledge and smoothness. This type of dancing is very stylized and much of the time is spent on footwork, technique and the character of the dance as well as the personality of the dancer. Once the routine is complete, one feels they have gained a tremendous amount of knowledge and confidence in a relatively short period of time.
- Competitive Dancing: Competitive dancing combines the skills of both the social dancer and the showcase performer. Like the social dancer, competitors must maneuver, maintain poise and adjust to the various conditions surrounding them while having all of the flare, style, technique and precision of an exhibition dancer.
En el Nombre de Salomé. A Latin playwriting at Repertorio Español
North America / USA / New York
En el nombre de Salomé is a playwriting written by Marco Antonio Rodríguez and directed by José Zayas based on the fiction novel In the name of Salomé by Julia Álvarez, a history that presents the life of the patriotic poet and Dominican political activist, Salomé Ureña and her youngest daughter, Camila Salomé Henríquez Ureña. Two ladies that extolled the rights of women in XIX and XX centuries.
Salomé Ureña Díaz was a feminist poet during the most important years of Independence of the Dominican Republic, which became independent from Haiti and then returned to be the Colony of Spain for a time for their protection, hence the famous poem by Ureña “A la Patria” ” Salomé also founded the first university for women in the Caribbean country with the help of her husband, Francisco Henríquez y Carvajal, who years later was president of that nation.
By the other hand, Camila Henriquez Ureña was the youngest of her intellectual children, she was a respected educator of Spanish in the United States, lecturer in Latin America, co-founder of one of the main cultural feminist associations in Cuba, obtained a PhD in that Afro Caribbean country, participated in the restructuring of University of the Havana and ended up teaching in her homeland..
This fascinating novel published in 2000, captivated the attention of the director José Zayas, who decided together with the executive director of the Repertorio Español (Theater Company in Spanish famous in New York) to put it on stage.
Both decided that Marco Antonio Rodríguez, a New Yorker with Dominican roots, was the ideal playwright for this adaptation since all his masterpieces have been of total pleasure to the audience. “I was not familiar with Salome; she was a great poet. I knew about her poetry, but I was not very informed about her, and in reality that turned out to be something very positive. It allowed me to undertake the work not as if I were writing about an icon, but in order to find her humanity”, said Rodriguez for an American media.
This writer, producer, actor and director of Latin origin modernized the dramatic play venturing elements of humor as the creation of the character “Sylvestre”, who is a naive man, which is not accepted neither in Haiti nor in the Dominican Republic, so in the scenes of conversation with “Camila” speaks in a colloquial regionalist language, which produces in the audience, acceptance, identification and laughter. Rodriguez explains that his main objective in carrying out this work was to represent the Latino in other facets and not as usual (linked to drug trafficking or other problems), he wanted to change the stereotype of Latin in dramaturgies and films.
“I’m sure they are successful … but we have other stories to share, another psychology to explore, and other issues with which our communities identify.”
Zaya and Marcos made a perfect duet for the creative realization of En Nombre de Salomé. Together, they analyzed every detail of the scenes and characters, recreated a part of the Dominican culture and highlighted the Caribbean artistic talent that according to Zaya is still scarce in the theater.
For the author Julia Álvarez, poet, novelist, and American essayist of Dominican descent, it was a pleasant impression to see the dramaturgy in the Repertorio Español. “It is so rewarding when an artist sees that her play has inspired another artist and that through that artist the word spreads and we reach more and more people … It is a way to spread the stories that are important to our history and culture … Especially at times like this, when so many in the Latino community feel harassed, unwanted and undervalued”. This playwriting, the last October, was awarded with four HOLA (Hispanic Organization of Latino Actors) Awards, including: Outstanding Achievement in Dramaturgy and Outstanding Production of the Year.
En el Nombre de Salomé Next performances:
- Friday, December 1st at 8pm Cost: $17 – $72
- Tuesday, December 12th at 11am Cost: $30 Venue: Repertorio Español
Location: 138 East 27th Street, New York, NY 10016
To get more information about EN EL NOMBRE DE SALOMÉ, please visit their website http://www.marcoantoniorodriguez.com/
To the motherland
Tear, my homeland, the mantle that vilely, on your shoulders put the barbaric cruelty; already raises the bloody forehead from the dust, and sings the holy hymn of union and freedom.
Get up to gird yourself with the purple of glory, oh you, the world’s favorite of Columbus! Your sovereign rank dispute history, demand your laurel and your coat of arms from fame.
And ask your children, called to holy union, to carve you a grandiose pedestal of virtues, to affirm forever the powerful plant, showing the nations your immortal title.
And let, beloved country, let my hymns of pleasure mix with yours in the sonorous wind; Allow me to celebrate your joy and your contentment, as I regretted with you your bitter suffering.
I saw your own children yoking you to the iron yoke, making you an instrument of their cruel revenge; for a scepter they put the executioner’s ax for you, and funereal cypresses formed your canopy.
And then you looked at them outlaws, wandering, wandering tearful foreign beaches; and sad and downcast dying eyes I saw you return to heaven tired of crying.
You know how many times with your unfortunate pain I wept for your misfortune, I wept for your destruction, just as the daughters of Zion once wept for the ruin and havoc of its walls.
And you know that, like them, I hung from your palm groves the harp with which I wanted to sing your facts, because when I watched your blood flow relentlessly to the seas I couldn’t even prelude a chord sound.
But today that it seems you are reborn to another life, with holy rejoicing I take down my lute, to tell the world, if it judged you defeated, that, phoenix, you resurrect with new youth;
that you already hold the standard as the scepter of the free and your mother-of-pearl and sapphire sky as your canopy, and you go with progress, which flies to illuminate you, in pursuit of the bright future that flatters you;
that now your new children embrace each other like brothers, and swear to restore your dignity to your anguish, and among them there are neither serfs nor tyrants, and peace and good give us union and freedom.
O idolized country! Girded with high glory, prepare to be queen of the world of Columbus: your sovereign rank already guards history, fame presents you with your laurel and your coat of arms.
Salome Urena (1874)
