Summer Nights at El Museo – Women on the Verge
Thursday, July 10, performance begins at 7:00 pm
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— Cecilia Villar Eljuri Ecuadoran Latin and World-beat phenom Cecilia Villar Eljuri’s latest release titled “En Paz” melds the music of Cecilia’s heritage with honest lyrics and powerful dance-inciting rhythms. Sung primarily in her native language of Spanish, this may be Eljuri’s most raw and passionate album to date. Born in Ecuador, Cecilia is the daughter of legendary radio, theatre and television pioneer Paco Villar and composer Olga Eljuri de Villar. In the creation of En Paz, Cecilia tapped into her parents’ artistic legacy and Ecuadorian heritage by traveling to her homeland during the writing stage, greatly impacting the direction of the album. What unfolds on En Paz are rock-tinged songs with hook-driven melodies, complimented by confident lyrics. On Sombra Negra, Eljuri delivers sultry, urgent vocals backed by growling guitar licks. Another song, Una Ola, one of the first tracks written for the album, reflects on memories of a dear friend. Eljuri describes the powers of the ocean and how a single wave can sweep you away into bliss. “… a sound that electrifies Latin styles…This is rock/dance music at its best.” —BILLBOARD Magazine |
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— Xiomara Laugart For many years in Cuba, powerful, raw songstress Xiomara Laugart (a.k.a. “La Negra”) was muse to artists in the “Nueva Trova” movement, and shared stages with the likes of Pablo Milanes, Silvio Rodriguez, and Raul Torres. After immigrating to the United States, Xiomara became the lead vocalist in Yerba Buena, and recently played Celia Cruz on Broadway, singing the Cuban legend’s classic songs so authentically, older audience members were regularly moved to tears. Over the course of her career she has recorded and/or performed alongside some of Latin music’s most legendary musicians, including Albita, Omara Portuondo, Jacky Terrasson, Omar Sosa, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Dave Valentin, Isaac Delgado, Carlinhos Brown, Arto Lindsay, Roy Hargrove, Ron Blake, and many more. |
Admission: All of the concerts are free and open to the public. Location: Typically held in El Museo’s outdoor courtyard, this year’s concert series will take place in El Museo’s 599-seat Heckscher Theater while the courtyard undergoes renovation.
Film & Video / Outdoor Programs
CIELO ABIERTO: Rooftop Films at El Museo
Friday, July 11, 2008; live music begins at 8:30 pm, films begin at 9:30 pm
Rooftop Films and El Museo del Barrio invite you to our summer outdoor screenings, which will highlight the work of independent films by emerging Latino filmmakers. El Museo’s top floor roof terrace will be open to the public to enjoy a selection of films as well as refreshments and live music.
—— Yerbabuena
Composed of musicians, singers and dancers from the New York City area who share an intense passion for the musical traditions of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. They describe their show as “a cross between a jam in the park, a spiritual ceremony and a family reunion.” Expect an uplifting, vibrant mix of bomba, plena and música jíbara.
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—— The Crown (La Corona) In this pageant, the contestants are accused murderers, guerrillas, and thieves. The winner will be crowned Queen, but she won’t be invited on a press tour as a role model for young girls. Instead, she will be escorted back to her cell. Nominated for an Academy Award, La Corona documents the boisterous annual beauty pageants in El Buen Pastor, a women’s prison in Colombia. Every year the prison administration allows the various cellblocks to nominate one woman to represent them in the prison-wide competition, and the ensuing spectacle is so ostentatiously festive and irresistibly colorful that it is even covered by the national media. Colombian-born filmmaker Isabel Vega read about the pageants in an article and soon teamed with long-time collaborator Amanda Micheli to capture the uniquely Colombian event. Despite difficulties working with the warden, the filmmakers succeed in capturing the spirit of the affair and glimpses of the contestants’ complex motivations. Despite their hardships, the women rally around their nominees and show intense pride and loyalty to their cellblock communities, even in defeat. The Crown, (La Corona) Dir. Amanda Micheli, Isabel Vega. (Colombia, 2005, 45 min. Spanish with subtitles) |
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—— Some Kind of Sadness (Alguna Tristeza) Beginning with ruminations on the Peruvian soccer team’s overturned victory in the 1936 Olympics, Juan Alejandro Ramirez’ mesmerizing documentary intertwines multiple themes—personal, political, historical and anthropological — and creates a uniquely magical tapestry, shaded in the hues of his native countryside. This group of seemingly unrelated vignettes are always intensely emotional in tone, and often center on questions of race, identity, and culture: the ill-feeling after the stolen victory (widely believed to have been decided on grounds of race); a moody cab driver’s blind faith for a better future; the emptiness of a discovery that was never recognized; the alienation of an outsider in a remote Amazonian town; and the determination of a trio of waiters aboard a train that runs across the barren Southern Andean tundra. Taken together, these episodes run together like a narrated home movie exploring a culture and social conditions that have made sadness a way of life. Some Kind of Sadness (Alguna Trsiteza) Dir. Juan Alejandro Ramírez. (Peru, 2006, 41 min.) |
Admission: $9. Please note: Space is very limited so we highly recommend ordering advance tickets at http://tinyurl.com/5npj9r. El Museo members may attend free, but must RSVP 24 hours in advance to: Nazira Handal at (212) 660-7143 or nhandal@elmuseo.org to reserve seats. Please bring your membership card to ensure preferred seating.
In the event of rain, the show will be held indoors at the same location.
El Barrio and Beyond
Destination: El Barrio. Free Walking Tours
Saturday, July 12, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Tour meets each Saturday at the southeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 104th Street. Guides from Big Onion Walking Tours lead excursions highlighting the thriving scene of Latino arts, culture and cuisine native to El Barrio. This program has been developed for El Museo del Barrio and the East Harlem Board of Tourism through grants from the Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
Admission: Free. For more information visit www.eastharlemtourism.org
Performing Arts
Summer Nights at El Museo – Target Free Latin Nights Concert Series, Noches Latinas
Thursday, July 17, performance begins at 7:00 pm
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—Night at the Palladium with the Chino Núñez and Friends Orchestra In 2005, after 35 years in the business, Chino launched his solo career to widespread acclaim with the highly anticipated release of his debut album “It’s SHOtime”. The CD remains on the top radio playlists, has received countless recognitions and numerous tracks have been selected for Salsa compilations all over the world. “Homenaje Al Bailador” was selected for a soon to be released film, “Padre Nuestro,” distributed by Cinergy Pictures. His latest CD titled “Doctor Salsa” was produced in his studio and was released in October 2007. Chino received a Grammy in 2004 as a member of the Spanish Harlem Orchestra for the album “Across 110th Street” for which he arranged “Te Cantare”. The list of musicians with whom he’s worked reads like a Who’s Who of Latin music, and includes Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Ray Barretto, Hector Lavoe, El Gran Combo De Puerto Rico, Tito Nieves, Oscar DeLeón, Tito Rojas, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Victor Manuelle, Jerry Rivera, Ruben Blades, Johnny Pacheco, Louis Ramirez, Adalberto Santiago, Ismael Miranda, Cheo Feliciano, Larry Harlow, Yomo Toro, Luis Perico Ortiz, Domingo Quinones, La India, Marc Anthony, Brenda K. Starr, Michael Stewart, Jimmy Bosch, Frankie Vasquez y Los Soneros del Barrio, Ernie Acevedo Y Su Conjunto Imagen, Rafael DeJesus y Su Orquesta, Conjunto Clásico, and Danny Rivera, among others. |
Admission: All of the concerts are free and open to the public. Location: Typically held in El Museo’s outdoor courtyard, this year’s concert series will take place in El Museo’s 599-seat Heckscher Theater while the courtyard undergoes renovation.
Film & Video / Outdoor Programs
CIELO ABIERTO: Cine en los Jardines de El Barrio
Friday, July 18, 2008, 8:30 pm – 10:30 pm
In collaboration with New York Restoration Project, El Museo del Barrio presents CIELO ABIERTO: Cine en los Jardines de El Barrio, three nights of films for families. The screenings, held in East Harlem’s community gardens, are the perfect excuse to enjoy great films and mingle with friends and neighbors. BRING YOUR OWN CHAIR! Please note: all films are in Spanish with English subtitles.
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—— Familia Rodante (Rolling Family) When a grandmother returns to her homeland to be the matron of honor at her niece’s wedding, she brings her whole family along. Four cramped generations set off on a cross-country journey in a modest RV . Along the way, their true feelings come to the surface. Preceeded by Emilia, a story about the unconditional love a couple has for their six-year-old daughter.Familia Rodante, (Rolling Family) Dir. Pablo Trapero (2006, Argentina, 95 min, Spanish with subtitles) Emilia, Dir. Carla Valencia (2006, Ecuador, 7 min, silent) |
Admission: Free. Location: 103rd Street Community Garden, 105 East 103rd Street, El Barrio.
El Barrio and Beyond
Destination: El Barrio. Free Walking Tours
Saturday, July 19, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Tour meets each Saturday at the southeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 104th Street. Guides from Big Onion Walking Tours lead excursions highlighting the thriving scene of Latino arts, culture and cuisine native to El Barrio. This program has been developed for El Museo del Barrio and the East Harlem Board of Tourism through grants from the Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
Admission: Free. For more information visit www.eastharlemtourism.org
Performing Arts
Summer Nights at El Museo – Target Free Latin Nights Concert Series, Noches Latinas
Thursday, July 24, performance begins at 7:00 pm
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—— Freestyle Urban Night Presented in collaboration with Blue Entertainment, it features up-and-coming rapper Nick Diddy aka TALENTINO. Billed as a Dominican Sean Combs, Talentino was a high school classmate of nuevo-bachata stars Aventura, and an early promoter of Uptown neighborhood parties for the NYC-raised “Dominican York” generation. He’s a multi-tasking perfomer who has appeared in several indie films, while performing his music in New York and the Dominican Republic, acting as a hype-man for numerous parties, and hosting an internet radio show on www.urbanlatinoradio.com. He released his first album, “The Talent Show,” this year. Other musicians featured include emcees and singers Nayobe, Soave, and Young Quest. |
Admission: All of the concerts are free and open to the public. Location: Typically held in El Museo’s outdoor courtyard, this year’s concert series will take place in El Museo’s 599-seat Heckscher Theater while the courtyard undergoes renovation.
El Barrio and Beyond
Destination: El Barrio. Free Walking Tours
Saturday, July 26, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Tour meets each Saturday at the southeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 104th Street. Guides from Big Onion Walking Tours lead excursions highlighting the thriving scene of Latino arts, culture and cuisine native to El Barrio. This program has been developed for El Museo del Barrio and the East Harlem Board of Tourism through grants from the Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
Admission: Free. For more information visit www.eastharlemtourism.org
Performing Arts
Summer Nights at El Museo – Target Free Latin Nights Concert Series, Noches Latinas
Thursday, July 31, performance begins at 7:00 pm
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—Irresistible Tango featuring Tito Castro Irresistible Tango will transport audiences through a 105-year journey of one of the world’s most captivating music and dance genres while honoring many of the genre’s legendary greats such as Eduardo Arolas, Anibal Triolo, Enrique Santos Discepolo and the world famous Carlos Gardel, among others. The dynamic ensemble features Sofia Tosello (lead singer), Maurizio Najt (piano), Franchinito Iwaki (violin), Tomas Lacroze (bass) and Tito Castro (bandeon) and guest dancers. Born among nostalgic working-class Italian immigrants in Buenos Aires in the late 1800’s, tango is an intricate dance of passion, elegance, grace, and speed. It is intensely improvisational, with a rich history. In its infancy, tango was danced solely among the men as a means to perfect the complicated steps and to compete for the attention of the few available women. Later, of course, it became a partner dance, reaching its pinnacle in the 1940’s. After many ups and downs, it is once more an integral part of Argentine culture, both in its salon (social) and exhibition (theatrical) forms. It is equally popular amongst Hispanic and crossover audiences, with a very large following in many parts of the United States, Europe, Japan, Mexico and Latin America. |
Admission: All of the concerts are free and open to the public. Location: Typically held in El Museo’s outdoor courtyard, this year’s concert series will take place in El Museo’s 599-seat Heckscher Theater while the courtyard undergoes renovation.
Posted on July 8, 2008 by D. Bell