Coloquio-Features

Latino Fest 03, a great success. On June 28 and 29, EBLO, the Education Based Latino outreach celebrated its 23rd festival in Baltimore. This year the festival was sponsored by coloquio.com, Mace Electric, Toyota, Open Tech Systems, Comcast, Univision, Verizon, El Tiempo Latino, Budweiser and Burger King. Great music, food, dances, and a get together by the community in Patterson Park, the park most frequented by the Hispanic community of Baltimore. Of particular interest was Arte Flamenco, the great Spanish dance company headed by Natalia Monteleon and based in the Baltimore Washington area. More than 35,000 people showed up at the festival from as far away as New York, New Jersey, DC, Virginia, and the Carolinas as well as Delaware, West Virginia and Kentucky. This is proof of the expanding interest on the festival and the ever increasing size of thr Hispanic community in this country. Long gone are the days in which security was great concern and in which fights and disrespect were all too common. Excellent job, as usual by EBLO and the Hispanic community of Baltimore.

A view of the festival

Julio Sevilla, Hector Diaz, Miguel Perez and Paco Mora at the Festival

Cori Bernal of Arte Flamenco dancing at the Latino Fest 03

Arte Flamenco 3rd Annual Recital in Columbia.

Like every year, the famed Flamenco Dance Center and Art Academy celebrated its annual graduation ceremonies for its students and invited guests. Natalia Monteleon the director of Arte Flamenco headed the cast of soloists Marta Chico, Cori Bernal, Aleksey Kulikov and Jason Vera y Aragon. Guest guitarist Miguel Perez and Singer Javier Bustamante completed the cast. Students Karl Struzebecher, Sylvia Mateo, Mark Henriksen, Kazumi Hasegawa, Natalia Cuesta, Pam Kazon, Sarah Kripowick, Maite Fernandez and Ruth Davila, Daniela Gribbell, Jamahl Rahmaan, Lisa Hodsoll, Lisa Rosato, Alicia Arroyo, Carolina Reyes, Fausti Kilgallen, Rhina Villatoro, Jin Nothman, Sarah McKinney, Jeannete Dixon, Dina Ioffe, Michael Ioffe, Marcia Lyra, Jacqui Chambaz, Leighton Borgen and Guitar Accompanists Ralph Pemberton and Mike Blaloc performed.

The program presented Zorono Gitano/Seguiriya, Farruca/Tangos de Malaga, a guitar solo by Miguel Perez, Fandangos de Huelva, Sevillanas, Escobillas por Alegrias and Tanguillos de Cadiz, sang by Javier Bustamante. The second part showed Farruca danced by the advanced students accompanied by Ralph Pemberton and the Cuadro Flamenco of the company performed Alegrias de Cadiz by Marta Chico and Jason Vera y Aragon; Solea by Cori Bernal; Tientos by Aleksey Kulikov and Romeras by Marta Chico.

An outstanding presentation by Arte Flamenco whose students, representing many countries from al over the world are keeping the Flamenco flame alive in our area thanks to Natalia Monteleon and her outstanding group.

The group at work

Jason Vera, Marta Chico, Miguel Perez and Cori Bernal behind the scenes, rehearsing

Watching the show behind the scene

Cori Bernal rehearsing for the solea Natalia Monteleon and Aleksey Kulikov after the show

Awed spectators surround Maite Fernandez after the show