“E-le-le, le-le-le, A-la-la, la-la-la-a…” Explore New York City’s Latin world in August.
US Open Tennis Championship Climaxes with Men’s and Women’s Finals 🇺🇸 🇦🇷 🇧🇷 🇧🇮 🇨🇱 🇨🇳 🇨🇴 🇫🇷 🇭🇰 🇮🇹 🇯🇵 🇱🇧 🇲🇽 🇵🇪 🇵🇹 🇷🇴 🇿🇦 🇪🇸 🇹🇼
Some of America’s Best Spanish Flamenco at Lincoln Center
Latin Art
Latin Books
Latin Comedy
Latin Dance
Latin Fashion
Latin Festivals
Latin Film
Latin Food
Latin Music
Latin Parades
Latin Sports
Latin Theatre
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Latin, Latino, Latina, Latinx, Latine, Latim
¿KLK Dime a ver? Editor “Kíko” Keith aquí con todos ustedes. Vamos a gozar la vida Neoyorquino juntos. Tú lo sabe.
This project is basically me looking for the roots of the Latin family. Over more than a decade, my concept of Latin has grown from Caribbean, Mexican, and Latin American, into the great mix of Indigenous peoples of the Americas plus our mother cultures in Africa and Europe, with Arab, Jewish, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, and Irish influences. There is only one human race. We are all mixed, and when you learn to love and respect all peoples, your world grows exponentially.
Latin culture is a bigger part of American culture than many of us have been taught. Puerto Rican NEA Jazz Master Eddie Palmieri defined Latin in the Americas and the Latin influence on American culture in the simplest way:
The Spaniard brought the African.
Eddie Palmieri at the 92nd Street Y in 2016 🇵🇷
The African put everyone to dance.
In the States, they took away the drum, and we got the blues“
The blues, with gospel and ragtime, is the root of most American popular music, including: jazz, rhythm and blues, country, rock, soul, funk, disco, house, hip hop, and trap. Even American country music originates in Mother Afrika.
Latin culture brings people together and turns the blues into joy! Together, the Latin family has created music and dance that is uniquely American, and loved around the world.
Oye, you are crossing the Kalûnga
La Llamada de los Tambores
(The Call of The Drum)
Bienvenido a el areíto en el batéy del pueblo Latino. Somos uno en el tambor.
Escucha la llamada. La rumba ya se forma en el solar.
Yo prendo una vela.
(Welcome to the community gathering in the sacred circle of the Latin people.
We are one in the drum. Listen to the call. The party is starting in the patio. I lit a candle.)
Bom, bom, bom
ba-ta-ba-ta, ba, ta-ba, ta-ba
Bom-ba, ta-ba, Bom-ba, ta-ba
Bom-ba, ta-ba, Bom-ba, ta-ba
This call of the drum is Bomba Puertorriqueña Sicá.
“E-le-le, le-le-le, A-la-la, le-le-le“
Loíza Aldea, Loíza, Puerto Rico 🇵🇷
La salsa begins with the “Diana,” the call to prayer that asks for spiritual connection before we dance;
because by tradition, dance is how we pray.
“E-le, le-le, le-le-le-le“
La Marina, Matanzas, Cuba 🇨🇺
Rumba is what the first Africans in Cuba did, as soon as their hands were free.
“Yo Soy Ogun Balenyo”
Villa Mella, Santo Domingo, Republica Dominicana 🇩🇴
Palo, even more than merengue, is the root music of La República Dominicana.
“Diki riki riki riki, Diki riki riki riki, Diki riki riki riki, Di, Diki ri”
Capotillo 42, Santo Domingo, Republica Dominicana 🇩🇴
Dembow is the sound of the streets in La República Dominicana.
“Ay, ay, Ay-ay“
San Juan de Ulúa, Veracruz, México 🇲🇽
“Canta y no llores…”
“Aí aí aí“
San Basilio de Palenque, Bolívar, Colombia 🇨🇴
“Ajai, al son de los tambores…”
“Bim Bom, Bim Bim, Bom Bom“
Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 🇧🇷
“O meu coração pediu assim, só…”
“I like to be in América“
San Juan Hill, New York City 🇺🇸 🇵🇷 🇮🇱
“Okay, buy me in America,
Everything free in America
For a small fee in America…”
¡ A-G-U-A-N-I-L-É !
El Barrio, Loisaida, Bushwick, y El Bronx 🇵🇷
“Aguanilé” is a healing prayer to Ogun.
Who answers the call? The community responds!
¿Oye Cómo Va?
We are Indigenous, European, African, Jewish, Arab, South Asian, East Asian, and everything in between.
“¿Oye cómo va? Mi ritmo, bueno pa’ bailar, mulata.”
Hey, how’s it going? My rhythm is good for dancing, Latina.
“Andando, andando, andando…”
(Walking, walking, walking…)
“Yo me tiro pa’l solar”
(I throw myself into the field)
Dios te bendiga
(God bless you)
¡Ashé!
(Amen)
“E-le-le, le-le-le…”