An explosion of Latin-American energy
World Heart Beat proudly presents its Congrego! Festival (Latin for “gather/join”) which celebrates Latin American music and dance at this year’s Wandsworth Arts Fringe Festival (WAF).
Event Details
| Date: | Thursday 1st July, 2021 |
| Where: | WAF Big Top, King George’s Park – Upper Field, Mapleton Road, London SW18 2GJ |
| Time: | 7pm |
| Tickets: | £10 / £6 |
Guest performer Omar Puente
Internationally-acclaimed Cuban violinist Omar Puente will be directing and performing with World Heart Beat musicians in a highly enjoyable and exciting programme showcasing Cuban, Venezuelan and Brazilian music, as well as everyone’s best-loved songs from the Buena Vista Social Club repertoire.
Throughout his career Omar has supported and shared the stage with a whole host of other stars; Tito Puente, John Williams, Jools Holland, Robert Mitchell, Nigel Kennedy, Courtney Pine and Wynton Marsalis to name a few.
After establishing himself as an accomplished musician on his native Cuban soil, Omar moved to England in 1997. Having maintained close links with traditional Cuban music, classical genres and jazz, his most recent album ‘Best Foot Forward’, is rich with energy, colour, creative arrangements and originality.
The music of Cuba, including its instruments, performance and dance, comprises a large set of unique traditions influenced mostly by west African and European music. Due to the syncretic nature of most of its genres, Cuban music is often considered one of the richest and most influential regional music in the world.
What is Latin Music?
When you play and dance to Latin American music, you are dancing its history…
Latin Music typically refers to a wide gamut of musical styles that originated in Portuguese and Spanish-speaking areas of North and South America and rhythms from enslaved African people who were transported from West and Central Africa by European settlers. Though you may typically think of music from South and Central America like salsa, merengue, samba, and bossa nova, traditional Latin roots styles have sprung up in many areas of the United States, and today Latin music can be heard on every continent.
Latin music encompasses hundreds of styles and rhythms including mainstream genres such as Salsa, Tango, Merengue and Brazilian music, as well as traditional rhythms like Andean music, Puerto Rican Bomba, Cuban Son and Musica Llanera.
From the excitement of Salsa and the wonderful rhythms of the Cha Cha Cha, Mambo, traditional Rumba and Son to the blood-racing energy of Latin Jazz the dynamic, high energy professional dancers of the Salsa Cabana Show will join our musicians in bringing the warm ‘Rhythms of Cuba’ to you.
Stunning choregraphed routines fuse Cuban rhythms with the precision of contemporary dance featuring spectacular colourful Cuban Cabaret costumes fine in detail, creating the energy of an authentic ‘Cuban Fiesta’.
Wandsworth Arts Fringe Festival
The Wandsworth Arts Fringe (WAF) Festival showcases artists from across all art forms including street performances, exhibitions, comedy, theatre, music, dance and everything in between. This year, the festival is a hybrid of online and live performances, and runs from Friday 25th June to Sunday 11th July.
Pre-festival Guitar Workshops — get involved!
World Heart Beat invites young people aged 10-25 years to take part in a series of pre-festival guitar workshops (online or face to face) on Tuesday 15, 22 and 29th June from 6.30pm at the academy. If you’d like to take part, please state your experience and age and email info@worldheartbeat.org
Book Tickets
| Date: | Thursday 1st July, 2021 |
| Where: | WAF Big Top, King George’s Park – Upper Field, Mapleton Road, London SW18 2GJ |
| Time: | 7pm |
| Tickets: | £10 / £6 |