Ann Arbor’s Shows Its Latino Soul
On Saturday, July 18th, Quatro Entertainment put on Latino Rhythm & Soul-a showcase featuring a combination of visual art, dance and music. So from 12-8 pm, Kenville Studios was ground zero for this artistic explosion.
Before the event, I was able to talk with Carly Wilhelm, one of the featured artists. An art student at University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Wilhelm had a piece that was a modern take on the triptych. While traditional triptychs usually consist of a hinged, three-panel piece, this one consisted of three framed black-and-white pictures of her father. The central one was a straight-on shot, while the left and right ones were profiles facing the central picture. There was also an oil painting by Midwestern Puerto Rican artist, Theresa Rosado, whose words and imagery captured what it is to be Puerto Rican and Latino. Hugo Claudin, a Grand Rapids native originally from Guadalajara, used the idea of lucha libre wrestling masks to depict the paranoia and forced anonymity of Latino illegal immigrants. Lastly, Roli Mancera, a self-taught Guanuajuato native currently out of Grand Rapids, exhibited a combination of metal sculptures, as well as a pencil drawing of the University of Guanuajuato and a black-and-white oil painting of a Vienna scene.
After the art exhibition, Laura Geldys from danceRevolution Dance Studio put on a small, intimate salsa dancing lesson. I ended up briefly joining in. Although it has been a number of years since I’ve danced, I was marginally good. As I watched the remaining participants, it brought back memories of going to the Detroit-area salsa clubs.
Beside checking out the great visual art and witnessing the smoldering salsa dancing, the highpoint for me was capoeira. If you never checked it out, you need to. Capoeira is a martial art out of Brasil. It originated from the African martial arts that were brought by the slaves. Since their masters eventually prohibited their open practice, the slaves then practiced them but under the guise of dance. So when you see it, some capoeiristas provide the musical accompaniment while others engage in the roda, which is best described as a circle where two capoeiristas engage in a type of dance-sparring. It’s very high energy and something that my words can’t completely describe.
Following the capoeira, there was a full salsa exhibition by group, La Vida es Ritmo, and then open dancing with music provided by DJ Sabor.
So all in all, Latino Rhythm & Soul was a good showcase of art produced by Latinos. Fortunately, the cloudy weather held out and didn’t stop people from streaming in. Keep your eyes open and hopefully there will be another event. To keep up on Quatro Entertainment’s future events, go to: http://www.quatroentertainment.com.
Author: José A. Rodríguez
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