The Straz Center for the Performing Arts is bringing back its Arts Legacy ReMIX program for a fourth season. The opening will feature a lineup of Hispanic artists representing Puerto Rico, Colombia, Cuba, Spain and more. Arts Legacy ReMIX performances are free and a great way for the Tampa Bay community to experience excellent cultural offerings from around the area.
Hispanic Representation
“We started at the beginning of the year taking a look at what our season would look like,” said Fred Johnson, artist-in-residence and community engagement specialist for The Straz. “We kind of do that as we go, but for the very first one, Oct. 7, we have a group representing the traditions of Bomba, a tradition very much linked to Africa, but uniquely Puerto Rican. It is drum and song and dance traditions. And one of the most historically significant dance traditions and storytelling traditions from Puerto Rico.”
Bomba Body Dance Co. with Jessica Albino will headline Noche de Encanto–A Celebration of Hispanic Culture.
“The Straz highlights the many threads in the tapestry of Hispanic culture featuring breathtaking visual arts, vibrant music and the joyous atmosphere celebrated and beloved from the Caribbean Islands to the southernmost tip of South America.”
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“We try to reach out cross-culturally throughout Tampa Bay to identify groups and they are well known for teaching and keeping the tradition alive,” Johnson said. “The artistic director, Jessica Albino, is also the founder.”
There’s also Irene Rodriguez’s Cuadro Flamenco. Rodriguez is a world-renowned flamenco dancer and teaches at The Straz’s Patel Conservancy. “She is from Cuba, but she is also renowned in Spain,” Johnson said. “The breadth of this company in combining all of the threads of the flamenco tradition that is embodied in her work. It is a company of four dancers and two musicians.”
In between those two groups will be Sara Villa and her family. She is a Colombian Opera Tampa Singer and will perform with two other musicians. “She is a phenomenal singer, and they play original music from the Colombian tradition,” Johnson said.
The dancing duo, Tango Tampa Argentino, will also perform Oct. 7.
What is Arts Legacy ReMIX
All Arts Legacy ReMIX shows take place from 7:30 to 9 p.m. on The Straz Center’s Riverwalk Stage. Performances are free and you do not need to make reservations.
“The whole purpose of Arts Legacy is to entertain and inform and celebrate the many, many threads of the rich culture of Tampa Bay,” Johnson said. In many instances, the performers will either give him a narrative explaining the history of their genre or will tell the audience, themselves, where their art comes from, along with its history.
“We have an Arts Legacy ReMIX Dream Team. Members of our communities, connected to bring forth this tapestry of celebration,” Johnson said. “We take December off because there is so much going on.”
The rest of the season
In November, the program will be a tribute to Haiti. The Straz staff includes a man from Haiti passionate about the music and storytelling traditions of his native country.
In January, Arts Legacy ReMIX pay tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “We have a group from Pinellas County called The Alumni Singers,” Johnson said. “That will be our feature group We will also have a couple of other gospel groups we are still putting together. The program will track the history of the African influence in America up to the development of spirituals.”
February, March and April will combine for a tribute to women in arts. “We are also doing a Global Pride presentation,” Johnson said.
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“We celebrate the countries we have represented in the Tampa Bay region,” he said. Outside performances help shine a light on The Straz and what it offers, he said. It reaches people who have otherwise not been engaged with The Straz previously.
“The center is everyone’s center. It is not just for season ticket holders,” Johnson said. “This is part of our community outreach. It also enables us to learn more about the community and be a part of the community. We seek to know what we don’t know.”
