Sudbury is getting a taste of Spanish and Mexican culture this month.
Tomorrow evening at 8 am at the Fraser Auditorium, El Viento
Flamenco, a six- person Spanish musical and dance group from
Atlantic Canada, will perform.
"This is your chance to experience a unique cultural event, the
traditional very passionate music and dance of the gypsies
(Roma) of Southern Spain," said organizer Carol Stos, an
assistant professor of Spanish and modern languages at
Laurentian University.
El Viento features a singer, guitarist and a percussionist with
eclectic backgrounds, and dancers who have grown up in places
as varied as Turkey, Spain and France. The dancers take their
inspiration from the raw primitive gypsy style of stars such as
Concha Vargas, Angelita Vargas and Juana Amaya in Spain and
Carmen Romero in Canada.
"They were here four years ago and played to a sold-out
audience. This time they have added a couple of members and
their fame is growing in Canada. In the last five years they
have toured extensively in Atlantic Canada. They have made
several appearances on CBC radio and television and were
featured in a half-hour documentary on Bravo Television," she
said.
Stos says her Spanish and other modern language classes are
becoming more popular.
"My Spanish classes have close to 300 students from first to
fourth years. I think people want to learn the language of
countries they plan to visit so they can be comfortable while
travelling or on vacation. Some even wish to work in the travel
business. Others just want to know about foreign cultures.
That's one reason we are bringing in El Viento. They epitomize
the culture of a far away land worth touring."
Tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for seniors and students at
Black Cat Too, Helvis Flowers, Jett Landry and at the door.
Stos says another event worth checking out is Un Sabor de
Mexico/A Taste of Mexico taking place Oct. 28 at the Jubilee
Centre on Applegrove St., off Lorne St at 6 pm.
She says renowned vocalist Esther Sierra and the Mexican
folklore group Viva Mexico will provide another unique view of
Latin culture. The event also includes authentic Mexican
cuisine provided by La Casa Mexicana.
Tickets for this event are $60 each or $250 for a table of
five. The proceeds from this event support the work of the
Canadian Diabetes Association.
For tickets, phone 670-1993.
