With fond memories of his time in elementary school, where one of his teachers introduced him to the arts, he tells us he would travel to New York from Puerto Rico during the summers to study at the Providence Arts Center where he was told by one of his teachers that he was ready for New York.

After college, he decided that the love of dance was calling him to the mecca of Broadway musicals and that is when he found Fame on 42nd Street – the first musical gig he booked in New York. 

Having found his community of dancers and artists that encouraged him, Salgado set out to conquer the world one musical at a time. He took his dancing career very seriously.  He trained, hustled, and made friends while pursuing his passion as an actor/dancer.  Fairly quickly he started working on a succession of plays, TV and film, building up his resume.   

His Broadway list of credits include Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, ROCKY, Matilda, Song of Solomon, In The Heights, On Your Feet, among others.  Salgado was the Assistant Latin Choreographer of In The Heights on Broadway, which won four Tony Awards, and the Spanish version of In The Heights at GALA Theater in Washington D.C which received nine 2018 Helen Hayes Awards He also worked on film  American Gangster; Dirty Dancing 2, Havana Nights, and the television remake of Dirty Dancing, and Enchanted and Step Up 2, The Streets (Alejandro), where he was assistant choreographer.  

He has worked with some of the best choreographers in theater, including Andy Blankenbuehler (Hamilton) while striking up a friendship that would lead to opportunities.  Soon Salgado realized that he was drawn to expand into the creative realm, just about at the time he was cast and asked to assist as choreographer in Lin Manuel Miranda’s In The Heights.  The rest, as Salgado is prone to say, “is history”.  

In memory of his fellow actor/dancer, David Garcia, who was already a working dancer in New York when they met, Salgado made a commitment.  Garcia told him how he had grown up not speaking Spanish because he was made fun of.  After Garcia passed away, Salgado made a vow to “…celebrate our language, celebrate our culture and celebrate our rhythm in an authentic way on the Broadway field”.  He has taken that commitment beyond Broadway as he now works internationally. Whenever possible, he selects projects he where his culture is highlighted.  Get On Your Feet is a fine example of a project that does.

We had the opportunity to interview Luis on the occasion of the opening of Get On Your Feet:  The Story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan on Latin Heat’s Hollywood Talks.

On Your Feet features music produced and recorded by Emilio and Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine with Book by Alexander Dinelaris.  It is produced by GFour Productions and Evan Bernardin Productions through a special license from Theatrical Rights Worldwide, and is represented by Columbia Artists Theatricals.

For Tickets: La Mirada Theater is located at 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada, CA 90638.  Box office: 714-994-6310 and (562) 944-9801

The post ‘On Your Feet’ Director/Choreographer Luis Salgado Brings a Celebration of Cultura to La Mirada Theater first appeared on .

Written by Roberto Leal

Since its streaming-only debut on HBO Max during Father’s Day Weekend, Father of the Bride has grown into a critically acclaimed mega-hit not only in Latin America, but world-wide. HBO proudly announced that Father of the Bride categorically has had the largest viewing audience of any streaming-only movie on their platform to date.

So why has this third retelling of a popular iconic family romantic comedy struck such a resounding emotional chord globally? What’s in the secret salsa of this wildly popular and successful film? Let’s check out some of the special ingredients that went into the making of Father of the Bride.

The Latino Reimagining

Father of the Bride has been described as a “reboot” or a “remake”, of the classic 1950 original Father of the Bride with Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor or the subsequent 1991 remake with Steve Martin, Diane Keaton and Martin Short. The only common thread connecting the three films is the basic plot and the title of the movie. 

As written by Matt Lopez (Race to Witch Mountain, Bedtime Stories) and directed by Gary Alazraki(Club de Cuervos, We Are the Nobles) this incarnation of Father of the Bride is not a reboot in the sense they took an old existing movie and simply replaced the old cast with an all Latino one. Additionally, the vision of both Lopez and Alazraki in Father of the Bride was told through the cultural lens of two vibrant Latino communities in the U.S. The Cuban-American and Mexican take on the story make it more than just a mere remake but rather a complete reimagining and creation of a unique, standalone story.

Authentic storytelling from the top creatives who happen to be Latino and know the culture is not lost at all in the success of this film.

Lopez and Alazraki also cleverly start the story with what is often referred to as a “McGuffin” which is an object or device in a movie that serves merely as a trigger for the plot. In this case, the McGuffin is the opening scene in which Billy Herrera played by Andy Garcia (Ocean’s Eleven, The Godfather, Part III) and his wife of 30+ years, Ingrid played Cuban-American singer, actress, and businesswoman and seven-time Grammy winner, Gloria Estefan, decide in one of their marriage counseling session to divorce. 

This turns on the emotional current that influences Billy’s reaction to his daughter, Sophie, Adria Arjona (Pacific Rim: Uprising, Emerald City) who comes home announcing she has proposed and will marry Adan Castillo a Mexican EMO man played by Diego Boneta (Terminator Dark Fate, Luis Miguel: The Series). The couple plans to move to Mexico to work at non-profit which helps immigrants along the border.

The Cuban/Mexican Culture Clash

The wedding surprise announcement set off Billy’s traditional protective and cautionary Cuban sensibilities on how the wedding will proceed. His cultural alarm bells are further set off when he meets his future in-laws from Mexico.

The oft-heard claim that Latinos are not a monolith is brought into sharp scrutiny in Father of the Bride in a playful, tongue-in-cheek comic clash of cultures between Mexico and Cuba that delightfully stands every stereotypical portrayal of Latinos on its collective head.

Sophie’s fiancé Adan is the complete antithesis of the stereotypical macho Mexican male. He practices yoga, is a tree-hugger, doesn’t like sports, wears glasses and looks more European than mestizo.

Adan’s flamboyant father, Hernan Castillo, Pedro Damián (Showtime, Like, la leyenda), turns out to be to Billy’s surprise, a bombastic but affable, multi-millionaire business tycoon who owns a super luxury yacht that is so big it has five zip codes and three time zones. Hernan also has a very young trophy wife and child, but still maintains a relationship with his ex-wife. These are different but positive Latino representations rarely seen in Hollywood movies.

Unstereotypical Matters, Matter

Garcia’ career has mostly veered from playing the typical Hollywood Latino stereotypes, but it is a practice that has negatively affected the image of U.S. Latinos around the world and that is an important issue to Garcia. He sees Father of the Bride as a movie that moves the needle forward in the right direction.

“There was both an honor and an obligation to deliver a story that’s within the Latin cultures, in this case, the Cuban and the Mexican, trying to relate to one another,” Garcia told Entertainment Weekly in trying to make the point of the importance in the representation of Latinos in film.  “There’s an obligation to do it right without stereotypes that represent universal themes”

Comedic Chemistry 

The on-screen chemistry and comedic timing between Garcia and Estefan are the result of a 30-year personal friendship and growing up in the Cuban-American culture of Miami. Estefan, who has won more Grammys than the NY Yankees have won World Series proves herself to be as good an actress as she is a singer. As Ingrid, Estefan is strong, funny and loving. Garcia, as the stubborn, tradition-bound, conservative Cuban who came to America as an exile and became the most sought-after architect in Miami, now feels his world crumbling around him. It’s a role and performance Garcia has grown into as an actor. It’s hard to imagine anyone else playing Billy Herrera or being married to anyone other than Gloria Estefan as his beloved Ingrid.

Father of the Bride ReDux

Because of its enormous popularity and streaming numbers after just one week in release, there is already talk of a sequel to Father of the Bride.  In the current film Cora  (Isabela Merced (Transformers: The Last Knight, Instant Family) Billy’s younger daughter designed and designed the wedding and bridesmaid dresses for Sophie’s wedding. The sequel could have Cora designing her own wedding gown for her nuptials. The question is, will Billy Herrera have the energy and financial wherewithal in  Father of the Bride 2 for another wedding?  One can only hope so.

CLICK HERE for video.

Father of the Bride is currently streaming on HBO Max.

The post Film Review:  Five Reasons ‘Father of the Bride’ Is a Hit first appeared on .

Co-Creator/Executive Producer/Director of Netflix’s Club de Cuervos Gaz Alazraki directs the Garcia is the lead role of the father and singer Gloria Estefan who plays his wife.

Dealing with change and accepting modern times are issues that Garcia’s character ‘Billy’ experiences difficulty with, but he is learning to embrace his future. This rom-com has all the makings of a classic rom-com while tackling generational differences. But isn’t that always the case with weddings? Crazy families, clashing cultures and competing traditions — it is a wedding ride we all want to take.

Also cast in the film are Adria Arjona, Isabela Merced, Diego Boneta, Chloe Fineman Enrique Murciano and Laura Harring.

The film was written by Matt Lopez based on the novel by Edward Streeter and  is executive produced by Brad Pitt‘s Plan B, Andy Garcia, Ted Gidlow, and Jesse Ehrman.

The film is set for release on June 16

The post Trailer: Andy Garcia is the ‘Father of the Bride’ first appeared on .

Colombian singer/songwriter Camilo was the big winner at the 2021 Latin Grammy Awards, taking four prizes followed by Mexican songwriter and producer Edgar Barrera and Spanish rapper C. Tangana, each with three awards. Other winners in important categories included Ruben Blades, Caetano Veloso and Juliana Velasquez.

Camilo took home the trophies for Best Pop Vocal Album for Mis Manos; Best Pop Song for “Vida de Rico” that he shared with Barrera; Best Urban Fusion/Performance for “Tattoo (Remix),” shared with Rauw Alejandro; and Best Tropical Song for “Dios Así lo Quiso,” shared with David Julca, Jonathan Julca, Yasmil Jesús Marrufo and Ricardo Montaner.

Barrera won the coveted Producer of the Year award, with eight notable albums for stars like Camilo, Christian Nodal, Maluma, Daddy Yankee and Marc Anthony.

For his part, C. Tangana scored wins for Best Alternative Song category for “Nominao,” shared with Jorge Drexler, Best Pop/Rock Song for “Hong Kong” shared with Andrés Calamaro and Best Engineered Album for El Madrileño.

Brazilin music icon Veloso earned the prize for Record of the Year with “Talvez,” alongside Tom Veloso.

Blades, who was also selected as the Latin Grammy Person of the Year, also walked away with a Grammy for Album of the Year for Salswing!, which he recorded with Roberto Delgado & Orquesta.

Newcomer Velasquez from Colombia won in the Best New Artist category. An actress since age 7, she made a name for herself in TV and theatre. This year she dropped her debut album “Juliana,” which produced hits like “Cóseme.”

The Latin Grammy night at Las Vegas’s MGM Grand Garden Arena also presented performances by Gloria Estefan, Christina Aguilera, Yotuel, Milly Quezada and Danna Paola. The event was hosted by Mexican-American actress/singer Ana Brenda Contreras, Mexican pop singer Carlos Rivera and Puerto Rican actress Roselyn Sánchez.

Other award winners this year were Bad Bunny, Juan Luis Guerra, Juanes, Karol G, Vicente Fernandez and Vicentico. (See the list of winners below.)

Featured Photo: Camilo (Credit: Courtesy, self), Ruben Blades (Courtesy, self) and Vicente Fernandez (Courtesy, self)

Check out the videos of a performance by Becky G, Aguilera, Nathy Peluso and Nicki Nicole at the 2021 Latin Grammy Awards.

The post Camilo is Biggest Winner at 2021 Latin Grammy Awards first appeared on .

Hamilton and In the Heights actor Lin-Manuel Miranda is busier than ever. Recently it was announced that he will be making his directorial debut in Tic Toc Boom and now his latest VO for an animated character, in Netflix’s new musical film Vivo will premiering on Friday, August 6.

Academy Award nominee Miranda is the leading voice in this mix of rom-com and adventure for kids and adults, whose cast also features Zoe Saldana (Avatar series), actress, singer and composer Gloria Estefan and Juan de Marcos González, a singer of the Buena Vista Social Club featured in the eponymous Oscar-nominated documentary about Cuba’s iconic music ensemble. Miranda does double duty on Vivo as he is one of the composers along with Alex Lacamoire |(The Greatest Showman).

The story and screenplay are by Oscar-nominated director and writer Kirk DeMicco (The Croods) and Quiara Alegría Hudes (In the Heights).

Directed DeMicco and Brandon Jeffords, Vivo follows a lovable one-of-kind kinkajou, a.k.a. a rainforest “honey bear” (Miranda), who spends his days playing music to the crowds in a lively square with his beloved owner Andrés (González).

Tragedy strikes shortly after Andrés receives a letter from the famous singer Marta Sandoval (Estefan), inviting her old partner to her farewell concert with the hope of reconnecting. It’s up to Vivo to deliver a message that Andrés never could: A love letter to Marta, written long ago, in the form of a song. But to get to Marta, who lives a world apart, Vivo will need the help of Gabi (newcomer Ynairaly Simo), an energetic tween who bounces to the beat of her own offbeat drum, to fulfill his owner’s wishes.

Other Vivo cast members include Michael Rooker, Brian Tyree, Nicole Byer, Leslie David Baker, Katie Lowes, Olivia Trujillo and Lidya Jewett. Other talents who contribute voices to the film are Oscar Camacho, Eileen Galindo, Michelle Jubilee Gonzalez, Richard Miro, Paloma Morales, Christian Ochoa, Susan Oliveras and Arianna Rosario.

Miranda has voiced animated characters previously, including the TV series DuckTales for Disney, BoJack Horseman for Netflix, Nina’s World for Universal Kids and the short Polar Bears. While he didn’t lend his voice to Disney’s animated film Moana, he wrote the movie’s theme “How Far I’ll Go” that earned him an Oscar nom.

Vivo premiered July 30, 2021, and is scheduled for a digital release on Netflix on August 6, 2021.

Featured Photo: Vivo and Andrés in ‘Vivo’ (Credit: Neflix/SPAI)

The post Trailer: Netflix’s ‘Vivo’ Features Lin-Manuel Miranda first appeared on .

By Cesar Arredondo

The new CBS television special, Essential Heroes: A Momento Latino Event, created by Henry Munoz III and executive produced and hosted by Eva Longoria, brings together a coalition of mega superstars who will pay tribute to Latinos in the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic while celebrating the U.S. Latino contribution and culture.

The TV special will highlight the grassroots work done by some individuals and organizations during the Covid-19 crisis with the participation of actors John Leguizamo, Rita Moreno, Lin Manuel Miranda, Freddy Rodriguez, Isabela Merced, and Wilmer Valderrama, comedians George Lopez and Arturo Castro, and musical performances by Juanes, Gloria Estefan, Pitbull, Luis Fonsi, Kelsea Ballerini and Ricky Martin–with the latter two also also co-hosting the one-hour special. The special will also be available to stream live and on demand on CBS All Access.

“We have comedy, we have music, we have these wonderful… documentary packages” about people and organizations helping the Latino community in the pandemic, said Longoria during a recent virtual press conference promoting the event. “It’s such a beautiful 360 (degree perspective) of our culture.” There will be documentaries about entrepreneur immigrants, a woman who provides children of farmworkers with school supplies, feeding programs for people in need, and nonprofits.

The show is produced by Momento Latino, a coalition that came together in the beginning of the pandemic to tackle the challenges facing Latinos in the tragic time of Covid-19. “As we move from crisis to recovery, we know that this is our moment to speak up and fight for US Latinos,” declares the group’s website.

Companies co-producing the CBS special are Will Ferrell’s Funny Or Die and Longoria’s UnbeliEVAble Entertainment along with the consulting firm Global Philanthropy Group. Executive producers are: Henry Muñoz for Momento Latino; Longoria and Ben Spector for UnbeliEVAble Entertainment; Maggie Neilson for Global Philanthropy; and Mike Farah, Joe Farrell, Jim Ziegler, Moira Noriega, Gloria Medel Solomons and R.A. Clark for Funny Or Die. The special is directed by Ron de Moraes, who won a Primetime Emmy for the XIX Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony and a Daytime Emmy for Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade.

A COALITION IS BORN
Launched earlier this summer in response to the impact of the pandemic on Latinos, Momento Latino is a coalition of activists, artists and allies “lifting our voices to push for change and elevate issues important to #Latino communities,” according to its Facebook page.

Munoz, who co-founded the group along with Longoria and created the television special said the Momento Latino’s idea started in New York back in march as the Big Apple became the epicenter of the pandemic. As Muñoz was driven to a coronavirus testing site through a desolated metropolis in lockdown, going through the National Guard and state and local police, he recalled imagining the intimidation some Latinos might feel facing all those challenges juts to get a Covid test, especially those with language barriers or with immigration status issues. Muñoz, a prominent businessman, designer and social justice activist who until recently was also the longest-serving Democratic National Committee finance chair, called Longoria and Estefan and told them, “We’ve got to do something.”

Momento Latino now boasts members such as U.S. Representative Joaquin Castro, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, United League of Latin American Citizens, Acevedo Foundation, Hispanic National Bar Association, Hispanic Federation, Latino Policy Forum, Latino Community Foundation, and California Association for Bilingual Education, among others.

POSITIVE GOALS
The coalition aims at uplifting Latino stories and voices, talking action on issues relevant to the community, and celebrating Latinos’ diversity while highlighting commonalities in events that bring them together. Essential Heroes: A Momento Latino Event seems to check off all those boxes.

The Oct. 26 show will present stories that exemplify American Latinos’ resilience, ingenuity and caring during the pandemic which, according to organizers, has hit their community especially hard. “We are 18 percent of the population of the United States but we’re 34 percent of frontline essential workers,” said Longoria during a virtual press conference promoting the event. Those people include nurses and other medical professionals, farmworkers and delivery, restaurant and hotel workers, among others, added Longoria.

A recent study published in the Annals of Epidemiology shows that Latinos contract the virus and die from Covid-19 at disproportionately higher rates for their population. They account for 33 percent of all confirmed Covid-19 cases nationwide when they only represent about 18 percent of the country’s total population. Also, about one in five deaths from the disease is a Latino.

KEEPING U.S. GOING
“The majority of frontline essential workers that are keeping this country running and going are from our community, the Latino community,” stated Longoria, noting that many of them lack personal protection equipment. There have been numerous news reports, especially at the start of the pandemic, of medical staff, food processing plant employees and other workers toiling without proper protection or protocols against the coronavirus, risking their lives to make a living and support their families.

Workers from restaurants, farms, food industry and medical facilities are among those considered essential by the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

While inevitably addressing the pandemic’s disproportional negative impact on Latinos, the CBS special appears to be an attempt to lift spirits and offer hope with community stories and entertainment.  

A short clip from Essential Heroes played at the conference highlights a family-owned Mexican restaurant La Guelaguetza, which was started by a food street vendor who immigrated from the Mexican state of Oaxaca. In the video, Estefan introduces the Los Angeles-based iconic eatery as an example of entrepreneurial creativity in the face of adversity. Estefan also attended the press conference via Zoom.

Two singers featured in the one-hour special offer uplifting songs. Grammy Award winner rapper Pitbull will perform his single I Believe That We Will Win, a song penned and released in the pandemic.

For her part, Estefan will sing a version of her pop dance hit Get On Your Feet especially adapted to serve as send-off at the end of the show.

The post “A Momento Latino” CBS Special To Lift Spirits During Pandemic Hard Times first appeared on .

CBS announced a new one-hour entertainment special, Essential Heroes: A Momento Latino Event Event, a celebration of Latinx culture in America, produced and hosted by Eva Longoria, along with Gloria Estefan and Ricky Martin, to be broadcast Monday, Oct. 26 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. It will also be available to stream live and on demand on CBS All Access. Produced by Funny Or Die, in partnership with Momento Latino, UnbeliEVAble Entertainment and Global Philanthropy, the special will honor the contributions of the Latinx community to the United States and their importance to its future.

Essential Heroes: A Momento Latino Event will celebrate America’s diversity with a focus on Latinx culture, bringing joy, awareness and aid to the Latinx community that has been deeply impacted by and played an essential role in fighting COVID-19. Through musical performances, comedy pieces, docu-shorts and star-studded appearances, the special will explore the Latinx experience as told by Latinx voices. Performers and participants will be announced closer to air.

““The Latinx community has been the backbone of this country for hundreds of years, not just the last seven months, and it’s time that we not only know our own worth, but are also recognized, appreciated and celebrated accordingly for our contributions, pandemic or not,” said Longoria. “When COVID-19 hit the United States, people were quick to applaud our essential workers, many of whom are Latinos, for helping to keep food on our tables, delivering our packages and working in our healthcare system.”

Essential Heroes: A Momento Latino Event Event is created by Henry R. Muñoz III. The special is produced by Funny Or Die, Momento Latino, UnbeliEVAble Entertainment and Global Philanthropy. Executive producers are Henry Muñoz for Momento Latino; Longoria and Ben Spector for UnbeliEVAble Entertainment; Maggie Neilson for Global Philanthropy; and Mike Farah, Joe Farrell, Jim Ziegler, Moira Noriega, Gloria Medel Solomons and R.A. Clark for Funny Or Die. The special is directed by Ron de Moraes.

“We created Momento Latino because we understand the challenges that Latinos in America face every day, and we knew we had to bring together a national infrastructure of opportunity to move the community forward into the future,” said Muñoz III, founder of Momento Latino. “We’ve brought together more than 130 organizations, nonprofits, artists, activists and community leaders so far, and through this special we can share with the nation the inspiring stories of how Latinos served as the backbone of this country’s essential workforce throughout the pandemic despite being among the hardest hit by the disease and the economic fallout.”

Longoria’s UnbeliEVAble Entertainment’s recently partnered ViacomCBS’ Entertainment & Youth Group for their First Time Directors program highlighting BIPOC and women filmmakers to produce 50 films across the group’s portfolio of networks and streaming services. Soon UnbeliEVAble will produce Before I Forget for Amazon, the multi-generational drama Chicano centering on a Mexican-American family that immigrates to Los Angeles in pursuit of the American Dream for ABC, and the HBO film A Class Apart, with Robert Rodriguez directing, which tells the incredible true story of a group of Mexican Americans fighting for their civil rights during a landmark case that leads all the way to the Supreme Court. Past projects from UnbeliEVAble include the Emmy Award nominated Netflix documentary Reversing Roe, ESPN’s 30 for 30 series Versus, and the Lionsgate film John Wick

Momento Latino is a growing coalition of activists, leaders, nonprofits and artists lifting our voices and pushing for change for the Latinx community. COVID-19 has exposed and exacerbated longstanding inequalities, and has had a disproportionate effect on the Latino community’s health, education and economic stability. But with crisis comes opportunity: together, we can create real change. Our partners – more than 130 activists, artists, nonprofit organizations, advocacy groups and corporate leaders – are working together to build an America where the Latinx community can reach out full potential. For more information, visit https://momentolatino.us/ and follow us on Instagram at @momento_latino.

CHEAT TWEET: @EvaLongoria produces and hosts MOMENTO LATINO with co-hosts @GloriaEstefan and @ricky_martin, a new 1-hour special that’s a celebration of Latinx culture in America, to air 10/26 9PM ET/PT #CBS! https://bit.ly/36z3cfP

RATING: To Be Announced

The post Essential Heroes: A Momento Latino Event to Celebrate Latinx Culture in America first appeared on .

 Written by Justina Bonilla

This year’s Super Bowl was notable for many firsts. For the first time in Super Bowl history, all halftime headliners and national anthem singer, where Latinas.

Kicking off this groundbreaking Super Bowl was Demi Lovato profoundly and beautifully singing the national anthem. Taking it to the next level, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez (J.Lo)’s electrifying Super Bowl halftime performance highlighted the best of Latino culture and talent, with the musical support of Bad Bunny and J Balvin. The performance also included the music debut of J.Lo and singer Marc Anthony’s daughter Emme Muñiz.

Since 1967, only three Latinas have sung the National Anthem for the Super Bowl. Mariah Carey was the first Latina National Anthem performer in 1992. Followed by Christina Aguilera and Demi Lovato. However, the first Latina singer to perform as a featured talent for a Super Bowl was Vikki Carr, during the opening ceremonies in 1977. Due to the national anthem not being sung that year, Carr instead sang America the Beautiful. She paved the way for future featured Latina and Latino Super Bowl performers.

Throughout Super Bowl halftime show history, only 14 Latino performers have been headliners or noted featured talent, within 8 halftime performances.

The first solo Latino musical headliner for the Super Bowl halftime show was Latina music legend Gloria Estefan in 1992. It would take another 24 years, before another Latino, Bruno Mars, would be the first solo male Latino musical headliner for the Super Bowl halftime show in 2016. Other Latinos halftime performers include Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, and Fergie with The Black Eyed Peas.

While both Shakira and J.Lo each brought their own flavor and sparkle to their performances, each made strong statements. Shakira’s performance emphasized Latino multiculturalism, while J.Lo’s performance was political.

Shakira: Diversity Within the Latino Community

When many people think of Latino culture in America, they tend to think of Mexican culture, due to Mexicans being the largest of the U.S. population at 66% with the 2nd largest group, Puerto Rican coming in at a distant 9.5%  of the population.  However, Latino culture is extremely diverse stretching over a multitude of countries and territories, especially in the Americas and the Caribbean. Its heavily and continually impacted by immigration, multi-racial, multi-ethnic and multi-religious influences.

Shakira who is from Colombia, identifies as a half-Colombian and half-Lebanese Latina. During her performance she belly danced and used the Zaghrouta (a high-pitch tongue call to express strong emotions, partially joy). She also used African based rhythms and dancing in her performances.

Arabs and Africans have lived in Latin America for centuries, as a result of the Spanish and Portuguese colonization of the 15^th century. Their influences are deep-rooted in Latino culture, including music. Arab rhythms can be heard in flamenco, while African rhythms can be heard in Rumba and Conga. Shakira’s entire performance challenges how singular Latino culture is perceived in America, proving its vast diversity.         

Jennifer Lopez: Latino Orientated Political Issues

J-Lo opened her performance with a bang, with her signature dancing style and singing her biggest hits. Her performance was peppered with strong political statements about current immigration policy, Latino American Identity and Puerto Rico.

As her daughter Emme made her singing debut on television, she and other children were first seen round glowing cages, along with red lights behind the stage mincing the look of a chain-link fence. These images artistically symbolize the inhumane immigration policy of child imprisonment and separation from parents. Tragically, these separations have led to severe psychological trauma in the children taken from their families. Adding insult to injury, many of these children will end up in foster care and never be reunited with their families, due to the incompetence of ICE’s organizational and documentation abilities.

All of the children on stage, were wearing white (a color associated with innocence), with bedazed American flags on their tops. J.Lo joined Emma on stage singing the chorus of Bruce Springsteen’s hit, Born in the U.S.A., emphasizing the fact that U.S. Latinos are Americans, for the most part. While many of us have strong ties to immigration (i.e. immigrant parents or grandparents), according to PEW research, since 2000, the majority of Latino population growth in America is by birth rate. The majority of Latino immigrants in America are documented, with the percentage of undocumented Latinos decreasing.

Unfortunately, Latinos are still heavily stereotyped as embodying the negative aspects of immigration, including crimes committed by undocumented “criminal aliens”, exploiting social welfare, and unwillingness to assimilate. These twisted ideas have been exacerbated and used as a political weapon in this heated political climate. This has led to increased harassment against Latinos, such as Latinos with legal status being arrested and illegally held in ICE facilities, including Puerto Ricans.

To emphasis that Puerto Rico is an American territory and that all Puerto Ricans are American citizens, J.Lo wore a reversible cape, with the Puerto Rican flag on the inside and the American flag on the outside. The message here is that Puerto Rico is an American territory, thus a part of America. This also brought awareness that Puerto Rico still needs aid from the devastation of recent natural disasters and political unrest.

Overall:

As a Latina I’m proud that these women used their platform to elevate the Latino image through their incredible talent and hard work. My hope is this halftime performance will be the beginning of more inclusive entertainment, highlighting the beauty and strength of Latinos and our culture.  

Latino Headliners and featured talent for The Super Bowl halftime show:

1992: Gloria Estefan (headliner)

1995: Arturo Sandoval (guest appearance)

           Miami sound Machine (guest appearance)

1999: Gloria Estefan (co-headliner)

2000: Edward James Olmos (narrator)

           Christina Aguilera (co-headliner act)

           Enrique Iglesias (co-headliner act)

2011: The Black Eyed Peas (Fergie co-headliner)

2014: Bruno Mars (headliner)

2016: Bruno Mars (guest appearance)

           Gustavo Dudamel (guest appearance)

2020: Jennifer Lopez

Shakira

Bad Bunny

J Balvin

Emme Muñiz

Latino talent who performed the National Anthem for the Super Bowl:

2002: Mariah Carey

2011: Christina Aguilera

2020: Demi Lovato 

The post JLO & Shakira 2020 Super Bowl History Making Performance first appeared on .

In honor of the 20^th anniversary of the Latin GRAMMY Awards, The GRAMMY Museum with the Latin Recording Academy debuted the first permanent Latin music gallery of Los Angeles, the Latin GRAMMY: 20 Years of Excellence, on November 18, 2019. To further recognize the importance of this event, L.A. City Council proclaimed November 18^th, 2019 “Latin GRAMMY Day”.

As Gabriel Abaroa Jr., President/CEO of The Latin Recording Academy and host of this monumental event announced, “Latin music is a worldwide influence and we are honored to partner with the GRAMMY Museum to showcase the talented musicians, monumental Latin music moments, and significant milestones that have contributed to its popularity…and look to the feature to showcase this beautiful art form”.

Michael Sticka, President of the Grammy Museum also added, “Our expanded partnership with The Latin Recording Academy will significantly increase the GRAMMY Museum’s impact by creating a consistent presence dedicated to celebrating the many genres of Latin music”.

A year of planning and months of construction for this two-million-dollar project has created a breathtaking exhibit on the third floor of the first Grammy Museum, established in 2008.  The exhibit displays an array of memorabilia highlighting two decades of the Latin GRAMMY show and its most iconic performances and special moments. This exhibit also features the cultural and social impact of this music nationally and internationally.

On hand for the unveiling were (Pictured in the featured photo), Gabriel Abaroa Jr., The Latin Recording Academy® President/CEO; Christian Nodal, Ángela Aguilar, Giselle Fernández, Michael Sticka, President of the GRAMMY Museum®; supervisor Hilda Solis, and Albert Lord (Los Angeles City Council)

Highlighted memorabilia of the exhibit include:

Juan Gabriel’s outfit from his show-stopping 10^th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards performance.

Ricky Martin’s shirt from his musically innovative performance with the Blue Man Group, at the Latin GRAMMY Awards:

And the first professional drum set of Mana’s drummer Alex Gonzales. Plus, many other featured iconic artists, such as Gloria and Emilio Estefan Jr., Shakira, Julio Iglesias, Thalia, Los Tigres del Norte, and Sheila E.

The Latin Recording Academy (previously known as the Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences) was founded in 1997, by the Recording Academy (previously known as the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences) responsible for the GRAMMY awards. It was created as a response to properly cover the vast and growing diversity of Latin music genres. 

The first Latin GRAMMY Awards were held on September 13, 2000, with 39 categories. Today, it’s grown to an astounding 50 categories!    

Having this exhibit in Los Angeles is monumental, due to this city being both “The entertainment capital of the world”, and the American city with the largest Hispanic/Latino population of 4.9 million (Pew, 2018).  A further donation by the Latin Academy, over half a million dollars, will be used over a three-year period to further extend this exhibit and other “Latin-inspired exhibits”. Further emphasizing the cultural and social influence Latinos and Latin music has had on the city and the music industry. 

This historical exhibit is now open to the public as of November 20^th, 2019 to Spring 2020. A must-see for anyone who’s passionate about music, L.A. culture, history, and/or the Latino experience.

For further information: https://www.grammymuseum.org/exhibits/latin-grammy-20-years-of-excellence

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