Songs and Dance for "El gaucho vegetariano"

Songs, dance and theater by local authors and performers

New London, Conn.— Teatro Latino de New London invites the community to join local performers and authors on July 15, a Sunday, at 3 in the afternoon at the Customs House on Bank Street for a performance of songs, dance and theater.

            Adelaida Florenciani will sing “Ay, ay, ay de la grifa negra” (Ay, Ay, Ay of the Kinky-Haired Negress) and “Rio Grande de Loiza” (Loiza’s Big River), both with lyrics by Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos; “La voz de Poesia”, with lyrics by Resurreccion Espinosa, and “El gaucho vegetariano” (The Vegetarian Cowboy), with lyrics by Charles Frink, who composed the music for the songs and will accompany the singer at the piano. Those interested in The Amistad story should not miss this event.

            Dancer D’Andrea Knox has created powerful movement: “I like to think of my dances as interpretations of the songs. My aim is connecting with the audience, so that they feel the words of the songs,” she explained. Ms. Knox, a massage therapist at Therapeutic Touch Massage Therapy in Niantic, is a graduate of Fitch High School and studies psychology at Eastern Connecticut State University.

            Two scenes – one in Spanish, one in English – will be performed by Erick Carrion, Michael Crane and Berenith Ruperto, the latter a student at New London High School. Michael Crane, who has been with Teatro Latino since fifth grade, is a junior at Mitchell College. Erick Carrión, Teatro’s assistant director, is majoring in theater at Sacred Heart University in Puerto Rico, and said, “My mission is to educate, to send a positive message to our youth while promoting Latino theater in North America.”

            This performance celebrates the publication of the revised edition of a book of plays in Spanish, “El gaucho vegetariano and Other Plays for Students of Spanish,” released in May by University Press of America. The plays are by Teatro’s founding director Resurrección Espinosa, with music by  music director Charles Frink. Copies of the book will be available.

            The event is free and open to the public. Thames Valley Sustainable Connections and the New London Field of Greens are supporters along with New London Public Library, which is hosting this performance on August 30^th, sponsored by Connecticut Authors’ Trail.

            For more information, write teatrolatinodenewlondon@gmail.com.