Music and Dance

Music is the national soul of many countries. This is particularly so in the Spanish-speaking world, where music is one of the most immediately identifiable cultural exports. That is why Latinos in New Jersey think of the songs they grew up with as a badge of cultural identity.

Just about every kind of music from the Spanish-speaking world is available in record shops in Hispanic neighborhoods. And what a choice: From top-of-the-charts Latin dance music to rock en espanol to modern classical compositions tinged by Latin rhythms. Or you can hear music live. The numerous local clubs and festivals are a testament to the popularity of salsa, merengue and other kinds of popular music, while more formal works inspired by the classics can be heard in major venues such as the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (Newark), the PNC Bank Arts Center (Holmdel) or the McCarter Theatre Center the Performing Arts (Princeton). Concerts have included the classical tangos of Argentine composer Astor Piazzola, the Latin jazz of Grammy award-winning saxophonist/clarinetist Paquito D'Rivera, and Eddie Palmieri, composer and five-time Grammy award winner.

APRIL 2002
Paquito D'Rivera and the World Festival Ensemble
Victoria Theater
New Jersey Performing Arts
Center (NJPAC)
One Center Street, Newark
1-888-GO-NJPAC
973-642-0404

This event is part of NJPAC's World Festival V, sponsored in part by American Express. Paquito D'Rivera created this phenomenally successful World Festival Ensemble, a one-of-a-kind group of extraordinary artists from around the world who represent the music and cultures featured in previous NJPAC World Festivals