Latin American Arts Festival expands into different areas of the arts
TCU tangos to a Latin American beat next week
By Colleen Casey
Staff Reporter

The week-long Latin American Arts Festival began in 1998 as a music festival but is now a celebration of Hispanic heritage that entertains and educates, said Germán Gutiérrez, director of orchestral studies.

The festival starts today and will feature concerts, dances, plays, art, films and lectures from the Spanish and Latin American studies departments.

Festival creator Gutiérrez said Latin music is more than mariachi bands and the festival will have both classical and popular works.

“The people we have brought in are world-class and we also have some who are very popular in Latin countries,” he said.

Susan Douglas Roberts, associate professor of modern dance, said the expansion into other areas of the arts enriches the festival.

“It’s pretty rare and remarkable to enjoy the exchange with different cultures,” Roberts said. “It’s an opportunity not to be missed.”

Five dance companies from different Latin American countries will each bring their viewpoints to TCU in the showcase concert “Taking Turns in Space” next weekend.

Gutiérrez said the people invited to perform at the festival will give a new meaning to the arts. Vicente Sanchíz, an acquaintance and guest conductor who will perform with the TCU Wind Symphony, is an example of that, he said.

“(Sanchíz) is from Spain so he knows the essence of the Spanish music and he will benefit the music,” Gutiérrez said.

Senior radio-TV-film major Paola Espinoza said she will get the opportunity to translate a lecture by Manuel Esperón who is a famous movie composer from Mexico.

“I’ve very interested in movies and (Esperón) has worked with so many big names and is very popular in Mexico.” Espinoza said. “I can’t believe that I will get to talk with him.”

Espinoza, who has helped organize the festival, said she expects a lot of people from the Hispanic community to attend the events.

“We get many phone calls a day. I think that this is bigger than what people imagine,” Espinoza said.

Gutiérrez said he thinks the festival will be the biggest Latin American event in the Metroplex.

“I’m getting a lot of feedback from the Hispanic community, and I expect that the Americans who come will be asking for more,” he said. “I’ve already had to schedule some extra performances because the response has been so overwhelming.”

Colleen Casey
c.m.casey@student.tcu.edu

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