SAN MARCOS—Noche Havana, an event full of multi-cultural performances and audience interaction, will kick off soon at Palomar.
Happening on Friday, Oct. 25, and Saturday, Oct. 26, at 5 p.m., the event will take place in the Studio Theatre and Howard Brubeck Courtyard. Performances by Palomar World Drum and Dance students and the Agogo Drum and Dance Ensemble will be included, and community members can also join in.
“It’s a full celebration, a full evening,” Director Patriceann Mead said about the event.
Mead shared that Noche Havana, held annualy, highlights Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and Latin traditions. This year, she has also chosen to highlight Día de los Muertos, Halloween, and Celtic Samhain traditions.
Madeline Rayon, an Agogo dancer that started in the program in 2012, shared her appreciation for the cultures represented through the event.
“I’m really looking forward to how we’re bringing a lot of our ancestors through our dances…Being able to tie in everything to everyone’s ancestry is really helpful and really meaningful…” Rayon said.
Shortly after the doors open for Noche Havana, there will be a salsa class for any audience members to take part in. This will take place in the Studio Theatre, which will be converted to look like a 1950’s Latin night club.
After the salsa class, a local salsa band named Kimba Light will be performing outside in the courtyard. The dance floor will be open for anyone interested in dancing.
Around 7 p.m., the dinner portion of the show will start. Food from The House of Cuban Flavor will be served in the courtyard.
At this time, the Agogo Drum and Dance Ensemble will perform Latin BalletFolklorico and more in the Studio Theatre. There will also be a modern dance number, named Savage Daughters, designed to celebrate Celtic and Norse ancestry to showcase the traditions of Samhain.
Agogo dancer, Michelle Sadrena Pledger, who started dancing with Mead in 2007, shared how much she’s looking forward to performing the Savage Daughters piece.
“I appreciate it, because it is all about female empowerment…and I feel that…working with these women here…we have this incredible connection…”Pledger said.
Agogo, founded in 1997, is the resident dance company at Palomar. The ensemble, which features professional dancers and drummers, is separate from classes offered at the college. Director Mead is also incorporating excerpts from the first ever Agogo closing number into this year’s Noche Havana.
Lydia Tonantzin Contreras, an Agogo dancer who started dancing with Mead in 1998, is one of the Ballet Folklorico choreographers for the show. She said that dancing Folklorico has been a life-long journey, and her inspiration comes from her culture.
“I love the blending and incorporation of different cultures and just bringing that out to the public, because we don’t get a chance to do that that often…” Contreras said.
Madeline Rayon shares a similar inspiration—her grandmother, who was a Ballet Folklorico dancer before her. She also personally connects with the Folklorico piece from Veracruz that they’ll be performing, because her family is from there.
Pledger agreed that she sees dance as a way to connect across cultures and express oneself freely.
“For me, it’s just about freedom of expression. It’s about connection with other beautiful human beings. It’s about culture, just all the things that I love,” Pledger said, in regard to dance.
Overall, Mead shared that students from Palomar’s drum and salsa classes will also have the opportunity to perform during the dinner portion of Noche Havana.
After the dinner show wraps up, Kimba Light will come back to the courtyard to play, and the dance floor will be open for the rest of the night. Audience members are encouraged to come in costume, if they’d like, and to be ready to dance.
“It’s diversity in motion and a celebration of this magical time of year,” Mead said about the event.
For more information about the event and to buy tickets, click here.
