Pajarillo Pinta’o Dance Company official site

With the founding of Pajarillo Pinta’o in 2003, Artistic Director Daniel Fetecua Soto has started to investigate the fusion of traditional dances and rhythms of Colombian Folklore with the principals of modern dance and German tanz-theater.

Pajarillo Pinta’o took its first steps as a traditional Colombian Folkloric dance ensemble while Colombian founder and artistic director Daniel Fetecua Soto was a student at the Folkwang Hochsule in Essen, Germany. Later his choreography became shaped by not only his cross-cultural studies of Colombian traditional dance at Universidad Nacional in Colombia, but by his newly acquired experiences and training in dance-theatre, modern, and contemporary dance-notably his position with the world-renowned Jose Limon dance company until fall 2016. The culmination of this training and performance history has birthed a movement that interweaves the rhythms, music, choreographic structure, and rites of native dances of Colombia, with the lyricism and neo-expressionisim found in contemporary dance.

Pajarillo Pinta’o is Daniel’s personal homage to his culture and his traditions. Upon moving to the USA in 2006, Daniel started his work with professional dancers in New York City while continuing to travel annually to Germany to work with his dancers and Associate Artistic Director Maria Lucia Agon Ramirez abroad who keep the work alive across the ocean.

Here in NYC Pajarillo Pinta’o has started an incredible collaboration with Colombian musician and composer Pablo Mayor and his band Folklore Urbano as well as with the renowned Colombian singer Lucía Pulido, and Theatre Director German Jaramillo, founder and director of ID Studio Theatre. He is now a part of an arts alliance called ArtsLatinoNY made up of ID Studio Theater, Folklore Urbano NYC, and Pajarillo Pinta’o.

In the last three years Pajarillo Pinta’o has been developing an infrastructure and under the managing direction of Anna Amadei, Pajarillo Pinta’o has received two grants from the Harlem Stage Fund for New Work (granted to Daniel for two new choreographic works).
The mission is to keep spreading the pure essence of Colombian folklore to the world, and have people experience it through the music and the dances, while continuing to develop a new form merging the soul of tradition and its evolution in our contemporary world.

Daniel Fetecua Soto, director, dancer, choreographer, and teacher, a native of Bogotá, Colombia, was a member of the Limon Dance Company until fall 2016. He has appeared as guest artist in Pina Bausch’s masterpieces the Rite of Spring and Tannhauser. Fetecua has also worked with La Fura dels Baus, Kuo Chu Wu and won a Salsa Award in the European Salsa Championship in 2004. His recent work with Teatro la Sea garnered an “Hola” award for his salsa choreography for the production “La Gloria: A Latin Cabaret.” His choreography was seen performed by the Connecticut Ballet in 2014. Daniel is an avid educator, and works with Limon4Kids, Turtle Bay Music School, among other organizations. Daniel holds a BFA from Folkwang-Hochschule, Germany.

Grupo Rebolú official site
Grupo Rebolú on Soundcloud

Is an Afro-Colombian musical ensemble comprised of some of the finest Colombian musicians in the United States. The group came out of the desire of Ronald Polo (vocalist/composer/gaitero) and Morris Canate (master folkloric percussionist) to promote the rich musical traditions of their ancestors; the Afro-descendents of Colombia’s Caribbean coast.

It is their belief that these folkloric traditions should continually evolve over time and with the ideas of new generations of folklorists, a belief surely reflected in their music.

The original compositions of Ronald Polo forge new paths for Colombian music while respectfully remaining faithful to its ancestral roots. In the process, they create a truly unique musical and cultural experience.

From traditional songs to original compositions, the entirety of Rebolu’s repertoire is loaded with energy, history and danceability. Their unique reinterpretations of traditional Afro-Colombian rhythms such as Gaita, Tambora, Chalupa and Bullerengue, among others, make it extremely well suited not only for festivals and cultural events, but also for nightclubs. We hope you listen and enjoy..

Nicolas Castañeda official site | Nicolas Castañeda on Facebook | Nicolas Castañeda on Twitter | Nicolas Castañeda on Instagram

Harpist and composer originally from Bogota – Colombia, Nicolás Castañeda participated in numerous Colombian music festivals and shows for more than nine years before moving to Boston in 2013, where he is currently a graduated student in Jazz Composition from Berklee College of Music. He has been an active performer both at Berklee and the local scene. His music is based on the creation of new sounds, mixing Colombian traditional rhythms with contemporary music styles as heard on his album “Renacer” or Reborn in English, produced in 2014.

As a composer, Castañeda has created works for Chamber Orchestra, small ensembles and solo pieces where the importance as an artist to bring change is one of his principal goals.

“It inspires me to continue in my search to evolve Colombian and Latin American music through my compositions,” remarks Castañeda, upon receiving his last award from the BMI Foundation in 2015, for his outstanding work as a Latin American composer.

Pablo Mayor-Folklore Urbano Orchestra official site

Pablo Mayor, whose powerhouse orchestra has redefined modern Colombian music in the last decade, will present repertoire from his latest “El Barrio Project,” a cross-cultural meeting of Cumbia and Salsa which takes his renowned Colombian band into the heart of Spanish Harlem and the birthplace of salsa—historically known as “El Barrio.” Weaving a theatrical narrative, the story presents a musical ensemble as a metaphor for a NYC community with its diverse mash-up of peoples, and the real-life relationships that develop. Pablo Mayor collaborates with other composers in this project, with theatrical direction by German Jaramillo of ID Studio Theater. The group will feature its latest vocalist, Colombian ALEA (Maria Alejandra Jiménez), and invited guests of NYC’s Latin elite: Danny Gonzalez on congas (a long-standing member of the Cuban establishment Orquesta Broadway), vocalist and songwriter “Chino” Melao (an icon in the historic era of NYC salsa) and multi-instrumentalist Eddie Venegas (Marc Anthony side-man, Orquesta Broadway) on vocals and violin.

The Folklore Urbano Orchestra is the premiere ensemble of Colombian bandleader, pianist, composer, and arranger Pablo Mayor. The group’s three highly-acclaimed CD’s, Aviso, Baile/Dance, and Corazón, have been broadcast throughout the World.

Gregorio Uribe official site | Gregorio Uribe on Facebook

A year after releasing the Billboard Chart hitting album “Cumbia Universal” Gregorio Uribe is back to introduce you to his most recent brain-child and present his premiere music video “Media Naranja” recorded live at the infamous Congahead.

In addition to his 16- piece big band ensemble, which distinguishes Uribe, he has most recently put together a smaller more intimate set-up, reminiscent of the traditional vallenato format from his native Colombia. This smaller ensemble, which is usually composed of a trio, performs Gregorio’s original songs, which are both intimate and danceable. Although this new format is different from the big band, it still holds true to the unique style of its leader. Uribe most recently toured the East Coast (including Brown University) with his new ensemble and is in the process of recording his new songs.

Sebastián Cruz official site | Sebastián Cruz on Facebook | Sebastián Cruz on YouTube

Guitarist, composer and singer-songwriter, Sebastián Cruz has led and been a part of many influential bands in the Colombian music scene in NY including Lucía Pulido, La Cumbiamba eNeYé, Samurindó, Los Aliens, and his own Coba, The Cheap Landscape Trio, and Sebastián Cruz Band. In this projects he has contributed his sound and vision through his compositions and arrangements. In the last year Sebastián has been exploring his singing voice. First singing in the subway, and later singing in restaurants around New York in order to grow as a singer. For this Encuentro Sebastián will create a brand new ensemble to rediscover some of his old songs. Some from the last phase of his band Coba, and others created for movies. This is a rare performance of very dear repertoire that has never been released, and seldom been performed.

Featuring:
Sebastian Cruz, voice and requinto
Iván Barenboim, clarinet
Ryan Keberle, trombone
Chris Vanvoorst-Vambeest, bass
Jonathan Gomez-Cornejo, percussion
Martín Vejarano, drums