9/1/2021
Performances and Artists
Many Hispanic artists who take The Smith Center stage offer stunning stories to tell.
Just a few examples include being jailed for listening to jazz, transitioning from a Puerto Rico farm to iconic film roles, and fleeing Cuba during Fidel Castro’s armed revolution.
Their personal stories inspire audiences just as much as their talent. To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, The Smith Center shares below the moving histories of artists who shape their artforms and open the door for countless Hispanic performers to come.
Arturo Sandoval
One of the world’s leading jazz innovators, multi-Grammy winning trumpeter Arturo Sandoval encountered daunting obstacles in his life.
These include going to jail for listening to jazz in his native Cuba.
“I was in the obligatory military service for three years, when the sergeant caught me listening to the ‘Voice of America Jazz Hour’ on my short-wave radio,” he remembers from the early 1970s. “They put me in jail because I was listening to the voice of the enemy.”
Hearing jazz had sparked a hunger, however. Sandoval still went on to teach himself trumpet and caught the attention of jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie. Gillespie’s support led Sandoval to transform the jazz genre, by infusing traditional Afro-Cuban stylings he had played all his life in Cuba.
Sandoval displayed his peerless versatility in multiple performances at The Smith Center, including playing at the center’s opening night concert in 2012.
“For me, music is only one (style). A good one,” says Sandoval, who now boasts three Grammys, an Emmy and six Billboard awards. “I love all kinds of music, and I’ve been trying to learn as much as I can about anything that sounds good to me.”
Rita Moreno
The first Latin woman — and one of just 16 people in history — to achieve an EGOT (receiving an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony), Rita Moreno remains an icon for playing Anita in the original film of “West Side Story.”
“‘West Side Story’ has given me a legacy that you can’t buy,” says Moreno, who performed at The Smith Center with the Las Vegas Philharmonic in 2016.
Her life began humbly on a Puerto Rico farm, however. When she turned 5, her mother earned enough money to move them to New York City – though limited funds meant leaving behind Moreno’s younger brother, who she never saw again.
Performing ever since, Moreno constantly battled against stereotypical casting as “exotic” characters. Her immense talent in singing, dancing and acting helped her climb from recording Spanish language versions of American films to costarring in “West Side Story,” in addition to lead roles on Broadway and in television.
“The door’s no longer ajar, but it’s certainly not wide open yet,” she says of Hispanic actors’ treatment in the entertainment industry. “I get asked constantly by younger people, ‘Now that Hispanic actors are working more, how come we don’t get nominated more?’ The answer is we don’t have the roles that would earn those kinds of accolades.”
She continues to work even in her 80s, and recently costarred in Netflix show with full Latin cast “One Day At a Time.”
Ballet Folklorico de Mexico
Over 65 years ago, Mexican choreographer and dancer Amalia Hernandez decided to bring her country’s culture to the world.
She created a small dance company of just eight dancers, Ballet Folklorico de Mexico, with the aim of preserving dances from across Mexico’s regions and historic eras, including Aztec dances and folk dances influenced by Spanish, French and Austrian colonials.
“Amalia was trying to show the best of what Mexico can offer,” says Salvador Lopez, the company’s general director.
Little did she know how much the world would embrace her idea.
Returning to The Smith Center on March 23 and 24, 2022, Ballet Folklorico has grown to an internationally renowned institution of over 600 dancers, musicians, teachers and students.
The company has performed for over 45 million people, as the first organization to introduce Mexican dance and culture to countries worldwide, including Russia, Japan, China and much of Europe.
“The company has toured countries that didn’t know anything about Mexican culture,” Lopez says. “When they see our company, they see our country’s richness and culture.”
“On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan”
Music icon Gloria Estefan faced a long road to becoming an international superstar with over 100 million records sold, bringing Latin music to mainstream audiences.
Before all of that, she had to flee her native Cuba with her family during Fidel Castro’s rise to power. They had little choice, as her father had served as a Cuban soldier and bodyguard of former President Fulgencio Batista.
“My mom and I came on a Pan Am flight, and I still have the round-trip ticket saved,” Gloria recalls. “They thought we were going back, that it was only going to be a matter of a few months.”
Arriving in America, they faced significant financial and racial barriers.
In spite of all this, she experienced a career rise that embodied the American dream after she met keyboardist Emilio Estefan and agreed to join his band Miami Sound Machine. Through hard work, business savvy and raw talent, the pair accrued a stunning 26 Grammys together.
“I sing about issues that unite us all, like gaining love, losing love. And then there’s rhythm,” Gloria explains of their crossover success. “Rhythm does not need to be understood. It either moves you or it doesn’t.”
The couple co-produced Broadway musical “On Your Feet!” about their success story, which visited The Smith Center in 2018.
They hope the musical encourages more Hispanics to follow in their footsteps.
“It’s very important for me to inspire and to empower,” Gloria says.