The Spam Allstars and 13-piece steel pan band to highlight Festival of Nations
Apr 20, 2009
Contact: Julianna M. Klose
(305) 899-4877
Flamenco and Indian dancers, Brazilian Carnivale and an international fashion show will be some of this year’s other highlights at the 14th annual Festival of Nations this Friday, April 24. Each of the seven continents will be represented at the event, which celebrates the university’s national diversity. Barry University currently has 383 international students from 77 countries, consistently ranking among the top colleges and universities for diversity by publications such as Princeton Review and Diverse Issues in Higher Education.
The all-day event features a variety of cultural events – workshops for elementary school children, international performance groups, and booths organized by international students representing some of their more than 70 respective countries.
Although the festival is an all-day event, I’ll list several time blocks below that will be the best for photo or video coverage:
9:00 – 11:30 a.m. International workshops for elementary school children
Landon Student Union
More than 90 students, in grades 3-5, will participate in workshops presented by Barry’s international students. The students, from Holy Family Catholic School, will participate in workshops focusing on Mayan culture making arts and crafts, learning Mayan math and participating in a “Mayan Market” where they’ll exchange their arts and crafts made throughout the morning.
2:30 – 3:30 p.m. Flamenco Puro and Rising Star Steel Pan
Barry campus mall
Flamenco Puro is scheduled to perform at 2:30 p.m. Founder Clarita Filgueiras and her dance company reflect Latin-American and Caribbean influences in their performances, while still invoking the intensity of the flamenco style.
Then, at 3:00 p.m. a 13-piece steel pan band will take the stage. The Rising Stars steel pan orchestra has performed internationally, as far away as Taiwan and Japan and domestically, in venues such as the Lincoln Center, the Today Show and the Capitol Building.
This is also a good time to take photos of the student booths. The booths, representing more than 15 countries, are run by students from those countries and feature cultural food, gifts and raffles. Nations represented by Barry students at the booths include Peru, India, Ireland and Azerbaijan.
5:00 p.m. The Spam Allstars
Barry campus mall
DJ Le Spam and Spam All-Stars blend electronic elements with Latin, funk, hip hop and dub to create a style they call electronic descarga. Spam Allstars were formed by Andrew Yeomanson, aka DJ Le Spam, who was raised in Toronto, Bogota and London, and has called Miami home since 1993. In 2002, Spam Allstars began a weekly residency at Hoy Como Ayer in Little Havana, which continues today. In 2003 they started monthly residencies in New York City, Gainesville, Tampa, Atlanta, and New Orleans, and playing nationally wherever people would host them. Today they perform more than 200 shows, and average 56,000 miles each year.
The Spam Allstars recently gained fame when they played for President Barack Obama at a rally in May 2008 at the Bank Atlantic Center and, again at Bayfront Park in October 2008.
More information on the Spam Allstars is available on their website at http://www.spamallstars.com/.
Directions to Barry University, the Landon Student Union and the main campus mall are included below. Please contact me for more information, or for a full schedule of the day’s events, which run until 10:00 p.m.
All the best –
~Julianna
DIRECTIONS TO THE LANDON STUDENT UNION:
FROM THE NORTH: Take I-95 south to NW 125 Street. Turn left (east) at the light onto NW 125 Street. Turn right (south) onto North Miami Avenue. The Landon Student Union is on the southwest corner of North Miami Avenue and NW 115th Street. Visitor parking is available on the south side of the building.
FROM THE SOUTH: Take I-95 north to NW 119 Street. Turn right (east) at the light onto NW 119 Street. Turn right (south) onto North Miami Avenue. The Landon Student Union is on the southwest corner of North Miami Avenue and NW 115th Street. Visitor parking is available on the south side of the building.
DIRECTIONS TO THE NORTH ENTRANCE (115TH)
FROM THE NORTH: Take I-95 south to NW 125 Street. Turn left (east) at the light onto NW 125 Street. Turn right (south) onto North Miami Avenue. Turn left (east) onto NE 115 Street and make first right into BU’s north entrance.
FROM THE SOUTH: Take I-95 north to NW 119 Street. Turn right (east) at the light onto NW 119 Street. Turn right (south) onto North Miami Avenue. Turn left (east) onto NE 115 Street and make first right into BU’s north entrance.
Our actual address is 11300 NE 2 Avenue, Miami Shores, 33161… Reserved parking for you will be through that north entrance off NE 115 Street. The main campus mall is straight ahead, past Broad Auditorium and the chapel.
The all-day event features a variety of cultural events – workshops for elementary school children, international performance groups, and booths organized by international students representing some of their more than 70 respective countries.
Although the festival is an all-day event, I’ll list several time blocks below that will be the best for photo or video coverage:
9:00 – 11:30 a.m. International workshops for elementary school children
Landon Student Union
More than 90 students, in grades 3-5, will participate in workshops presented by Barry’s international students. The students, from Holy Family Catholic School, will participate in workshops focusing on Mayan culture making arts and crafts, learning Mayan math and participating in a “Mayan Market” where they’ll exchange their arts and crafts made throughout the morning.
2:30 – 3:30 p.m. Flamenco Puro and Rising Star Steel Pan
Barry campus mall
Flamenco Puro is scheduled to perform at 2:30 p.m. Founder Clarita Filgueiras and her dance company reflect Latin-American and Caribbean influences in their performances, while still invoking the intensity of the flamenco style.
Then, at 3:00 p.m. a 13-piece steel pan band will take the stage. The Rising Stars steel pan orchestra has performed internationally, as far away as Taiwan and Japan and domestically, in venues such as the Lincoln Center, the Today Show and the Capitol Building.
This is also a good time to take photos of the student booths. The booths, representing more than 15 countries, are run by students from those countries and feature cultural food, gifts and raffles. Nations represented by Barry students at the booths include Peru, India, Ireland and Azerbaijan.
5:00 p.m. The Spam Allstars
Barry campus mall
DJ Le Spam and Spam All-Stars blend electronic elements with Latin, funk, hip hop and dub to create a style they call electronic descarga. Spam Allstars were formed by Andrew Yeomanson, aka DJ Le Spam, who was raised in Toronto, Bogota and London, and has called Miami home since 1993. In 2002, Spam Allstars began a weekly residency at Hoy Como Ayer in Little Havana, which continues today. In 2003 they started monthly residencies in New York City, Gainesville, Tampa, Atlanta, and New Orleans, and playing nationally wherever people would host them. Today they perform more than 200 shows, and average 56,000 miles each year.
The Spam Allstars recently gained fame when they played for President Barack Obama at a rally in May 2008 at the Bank Atlantic Center and, again at Bayfront Park in October 2008.
More information on the Spam Allstars is available on their website at http://www.spamallstars.com/.
Directions to Barry University, the Landon Student Union and the main campus mall are included below. Please contact me for more information, or for a full schedule of the day’s events, which run until 10:00 p.m.
All the best –
~Julianna
DIRECTIONS TO THE LANDON STUDENT UNION:
FROM THE NORTH: Take I-95 south to NW 125 Street. Turn left (east) at the light onto NW 125 Street. Turn right (south) onto North Miami Avenue. The Landon Student Union is on the southwest corner of North Miami Avenue and NW 115th Street. Visitor parking is available on the south side of the building.
FROM THE SOUTH: Take I-95 north to NW 119 Street. Turn right (east) at the light onto NW 119 Street. Turn right (south) onto North Miami Avenue. The Landon Student Union is on the southwest corner of North Miami Avenue and NW 115th Street. Visitor parking is available on the south side of the building.
DIRECTIONS TO THE NORTH ENTRANCE (115TH)
FROM THE NORTH: Take I-95 south to NW 125 Street. Turn left (east) at the light onto NW 125 Street. Turn right (south) onto North Miami Avenue. Turn left (east) onto NE 115 Street and make first right into BU’s north entrance.
FROM THE SOUTH: Take I-95 north to NW 119 Street. Turn right (east) at the light onto NW 119 Street. Turn right (south) onto North Miami Avenue. Turn left (east) onto NE 115 Street and make first right into BU’s north entrance.
Our actual address is 11300 NE 2 Avenue, Miami Shores, 33161… Reserved parking for you will be through that north entrance off NE 115 Street. The main campus mall is straight ahead, past Broad Auditorium and the chapel.
