Information on the The official Carnaval Miami site HERE

Calle Ocho 2002
Calle Ocho 2003
Calle Ocho 2004

Carnaval Miami - 2001 -  Calle Ocho Day Festival

by SalsaPower

It was Sunday March 11th, 2001, on a blistering hot day in the heart of Little Havana in Miami, Florida.

The smell of lechón y arroz con frijoles fills the air, along with the captivating pulse of Latin American music vibrating from 5th Avenue all the way up to 27th Avenue on SW 8th street.

This years' celebration did not disappoint even the most hardened partygoer. 

There was truly something for everyone: Carnival rides, trampolines and  rock-climbing activities kept the kids occupied, while the adults indulged on the electric sounds of such musical artists as the incomparable Hector Tricoche, Jay Lozada, Tito Puente Jr., Puerto Rican Power, Victor Manuelle and many others.

Concession booths selling everything from Latin American food and beer to t-shirts, flags and CD’s etc., were spread out along the route and the flags of virtually every Latin American country were waived proudly in a festival which has become a cultural celebration of everything "Latino."

Walking through the dense crowd, I came across both scheduled and impromptu dance performances from several representatives of local Casino/Rueda dance schools. Including Latin Groove Dance Studios and Casino-Lovers Dance Studios. Salsa dancing, once thought of as an art form only embraced by those who where coming of age during the late 60’s and 70’s has now been embraced by a new generation of practitioners.

I actually saw children and teenagers dancing Casino as proficiently as some of the adults.

This reinforces my belief that Salsa music has truly made a triumphant come back and that Casino-style Salsa dancing in particular is truly here to stay. It is embedded into the fabric of our culture and serves to bind us together as a community.

If you missed this year's Calle Ocho  celebration, you may still be able to capture some of the excitement of the event by watching recorded footage captured on the television networks Telemundo and Univisión.

Y que viva la Calle Ocho!

 

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