Latin America visits Charlottesville IX Art Park
Latino representation sparkled in all the bold colors and flavors of various Hispanic cultures at the IX Art Park in Charlottesville on Saturday, Sept. 21. Dancers, bands, vendors, and Latino community members gathered together for an afternoon of dancing, eating, and unity over the special, individual cultural facets from the 33 countries of Latin America.
As visitors entered with free admission to the event, an overwhelming amount of food trucks and vendors surrounded them. Attendees could find anything from tacos to traditional woven and leather goods. Standing there, guests were surrounded by individuals from all over Charlottesville, Central Virginia, and Latin America collectively enjoying the dancing performances and music.
After 6 p.m., the sonorous, rich tone unique to the romantic trumpet sounds a mariachi band soared across the crowd. The butterfly effects of bold pink, green, orange, and yellow skirts from a Mexican group of dancers created a teeming atmosphere of awe and excitement from the cultural performance. One spectator noted, “The entire event reminds me of Olvera Street in Los Angeles,” a historic district dominated by Mexican culture. Another attendee stated, “It felt like a block party. Very intimate and fun!”
Mexico was not the only country featured in the line of events. From 12-9 p.m., the schedule included performances from countries such as Guatemala, Colombia, and Bolivia. The Bolivian dance group, Salay Tukuypaj, wowed the crowd with their brilliant pink and cobalt blue garb.
At 7 p.m., there was a parade of flags which showed onlookers which nations attendees were from and resulted in nationalistic cheers. From 7:30-9 p.m., the band named La Máquina de El Salvador, dominated the event as the pink and orange sunset on one of the last days of summer reflected on the shine of the guitars and microphones of the group. From there, the entire event was wrapped up in a final party where men, women, and children could enjoy the infectious rhythms of cumbia (a music style originating from Colombia) and several other classic music styles that originate from the streets of Latin American islands.
The entire event appeared to have hundreds of participants and attendees. The hard-working vendors, performers, crew, and law enforcement developed another exciting and fun Latin-American festival for its seventh year.
Next year, mark your calendars to attend what may become a much more popular staple of summer events in Charlottesville. For great authentic food, music, and goods, Cville Sabroso was a special way to wrap up the summer for Spanish communities and Central Virginia alike.
