“From Mambo To Hip Hop” – Screening
Thursday, June 18, 7:30pm to 10:00pm
The Bronx Museum of the Arts
1040 Grand Concourse
Bronx
Even in its darkest period, the Bronx created young hip hop artists in music, dance, art, and poetry in the forms of deejay mixes, b-boying, graffiti, and rap. Chalfant shows how closely linked are the two cultures of salsa and breaking.
New York City’s borough of the South Bronx was home to many of the new immigrants from Puerto Rico, Cuba, and other Caribbean islands in the late 40s and early 50s. Machito had already made his musical mark with his Afro-Cuban mixture of Caribbean music and jazz. Mambo ruled the dance floor. Soon Ray Barreto, Willie Colon, and Eddie Palmieri joined existing bands and then formed their own groups to introduce new songs, rhythms, and dances, all of which eventually led to the salsa revolution of the 1970s. The Fania All-Stars propelled salsa across the nation and beyond.
Growing up in the midst of salsa rhythms, younger dancers, both African American and Latinos, responded most strongly to the instrumental “breaks” being selected by deejays rebelling against the disco craze of the 70s. Soon mixes of these breaks became the music for “break dancers” (eventually known as b-boys/b-girls). Produced by Elena Martínez and Steve Zeitlin, directed by Henry Chalfant. 56 minutes.