MDC Live Arts & Koubek Center present Little Havana Social Club: Joan Soriano
Friday, 01/29/2016 – 08:00 pm –
Koubek Center
2705 SW 3rd St,
Miami, Florida 33135
Buy Tickets
Cost: $10.00

MDC Live Arts Continues Little Havana Social Club with The Duke of Bachata!
Joan Soriano brings his roots sound to Exciting Dance Party Series

Miami Dade College’s (MDC) MDC Live Arts and the Koubek Center present the South Florida premiere of Joan Soriano, the Duke of Bachata, at 8 p.m. on Friday, January 29 at the Koubek Center–offering up a roots evening of the beloved Dominican genre. The show continues MDC Live Arts’ new Little Havana Social Club, a dance party/concert series in the Koubek Center gardens, featuring flavorful live bands, pre-concert dance lessons, specialty cocktails, vendors and more.

The Dominican Republic’s “Duke of Bachata” brings old-school charm and modern sensibility to the genre, creating an irresistibly danceable sound that is as gritty as it is romantic. Soriano’s tender crooning evokes the countryside and sweeter times, but the nimble runs and articulate phrases on his steel-strong guitar give an urban, contemporary edge to his music. A practitioner of palo and gaga, he also blends Afro-Dominican sacred traditions with bachata. Together with his family band, Soriano preserves bachata’s roots and expands on them. He is a rare combination of new and authentic.

“Soriano’s music is gorgeous. He displays an emotionally powerful voice, versatility with bachata’s classic style of guitar playing, and compelling original compositions about love and loss.”–Dr. Deborah Pacini Hernandez, author, “Bachata: a social history of Dominican popular music.”
The concert will be preceded by a dance lesson, and followed by a DJ’ed dance party, on an outdoor dance floor under the stars.

MDC Live Arts Executive Director, Kathryn Garcia remarks, “This group is just perfect for a community dance party under the Miami moonlight! We are excited to welcome all who like to indulge in social dance, and look forward to seeing Miami’s Domini can community out in full swing!”

The Little Havana Social Club, in it’s very special home at the Koubek Center, is all about community and mingling–from the dance floor to the domino tables, listening lounge to the food trucks. Next in the series is Miami’s own Cuban salsa supergroup, TimbaLive, on March 18, 2016.

ABOUT JOAN SORIANO
Born in the rural countryside near Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, Soriano is the seventh of fifteen siblings. As a boy he received little formal education, instead helping his father to work the family’s land. But Joan’s destiny was for music not agriculture. Fashioning his first guitar from fishing line and a discarded metal box, he joined his young brothers and sisters to form a family band. Nicknamed “Los Candes” (after their father Candelario) it became a neighborhood sensation. At age 13,Joan hitched a ride to Santo Domingo and went on to nurture his talent working with some of the island’s greatest bachata stars.

In 2010, his first international solo release: El Duque de la Bachata (iASO Records) spent several weeks in the Billboard Top 10 Tropical album charts, won best World Beat Album of 2011 from the Indie Acoustic Project and was on rotation on over 100 radio stations in the US. In 2012, he released La Familia Soriano, which showcased the rich musical tradition in the Soriano family, including Joan’s brother Fernando and sisters Nelly and Griselda. The Soriano family’s newest release Me Decidi, (2015) once again includes Joan’s siblings as well as his newest sister in music, Andre Veloz.

Soriano was the star of Adam Taub’s film, The Duke of Bachata, was featured in Alex Wolfe’s critically acclaimed documentary, Santo Domingo Blues, and was showcased on The Rough Guide’s Bachata compilation. He has performed throughout the USA and Europe.

ABOUT MDC LIVE ARTS

MDC Live Arts is Miami’s most eclectic performing arts series–celebrating 25 years this season! Created in 1990 as Cultura del Lobo, MDC Live Arts has an illustrious history of bringing extraordinary national and international performing artists to Miami. The annual series presents today’s most exciting artists and designs meaningful engagement between these artists, the students of MDC, and the greater community. MDC Live Arts seeks artists from across the globe who push boundaries and honor traditions relevant to Miami’s diverse community, and aims to offer audiences opportunities to discover new ideas, perspectives and forms of expression. For more information, please visit mdclivearts.org.

The Programs of MDC Live Arts are made possible with the generous support of: Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council; the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; the Miami-Dade County Tourism Development Council; the National Endowment for the Arts; the City of Miami Beach Department of Tourism and Cultural Development, Offi ce of Cultural Affairs, the Miami Beach Mayor and City Commissioners; the Southern Exposure: Performing Arts of Latin America program, Citizens Interested in the Arts; Miami Dade County Cultural Passport in partnership with Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Aff airs, Miami Dade County Public Schools, and the Foundation for New Education Initiative; the Miami Downtown Development Authority; and John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. MDC Live Arts is an NPN Partner of the National Performance Network (NPN). Major contributors include the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Ford Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

ABOUT THE KOUBEK CENTER

The Koubek Center–su casa de cultura– is a cultural and historic landmark in the heart of Little Havana. True to its pioneering heritage and multicultural community, the revitalized mansion and gardens celebrates the diversity of South Florida, bringing the arts to life with workshops, art exhibitions, theater and music performances, literary readings, and more. In addition to the mansion and gardens, the iconic space includes the Koubek theater, the ArtSpace gallery, the BookCorner, the BlackBox, classrooms, and mini performance spaces.

WHEN: Friday, Jan 29, at 8 p.m.; doors at 7 p.m., dance lesson at 7:15 p.m.
WHERE: Koubek Center
2705 SW 3rd St
Miami, FL 33135
TICKETS are $10; Children 12 & under FREE; Rain or Shine!

To purchase tickets, and learn more about the 2015-16 MDC Live Arts Season, call 305-237-3010, or visit mdclivearts.org.