Music week ends on a high note tonight with an all-star concert at the Bliss Center. The lineup will feature bands from Mexico, Guatemala, and of course Belize. And while you'll have to wait until 8 to see the show, a couple hundred lucky students got a preview this morning. Our 7NEWS team was also there.
Keith Swift Reporting,
The curtain call isn't until 8 pm but this morning primary and high school students arrived at the Bliss for a sneak peek, call it a live dress rehearsal. The Son Y Tanego group from Mexico opened the show. They come from Vera Cruz and their brand of music is known as Harocho. The lyrics were in Spanish but as with all music - the beat was universal.
Roberto Sabrino, Son Y Tanego
"This type of music comes from an area known as Son Haracho and it uses acoustic instruments, the zapateado dancing and it is traditional music that is more than two hundred years old. It is music that applies to our ears, music that originates in Europe and it comes to Mexico and through this the music we integrate ourselves with the indigenous people in African and Hispanic communities. So its a mixture of three races and its practically music derived from percussion instruments, wood instruments."
It's a traditional cultural dance that has been around for centuries but it's new to Belize City. Domingo Roman is the zapateado of the group. That means he is the one that's quickest on his feet and he tried to teach me his moves.
That was easier said than done. So back to the stage where a collective of 14 Belizean artists were the main acts. They call themselves Belize Bruk Grong and they are led by Bredda David Obi. With poetry, vocals, Latin, and Punta, Bredda David says Bruk Grong is a musical melting pot.
Bredda David Obi, Bruk Grong
"In Creole Bruk Grong means when you start something new, something that has never been done before. The main idea of the group is that we reflect the traditional and popular music of Belize, meaning the Cungo music, brukdong, punta rock, and latino music. So we will reflect as much as we can the music of Belize."
Ivan Duran from the Music Industry Association of Belize says the real show is tonight and this morning was just the preview.
Ivan Duran, MIAB
"This morning we are about to see a short showcase of two of the groups, the Belize group and the group from Mexico, and we have invited school children from across the Belize district and the Bliss is almost full right now with kids who came to see the show. It's a free concert and it's a taste of what will happen tonight."
Tonight's concert begins at 8. Tickets are $15 for reserved and $10 for general admission. Those tickets are available now at the Bliss box office.
