The Soraya Celebrates Cinco De Mayo With Ballet Folklórico Universidad De Colima, Las Cafeteras, Sonia De Los Santos

Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya), celebrates Cinco de Mayo with a trio of incredible performances from the quintessiental Mexican folk dance company Ballet Folklórico Universidad de Colima (May 3), East-LA's Las Cafeteras (May 4) and the bi-lingual, family singer/songwriter Sonia de Los Santos (May 5).

Ballet Folklórico Universidad de Colima (May 3) is ground zero for Mexican culture. Training the next generation of artists and preserving the future of the traditional form, many consider Colima to be the nation's finest ensemble. No doubt - the passion of these young performers burns brightly with every percussive step and colorful twirl.

Las Cafeteras (May 4) brings a party East LA-style. Spanish and English, local and international, traditional and contemporary - these fiery musicians remix roots music and spoken word into an infectious style that brings audiences to their feet!

A singer/songwriter shaped by two cultures, Sonia de Los Santos (May 5) Santos grew up in Monterey, Mexico and moved to New York City. She performs in both Spanish and English and plays guitar, mandolin, and jarana. Her newest show features musicians and dancers from Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico - a celebration of the Americas with vibrant rhythms, sounds, and colors.

About Ballet Folklórico Universidad de Colima
Ballet Folklórico Universidad de Colima (BFUC) was founded in 1980 by the choreographer and sculptor Rafael Zamarripa Castañeda . For over 30 years he has made numerous national and international tours visiting countries such as the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Panama, Cuba, Portugal, Guatemala, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, England, France, Germany, China, Korea, Ecuador, Italy and Holland.

Throughout his career, the Ballet has appeared before various presidents of Mexico, Guatemala, Panama and Korea. It was the first university group to appear at the Palace of Fine Arts.

BFUC was designated a "Group of Excellence" in 1995 by the International Council of Organizers of Folk Festivals (CIOFF) of UNESCO. In 2001, Castañeda was awarded the first prize "Del Milenio" at the xxI World Folklore Competition and Festival in the city of Gorizia, in Italy; there he competed with more than 10 folk groups from around the world. Members of the Ballet Folklorico of the University of Colima were received by Pope John Paul II.

In 2008, BFUC celebrated their 25th anniversary by offering a splendid performance at the Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico City and published a commemorative book of the 25 years of ballet career, written by Alberto Dallal, the highest critic of dance in Latin America. In December of that same year, the commemorative program of the company's 25th anniversary was released, entitled "Nostalgia" .

In 2012, the Folkloric Ballet of the University of Colima toured Spain ; where they attended three international festivals: xxVI International Folklore Festival "Ciudad de Burgos", that year celebrated the 500th anniversary of the promulgation of the "Burgos Laws"; International Festival of Folklore of Portugalete and the xxIV International Folklore Festival of Viveiro. The tour was developed in the months of July and August. In April 2013 the group was awarded the University Merit Medal "Lázaro Cárdenas ", awarded by the University of Colima; They recognized his role as ambassador of our culture internationally and his high sense of commitment to dance.

In July 2013, BFUC became the Treasure of the Cultural Heritage of the State of Colima.

In June 2016, the University Ballet was presented at the National Auditorium of Mexico City , one of the most important venues in Latin America. This event led the company to be awarded the Las Lunas del Auditorio 2016 prize in the Folk Dance category . In September of the same year, the group offered three presentations in the Miguel Covarrubias Room of the UNAM with full bookings; In November the group made a presentation at the Telmex Auditorium in Zapopan, Jalisco.

During July and August 2017, the company toured Spain and France , participating in the most prestigious folk festivals in Europe. In addition, in August, as part of the celebration of its 25th anniversary, the Secretary of Social Development (SEDESOL) awarded two awards to the university company, highlighting "the boost to social development and commitment to Mexico" and "its incalculable contribution to development social and integral aggrandizement of Colima and the Colima people at national and international levels ".

The Mexican Society of Geography and Statistics, corresponding to Colima, distinguished the Ballet Folklorico with the Valentín Gómez Farías Prize in April 2018 , for its successful trajectory of 35 years of artistic education and dissemination of culture.

In recent years the Folkloric Ballet of the University of Colima has established itself as a quality university artistic group, representing Colima in various entities of the Mexican Republic and abroad. It has a vast repertoire that has been made up of nine different programs , with an approximate duration of two hours each.

About Las Cafeteras
Las Cafeteras have taken the music scene by storm with their infectious live performances and have crossed-genre and musical borders, playing with bands such as Mexican icons Caifanes, Lila Downs, Colombian superstar Juanes, Los Angeles legends Ozomatli, folk/indie favorites Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, and most recently with Talib Kweli.

Born and raised east of the Los Angeles river, Las Cafeteras are remixing roots music and telling modern day stories. Las Cafeteras create a vibrant musical fusion with a unique East LA sound and positive message. Their Afro-Mexican beats, rhythms, and rhymes deliver inspiring lyrics that document stories of a community seeking love and justice in the concrete jungle of Los Angeles. Using traditional Son Jarocho instruments like the jarana, requinto, quijada (donkey jawbone) and tarima (a wooden platform), Las Cafeteras sing in English, Spanish, and Spanglish and add a remix of sounds, from rock to hip-hop to rancheras. Las Cafeteras use music as a vehicle to build bridges among different cultures and communities, and create 'a world where many worlds fit'.

Los Angeles Times describes Las Cafeteras as "uniquely Angeleno mishmash of punk, hip-hop, beat music, cumbia and rock ... live, they're magnetic."

About Sonia de Los Santos
Sonia De Los Santos was born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico and in 2007 started touring the world, singing in English and Spanish, playing guitar and jarana and lighting up the stage with Grammy Award winning group Dan Zanes And Friends.

In 2015 she released her first solo family music album titled Mi Viaje: De Nuevo León to the New York Island (Parents' Choice Foundation Gold Award Winner) a collection of songs that reflect her experiences growing up in Mexico, moving to another country, learning about other cultures, and in the process, feeling closer to her own heritage. This unique collection of old and new songs is a personal, and yet universal, musical story from this soulful and important new voice in family music, and the messages of joyful community music making and cultural bridge building inspire and excite children and grown ups of all backgrounds.

Sonia has been hailed by Billboard as "one of the Latin Children's music artists you should know" and her music has been featured on NBC's Visiones, Sirius XM's Kids Place Live and WXPN's Kids Corner among others. She has also made numerous appearances as a singer and guitarist on TV shows like ABC's Good Morning America, CBS's The Early Show, and Sprout's The Sunny Side up Show and has performed with her band in renowned venues and festivals such as Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Symphony Space, The Getty Museum, Austin City Limits, Madison Square Park, Battery Park, Central Park Summer Stage Kids and many more.

Recently, Sonia gave voice to the Spanish version of the acclaimed book/CD Sing To Your Baby (Cántale A Tu Bebé) created by Grammy Award Winners Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, and is touring with her band across the United States promoting the release her second family music album titled ¡Alegría!.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit The Soraya or call 818-677-3000. Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts is located at 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA 91330. Ticket prices subject to change.

About Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya)

The 2018-19 Season marks the eighth year the award-winning Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts which has quickly become one of the cultural jewels of the greater Los Angeles region. Under the leadership of Executive Director Thor Steingraber, The Soraya continues to expand its programming and outstanding multidisciplinary performances. The mission of The Soraya is to present a wide variety of performances that not only includes new and original work from the Los Angeles region but also work from around the world that appeal to all of LA's rich and diverse communities.

Located on the campus of California State University, Northridge, The Soraya's season offers a vibrant performance program of nearly 50 classical and popular music, dance, theater, family, and international events that will serve to establish The Soraya as the intellectual and cultural heart of the San Fernando Valley, and further establish itself as one of the top arts companies in Southern California. The award-winning, 1,700-seat theatre was designed by HGA Architects and Engineers and was recently cited by the Los Angeles Times as "a growing hub for live music, dance, drama and other cultural events."

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