Simples Reflections Gala Recap!
MARCH 4TH, 2022
This past weekend, Simple Reflections hosted their Simple Reflections For Artists Gala at the Museum London. The goal of this great event led by Salvadorean local art aficionado, Dario Novoa, recently nominated for London Music Awards under the Contributor category, is to reunite artists and the community with a night filled with art, love, and the joyful celebration of art. There were so many artists and performers present, it is no wonder that London has been designated an UNESCO City of Music. We tried to capture some of the Latinx talent present this past weekend.
The first two Latin names up were Flamenco Del Sur dancer Patricia Medeiros followed by David Rayo strumming on an acoustic, which was the perfect opener for what was to come later during the event for Latin talent. Cuban performer, Gianny Correa (9) on saxophone came on later in the event, kicking off the 3rd block with beautiful jazz, it was a smooth transition into an incredible variety of performances by Latinxs in the evening.
Ana de México (3) joined Gianny with her vocals, and her ballads were perfect reflections of why art should be celebrated and enjoyed! The next group, Antonio Alas Mariachis Band (1,11,14) from El Salvador, mixed English and Spanish lyrics and wore full traditional Mariachi dress wear. They covered ‘Que Sera’ originally sung by Doris Day. The trio also introduced the audience to their own song written from the perspective of those that experience nostalgia for their home countries in Latin America, while living abroad.
FINAL BLOCK
Alfredo Caxaj Latin Jazz Ensemble (6) kicked off the last block of the evening, a band so in sync, it seems as if they’d grown up playing together all their lives. Perfectly tuned to each other. Our friend Alfredo introduced each player and highlighted his compadres perfectly. Latin Passion Dance Academy duo, Fernando and Anna Marie (8) rejoined the stage to dance to these rhythms, (a special sort of encore from their earlier performance in the 3rd block) and soon it seemed everyone was up on their feet dancing, this continued onto the last show of the evening with Freddy Almarza Grupo Folclórico - Venezolano Los Hermanos. What an incredible day with so much talent, thank you to Dario and all the artists that made this event possible.
THE ART
While these artists took to the stage, off to the side of the main stage and around the corner, painters were in their zone creating live works. These are just too beautiful to explain and due them justice with words, so take a look at our gallery to see some of the shots we captured. One of the painters we were wowed by was Harley Salamanca, a Colombian interdisciplinary artist that has had his works in various well-known galleries. (2,12,13)
The event was to celebrate all artists but we can’t help but be incredibly proud and honoured to see so much Latinx talent represented.
Check out https://www.simplereflectionsforartists.com/ for more information about this great art collective and all their upcoming projects, as well as follow their social media accounts and follow the artists on social media.