In the 1960s, when Enfoque cameras were depicting Latin American reality, artistic expression flourished in the region and its performance was gaining worldwide recognition. Creative voices were projecting beyond national borders and shaping the international dialogue in literature, music, dance and the visual arts.
Cuban dancer and choreographer Alicia Alonso was directing the renowned Cuban National Ballet, elevating Cuban dance to international acclaim. Her dedication and artistry were inspiring generations of performers.
The works of Chilean poets Pablo Neruda and Gabriela Mistral were reaching readers in multiple languages, celebrated for their lyrical depth and social engagement. Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez was pioneering magical realism, blending the fantastical with everyday life. Jorge Luis Borges of Argentina and Mexico’s Octavio Paz were shaping global literature with their innovative styles and philosophical insights. Peruvian novelist Mario Vargas Llosa was gaining international acclaim for his early novels reflecting gritty urban life.
Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos and Argentina’s Alberto Ginastera were bringing Latin American classical music to the repertoire of international orchestras. Argentine musician and composer Astor Piazzolla was revolutionizing tango with “Nuevo Tango,” blending classical and jazz elements into its Afro-Italian roots.
Uruguayan artist Joaquín Torres-García was seeking to combine the geometric structure of European modernism with the symbolic language of pre-Colombian cultures. Colombian painter and sculptor Fernando Botero was becoming famous for his gargantuan figures, using exaggerated forms to critique establishment life. Mexican muralists José Clemente Orozco, Diego Rivera, and David Alfaro Siqueiros were gaining international fame, their works displayed in museums and public spaces around the world.
So, take your seat in Enfoque’s theater of Latin American artistic expression. Join host Patricio Bañados at his perch in the “Lost City of the Incas,” Machu Picchu, for his invitation to experience this vibrant era of creative outpouring: from Mexico’s film studios to Argentina’s music salons. Listen to the rhythms of Cartagena’s “Cumbia” and the melodies of Rio de Janeiro’s “Bossa Nova” played at a time when these musical expressions were first capturing the world’s attention. Stroll the paths of São Paulo’s Biennial to absorb the color of the region’s painting and sculpture. Join worshipers at the internationally famous Holy Week Procession in Antigua Guatemala and laugh with iconic Mexican film star Mario Moreno – better known as “Cantinflas” – on the set of his latest comedy.
The lights are dimming and the curtain is about to part on this edition of Enfoque: Las Americas, “Nuestra América Creadora.” Enjoy the show!
Credits for “Our Creative America” can be accessed here.
To watch the film with English subtitles, click the CC button on the YouTube video, then go to Settings (gear icon) → Subtitles/CC → Auto-translate → English.
PARTICIPANTS:
Regional:
A montage of outdoor monumental sculpture from across the Americas
Argentina:
Gaucho music and dance tradition.
Alberto Ginastera, Buenos Aires, composer.
Center for Advanced Study of Latin American Music
Gerardo Gandini performing the piano composition “Play”
Brazil:
José Herbert, Rio de Janeiro, guitarist and Bossa Nova singer
Genaro de Carvalho, Bahía, abstract muralist
Mário Cravo Júnior, Brazilian sculptor, designer, and painter.
Colombia:
Delia Zapata, dancer in the tradition of the Cumbia.
Ecuador:
Margarita De Bedoya, Quito designer of bread dolls.
JOSEPA, a Quito entity promoting Ecuadoran artisans.
Teodoro Miguel Suarez
Guatemala:
Antigua, Holy Week Procession
Mexico:
Mario Moreno (Cantinflas) interview & performance
Peru:
Machu Picchu is a stunning 15th-century Inca citadel of Peru, renowned as the “Lost City of the Incas”
Cusco: Inca traditional dance festival
Crawl
Enfoque: Las Americas Extends Gratitude to the Following Artists
Alberto Ginastera (Argentina)
Gerardo Gandini (Argentina)
Delia Zapata (Colombia)
Margarita De Bedoya (Ecuador)
Mario Moreno (Cantinflas), Mexico
Mário Cravo Júnior (Brazil)
Genaro De Carvalho (Brazil)
Conjunto Gaucho De Montevideo (Uruguay)
Ash, I liked the emphasis on the different arts in the various countries. You must have done a lot of travelling to get all of this material. And it is well done. Dom
Great direction. and production. Also, a reminder of a great cinematographer, Erich Kollmar. We are a long time and a long way from producing this sort of excellent product as a part of crucial US public outreach to overseas audiences. Hopefully, someday…