De Tierra Caliente performed at Bryn Mawr’s Hepburn Teaching Theater in Goodhart Hall. This was the first act of Bryn Mawr’s “Performing Art Series 2024-2025.”
As we continue celebrating Latinx Heritage Month, students, staff, and more gathered to enjoy live music at Bryn Mawr on Friday, September. 20. 2024. The Latin American, Iberian, and Latinx Studies departments presented the event at Bryn Mawr and Haverford College, in collaboration with Mujeres, a Bryn Mawr-based group focused on Latinx community involvement and activism. The act, De Tierra Caliente, is a Latin Fusion band based in Philadelphia, and its performers each bring a unique flair to the experience. They did not shy away from the fusion aspect of “Latin Fusion” with music containing Puerto Rican, Columbian, Dominican, and Brazilian influences as well as one country song to which much of the crowd dosey-doed.
With chairs spread out sporadically and ample space between them, audience members had the room to get up and dance. The arrangement aided in the overall inclusive nature of the event. In fact, the lead singer Bronson Tennis encouraged them to do so, making the event pleasantly interactive– with no amount of experience or personal sense of rhythm required. Throughout the show, audience members danced the salsa, bachata, and formed a conga line. The impressively diverse crowd appeared to not solely be Bi-Co students as the event was open to the community with a general admission option.
One stand-out moment was a solo from Puerto Rican flutist, Eubie Nieves, who led the audience on an anticipatory journey for what would come next. Bronson Tennis explained that his Taino ancestors, the native people of Puerto Rico, were flowing through him, making the music so beautiful. It is impossible to ignore the spiritual aspects of the show; Tennis organized the audience to clap and sing together to get in touch with the ancestors. The collective actions of the crowd made them part of the music.
While the themes of the event aligned heavily with Latin culture, it was in many ways evident– from the way that the show was set up, to the music, and the band conversations with the audience– that the show was for everyone. The environment was conducive for the audience to get involved, get informed, and have a great time. The band made sure to include historically relevant information such as a background on the lead singer’s instrument, the cavaquinho, which came into Latin culture through the Portuguese colonization of Brazil. While this was a music event, the opportunities to learn were ample. In the end, the band expressed their gratitude, and lead singer Bronson Tennis encouraged gig-goers to take a CD and leave with band merch. The audience appeared energized upon their exit from the theater.
