Image
Things That Matter to…Omara Portuondo
One of the most inspirational women in music and known for her vibrant live performances, Omara Portuondo rose to fame in the 1950’s in pre-revolutionary Havana in the vocal group Cuarteto D'Aida, before becoming a huge name…
Nature’s Children
We can all recognize the low whistle opening To My Love, or the growing drum and guitar rhythm of Fuego. Fans of Colombia’s hippest electro-tropical outfit will be dying to see Bomba Estereo after its 4-year break since Ayo. With…
The Things That Tie Us
During his day job as a Spanish criminal interpreter in a small town in California, filmmaker Rodrigo Reyes met a young man named Sansón, an undocumented Mexican immigrant who was sentenced to life in prison without parole.…
We haven’t killed Salsa! Part 1
Earlier this year we published a piece 'Did Salsa Dancers Kill Salsa Music?' which generated much controversy. In a passionate response, Kerry Ribchester argues that we haven't killed Salsa, we are more in love…
Carlos Acosta’s A Celebration – Thirty Years in Dance
Carlos Acosta has retired from the Royal Ballet where he was principal dancer, but there is little else about him to denote ‘dancer in retirement’.
Latin Londoners #28: Andria Antoniou and Roman Gomez, musicians
Argentine-born Roman Gomez, is a piano, bandoneon and guitar soloist, as well as composer and arranger. Andria Antoniou is a renowned Jazz and Tango vocalist. Their unique blend of Argentinian tango and Latin American Folk with…
DESTINY’S SONG
Luis Enrique is arguably Latin America’s biggest and most enduring romantic salsa star of the modern era. Hits such as 'Desesperado', 'Así es la vida' and 'Tu no le amas le temes' made him a…
ESTÉVEZ / PAÑOS Y COMPAÑÍA wow audiences at Sadler’s Wells
The Flamenco Festival at Sadler’s Wells is lit up again with ‘La Confluencia,’ an adventurous new work created by dancer/ choreographer team Rafael Estévez and Valeriano Paños.
THE JANUARY REGGAETON RECAP
It’s the first Reggaeton Recap of the year and the artists certainly know it as they’re pulling out more stops than ever before! There’s a cross-continental collaboration that shows some very promising prospects and a collision…
The Magnificance of Salamanca
Is it that first stumbling across the dazzling Plaza Mayor? The towers of the cathedral against the backdrop of a perfect blue sky? The grandeur of the prestigious university, or the ever-present buzz in the streets? Whatever it…
Federico García Lorca, Sketches of Spain, with illustrations by Julian Bell.
The Spectrum of Young Lorca.
It's OK to Love a Love Song…in Spanish
Love e'm or hate 'em, nobody can deny the power of a good love song. Especially when it's in Spanish. No, not even Phil Collins and Bryan Adams can top the Latino crooners. Actually, especially them. A sentimental…
EL FATHER PLAYS HIMSELF (2020) dramatic documentary directed by Mo Scarpelli
“The root of all shades of machismo is fear, the root of family is love. In ‘EL FATHER PLAYS HIMSELF’ this fear and love collide.”
Ozuna ‘Odisea’
Make space for the next superstar of reggaetón, Ozuna. This young is already a veteran of the scene, having cut his teeth as hype man of pioneer reggaetonero Guelo Star. after having enjoyed almost two years of immense chart…
Women by Women: Changing Photography For The Better
Showing at the OXO Gallery to mark International Women’s Day, ActionAid’s new exhibition Women by Women “aims to shatter stereotypes and celebrate inspiring women refugees from around the world” (ActionAid). One of five…
Miguel Hernandez: The Man with Lots of Heart
Today, on the 30th October in 1910, in the town of Orihuela in southeastern Spain, Miguel Hernandez was born. As we come to the end of the month of October, it would seem an apt moment to delve a little into the work and life of…
Franco Lolli: a new name in Latin American cinema?
Selected by both Cannes critic’s week and to the BFI London Film Festival, Franco Lolli’s feature debut Gente de Bien, has received widespread critical acclaim. We talked to the young Colombian director during his screening in…
Eduardo’s Enchiladas Verdes
When I was a child, we used to go every Sunday to visit my grandma, together with all my uncles, aunties and cousins. There were lots of dishes but my grandma would always make enchiladas verdes (green enchiladas) for me only!…
Cañas y Tapas
The London franchise of a well known Spanish Chain delivers service and quality in Islington
Bad Gyal at The 02 Forum
The rising Catalan pop star made a return to London at the 02 Forum as part of her debut album tour ‘La Joia - 24 karats’ - a performance of hard-hitting club anthems, electric energy and irresistible dancing, dampened at times…
Just Another Lonely Latin Hit?
We’ve seen it before, the querky pop tune with a tropical feel that gets under the UK’s skin for a while. Every so often they hit this cold little island, create a Latin craze and then disappear. In the nineties we had ‘Mambo no.…
A Soulful Voice from Brazil
Natacha Andueza Bosch talks to emerging Brazilian vocalist Sarah Roston, who draws on a range of influences from funk, soul, jazz, to reggaeton and traditional Brazilian music
LATIN LDONDONER #7 Julieta Hernández Adame - Visual Artist
Mexican born Julieta Hernández Adame is a talented artist and printmaker who skilfully uses the urban, the industrial and above all the power of words to make us reflect on the world we leave in. She was voted the Visual Artist…
Telajeta Musica de Venezuela in London (White Label)
A daring new take on Venezuelan music by a collective of London-based musicians including Caracas-born Ernesto Marichales on drums and percussion. Re-arranged and ‘jazzified’ by the whole band, Musica de Venezuela brings classics…
The Gentleman with the Bad Ass Voice
Gilberto Santa Rosa shows no sign of slowing down. Jose Luis Seijas caught up with the Puerto Rican icon to discover that the rumours were true: he really is ‘The Gentleman of Salsa,’ as often referred to - the nice guy of Latin…
World Cup Profile: Can dark horses Uruguay cause an upset?
In the fourth of our profiles on the Latin American, Spanish and Portuguese teams who have qualified for this year’s World Cup finals, Lewis Blakeman considerers two-time champions Uruguay’s chances of adding another star to the…
The São Paulo Dance Company’s UK tour shook the stage at Sadler’s Wells - but is the depth of the artistic intention communicated to the audience?
Embarking on their Dance Consortium tour, the São Paulo dance company’s programme is undeniably ambitious, tackling lofty themes of nationhood and identity and time in an “invitation to dance together” (Inês Bogéa). To the highly…
Mexico: Slim pickings
How does a country like Mexico, with perhaps close to half its inhabitants - some 50 million people- living in poverty, come to produce someone who is by some reckonings the richest man in the world? That is the question the…
My Own Private Hell / Inferninho (2018) Dir. Guto Parente
A beautiful film that illustrates how a little slice of extraordinary life can survive in a dark, fairytale environment.
MAGDALENA, TE AMO (2024) by Andrea Calao
‘Magdalena, Te Amo’ (2024) is a moving short film about student sex workers in New York. Premiered at the New York Latino Film Festival, it has also been longlisted for the 2024 Yugo BAFTA Student Awards.
THE NOVEMBER REGGAETON RECAP
As our noses turn red and our cheeks turn rosy, artists are still showing up and showing out to help music lovers find their next music obsession. November has been a month of accolades and celebrations for lots of Latin…
Surviving Venezuela
‘Surviving Venezuela: Smuggling Dreams’, directed by Anglo-Peruvian Alexander ‘Lali’ Houghton is a TV documentary filmed in 2017 for ‘Witness’, Al Jazeera. It was short listed for a Rory Peck Award (2018), as well for the Foreign…
"They Looked for Them out of Love"
'Abuelas' is a film about a group of ordinary grandmothers who became extraordinary women. Known as the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, these women have spent almost 50 years looking for their ‘disappeared’ grandchildren who…
Dominican Shades
Lara Morgenstern reflects on the enviable coolness of Vicente Garcia, when she meets the Dominican singer-songwriter, clad in sunglasses on a cloudy London day.
The Condor and The Eagle
The Condor and the Eagle (2019) is a prize-winning documentary film directed by Sophie and Clément Guerra, about the collective struggle of the Indigenous peoples of North and South America to defend their land and water against…
Latest Content
Society and Politics
LATIN LONDONER #64 - Oscar Perez Escobar, Evolutionary Biologist &…
Born in Bogotá, Oscar has spent his life dedicated to uncovering the mysteries of plant evolution,…
Music
THE OCTOBER REGGAETON RECAP
Autumn is here in full force and it brings with it a mixed bag of artists with conflicted opinions…
Film & Theatre
The Blue Trail (O Último Azul- 2025) by Brazilain director Gabriel Mascaro
“Since when was getting older an honour?” Set in an uncomfortably near future, this dystopian…
Most Viewed
Top 10 Argentine Footballers
As one of the biggest football teams in South America and the world, the Argentine Football…
Top 10 Mexican Boxers
Globally, Mexico is known as a boxing powerhouse, boasting some of the greatest champions in the…
Ballads and Boleros
LatinoLife's Favourite Mexican Male Singers of all Time
Since the days when Mexico was a serious rival to Hollywood in terms of film production and quality…
