Nelson
Polanco - "My Place"
By Troy Maillis
Latino Recording Artist Nelson Polanco
brings together the eclectic flavor of Latin America and the
Caribbean and unleashes them upon Miami audiences in “My
Place” a musical revue celebrating the influences and
cultures of the Spanish speaking world. Featuring a blend of
jazz, musical theater, salsa and merengue with global sounds and
dance, "My Place" is being performed for one night only on
Saturday, September 25th at 8 p.m. at The Playground
Theater, located at 9806 NE 2nd Ave in Miami Shores.
Tickets may be purchased online at
http://www.blendingcultures.net and are $20 in advance and $25 at
the door. For more information contact 954-695-1163.
Nelson sat down with Mark's List recently to talk about Blending
Cultures, “My Place” and being an artist:
Mark's List: Can you tell us a little about Blending Cultures
and the journey and/or obstacles you faced during the founding
process?
Nelson Polanco: Blending Cultures’ mission is to enrich,
entertain and enlighten community audiences to a blend of
international cultural traditions through a diverse series of
live performances. We aim in the process to promote diversity
and acceptance. Our journey began in 2006 when we're approved
the 501(C)3 Status and since then we've had fundraisers that
range from car washes to performances to donations. Our
obstacles were going through the process of dealing with the
IRS, which actually reinforced our commitment and determination.
 What
are you hoping audiences take away from “My Place”?
My intentions are for people to enjoy the music, stories,
dancing, the diversity of the music, and the people in the show.
I am also hoping people feel inspired and can relate to our
journey as artists / musicians regardless of where they may be
in their journey. The cast I manage to bring together is a
really talented group, but what's more exceptional is that
individually they each bring their unique flavors.
Who have been your main influences in Latin music?
Definitely Celia Cruz is at the top. I love her music and I
admired her spirit, humble attitude and how she related to her
fans. Growing up I listened and danced to her music. Other
influences are Ricky Martin, Juan Luis Guerra, Juanes, Chayanne
and David Bisbal.
Have artists such as Gloria Estefan, Ricky Martin, Enrique
Iglesias, Marc Anthony or Jennifer Lopez inspired you? Do you
think they paved the way for a mass audience to follow Latin
artists? Or do you think it just made the idea of Latin music
more “commercial”?
They have all inspired me to create and they have definitely
paved the way. I don't think their idea was to make Latin Music
more commercial, but they created new sounds which were pure and
direct and people responded to that. What is most important to
you as an artist? Being true to myself, my ideas and my music. I
feel this responsibility as an artist to bring positive messages
to people and to promote acceptance through my art.
Can you talk a little about your new album that you are
currently recording? What can we expect?
I love fusions, blending... a little bit of this and a little
bit of that makes for more interesting music. My album will be
exactly that, an eclectic fusion of many different international
influences. If I have to pick a genre, it'll be "Tropical Pop."
Also, the album will be in Spanish / English and mostly upbeat
music.
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