Latin Music Roots @ CUNY Graduate Center
Documenting the Undocumented, Salsa Music Gets Formal Education

From Living la Vida Loca to The Peanut Vendor, Latin music has been a part of America since Thomas Edison began recording Latin music groups on a barge off the coast of Havana in 1903. Today, Latin music or "Salsa" is heard everywhere from battery commercials to elevator music.  Now Latin Music is going to college.  Former journalist, music correspondent, and publicist, Aurora Flores, will be teaching a course on Latin music history at the CUNY Graduate Center, City University of New York at 365 Fifth Avenue, at 34th Street, from April 21st to May 12th (four Saturdays), from 12 to 2 p.m. The workshops will focus around the roots and history of "Salsa" concentrating on the Afro-Caribbean roots of the music examining the cultural, political, and social aspects of these forms including son montuno, danza, charanga, bomba, plena, mambo, cha-cha-cha, and others. Guest Musicians, audio/visual demonstrations, and films will be presented.

Course fee is $120.00.  For registration call 212-817-8215, e-mail continuinged@gc.cuny.edu, or check out the website at web.gc.cuny.edu/cepp. There is limited space for some programs, so register early.  20% discount for people with limited incomes, for all graduate center students, staff, faculty, and alumni; 10% for all City University of NY students, staff, and faculty.

Aurora Flores started her career at the young age of nineteen as the first woman editor of Latin New York Magazine, an English language music publication of the early 70s. She went on to become the first woman music correspondent for Billboard Magazine covering the Latin music and R&B scenes.

Today, Aurora Flores runs the public relations firm Aurora Communications, Inc.  reaching Hispanics and other ethnic and Mainstream groups while managing Latin music and culturally folkloric Afro-Caribbean music acts.  Active in the East Harlem community, where her company is located, Ms. Flores advocates on behalf of women on issues from domestic violence, self-empowerment, and entrepreneurship to the issue of getting the US Navy out of Vieques, Puerto Rico.