Feel like dancing? Have a few mojitos and sway to the duple meter of Brazilian ballroom by way of Africa.
Samba Room and Old Hyde Park Village host Samba in the Streets, a four-hour dance party featuring live entertainment by Latin Music Award-winner Tito Puente Jr. The free event is open to the public and takes place from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, June 14, in Old Hyde Park Village.
As with all Latin festivities, the food is of great importance, and here Samba Room sets the tone. Their offerings for the evening include jerk chicken, palomilla, Red Stripe and South Beach mojitos.
Volunteers for The Make-A-Wish Foundation sell food and drink tickets, prices for which range from $3-$6. Naturally the proceeds benefit Make-A-Wish.
Cuban-American painter Rolando Diaz gets the day's activities underway with a fine arts demonstration at 2 p.m. in the main fountain area. Diaz, Samba Room's signature artist, has created a line of paintings for the restaurant chain, including the mural "Havana '56," which creates a backdrop inside the Hyde Park cafe/bar. For the event, Diaz plans to create an original canvas to be auctioned by Make-A-Wish. His paintings are colorful yet somber, abstract yet personal and definitely worth checking out.
The music begins with the irie vibes of local reggae band Impulse at 5 p.m. in the village circle. Tito Puente Jr. is to take the main stage on Dakota Avenue at 6 p.m. Expect the son of the late Tito Puente to play "Oye Como Va" and other classics as well as his original Pop/Latin Jazz numbers.
Mambo, cha cha, merengue — feel like dancing yet?
Old Hyde Park Village is at Swann and Dakota avenues, near Bayshore Boulevard. Samba Room is at 1610 W. Swann Ave., Tampa. For more info, call 813-254-5870.
This article appears in Jun 12-18, 2002.