Moves and Groves for Earth Day

The ancient myth of “the prophecy of the eagle and the condor” predicts the reunification of two opposing forces: that of the eagle, which is associated with the material and intellectual; and the condor, which represents the spiritual and intuitive. The legend goes that after a very long period of conflict with the eagle dominating over the condor, the two will join forces creating a new universal balance. For musician and singer Jesus Hidalgo, the prophecy isn’t just a myth, but a contemporary call to action. On Friday, April 22, Hidalgo and the Pachamama Project will celebrate Earth Day with Sistema Dos (System Two), a multimedia presentation of music, dance, and art. As part of FUNDarte’s Miami on Stage Series, the event will take place at the Miami-Dade County Auditorium’s recently renovated black box theater. The event is the culmination of several years of work for Hidalgo and it’s no accident that things are finally coming together on Earth Day. The project stems from Hidalgo’s concern for our planet in peril. “We are going to sing to the things we’ve forgotten,” explains Hidalgo. Through video installation and music, Sistema Dos proposes to reconnect spectators to the pachamama — or mother earth. “The root of the project is humanist, and it’s musically charged with fusion,” says the native Venezuelan. “I like to take elements of rock and pop and combine them with ancestral music.” Hidalgo has worked with commercially successful groups such as Bacilos, Irakere, and Oscar de Leon. Hidalgo’s pop and rock inspired sound features piano, guitar, Peruvian cajon, bongos, and djembe. Kuyayky, a Peruvian Folklore group of four sisters and one brother, will bring their Andean roots to the mix and the Bolivian dance troupe MASIS will add yet another layer of Andean folklore dance. Shamans Jose Fernando Andrade from Colombia and Joe Iron Eagle of the Apache Chicagua Nation will also participate in the event. Artistic director of FUNDarte and curator of the Miami on Stage Series, Ever Chavez, hopes promoting the event will do more than fill seats: “The idea of supporting this event is not just to get people to the event itself. It’s also to get people talking about protecting the earth, recycling, and other important issues.” Jesus Hidalgo and the Pachamama Project present Sistema Dos perform Friday April 22, 2011 at 8:00 p.m., at the Miami-Dade County Auditorium, 2901 W. Flagler St., Miami. Cost: $20 ($5 discount for students and seniors). For tickets call 800-745-3000 or go to www.ticketmaster.com or www.fundarte.us.