A cultural festival that transcends cultures, by Steve Dollar Click Here to go back. Newsday (New York City), A cultural festival that transcends cultures, by Steve Dollar >> Eight years into its annual summer run at Queens Theatre in the Park, the eclectic Latino Cultural Festival has become an increasingly vital showcase for all kinds of music and dance from the Spanish-speaking Americas. This year's festival, which begins Wednesday with a performance by the Colombian folkloric troupe Jocaycu, will present artists from Mexico, Venezuela, Peru and the Dominican Republic. But, as artistic director Claudia Norman explains, the event has evolved far beyond specific niches of nationalism. As she's learned, the culturally diverse neighborhoods of Queens harbor musical enthusiasts whose passions defy barriers of language or heritage. She recalls a previous season when a tango presentation was mobbed - by Korean fans. "We really want the artists to reflect the diversity of Latin American cultures," Norman says. "So we wanted to change the system of having what amounted to an international festival for each country. Instead, we started using cultural icons that can reach all Latin Americans, whether they are from Bolivia or Ecuador or Peru." The strategy has worked, and with corporate support from JPMorgan Chase, among other sponsors, the festival has found its spot on a map of summer cultural events that include numerous free outdoor festivals across the boroughs. And though the Queens fest is a ticketed event, with seating limited to 450, it draws strongly, Norman says. Much of that is due to the caliber of the artists. While so-called "world" music is not a major factor in the American music industry, despite the occasional success of something like the Buena Vista Social Club, such performers are megastars in their own regions. "In Latin America, they would fill stadiums," says Norman, who has developed relationships with both agents and artists over the years, so the festival now has a more personal connection to the performers it brings. Some, such as Julieta Venegas (Thursday), already have a stateside profile thanks to the Latin alternative music movement, or rock en Espanol. Often described as a Mexican PJ Harvey, Venegas plays accordion rather than guitar and cuts a sharp, aggressive figure onstage. Likewise, Lila Downs, another Mexican vocalist, has been enjoying a breakthough with her album "One Blood: Una Sangre." Discovered by American audiences on the soundtrack to the movie "Frida," she'll join vocalists Eva Ayllon (Peru) and Lucia Pulido (Colombia, now New York) for an Aug. 3 concert. The festival also presents more legendary figures, such as salsa pioneer Johnny Pacheco (Aug. 8.) And Venezuelan singer and composer Simon Diaz returns two nights earlier to celebrate his 76th birthday - a repeat of a memorable commemoration last year. Not everyone knows it, but one of Diaz's signature songs, "Caballo Viejo," was rearranged by the Gipsy Kings and recorded as "Bamboleo," their international hit. As Norman recalls, Robert Hurwitz, who heads Nonesuch, the Gipsy Kings' record label, came backstage to introduce himself. "He said to Simon, 'It's nice to meet you. You probably don't know who I am, but we've been working together a long time.'" It's the kind of moment the festival fosters. WHEN&WHERE The Latino Cultural Festival runs Wednesday through Aug. 8 at Queens Theatre in the Park, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. Tickets for most events range from $20 to $30, though some are free. For more information, call 718-760-0064, or visit www.queenstheatre.org. --Steve Dollar 07/25/04 >> go there Click Here to go back.