Lehman Center for the Performing Arts and GOYA FOODS in association with SAL ABBATIELLO of Fever Records presents for the Latin-flavored Dance Music Sensation FOREVER FREESTYLE 14 on Saturday, March 21st, 2020 at 8pm. To Latino teenagers in the late â80s and early â90s, Freestyle, a hybrid of Hip Hop and disco, was known simply as âOur Music.â Returning to Lehman Center for the fourteenth year in a row, the concert will feature performances by TKA âMariaâ, JUDY TORRES âNo Reason To Cryâ, NAYOBE âPlease Donât Goâ, THE COVER GIRLS âShow Meâ, SAFIRE âThinking of Youâ, SWEET SENSATION âIf Wishes Came Trueâ, CYNTHIA âChange On Meâ, NYASIA âWhoâs Got Your Loveâ, LISETTE MELENDEZ âTogether Foreverâ, CORO âWhere Are You Tonightâ, SOAVE âCrying Over Youâ, BRENDA K STARR âI Still Believeâ, and GIGGLES âLove Letterâ. Hosted by SAL ABBATIELLO. Music by DJ LUCHO, DJ SOLO, & DJ WHITEBOY KYS....
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Lehman Center for the Performing Arts and GOYA FOODS in association with SAL ABBATIELLO of Fever Records presents for the Latin-flavored Dance Music Sensation FOREVER FREESTYLE 14 on Saturday, March 21st, 2020 at 8pm. To Latino teenagers in the late â80s and early â90s, Freestyle, a hybrid of Hip Hop and disco, was known simply as âOur Music.â Returning to Lehman Center for the fourteenth year in a row, the concert will feature performances by TKA âMariaâ, JUDY TORRES âNo Reason To Cryâ, NAYOBE âPlease Donât Goâ, THE COVER GIRLS âShow Meâ, SAFIRE âThinking of Youâ, SWEET SENSATION âIf Wishes Came Trueâ, CYNTHIA âChange On Meâ, NYASIA âWhoâs Got Your Loveâ, LISETTE MELENDEZ âTogether Foreverâ, CORO âWhere Are You Tonightâ, SOAVE âCrying Over Youâ, BRENDA K STARR âI Still Believeâ, and GIGGLES âLove Letterâ. Hosted by SAL ABBATIELLO. Music by DJ LUCHO, DJ SOLO, & DJ WHITEBOY KYS.
SAL ABBATIELLO, one of the pioneers of Hip Hop, discovered many rappers and DJs such as Grandmaster Flash, Kurtis Blow and Run-D.M.C. at the legendary night club Disco Fever. Abbatielloâs Bronx Latin dance club, The Devils Nest, is where Latin Hip Hop was born and is now called Freestyle. There he discovered Little Louie Vega, TKA, The Cover Girls, Lisette Melendez and many more. Abbatielloâs record label Fever Records is credited with releasing the first freestyle recording in 1984, Nayobeâs âPlease Donât Goâ. He is now known as the âGodfather of Freestyleâ and has been promoting freestyle concerts for over 30 years.
Lehman Center for the Performing Arts is on the campus of Lehman College/CUNY at 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, NY 10468. Tickets for FOREVER FREESTYLE 14 on Saturday, March 21st, 2020 at 8pm are VIP*$100, $65, $60, $55, $50 and can be purchased by calling the Lehman Center box office at 718-960-8833 (Monday through Friday, 10amâ5pm, and beginning at 4pm on the day of the concert), or through online access at www.LehmanCenter.org. *VIP Reception: The Havana CafĂ©, Goya Foods and Lehman Center special VIP pre-concert wine & hors dâoeuvres reception will start at 6:30pm. VIP tickets include the reception and the best seats in the house. Sponsored by Havana CafĂ© Restaurant and Goya Foods. Lehman Center is accessible by #4 or D train to Bedford Park Blvd. and is off the Saw Mill River Parkway and the Major Deegan Expressway. Low-cost on-site parking available for $5.
TKA is a Latin-influenced Spanish Harlem hip-hop group that garnered success in the early â90s with their hit âCome Baby Come.â Other hits include âMariaâ (1982), âOne Way Loveâ and âTears May Fallâ (1987), âYou Are The Oneâ (1989) and âLouder Than Love.â Led by K7 (Louis âKayelâ Sharpe), the former lead vocalist of the freestyle super-group TKA, TKA/K7 also features Tre Duece and LOS.
JUDY TORRES, known as the âQueen of Freestyle,â was discovered at age 18 in her hometown of the Bronx and quickly became a star with such hits as âNo Reason to Cryâ (1986) and âCome Into My Armsâ (1987). Her second album produced the hit single âI Love You for All Seasons.â In late 2005, she released popular hit cover of a song by the band Journey titled âFaithfully.â Her most recent release is 2010âs MP3 album Stay.
NAYOBE (Gomez), discovered at age 16 by Sal Abbatiello, recorded âPlease Donât Goâ in 1984, arguably the first Latin freestyle song ever recorded, which quickly gained airplay in nightclubs. âSecond Chance For Love,â âGood Things Come To Those Who Waitâ and âItâs Too Lateâ solidified her standing as a freestyle innovator. She was also the voice of Selma Hayek in the film â54â.
COVER GIRLS were formed by Sal Abbatiello, the Fever music promoter and owner of the famed club Disco Fever, after an extensive talent search. Both glamorous and talented, they lit up the domestic and international charts with their first single âShow Me,â followed by âBecause of Youâ and âWishing on a Star.â Other major hits include âMy Heart Skips a Beatâ and âWe Canât Go Wrong.â Originally from the Bronx, the group released four albums, selling over 3 million records, with 11 charted singles in a row on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart.
SAFIRE released her debut single âDonât Break My Heartâ in 1986, followed by the even bigger hit âLet Me Be The One.â âBoy, Iâve Been Toldâ crossed over to pop radio and became the #1-selling single in New York for twelve straight weeks. On 1988 she released âLove Is On Her Mindâ and the following year she wrote her biggest hit, âThinking of Youâ, which peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 becoming one of the most played records of 1989. In 2000 she released the Michael Jackson/Paul Anka tune âI Never Heard.â After Jacksonâs death, a demo tape was made of that song with the same lyrics, and was remixed and released in 2009 as his first posthumous single with the title âThis Is It.â
SWEET SENSATION is a trio from the Bronx that included Betty âDeeâ LeBron and sisters Maggie and Mari Fernandez. Sweet Sensation was one of the biggest groups in the freestyle genre. The ladies skyrocketed to fame with their 1986 club smash âHooked On You,â which was rereleased in 1988 on their album Take It While Itâs Hot that also included the hits âVictim of Love,â âNever Let You Goâ and âSincerely Yours.â In 1989, Mari left the group and was replaced by Sheila Vega. Their 1990 album Love Child included the ballad âIf Wishes Came True,â which reached #1 on Billboard Hot 100.
CYNTHIA hails from New York Cityâs Spanish Harlem and started singing at age sixteen in a group with Safire. Her first album Cynthia (1989) featured the hit singles âChange On Me,â âEndless Nightsâ and âThief of Hearts.â A year later Cynthia II was released which included the hit songs âBreak Up To Make Up,â âLove Me Tonightâ and the hit duet with Johnny O, âDream Boy/Dream Girlâ that reached #53 on the Billboard Hot 100.
NYASIA is a freestyle and dance-pop singer from Florida who released her first hit âNow & Foreverâ in 1990. Her second single âWhoâs Got Your Loveâ was an international smash. Her most recent album Nyasia This Is Me was released in 2010.
LISETTE MELENDEZ grew up in East Harlem and in high school formed her first singing group, which led to her discovery by producer Carlos Berrios. Her Fever Records debut, A Day in My Life, made the Hot 100 Album chart and had two Hot 100 singles, including âTogether Foreverâ and "A Day in My Life Without You.â
CORO got his start in the entertainment business playing numerous roles in TV shows such as Miami Vice. He went on to work with pop artist, Stevie B. In 1998, Coro got his big break with the song âWhere Are You Tonight,â a huge hit in the U.S., Canada and the U.K., reaching Top-25 on Billboard's Club Chart, and #1 on DMA's Dance Chart. He is also known for his hit dance songs âCanât Let You Goâ (1990) and âMy Fallen Angelâ (1991).
SOAVE, who was born Jeffery Martinez in 1968 in Jersey City, NJ of Puerto Rican descent, is best known for his smash freestyle classic âCrying Over You.â His follow-up hits included âIf You Want Me,â âDon't Look Backâ and âWhere Did We Go Wrong?â
BRENDA K STARR was discovered by Harry Belafonte and became one of the biggest names in â80s Freestyle music scoring a #1 hit single with her Grammy-nominated song âI Still Believeâ, later by covered Mariah Carey. Other hits include âPickinâ Up Piecesâ (1985), âSuspicion,â âOver & Overâ and âNo Matter What,â a duet with George LaMond released in 1991. Hailing from New York City, Brenda did film work before becoming a name in urban dance music and has also been repeatedly nominated for Latin Grammy awards for her Latin Tropical/Salsa pop songs.
GIGGLESâ first hit âLove Letterâ was released in 1987 and was quickly followed up by âHot Spotâ in 1989 and âWhat Goes AroundâŠComes Aroundâ which won the New York Music Award for best dance song of the year in 1992.
Lehman Center for the Performing Arts spectacular 2019-2020 Season celebrates 40 Years of Excellence in the Centerâs newly renovated, 2,278 spacious seat concert hall, with a redesigned entrance, lobby, and elevator accessible balcony. Lehman Center is one of New Yorkâs top nonprofit performing arts centers and the Bronxâs largest entertainment venue serving over 200,000 audience members each season. Eva Bornstein, who is beginning her fifteenth season as Executive Director of Lehman Center, says, âDuring this milestone year, Lehman Center proudly welcomes audiences and community members to the top entertainment destination in the Bronx, which is now better than ever. The improvements that have been made will help ensure the comfort and convenience of all who attend our world class performances and events. Funding for the 15.4-million-dollar renovation was in part provided by the Office of the Governor, the New York State Legislature, the Bronx Delegation of the New York City Council, and the Office of the Bronx Borough President. Additionally, we will be continuing our âTake Your Seatâ fundraising campaign, which will give you a chance to be a part of Lehmanâs history by purchasing a tax-deductible seat(s) in your name or a loved one.â
Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. is supported, in part, with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council. The 2019-2020 Season is also made possible through the sponsorships by Goya Foods, The New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Department, the New York State Council on the Arts, Con Edison, The Hyde and Watson Foundation, Havana Café, and the Friends of Lehman Center.
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