DOMINICAN COMMUNITY IN NEW YORK DANCES TO THE RHTYHM OF EL BAILE DEL ABANICO: A FUNNY AND SEXY DANCE

(PRLEAP.COM) There’s always a reason to look forward to summer time in New York City. The 2006 summer season does not appear to be any different, it is, as a matter of fact, an opportunity for Dominicans and other Latinos to continue the dance craze known as El Baile Del Abanico (or the Fanning Dance, loosely translated).

A local Merengue band from NYC, known as La Migra is the center of attention as their song has become the most downloaded and played by Dominicans everywhere. New York City is the point where more Dominicans reside outside of their native soil. This explains why some refer to the skyscraper city as “…just another province” besides the 30 or more that make up the Dominican Republic’s national territory.

Since a large number of Dominicans among the U.S. population maintain their adherence to all customs, music, food, and other ethnic commodities not found in America, it’s only fair that their dancing styles also find a way to become part of their (now international) pop culture. A popular culture that’s continuously exported everywhere they move.

The song El Baile Del Abanico has a video clip in which the star is a popular tv comedian named Zoilo, who, incidentally, is gay. However, in the video clip he’s portrayed as the teacher of the dance, showing all female dancers the proper steps to make sure the dance is done right.
All female dancers participating in the clip are from various nationalities including Venezuelan, Puerto Ricans, Dominicans and Caucasians. Since its airing on Dominican television, this video clip has captured the attention of the public due to its funny-sexy images and the inclusion of a little duck in the water which appears to be enjoying the merengue dance as well as its human counterparts.

La Migra is a merengue group founded in NYC in 1999 by Miguel Guerrero, a bass player and singer who explained that “…the response of the public to this song and the video clip has surpassed the success of all of the band’s previous hits”. As a result of their internet campaign, this group has ensured visibility and garnered attention for their visual product. Once it was made available at www.remolacha.net, www.youtube.com and other high traffic sites, the clicks have been numerous and so far it’s considered the most downloaded merengue song and video this year.

In the Merengue chart published by Latinos Unidos Record Pool, the song debuted in the month of March as #23 and climbed to #20 in April. Also, the song is the theme of a daily, Domincan-produced tv show called El Bonche De la Noche (Super Canal Caribe, weekdays at 10:00 EST), where Zoilo, the gay comic character, performs on-demand dances and shares some of the steps with all guests.

The show has helped spark interest in the song and the video clip according to his main host and producer Hector Reynoso, a well known tv personality among Dominicans and other latinos. “El Baile Del Abanico is without a doubt, the tropical song of the summer in NYC and DR, just come to our neighborhood parties and enjoy it”, said Luis Acosta, lead singer of La Migra and responsible for the song’s catchy lyrics and rhythm.

The surge in popularity of the national Dominican music known as Merengue is manifesting itself in the attention this song is getting. For some, there’s hope that Merengue is alive and kicking and will return to its place of respect among other tropical music styles.


Lorenzo Fenix ©2006

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