Miami Beach's Arts in the Park program kicked off with a concert at Flamingo Park. Although the annual program has been scaled back due to budget cuts, several events are scheduled in the coming weeks - from salsa to Shakespeare. The series kicked off with a party Sunday at Flamingo Park.
It didn't go past midnight, and there weren't big lines to get in, but 5-year-old Ava Canal-Forgues and her sister Stella Canal-Forgues, 3, were jumping and dancing to the sounds of a base, guitars and the voice of Jacob Jeffries, lead singer of the Jacob Jeffries Band, a local band from Fort Lauderdale.
The two sisters, who were accompanied by their father, Eric Canal-Forgues, a Miami-Beach resident who moved from France six months ago, were dancing during the kick-off of Arts in the Parks, a program by the city of Miami Beach that offers free, family-friendly cultural events and activities to residents at different parks.
For an hour, the Jacob Jeffries Band played on a portable stage across the aquatic center of Flamingo Park, next to the tennis courts. About fifty people watched the show while sitting on the grass, some with their friends, food, and even dogs.
This party was free, and open to all ages.
"I love to dance every time I hear music," said Ava.
Ava, her sister and her dad didn't know about the program, or that a free concert was going to take place at the park. Canal-Forgues, 47, had just planned to bring his two daughters for a walk and play in their new neighborhood, but he enjoyed the free music. And his daughters even more.
"They like to dance to everything, all kinds of music," he said. "This is very good."
The Arts in the Parks program started in 2006, when the city decided to do a survey asking residents what they liked about Miami Beach, and what they wanted to see more of, said Gary Farmer, cultural affairs program manager of the city. Residents asked for more free, family-friendly events, so the city decided to host different activities for entire families throughout the city parks.
This year, the program will feature six shows, down from the ten of previous years due to city budget cuts, said Farmer.
Shows include a concert by Cuban-born local salsa singer Anabel, whose show will take place at North Shore Open Space Park and will have a beach party vibe, said Farmer; a presentation of Shakespeare's Othello at Flamingo park, and even a kids-friendly show by Aaron Nigel Smith, a California-based artist who performs children songs.
"We designed the program so that there's something for everyone," Farmer said. "We're trying to attract different demographisc, and it's all free."
A mom friendly show takes place on Mother's Day on May 9 at Flamingo Park.
The final show, which is yet to be announced, will have an International Children Celebration theme in July.
All the shows are free, and Farmer encourages everybody to bring their family, friends, food and a blanket or beach chairs to enjoy the show with a "pretty cool vibe," he said.
Mirta Lopez and her boyfriend Edson Mena from Miami Beach decided to do just that the minute they heard that the Jacob Jeffries Band was playing at Flamingo Park. They brought their two dogs, Hershey and Oreo, sat on the grass and watched the band they've been following for the past months.
"We heard them play this weekend, and we came here to see them again," Lopez said. "And I love it here. It's very mellow."
ARTS IN THE PARK:
| March 6: |
Salsa Explosion with Anabel, 4 p.m., North Shore Open Space Park, 85th Street and Collins Avenue. |
| March 27: |
Ground Up & Rising presents Shakespeare’s Othello, 8 p.m., Flamingo Park, 12th Street and Michigan Avenue. |
| April 24: |
PBS Kids star Aaron Nigel Smith; 2 p.m. North Shore Youth Center, 85th Street and Collins Avenue. |
| May 9: |
Florida Grand Opera Mothers' Day concert, 5 p.m. Flamingo Park |
For more information, visit www.mbculture.org |
