UnidosNow Collaborates with The Ringling Museum of Art

December 11, 2024 | Sarasota

For the third annual NocheUnidos, UnidosNow has partnered with The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art (The Ringling) for this concert celebration. Bomba Yemayá, hailing from Puerto Rico, and the 79rs Gang, bringing the spirit of Carnival from their New Orleans community, will light up the Museum of Art Courtyard on January 31, 2025.

“UnidosNow is honored to be hosting our 3rd annual NocheUnidos concert in The Ringling Courtyard,” says Evelyn Almodovar, UnidosNow’s Executive Director. “For our region, this beautiful space is the nido or nest of cultural arts and has been that place since being built in the early 20th Century. As UnidosNow works to integrate our area’s rapidly growing Latino population into the full fabric of our community, this concert at the Ringling continues to be a musical metaphor of our work—a fusion of seemingly disparate sounds that is not only harmonious, but creates something new and beautiful, bringing new life and dynamism to Sarasota and Manatee counties.”

NocheUnidos is an evening dedicated to unity that celebrates the energy, spirit, and beauty of our diverse community. The Caribbean and coastal areas of the Gulf of Mexico share a rich and dynamic heritage from the African diaspora, Indigenous America, and Iberia among other European cultures and influences. “This celebratory evening of dancing, food, and fellowship will testify to the extraordinary mix of linguistic, musical, spiritual, and culinary richness of our region,” says Elizabeth Doud, the Currie-Kohlmann Curator of Performance at The Ringling.

The event will begin with festive Puerto Rican rhythms from Bomba Yemayá and will parade into the night with an upbeat Mardi Gras spirit captured by the New Orleans-based 79rs Gang. Both traditions draw from deep cultural roots that reflect a carnival’s joyousness and the sanctified dedication of honored traditions. Through this unique combination, NocheUnidos will honor unity and mutual appreciation, with artist groups who represent an inspirational fusion of culture from the Caribbean and greater Gulf Coasts.

This year’s attendees are invited to dress in white to call in the season with elegancia as we come together to honor unity and the riches of our region.

Bomba Yemayá (San Juan, Puerto Rico) is a leading bomba performance group born out of the island’s rich cultural heritage. Bomba is an emblematic Puerto Rican musical genre that emerged 400 years ago from the colonial plantations where West African enslaved people and their descendants worked. It remains one of the most popular forms of folk music on the island and serves as significant evidence of its rich African influences.

79rs Gang (New Orleans, LA)

The 79rs Gang is led by musicians Jermaine Bossier and Romeo Bougere, the Big Chiefs of two rival Mardi Gras Indian tribes, the 7^th and the 9^th Wards, which are both municipalities and cultural communities of greater New Orleans. These young talents interweave traditional Mardi Gras rhythms with vibrant contemporary hip-hop styling and sophisticated lyrics. Their fresh takes on timeless themes fuse together funky hits, traditional Mardi Gras sounds, and Carnival celebration energy.

All funds raised by the event will benefit UnidosNow to further empower the growing number of Hispanic/Latino community members in our region through education, integration, and civic engagement to achieve the American dream.

Tickets are available at ringling.org.