American Historia Heritage Celebration

This event is open and FREE to the public, but you are REQUIRED to register on Eventbrite to attend.

Expand your knowledge of Hispanic history and culture with us here at Buffalo Toronto Public Media.

From education to captivating performances, there is something for everyone to explore and discover.

Experience a vibrant mix of music, dance, and storytelling from a variety of groups including Amor & Heritage, Fanny Salsa Dance, Saranaide, Sarah Haykel and Buffalo Rueda from Salsa for the Soul, and featuring music from our newly launched Latino radio station, Radio Bilingue. Enlighten your mind and immerse in Hispanic culture with a multitude of engaging activities and educational displays provided by the Hispanic Heritage Council.

We will also be screening an episode of the brand new three-part series American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos. Following this will be a panel discussion and Q&A by the Hispanic Heritage Council and members of our community.

There will be FREE FOOD as well as FREE PARKING available in our private lot!

Don't miss this opportunity to learn, connect, and celebrate at the American Historia Heritage Celebration!

Amor and Heritage is a vibrant dance collective based in Buffalo, NY, dedicated to celebrating and preserving cultural heritage through movement. Founded by passionate dancer from Colombia, the organization focuses on fostering community engagement and appreciation for diverse dance traditions. Amor and Heritage celebrates diversity by teaching geography, history and dance symbolism from Latino and Hispano America, representing and enriching participants' understanding of cultural narratives. Through workshops, performances, and outreach programs, they unite people of all backgrounds in the joy of dance, blending traditional styles with contemporary influences to create an inclusive space for artistic expression and cultural dialogue in Buffalo. Wepa!

Our mission: Amor and Heritage is a nonprofit dedicated to the promotion of Diversity, Multiculturalism and Kindness, through DANCE! We promote tolerance, education, understanding of other cultures, the importance of self-confidence, sharing kindness and staying healthy through diversity dance, world of dance and movement.

Founded in 2011.

Make sure you check out the website amorandheritage.org to find out more!

Co-creator of Salsa for the Soul, since 2008, now a part of Love Is Real LLC, Sarah Haykel helps people co-create healthier, harmonious relationships through partner dancing, art and life coaching. Salsa for the Soul performs The History of Latin Dance and Music presentation to schools, universities, businesses, elder care facilities and more, in addition to team building workshops. As an artist, singer- songwriter, life coach, yoga instructor and speaker, Sarah inspires, empowers and motivates her clients with her creative, mind - body - soul techniques and philosophies. Guided by certifications as a Life Coach, in 2012, and a 200hr yoga certification, in 2014, Sarah has over two decades of experience instructing Latin partner dancing.

For more on what Sarah is up to, go to SarahHaykel.com

Buffalo Rueda, formed in 2023, is a local community organization of Cuban style salsa dancers from all over the world. Together, they learn, dance and perform Rueda de Casino, which is Cuban style casino salsa dancing done in a circle with a caller, much like square dancing in the States.

Go to Facebook.com/groups/buffalorueda to find out more!

Saranaide is an accomplished vocalist, songwriter, and musician from Western New York, delivering soulful sounds that captivate the senses. Drawing from her roots and the rhythms of Latin America, she creates a unique blend of soul and jazz, inspired by legendary artists and infused with global influences.

Check out more on her website at saranaidemusic.com

Image by Alana Adetola Arts Photography, LLC

Fanny Olaya is a Peruvian born dancer who has been living in buffalo for 20 years. She frequently attends salsa congresses and festivals all around the world where she participates in workshops, classes, performs and shares the dance floor with some of the biggest names in the world of salsa. She is trained by World Salsa and Bachata Champions and the most prestigious dancers in the Latin dance world. Fanny was born and raised in Lima, Peru where she grew up listening and dancing to the sounds of salsa, merengue, bachata, cumbia, cha cha cha, Afro-Peruvian and other latin styles. These sounds were a part of Fanny’s everyday life from a very early age and have created in her an undying passion for music and dance.

Fanny is regarded as one of the best dancers in our region and has been awarded best latin dance instructor of Western NY 4 years in a row!

For more information, check out her website here!

In this new three-part series, acclaimed Broadway and film actor John Leguizamo travels off the beaten path of history to unearth Latinx stories that have been missing from American textbooks. Each episode combines cultural travel segments, entertaining interstitials and enlightening conversations with notable historians and Latino cultural figures. American Historia features key Latinx game-changers across several categories such as inventors, artists, musicians, artists, intellectuals, war heroes and beyond. Leguizamo acts as guide and storyteller as he takes us on a captivating journey through the known and lesser-known stories of Latino history from the Ancient Empires to the early 1970s.

This series will premiere on September 27, 2024 at 9pm ET on all of your favorite streaming platforms including WNED PBS, pbs.org and the PBS app. This series was co-created by Leguizamo along with award-winning filmmaker Ben DeJesus ("American Masters: Raul Julia") and presented by The WNET Group, Latino Public Broadcasting and NGL Collective.

Produced by Buffalo Toronto Public Media in partnership with VOCES American Historia, a production of The WNET Group, with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

Radio Bilingüe is the leading Latino public radio network and Spanish content producer in US public media, offering a wide range of programming around the clock. Hear vibrant music, news and information, and forums for Latino voices in Spanish, English, Mixteco and Triqui.

Radio Bilingüe centers Latino arts, culture and languages as the fabric of our communities, and puts crucial information in the hands of audiences often ignored by other media.

Check out the full program schedule here!

We can't wait to see you there.

This event is open and FREE to the public, but you are REQUIRED to register on Eventbrite to attend.

Event Venue

WNED PBS Studios, 140 Lower Terrace, Buffalo, United States