On Thursday, May 11th, the duo Karin Stein and Ed East performed as “Calle Sur” (Cuh-yeh SOOR) for The Mayflower Community weekly Lyceum program of entertainment in the Carman Center. “Calle Sur” plays a broad range of music styles from Latin America and, thus, provides a glimpse into the immense cultural diversity and nuance of what it means to be “Latino, Latina, Hispanic, Latinx,” and “La Raza.”
Karin grew up in Colombia and is rooted in Grinnell, where husband Jon Andelson and she raised three daughters. Ed is a native of Panama City, Panama. Karin is the manager of Artes Latinas (www.artes-latinas.com) and a frequent Grinnell-area performer.
They brought their mix of Latin ensembles to Mayflower residents and guests as they played a variety of songs with different instruments while encouraging audience participation. Karin and Ed shared personal stories tied to songs and gave history and background information about others. The performance was outstanding.
When the audience was asked for questions, resident Gene Wubbels inquired about the relationship between calypso music and the Latin music they were performing. Karin and Ed provided a long, multifaceted answer but it was very interesting. To punctuate it, “Calle Sur” played some calypso! An educational and cultural experience!
— Leslie Jaworski, Community Life Director