At the seventh version of the “Chicago Salsa Bachata Festival”, held at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare Chicago, its organizer Rudi Lopez, better known as (tigre del mambo), took advantage of the opening of the event to share his experience during his visit to the National Palace of the Dominican Republic, where he was received together with the godmother of the Marca País ADN Bachata film project, Jane Chaplin, daughter of world cinema icon Charlie Chaplin, and ADN Films executives by President Luis Abinader and his wife Raquel Arbaje, First Lady of the Dominican Republic.
“A few weeks ago I had this privilege, not only for me but for the entire bachata genre, and for this reason I want to take advantage of the presence of you, bachata dancers from around the world to thank the President of the Dominican Republic Luis Abinader and his wife Raquel Arbaje, for expressing their support for bachata. Finally, for the first time in the history of the Dominican Republic, we were received in the National Palace!
He emphasized, that the government through the president expressed its commitment to support bachata not only worldwide, but also in the Dominican Republic. “Because around the world what is happening in Quisqueya is happening, there are many bachata festivals, but now we will have a World Bachata Festival in the Dominican Republic with government support. We are going to make sure that the Dominican Republic is not only the cradle of bachata but, that it is the world capital of bachata and for the first time we will also have a film dedicated to the history and evolution of bachata.”
“I want everyone who is here to feel happy and grateful for this type of event that brings joy and helps economically to the cities where they are held, and because the Dominican Republic will have a great festival where we can all go to dance, we join in gratitude to the couple of leaders on behalf of the dancers from around the world we want to thank them from Chicago, ¡Que Viva la bachata, see you in the Dominican Republic!
Finally, he thanked the other members of the commission that visited the president with the purpose of making bachata a promotional tool for the Dominican Republic, among them the Vice Minister of Culture Fernando Antonio Cruz (Bonny Cepeda), the general producer of ADN Bachata, Victor Minaya, the Colombian director Colbert Garcia, the vice president of ADN Films Jose Garcia, as well as journalists Carlos Batista Matos and Luis Jose Chavez.
