Miami-Dade's County Fair & Expo holds auditions for `Baile' - East Kendall - MiamiHerald.com.
The Miami-Dade County Fair & Expo on Tuesday held its first open-call auditions at the fairgrounds. Writer, producer and director Richard G. Porter's company, Advanced Entertainment Group Inc., has climbed on board to produce what the fair hopes will be this year's jewel: Baile: A Tour of Latin America through Dance, which is set to bring half an hour of live entertainment that highlights the history of traditional Latin American dancing. Nancy Shook, director of marketing for the fair, along with Yudy Willis, the fair's director of entertainment, came up with the idea and approached Porter early on. Shook said they wanted to give fairgoers something they could relate to and that given local demographics, a dance show that exposes audiences to all main types of traditional Latin American dance would be a fun way to go. ''We were just thinking of what we could do differently this year, so the idea of doing something Latin with a Latin theme came about,'' Shook said. 'And then we figured: `How about a dance show? How about we bring them that Latin flavor?' '' Immediately, Shook said, the idea evolved when she, along with Willis and Porter decided the best way to authentically bring Baile forward would be to cast local talent -- making it the first time the fair has held open-call auditions on site. ''We thought it would a nice idea to get that Latin flavor, and when you think of Latin flavor, there's no better place than Miami,'' said Porter, whose company has been producing shows for the fair since the early 1990s and is responsible for the famous ice shows performed each year. Porter, who admits it takes months to put on a full production, said he averages about 20-hour work weeks six months prior to rehearsal on a single production but that, once rehearsals start, he expects 16-hour work days for a single show. His team, which includes an array of talented musicians, choreographers, scenery, costume and lighting technicians, are all equally important, he said. ''It takes a lot of different people to put a show together -- music, scenery, costumes, lighting and choreography. Those are the five elements of a show,'' Porter said. His wife, Michiko, holds the position of vice president/choreographer within the company and helps put together the ice show. For Baile, though, Porter has enlisted the help of veteran choreographer Myles Thoroughgood, whose résumé includes the Disney Channel's The Mickey Mouse Club and choreography for Nickelodeon. Thoroughgood, who was first a student of dance and then a professional dancer before venturing out into choreography, said his inspiration for the show will come from the music. Still, the dancers they chose will ultimately enable him to tell the story through a medley opening number, a production number titled From Mambo to Salsa, samba, Capoeira and a few other solo numbers. ''The movements are motivated by some inner story or dialogue,'' Thoroughgood said. ``If you, as a dancer, have a personality, I am sold. ``I envisioned casting these tall, dark and gorgeous Latin people, but the truth is that dance doesn't discriminate and all you need is yourself to apply the art form.'' The fair is looking to cast a group of 12 dancers, six male and six female, to perform the show from March 26 to April 12, the closing date of the fair. A second round of auditions is scheduled for Feb. 28 from noon to 2 p.m. at the Blue Ribbon Room on the fairgrounds. The Miami-Dade County Fair & Expo is located at 10901 Coral Way. For more information, call 305-223-7060.
