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The Miami Herald.com Posted on Tue, Apr. 15, 2003 BY JORDAN LEVIN jlevin@herald.com

Back in the mid-'90s, the West Dade club La Covacha was one of the centers of the Cuban and tropical night-life scene. But these days it's more like a center for the whole Latin world.

On a recent Saturday night, Venezuelan DJ Toto Gonzalez is spinning across the Latin American continent, hopping from Mexican rock to Colombian cumbia-pop, Argentine reggae-rock to Dominican merengue-house. Crowded in front of him are a group of friends -- Honduran, Cuban-Mexican, Venezuelan, Colombian, Puerto Rican and Mexican-American -- laughing, dancing and posing for pictures in a happily squealing group. It's the OAS on champagne, jumping to a multilateral beat.

''I try to make this like you're at a party in South America,'' says Gonzalez, who produces these Saturday night events.

The crowd is a mix of Colombians, Venezuelans, Argentines, Chileans, as well as Dominicans, Puerto Ricans and Cubans, and he tries to appeal to all of them. ''Radio in Latin America plays a little of everything, and that's what I try to do,'' he says. ``The filter is much wider now. A pure Cuban club? I don't know where that is anymore.''

''Miami is more and more a melting pot,'' says Puerto Rican-raised Jemilly Castro, at La Covacha with fellow boricua Nelly Lopez, and her Venezuelan boyfriend. ``Before it was just Cubans. Now there are more South and Central Americans. The Latin sound is a mix of everything now -- rock, salsa, cumbia. Whatever has a Latin rhythm and comes out of the Latin community, if I can move to it, I will.''

RHYTHMIC IMPORTS

In the past two years, a new Latin sound has been surging up in Miami-Dade. The influx of recent immigrants fleeing political and economic turmoil in Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela and elsewhere in South America is making itself felt -- and heard -- in the music and night-life scene. Where Caribbean Latin genres such as salsa, son, merengue and bachata used to dominate, the groove now is international Latin pop and rock flavored with Latin and ''tropical'' dance rhythms, especially cumbia, ska and reggae.

Salsa's complex poly-rhythms are being left behind for a more generic Latin beat that anyone can dance to, sprinkled with national favorites like classic Argentine rockers Soda Stereo or Colombian vallenato-fusion singer Carlos Vives who appeal to individual nationalities.

Immigration is one factor in this musical and cultural paradigm shift. But so is the changing nature of pop music and culture. The younger ''generation ñ,'' Cuban-Americans who rediscovered their roots and drove the mid-90s Cuban nostalgia trend that spawned son revivals and designer guayaberas, has moved on to the pop-rock explosion -- or into adulthood and out of night life.

Many of those who flocked to learn the intricacies of casino-rueda style salsa have also moved on, as salsa music has stopped developing, stultified by conservative radio formats that favor a handful of longtime stars and formulaic, sound-alike songs. Even in Puerto Rico, one of salsa's native homes, reggaeton (a style which blends hip-hop and dancehall), rap and rock are replacing the island's traditional music.

Colombian Kike Posada, a pioneering Latin rock promoter who hosts a show on Salsa 98 (WRTO 98.3 FM), says radio is largely to blame for choking off new salsa. But he says the change is also natural as people look for something new.

Salsa 98, despite its name, now plays a lot of the new Latin dance and pop-rock music. Posada notes that it's now common practice for record labels to remix a song in multiple versions: ballad, salsa, cumbia, bachata, ranchera, pop, merengue, house, trying to appeal to as many Latin groups as possible.

''It's all about making [music] look like it's representative of all cultures now,'' Posada says. ``The big flag here is international night -- wherever you're from, there's something for you.''

Cuban-American and former model Aurelio Rodriguez has kept La Covacha popular since he opened it in 1989. ''It's hard to cater to the Latin market with just salsa now,'' he says.

His Fridays now feature tropical and dance music, Saturdays have Latin rock in one area, tropical in the other -- although at the moment, with Carlos Ponce's pop-rock song Mujer con pantalones (A Woman With Pants) booming on the tropical side, it's hard to tell which is which. A Colombian couple moving over from the rock side is dancing in exactly the same way.

Things have changed a lot since the early '90s, Rodriguez says, when all things Cuban were in style. ''People got tired of cigars and bored of salsa,'' Rodriguez says. ``These days you gotta figure out how to cater to Argentines or Colombians.''

THE BIG SHIFT

Numbers for the new South American immigrants are difficult or impossible to come by, say demographers and planning officials. The 2000 Census showed that Hispanics who were not Cuban, Mexican or Puerto Rican increased by 78 percent in Miami-Dade, and nearly tripled in Broward. But the recent crises in Argentina and Venezuela that have driven people to emigrate have been largely in the past two years.

Most come on tourist visas and then drop out of official sight. For example, the Argentine consulate has estimated that as many as 100,000 Argentines may be residing in South Florida though the U.S. Census only counts 19,000 in Miami-Dade and 5,000 each in Broward and Palm Beach counties. And the violence in Colombia has also spurred a recent but still uncounted surge of newcomers, say some experts; a 2001 study by Florida International University estimated that there are 350,000 Colombians in South Florida, half undocumented.

But the change is apparent at events like a recent Argentine bailanta party at Bayside Hut, a funky marina bar and club in Key Biscayne. At midnight, the place was empty except for a few grizzly American boat-lovers. But at 1 a.m. -- the time when Buenos Aires night life kicks off -- several hundred young Argentines seem to materialize out of nowhere into a line that stretches into the parking lot.

It feels like a college party, right down to the identical peer-pressure fashion, the girls in tight hip-hugger jeans or white pants, with long, straight hair, the boys in rocker T-shirts or untucked button-down shirts.

Bailanta is the generic name for the cheerful, cumbia-and-merenguelike working-class dance music of Argentina, and DJ Abel Ramos has over 20 CDs of cumbia remixes. Instead of couples moving in the smooth syncopations and complex steps of salsa, people dance in bouncing clumps and circles, screaming and leaping with enthusiasm for Soda Stereo or a bailanta hit like Alza Las Manos, by Damas Gratis.

''I feel at home here,'' says blond-haired Alumine Belone, 19, leaning at the bar with girlfriend Alessandra Garcia, 17, both of whom moved from Buenos Aires to Westchester with their families a year ago. ``You find what you have in Argentina -- people wear the same clothes, they move the same, they cut their hair the same.''

Fellow Argentine Dario Puebla, 26, who's been living in Little Havana for two years, shrugs at the idea that he's in the traditional home of Cuban immigrants. ''There's not that many Cubans [in Little Havana] now,'' he says. ``It's mostly Argentines.''

That influx is influencing those who are already here. ''There are new people in Miami, so people are more open to other [Latin] cultures now,'' says Argentine-born Ramiro Yustini, 22, who works with Posada.

Yustini is standing in the DJ booth at South Miami's Club Steel, which recently launched a Saturday Latin rock night, waiting to introduce Brazilian rock band Prato Principal to a crowd of Argentines, Central Americans (promoter/DJ Abel Ortega is from Nicaragua), and Brazilians. Salsa 98 has just started doing live broadcasts there on Saturday nights.

Like the twentysomething Cuban-Americans who rediscovered Cuban style in the '90s, Yustini, who has been in South Florida since childhood but has ''Argentina'' and ''Buenos Aires'' tattooed on his arms, is newly enamored of his roots. ''I'm supposed to be an American,'' he says. ``But instead I feel more Argentine than ever.''

Monday, April 14, 2003 By LAVINIA DeCASTRO Courier-Post Staff CAMDEN

As music fills the hallways, nearly everyone who passes by stops, drawn to the irresistible melody.

By the end of Brazilian composer Hector Villa-Lobos' Estrela e Lua Nova, more than a dozen people have gathered around the students.

The music stops. The trance is broken. One by one, the onlookers return to their tasks.

That happens every time the Creative Arts High School choir performs.

Those who have heard the choir are not surprised to learn it defeated 39 other choirs from 11 countries to win first place at the Days of International Choir Music competition in Verona, Italy.

"It wasn't the most important thing for us to win," said 17-year-old Christina Vazquez, a 12th-grader. "It's more for the rest of the students here because now we set the precedent. Now they know they can do it."

Ten students, three teachers and two parents were in Verona from April 2 to 6.

Getting there was no easy task.ADVERTISEMENT - CLICK TO ENLARGE OR VISIT WEBSITE

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"We have been planning this for three years," said music teacher Suzzette Ortiz. "Last year we couldn't go because of Sept. 11."

The trip cost $1,500 per person. Corporate donations paid for part of it, but each student had to raise $600.

"They had to work hard for this," Ortiz said.

Money wasn't the only concern. Parents were worried for the safety of their children.

But the students say they bonded with other choirs from the United States and they found Europeans to be anti-war, not anti-American.

With songs from all over the globe - including Argentina, Venezuela and Italy - Creative Arts proved that even the smallest choir can have a diverse repertoire.

"I tried to make it as international as I could," Ortiz said. "We're trying to teach the students to be well rounded."

A group of German students was touched by the sheer determination of choir members, who won the competition despite war, a tight budget and two members with the flu.

"What they told me was, `You actually showed us to work harder, you inspired us,' " said 18-year-old Carlos Sime, a 12th-grader.

Before leaving Italy, the German choir sang "You've Got a Friend" by Carole King.

"I couldn't talk to them because I was overwhelmed by emotion," Sime said.

Reach Lavinia DeCastro at (856) 486-2652 or ldecastro@courier postonline.com

www.miami.com Posted on Fri, Mar. 21, 2003
BY DANIEL CHANG dchang@herald.com

The horse does not so much walk as it appears to dance across the wooden walkway in the hippodrome of Miami's Tropical Park.

Head and neck elegantly arched, hind quarters and shoulders virtually level, and feet cycling furiously beneath a near-motionless body, the paso fino is the Irish step dancer of the equestrian universe.

It is talented. It is tireless. It is, to the hundreds who gathered for the Florida Paso Fino Horse Association show in January, a breathtaking animal.

And a complex one, too, because the paso fino's identity has evolved since the breed was introduced in the United States from Latin America after World War II. Whereas Latin Americans, who perfected the breed, prize the horse's pedigree, North Americans value its utility on the ranch and the trail.

After experiencing the smooth gait of a paso fino more than a decade ago, Michele Londoño quit her job as a professor at the University of Miami, where she was director of the languages program, and took up breeding and training the horses full time.

''The paso finos are the ultimate ride,'' Londoño says. ``They're the Cadillac of gaited horses. . . . .If you try them, you can't go back.''

A native of France, Londoño had never heard of the paso fino (in Spanish it means 'fine step') until her husband, Carlos, a native of Colombia, introduced her to the breed. Now they own Toddler & Rider Paso Finos, in Homestead and are among the growing ranks of paso fino enthusiasts nationwide.

Through converts like the Londoños, the paso fino is shedding its North American obscurity and winning over riders from the cattle ranches of the West to the equestrian trails of Davie, says Valerie Lawrence, who owns Valerie June's Paso Fino Farm in the Redland.

''It's exploding,'' says Lawrence, who first mounted a paso fino in 1988. ``I've sold so many of my paso finos, to [ranchers in] Pennsylvania, North Dakota. They're discovering them. They're great in the mountains and [on] the ranches.''

Fueled in part by Latin American immigrants and South Florida's dominant Hispanic culture, hundreds of paso fino farms have sprouted across the Florida landscape like sea grape and sawgrass.

Though the paso fino traces its roots to the Spanish conquistadors, it owes much of its New World popularity to ranchers in Puerto Rico and Colombia, where the breed was perfected. In fact, the breed is so popular among Spanish-speaking riders that Lawrence says she had difficulty learning about paso finos at first.

''I wanted knowledge about it and everybody spoke Spanish,'' says Lawrence, who bought her first paso fino at an auction in Georgia about 15 years ago. She attributes Americans' general lack of knowledge about paso finos to the language barrier. Another obstacle to the horse's popularity, she says, is that paso fino shows do not emphasize its ability to jump, lead and perform tasks.

But that's not likely to last as more people discover that the paso fino is versatile and tireless.

Virginia Cullen of Southwest Ranches used to own a quarter horse ''because that's the thing you do in Davie,'' she says. Now, Cullen no longer owns quarter horses, just seven paso finos.

Indeed, a subculture of aficionados has taken strong root in South Florida over the past 20 years, as evidenced by the Florida Paso Fino Horse Association show that begins today and runs through Sunday at Tropical Park.

More than 350 paso fino horses are registered to compete in categories ranging from the pleasure class, which features jumps and other maneuvers, to the fino class, which requires the horse to canter in precise, four-beat steps.

The show -- one of six FPFHA meets scheduled across the state this year -- reflects Florida's history as a paso fino pioneer in the United States. As early as 1968, paso fino exhibitions and competitions have been held in South Florida.

Since then, interest has risen steadily. Membership in the FPFHA has grown from roughly 400 in 1973 to more than 1,200 today. Nationally, the Paso Fino Horse Association has about 7,000 members and more than 30,000 horses registered.

Most paso fino aficionados say they are drawn to the horse's smooth gait. With five herniated discs in her spine, Lawrence says the paso fino gait is the only one she can tolerate.

Lately, the horse has demonstrated remarkable versatility, too, Lawrence says, that proves it can be a great Western horse, which is what most North American riders desire.

``Most Americans don't understand that . . . you can canter him like a Western horse does. You can neck rein him, like a Western horse. You can teach him to jump, bow, do flying lead changes, do rodeo spins, run barrels.''

Luis Gilberto Duarte, president of the FPFHA, says he has been impressed with the new directions that American paso fino trainers have taken the breed.

''They're using them to herd cattle, for trail rides,'' he says.

Duarte, who has been an avid paso fino fan since childhood in his native Venezuela, says he relishes watching the horses perform as much as he does riding them.

''Americans enjoy the ride,'' he says. ''We enjoy the ride and the spectacle. It's like watching [José] Canseco hit a home run.'' Nothing, he says, matches the enthusiasm of breeding the horses.

The emphasis on pedigree will be evident at this weekend's show, where judges will focus on the unique paso fino gait, which the horses exhibit at birth. For some horse aficionados, though, the emphasis on show is misplaced. Sometimes, only three of as many as 85 show categories highlight the horse's ability to jump and maneuver around obstacles.

''If you miss those classes, all you think the horse can do is walk fancy and that's what happens,'' Lawrence says. 'People think, `That's great. But I want to go on a trail ride.' ''

In time, says Sharon Quinn Dixon, past president of the FPFHA, all horse enthusiasts will know what the paso fino can do.

''It's still growing, still unknown because it doesn't have the history in this country,'' Dixon says. ``We're still making the history.''

www.forbes.com By Sinead Carew Reuters, 03.18.03, 9:14 PM ET

In NEW YORK story headlined "UPDATE 3-DirecTV Latin America files for U.S. bankruptcy" please read in third paragraph ... DirecTV's President and Chief Operating Officer Larry Chapman ... instead of ... President and Chief Executive Larry Chapman ... (corrects title, which was also incorrect in UPDATE 2) A corrected version follows.

NEW YORK, March 18 (Reuters) - DirecTV Latin America LLC said on Tuesday it filed for bankruptcy protection, as economic turmoil in Latin America forced the largest pay-television operator in the region to restructure its costs and debts.

DirecTV Latin America, which has been hammered by recessions and strife in Argentina, Venezuela and Brazil that have resulted in fewer subscribers, made the filing under Chapter 11 of U.S. Bankruptcy Code after it failed to renegotiate certain contracts to cut costs.

"We did so after concluding that our out-of-court restructuring negotiations were not going to result in an outcome that would allow us long-term viability," DirecTV's President and Chief Operating Officer Larry Chapman told reporters in a conference call.

One analyst saw the bankruptcy as a necessary move but said a loss of programming could affect subscriber numbers in the short term.

"The bottom line is that DirecTV Latin America's cost structure was unworkable and a restructuring in or out of court was necessary," Lehman Bros. analyst William Kidd said in a research note.

DirecTV Latin America said it would continue regular business throughout the restructuring process, which is expected to take six to 12 months.

The company, which is 75 percent owned by HughesElectronics Corp. (nyse: GMH - news - people), said the filing does not apply to Hughes or to DirecTV Latin America's operations in Latin America and the Caribbean. Latin American conglomerates Cisneros Group and Grupo Clarin are also stakeholders.

FINANCING BY HUGHES Hughes, which is owned by General Motors Corp. (nyse: GM - news - people), has agreed to provide $300 million in financing to allow the company to continue operating, while it navigates its way through bankruptcy proceedings.

The financing, called debtor-in-possession financing, is subject to bankruptcy court approval.

DirecTV Latin America also said Kevin McGrath, 49, has retired as chairman and it named Larry Chapman president and chief operating officer, effective immediately.

DirecTV Latin America said it would ask the bankruptcy court to reject contracts that are "uneconomic and not in (the company's) best long-term interests," including a contract to broadcast the 2006 World Cup and a deal with Walt Disney Co. (nyse: DIS - news - people) to carry the Disney Channel Latin America.

In reference to its talks with DirecTV Latin America, Disney said in a February filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that an unfavorable outcome could reduce revenue for the Latin American Disney Channel and ESPN Services.

Eric Hollreiser, a spokesman for Disney's ABC Cable Networks Group, told Reuters on Tuesday that the companies had discussed changing their contract.

"Unfortunately, we were unable to reach a mutually beneficial arrangement," he said.

DirecTV Latin America executives also said the company hopes to use the bankruptcy process to address Grupo Clarin's option to sell its 4 percent stake in the company in November for $196 million.

NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE The company has also been negotiating with its largest lender Hughes, French set-top-box supplier Thomson Consumer Electronics <TMS.PA>, music provider Music Choice and PanAmSat Corp. (nasdaq: SPOT - news - people), which is 81 percent owned by Hughes.

Executives also said the company would enter discussions with other programmers whose contracts are set to expire during the bankruptcy procedure.

In the United States, Disney and Hughes are embroiled in a dispute over Disney's ABC Family Channel, with DirecTV threatening to drop the channel rather pay the 35 percent price increase that Disney is demanding.

DirecTV Latin America executives said the DirecTV discussions were unrelated to its own discussions.

The filing was made in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Delaware.

Hughes stock closed down 11 cents at $10.21 on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday, while General Motors stock finished up 91 cents at $34.12 and Disney stock closed off 43 cents at $16.58. (Additional reporting by Adam Pasick and Peter Henderson)