In a press release issued Thursday January 28, organizers of the annual Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival announced that the headliner for the 10 day event will be Marc Anthony, the top-selling tropical salsa recording artist of all time. The Grammy award winning Latin singer, with 25 Billboard chart hits, was inaugurated into the Billboard Hall of Fame in 2012. He is scheduled to perform on Sunday, May 8th as part of the festival’s main stage performances.
According to the SLTB the Latin influence in the 25th anniversary of the Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival will be highlighted and celebrated as the Saint Lucia Tourist Board (SLTB) begins working collaboratively with the Latin dance community – in particular Salsa Saint Lucia. The 3 year old organization seeks to promote fitness, health, social development and cultural diversity on Saint Lucia through Latin dance and music. The addition of Marc Anthony to the lineup will be a collective celebration on Friday, January 29th, 2016 when highly popular Salsa Saint Lucia kicks off a series of specially themed Salsa parties at blu Hotel in Rodney Bay, commemorating the music of the Grammy award winning Latin sensation.
“We will be reaching out to the regional Latin dance community to join us and the massive following of Salsa Saint Lucia for the Festival in May,” notes Tracey Warner-Arnold, Deputy Director of Tourism and Head of Marketing at the SLTB.
“In the lead up to the Festival, there will be a number of Latin dance parties hosted by Salsa Saint Lucia celebrating the music of Marc Anthony and the 25th anniversary of the Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival,” says Peter St. Rose, founder and lead instructor of Salsa Saint Lucia. At its 25th anniversary milestone, the festival will pay homage to what has been an unforgettable journey that now distinguishes it as the Caribbean’s longest running international music and Arts festival. The selection, therefore, deliberately combines past performers deemed by patrons to be among their most memorable, mixed with contemporary chart-toppers.
The curtain raises on April 29, 2016 with a line-up that also blends island culture, famed musical talent and eclectic music genres. Internationally renowned performers also gracing the stage this year include singer/songwriter Shaggy, 10-time Grammy winner George Benson, legendary Kool and the Gang, soft rock duo Air Supply, reggae pop singer Omi, French zouk masters Kassav, jazz saxophonist Donald Harrison Jr., and two-time Grammy nominee Joey Alexander. Local superstars performing on mainstage for the 25th anniversary include legendary jazz guitarist Ronald ‘Boo’ Hinkson, R& B Crooner Irvin ‘Ace’ Loctar and Groovy Soca phenomenon Teddyson John.
