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LATIN VIBE
promoter, Chris Graham has a 15 year background in promoting live
music events in London – from after-school club workshops in
Cuban dance and Brazilian Carnival, to the Albert Hall, the Millennium
Dome and the VIBE BAR. Chris’ long-term passion for Cuban, Colombian and Brazilian music and Carnival, dates back to the late 70’s when she recklessly packed up everything and went to live in Rio. There, a lot of work, study, travelling along the Amazon, through the Pantanal, up Machu Picchu, and mundane living was done, in between gafieiras, dancing, shows, costume-making, stunning beaches, windsurfing, hang-gliding and truly fabulous carnivals in Rio, Salvador and Olinda. And so 10 years just sequined and samba-ed by!. Between returning to GB 1989, and finally settling in London in 1993, Chris spent some time travelling and working in the USA, Italy and the Dominican Republic. This meant glue-gun burns from helping out at Carnival in San Francisco, very lowly legwork at the Umbria Jazz Festival, and endless nights of merengue 24 hour festivals on the beaches of Puerto Plata. There was also some serious, grown-up, rent-paying jobs which financed the hedonistic seeking out of carnivals, music and dance. As Events Secretary and Director of the London School of Samba, and a founder Director of Paraiso School of Samba, Chris gained invaluable experience with London venues, bands, dancers, musicians, DJs etc She laboured with the hard-working team of the LSS of the time, to spearhead the breakthrough of Brazilian Carnival into the most popular street festival and largest Carnival in Europe – Notting Hill Carnival. The same team provided the samba splendour at the Millennium Dome on New Years Eve 1999/2000. In 2001 this great design & admin. team took LSS to 2nd place, which is unheard of in the 37 years of Notting Hill Carnival history. Over the period 1994-2001 Chris organised and stage managing over 300 shows and a number of Cuban/ Colombian/ Brazilian and West African bands. These events ranged in size from the small charity party at the local church hall, to the Albert Hall, to the 5 month long Blueprints of Paradise project for New Years Eve 1999 at the Millennium Dome with 86 fully costumed musicians and dancers. |
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