Eva Ayllon, a native of Peru, will bring her band, her beats and her massive belts to Spaulding Auditorium this Saturday, Oct. 22, at 8 p.m.
Immediately following the performance, the Outreach Department at the Hopkins Center will sponsor a party where members of the audience can meet Ayllon in person. A ticket stub from the show will grant attendees entry to the party where they can enjoy food catered by the Hanover Inn, free drinks for those over 21 and a dance party featuring DJ Trolld -- a celebration fit for the established queen of Afro-Peruvian dance music.
And it's all happening just a short walk upstairs from the theatre in the Top of the Hop.
Ayllon, 51, was born Maria Angelica Ayllon Urbina, and adopted the name "Eva" during her singing career as an homage to her grandmother, Eva, who taught the young Maria about music.
It's not all that often that artists like Ayllon perform in New England. She has over 15 albums under her belt, and Allyon's seductive rhythms have been captivating sellout crowds throughout South America and even in Hollywood. The songs Ayllon and her band perform range from the upbeat and dance-worthy to torch songs -- melancholy melodies that lament lost love -- which will have you marveling at her vocal prowess.
Joe Clifford, The Hopkins Center's outreach manager, hopes to spark student interest by attracting the younger crowd with the exclusive afterparty. Last year, he said, a similar program scheduled after sitar player Anoushka Shankar performed at the Hop was a success. It's designed to connect students with the arts by giving them time to interact with the artists in an environment more casual than a performance or a lecture.
"I want students to see the Hopkins Center as a place that can be social by offering them lingering time to talk about what they saw and what they wished they had seen in a welcoming environment that's not so serious," Clifford said.
With the confines of her full touring schedule, Ayllon will not be on campus for long, so the afterparty will probably be the only chance for students to interact with Allyon. After her Oct. 22 performance in Hanover, Ayllon heads to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., the following week.
Allyon has been performing worldwide since the '70s and has garnered high acclaim from international music critics.
Ayllon sings in Spanish, but even those who can't understand the language will enjoy her passionate, expressive performance style. My Spanish is very limited, and yet I still found myself unable to sit still as I watched a DVD of one of her performances in Hollywood. In fact, the only complaint that I can anticipate from Hop audiences after having viewed Allyon in action would be something about how the rows of Spaulding are far too narrow to provide an ideal dancing space.
Allyon's band showcases an array of musical talent that complements the powerfully stirring lyrics of each and every one of her songs. Her back-up singers and musicians also seem to deliver a level of excitement through their spirited playing and their on-stage interactions with Ayllon.
"She has an evocative voice. People will be moved. I fully expect people to be dancing in the aisles," Clifford said.
Tickets cost $5 for students. The show will be a great compliment to the social scene here at Dartmouth -- the afterparty should run until about midnight. Tickets are still available at the box office in the Hop.
