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Rafael Berroa: “How lucky I am to have my two princesses whom I love and love with all my being (their mother and grandmother). Blessings to all the mothers in the world. The Mother is the most beautiful being that God made”, he wrote. on Sunday on his Instagram.
The connection between salsa and Rafael Berroa (Chiquito) goes back long before the young musician was conceived, because his mother, Bárbara Estrella, born and raised in the populous neighborhood of Villa Consuelo, was a professional dancer. She from a young age she rose & gué; as the winner of all the salsa dance contests that she held at the time.
The union and love of Rafael Berroa (Chiquito) for salsa is I was linked to him long before he was conceived, because his mother, Bárbara Estrella, born and raised in Villa Consuelo, was a professional dancer. From a young age she rose & gué; as the winner of all the salsa dance contests that were held at the time.
At kilometer 12 of the Haina sector,his father, Rafael Berroa, then 20 years old and a system student at the O & M, was a fan of playing the kettledrums in the grocery store of his mother Gregoria Berroa, affectionately & Ntilde; o & ña (Chiquito’s grandmother). Playing the kettledrums in grocery stores is a common practice in the neighborhoods of the capital.
It is in this environment that Bárbara, aged 19, meets Rafael and they only had to dance one sauce and Cupid took care of it. of the rest.
“My parents tell me it was love at first sight. They only had to dance once and fell in love immediately & rdquo ;, revealed. Little to Listín Diario.
did not pass It took a long time and Barbara was left behind. pregnant. The young people, who were not working yet, took responsibility for the situation, but doña Ñoña enters the stage and proposes to the couple that they continue their studies. , and that she will take care of it. of raising the baby.
That is why Rafael Berroa Jr., immediately nicknamed “Chiquito”, grew up in the house of his grandmother Ñoña, owner of the grocery store that bears his name,and where he was educated, always behind a counter, in the midst of selling to people in the neighborhood, buying in the markets and, of course, music, especially salsa, which has never stopped playing in the “Colmado Ñoña”, in the Herrera sector.
+ Nice relationship
That is why it is no coincidence that Bárbara and Chiquito have become an excellent couple of salsa dancers, as can be seen in the videos they upload on their social networks.
“I have a nice relationship with my mother, it’s like she’s my friend, because even though I grew up With my grandmother, mommy was always present in my life, educating me, if I got sick she would take me to the hospital. Although I didn’t live with my mom, she was never far from me & rdquo ; tenderly.
For Ñoña, Chiquito was her “pretty boy” he dedicated himself to make him a good man. “My grandmother has always worked in the grocery store, she gave me love and education”. Yesterday, Sunday, Mother’s Day, it came out. He went to have lunch with his mom and his grandmother.
+ The dance and the kettledrums
His father Rafael, also a lover of the rhythm of salsa, would put together a I boche in the colmado and from early in the day the salsa began to sound and the timbales played.
Chiquito grew up seeing his dad I play the timpani, which also plays the bongo, the bell, the gúiro and the maracas.
“ no one taught me He didn’t even teach me how to dance. to touch. in me It turned out that I just decided I danced and, like playing the kettledrums, I played them secretly from my dad. and he had no idea that I knew how to play all his instruments”, he commented
In one of those encounters in the grocery store, Chiquito surprised his friends. everyone playing the timpani formidably. He played the song “Indestructible” by Ray Barretto, and he played the instrument so well that his father cried. as a child of emotion.
“After that day my father bought me my first timpani, and then if he practiced every day & rdquo ;, he continued
+ Essence of the neighborhood
“Everything that lives in the Ñoña grocery store is everything that I am, the essence of a pure neighborhood. I grew up listening to salsa, merengue and all kinds of popular music. I know the rhythm of salsa perfectly, how to play it, its performers, its history. I know how people in the neighborhoods enjoy it, how they dance, that’s why mommy and I dance so well”, she expressed.
“Thats why I in the grocery store dancing with my mom, with my friends, playing, feeding on the people. It is in that grocery store that I feel good, with my father, my grandmother and all my people from Herrera”.
+ Tenth anniversary
This year the Chiquito Team Band, a group that founded Together with Emmanuel Frías, he reaches his tenth anniversary. The band is getting ready for a big concert, which they plan to present at the National Theater or the Jaragua hotel.
“We are working to celebrate with a nice, well-produced concert, we dont have dates yet but we will do it before the end of the year.
Since its release on the market, the group has maintained an essence and a unique sound that characterizes it from other salsa orchestras. And that has been the key to its permanence in people’s taste, that different sound that is found in percussion, that Chiquito plays and that has managed to imprint his stamp on each song, calling himself “The creators of the sound” and “The salsa industry”.
“That is why over the years we have had many singers in the group and their departure has not affected us because the essence of the group is Emmanuel and I. . On piano and I on percussion. Emmanuel and I are the soul of La Chiquito Team Band”:
The Chiquito Team Band has popularized songs such as: “Lupita”, “Lejos de Ti”, “Punto y Aparte”, “Call from My Ex”, among others.