Merengue musician Toño Rosario will be “kulikitakaing” his way to UF for Hispanic Heritage Month.
Máximo Antonio del Rosario, commonly known as Toño Rosario, will be performing at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts at 7 p.m. Friday for UF’s Hispanic Heritage Month’s annual concert. Co-sponsored by Student Government Productions, the month long celebration hopes to get all UF students dancing out of their seats.
“We wanted to bring someone that made the Latino students feel nostalgic and happy,” said Giselle Bermudez, the executive director of Hispanic Heritage Month. “His music was very present in our childhood, and when I think of him, I think of the amazing house parties my family used to throw back in the day.”
The 58-year-old Grammy-award nominee is known for his fast-paced, feel-good dance music popular in the Hispanic community but is most famously known for his No. 1 hit single “Kulikitaka.”
“I keep telling all my Latino friends, ‘if you weren’t raised on this song, your family didn’t do it right,’” Bermudez, the 21-year-old UF sociology senior, said.
The popular Dominican artist blends both the old and the new wave of merengue, creating a genre for listeners of all generations to enjoy.
Now his performance is free at UF.
“He’s a great choice, and I grew up around music like his,” said Yudelkis Fuste, a 20-year-old UF psychology junior. “I’m excited to go Friday so I can not only support my friends, but the Hispanic community.”
His concert open to the public at the Phillips Center. Doors open at 7 p.m.
