I’ll be honest; the first time I truly remember knowing Gloria Estefan’s name was when she sang a song with N’SYNC in the late 1990s. I’m sure I had heard her most famous singles, not knowing who was singing. In my defense, she first started in the music business in 1977, 10 years before I was born.
Regardless of how long it took me to notice her, I did. She and the Miami Sound Machine have some of the most recognizable dance songs of all time, not to mention her powerhouse vocals that have spanned decades in the music business. With such a wide library of music to choose, it made sense to me that a Broadway musical telling her story was produced. “On Your Feet” tells the story of Gloria, her husband Emilio Estefan, and their rise to fame in the music world.
It turns out I knew very little of Gloria’s background going into the performance, making Tuesday night’s production at the Des Moines Civic Center all the more enjoyable. You get to see Gloria as a young girl in Miami, after her family fled Cuba during the revolution. The show shows us Gloria loved music, both singing and dancing, and you saw glimpses of that when she was a young girl. She was forced to grow up quickly helping to raise her younger sister while her mother worked and her father battled multiple sclerosis.
At 17, she had plans to get a degree in psychology when she met Emilio Estefan. Emilio, whose family also immigrated during the revolution, was the bandleader of the up and coming “Miami Latin Boys.” Gloria’s grandmother arranged a meeting for him to hear Gloria sing a song she wrote and to perhaps consider making her part of the group. That is where it all started.
Gloria became lead singer of the band, prompting the name change to “Miami Sound Machine.” They slowly gained popularity in the United States and across the world. After seven years in the business, they had their big break with “Dr. Beat.” That paved the way for hits like “Conga,” “Get on Your Feet,” “1-2-3” and “Anything for You.” Gloria’s success was almost halted in a 1990 bus accident that left her with a spinal injury. Two metal rods were placed in her back. Before she could get up and dance, she first needed to learn to walk again. After hard work, she was back on stage 10 months later — a truly inspiring story. Like with most jukebox musicals, after the story concludes, the party continues on. The curtain call had the audience on their feet and clapping to the rhythm.
The show has everything you could ever want in a stage musical — amazing music, drama, heartbreak, joy and love. The story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan is an inspiring one, still in love and together after 40 years.
Any show about a famous female artist had better have a great leading lady. Christie Prades was just that on the Civic Center stage. She put everything into her performance as Gloria, you could tell she loved every moment of performing. At times you forget you are not watching Gloria Estefan herself performing.
With a Latin heavy soundtrack, the dancing was sure to be a main focal point. After all my hours of watching “Dancing with the Stars,” I tried to pick out the steps for Cha Cha, Salsa and Mambo with no luck. I recognized some distinct Samba moves, but that’s as far as I could go. Regardless of my inability to recognize dance steps, I loved every fast paced dance routines in the show. It made me want to dance and party all night long.
Get your chance to see the party in action. The show is in Des Moines through Sunday.
Contact Pam Rodgers at
prodgers@newtondailynews.com