Pictured left to right: Pablo Malco; Jim Hammond; Neil Goldberg; Myrna Meeroff,
Loren Oliveira & Eddy Edwards

For those of you who don’t already know, the grand finale event of Broward 100 – Celebrating the Art of Community has been brainstormed by a team of local artists and event management aficionados. Eddy Edwards, Jim Hammond, Myrna Meeroff, Loren Oliveira and Pablo Malco were selected last year to create and guide the ideas for an event that would mark history for Broward County. On the weekend of Oct. 1st – 3rd, a culmination of celebratory performances and events will herald in the beginning the next century. It’s a big time to celebrate.

The ‘Minds’ met and chatted, and creatively expressed ideas about this big undertaking and came up with a fantastical idea of Duende- a quality of passion and inspiration; a spirit; having soul, a heightened state of emotion, expression of authenticity. What a lovely wish for the next 100 years of our County!

As the months go by and the days draw closer to our grand weekend, Broward 100 organizers – Broward Cultural Division, the Community Foundation of Broward and the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau, excited about Duende, have decided to take the execution phase to the next level. Enter Broadway director and Broward resident Neil Goldberg, founder of the internationally-renowned Cirque Dreams entertainment brand and production company.

After meeting with Cultural Division Director Earl Bosworth, Goldberg decided to donate his talent and theatrical expertise to Broward 100 – Celebrating the Art of Community in the spirit of celebrating creativity and world-class entertainment, and also in the spirit of pride for his community and enlisting local talent. Goldberg will be executing the event at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts on the Friday and Saturday night of Duende, although the entire weekend will be scheduled and planned with the Creative Minds.

The plot is building nicely, and Broward 100 continues to gain steam and momentum through its four cornerstones, VisualEYES, Inside Out, Calendar 100 and now Duende. It’s a great time to be in Broward County and a period in history that we won’t want to forget.

There is a lot more to come from these alliances, so stand by for more as Duende unfolds with passion, inspiration, emotion and authenticity.