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by Floyd Egner

Publisher, Tropical Breeze

Ray Olan and his wife Maria are in a mood to celebrate this month. The couple who moved to Safety Harbor about five years ago from Venezuela are beginning a new season as musical theater instructors for the Dunedin Fine Art Center; Ray and his friend and fellow musician Hector Mayoral are headliners at the EarthDance festival at the Safety Harbor Museum; and, he notes, Friday, Sept. 15 marks the beginning of “Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month,” which runs through October 15.

“It’s a great time to focus attention on the contributions of people of Hispanic heritage to the history of the U.S.,” he said.

Olan, who is known as “Mr. Ray,” was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Brooklyn. He met Maria, a native of Venezuela, in Boston. While visiting family in her native country, he was hired as a producer for Warner Brothers International Television, in part because of his multi-lingual talents. He developed a series of short entertainment segments called “Inside the Series,” which gave him an opportunity to interview some of the biggest stars in Hollywood.

His current emphasis is on “Mr. Ray’s Musical Theater,” which is presenting workshops for children at the Dunedin Fine Art Center (DFAC). Classes run quarterly with the current session offering a class for ages 4-5 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, followed by a class for ages 6-12 from 5-6 p.m. Enrollment is ongoing. “We are always recruiting,” he said.

photos for Tropical Breeze courtesy of Ray Olan Ray Olan, standing right rear, and his wife Maria, standing left rear, with students from the summer session of “Mr. Ray”s Musical Theatre” at the Dunedin Fine Art Center.

“Our program is unique in that our students are also given instruction in theater, drama, dance, visual arts, and music,” he said. Students explore historical musical styles, music theory and the elements of music (melody, rhythm, form and tone color) through a variety of vocal, instrumental, rhythmic and creative dramatic listening activities.

Heritage and promoting multi-cultural understanding are important to Olan, whose first project in Safety Harbor was to create a multi-cultural musical theater program for children.

“Mr. Ray’s Musical Theater works to create an environment for training, which is based on trust, mutual respect and passion,” he said. “We believe that it is from within this environment that students will be secure enough to take huge creative risks. In addition, I believe that the individual performer learns best from within the group, and that the theatre ensemble grows from the pro-active input of every individual.”

Olan began his musical journey when he was 11 years old, playing guitar with a Latin band called the “Young Lads.” He said he was inspired by his father, who played with musical trios including Los Sancez and Daniel Santos. “They were the first Guaracha bands (trios) I ever heard,” he said.

After moving to New York, Olan chaperoned his older sisters to Latin dances. “I was band boy for groups like Eddie & Charlie Palmeri, Tito Puente, Ray Barretto and Richie Ray.”

He learned to play Latin piano — salsa music — and at age 16 formed his first band, “Ray Olan y su Sason,” which he said was known as “that salsa hippie band.” The band got a record deal with Alegre Records, a division of Roulette Records.

“We were playing the New York area, but with a twist,” Olan said. “I brought in great rock guitar players to play the funky guitar solos along with the two trombones that were the signature of my band. It was fusion salsa rock in its infant stage — little did Santana know!”

He graduated from Hofstra University in Long Island, NY with a degree in musical theater, but was focused on his music influences and Latin roots. He returned to Puerto Rico and studied in the University of Puerto Rico’s dramatic arts program, “Libertad” as a musical theater director.

“I have traveled across the globe and met adults and their families living in remarkably different communities yet as I travel, it is not the differences that strike me, but rather the magnificent similarities that make us all very much alike,” he said. “We all have curiosity, fears, hopes and dreams as well as an extraordinary gift to open our hearts to each other."

For more information about the DFAC classes, call 727-298-DFAC (3322).