The Journey to Art With A Purpose

  On May 16th at NYC's Ziegfeld Theatre, Telemundo held one of the hottest celebrations of the Upfront season. I had the honor to bring the physical storytelling of Theatre/Dance to the network's event for a 3rd year.  After opening  In The Heights  in Oklahoma on April 22nd and  On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan  World Premiere in Spanish at Teatro GALA May 5th, I feel blessed to have led 36 artists in a journey of hope and empowerment at the  Telemundo Up-Fronts  event. With a-list performers and a group of talented dancers from NYC, the event celebrates the Latine community, artists and stories on the Spanish language network. The nonprofit organization R.Evolución Latina, which  I founded in 2008,  was represented with a group of young artists celebrating their cultural roots. Our Artists another example of the fantastic WORLD we all share. Sierra Barnett, Cristina Camacho, Edgar Cavazos, Dean Delu...

 One last time... One last performance, one more CONGA! It's been almost 2 years since we started this AMAZING journey of ON YOUR FEET. One full year since we started rehearsals and the stories are plentiful. This company has held hands so tightly, from the passion, devotion, desires and dreams of the very first rehearsal. That day was filled with the reality of, not only doing what we love but of sharing it as LATINOS. A room of artists who speak, look and talk similarly, who share a pride and want with great passion that made it an even greater ride for us all. From Linedy's innocence, to Yasmin's heroic comeback, from Eddie and Kevin's footwork and speed to Alma's tenacity and consistency, from the great collective moments of joy under fireworks during our first fourth of July together to taking over in the lawn of the White House, dancing under the rain in our second July 4th celebration we've been one... We have been one  at the mome...

Acabo de llegar a mi hogar de una noche maravillosa. El publico en el teatro Marquis estaba a todo dar y la energía en el escenario llena de poder. Nuestro elenco de ON YOUR FEET es uno muy especial y comparto con ellos la alegría del momento presente; pero a la distancia, en mi isla caribeña de Puerto Rico a la misma vez que me “trepaba” al escenario ocurría otro evento MUY especial para mi. Uno que hacia a cada segundo mi trabajo en la ciudad de los rasca-cielos aun mas completo y contundente. En mi único momento de respiro dentro del primer acto, estaba en mi camerino terminando de ponerme la corbata y a unos tres minutos de entrar otra vez a escena para hacer CONGA, -el final del primer acto-. Justo ahí me llega este mensaje via text de mi compañero en el arte Reinaldo Santana. “Para mi más  que un orgullo, es un honor estar parado frente a ustedes esta noche para homenajear a uno de los artistas más importantes nacidos en esta bendita tierra vegalteña. Primero quier...

Years have passed and many, many LATINO ARTISTS have both, been able to do or to DREAM about being in "IMPORTANT" positions on the Broadway scene, on the BIG commercial and ARTISTIC success of what we call the "Great White Way".   NOW here we are at last, a season where potential is endless and the doors seem to be able to open even wider than before. Gloria and Emilio Estefan are taking this opportunity to accomplish yet another dream, adding to their already, Incredible resume of dreams achieved. This time taking over 30 LATINO ARTISTS with them, who get to share THEIR BEST and stand on a stage where so many fantastic artists have stood before. Even more they are Inspiring the millions of artists around the world that once again (as was the case during the success of In the Heights) will say, “Look That’s ME onstage. I CAN be there one day!” Ednita Nazario, believe it or not, was that person for me. I saw her in an interview during the Capeman and ...

Tantas cosas que me ayudan a recordar de dónde vengo y por qué estoy aquí. Una esquina donde están los "Props" me recuerda la GRAN EMOCIÓN que sentí tantas veces al estar cerca de la escenografía, de la utilería, del vestuario en el CAMINO que me trajo hasta el día de hoy.  ESTAR cerca de un escenario, de un direct or, DE UN COREÓGRAFO, de un proceso de ensayo era SIEMPRE algo MARAVILLOSO. Recuerdo aquel deseo a muerte de poder estar en escena, de poder aprender una coreografía o decir una línea... en especial, recuerdo cuando la primera oportunidad comercial se presentó para bailar con Jailene Cintron. Estaba yo en medio de ensayos para una obra en Bellas Artes de Puerto Rico y recuerdo haber hecho tantas preguntas.... Quería llegar a mi meta...  Las memorias del inicio son tan mágicas, tan mías... que me sacan lágrimas de emoción. No es que hoy sea distinto, claro, AÚN me emociono pero uno no necesariamente responde a esos "pequeños detalles"...

My non-profit organization R.Evolución Latina concluded tonight the 2015 Beyond Workshop Series. It's been so rewarding seeing this students grow.  The BWS started February 23rd at The National Dance Institute for Learning & the Arts, and had its' first student sharing as part of the dance program on March 6th under the direction of Rickey Tripp and Gabriela García.  The second part of the program, started March 9th focused on Shakespeare and Voice and concluded tonight with a presentation of the students work.  Seeing them take the risks and go beyond in every artistic and human step is something that I can not really measure at the moment. I must wait a bit and see the result of the planted seeds in them.   The first 2 weeks of the program was focused on dance, ensemble building and expanding cultural exchange under the idea of Daring to Go Beyond. It's been 8 years now that R.Evolución Latina has been promoting community empowerment ...

Created by: Andrew Beall & Neil Van Leeuwen Song of Solomon is a tragic, epic romance, based on the Biblical Song of Songs. Set in ancient Israel, we follow the secret romance between King Solomon and a brilliant young vineyard girl, Almah, who inspires the most famous love poetry of all time. The stakes are Solomon's life, the woman he loves, and the fate of Israel." The piece will be directed by ROCKY BROADWAY'S Luis Salgado . Presented as part of the NYC Thespis Festival , the show will be Performing at The Actor's Temple - 339 West 47th Street in Manhattan. The cast includes Evan McCormack who plays King Solomon opposite Ann McCormack who plays Almah. The cast also includes Danicah Waldo, Casey Manning, Levin Valayil, Jonathan D. Morales, Rocio Lopez, Shannen Rae, Alessandra Baldacchino , and Tony Paterniti, with a supporting ensemble of Anthony Logan Cole , Aaron Dalla Villa, Dylan C. Digel, Tim Fitzsimons, Leslie Kyle Hudson, Andrea Nevil, Jennif...