Friday, July 27, 2007

Theatre

Pregones Theater Presents La Caravana/The Caravan
Sunday, August 5

Pregones Theater is thrilled to present its 9th annual free-admission summer tour of metropolitan New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, part of the exciting 2007 JPMorgan Chase Summer Arts Series. This year's featured musical theater production is a new staging of the ensemble's original bilingual play, La Caravana/The Caravan. Performed by actors in colorful Puerto Rican "vejigante" (carnival masquerader) costumes, the play is based on the poem "The Saltimbanco's Elegy" by Luis Palés Matos and on the folk legend of María Sabida as told by Judith Ortiz Cover.

Don't miss this exuberant explosion of color, song, dance, and laughter! Performances are in Spanish and English, free to the general public, and suitable for family audiences.

Time: 4 p.m.
Location: Rincón Criollo
Address: 749-753 Brook Avenue in the South Bronx
Admission: Free

Contact Info
Pregones Theater
www.pregones.org
(718)585-1202
571-575 Walton Avenue, Bronx

source: www.ilovethebronx.com

Friday, July 20, 2007

1, 2, 3, 4...


1, 2, 3, 4...
Originally uploaded by Nanniqui.
Puente La Hamaca sobre el Lago Garzas. Adjuntas, Puerto Rico

Photo by Nanniqui

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Featured story

Chicago Tribune, Mon, 16 Jul 2007
Fight flap riles Puerto Ricans
Under pressure to join U.S. states in banning cockfights, the island territory holds fast to traditional blood sport. With cockfighting about to lose its last bastion in the United States, animal-rights activists are training their sights on Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory where the blood sport is both beloved tradition and big business.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-cockfight_16jul16,1,4056692.story?track=rss

Cemi Underground Poetry

Photo by DeLares (Eliud Martinez)

Prisionera declaiming her poetry at Cemi Underground.

For more info., click on the photo and go to DeLares' page at flickr.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

In the Mailbox

Greetings!

Last Chance! Call to get your tickets for El Cantante!

Join PRLDEF for the exciting pre-screening of El Cantante, the major motion picture starring Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez, based on the life of legendary salsa star Héctor Lavoe.

PRLDEF has partnered with Picturehouse Films to bring this movie to the screen at the AMC 25 in Times Square on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 – two weeks prior to its August 3rd release. The show will be preceded by a cocktail reception, hosted by Rums of Puerto Rico, in which we will be treated to the exhilarating sounds of the yet-to-be-released El Cantante soundtrack.

The tax-deductible contribution for the event is $150 per person, with proceeds going directly toward funding PRLDEF’s many legal education programs. Please contact me at 212.739.7511 or salome_galib@prldef.org if you want to reserve tickets.

source: John Garcia, PRLDEF

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Film

Press Release

World Premiere & PBS Broadcast of The Borinqueneers

CROMPOND, N.Y. -- The experience of Latinos in the U.S. Army has rarely been portrayed in film. Now comes The Borinqueneers (pronounced Boh-rin-keh-neers), the never-before-told story of the 65th Puerto Rican Regiment, the only all-Hispanic unit in the history of the U.S. Army. Narrated by Hector Elizondo (Chicago Hope, Pretty Woman), this compelling 78-minute documentary relies on interviews with the regiment's veterans and rare archival footage to trace the unique experience of the 65th, culminating in the Korean War and the dramatic events that would threaten its very existence. The world premiere screening will take place on July 13th at the Newark Museum in Newark, NJ, with other screenings scheduled in various other cities. PBS stations nationwide will begin broadcasting a one-hour version of the program in August (check local listings).

Named after "Borinquen," the word given to Puerto Rico by its original inhabitants, the Taino Indians, the Borinqueneers formed a tight-knit unit bound by a common language and a strong cultural identity. First-time director and producer Noemí Figueroa Soulet spent eight years researching the story and locating veterans of the regiment, some of whom have since passed away. Through their voices, the documentary explores the unique history of the 65th Regiment and illustrates many of the issues surrounding the U.S. relationship with Puerto Rico and the broader Latino experience. "Puerto Ricans occupy a very special place in the history of the U.S. Army," says Figueroa Soulet. "As a former colony and now a commonwealth, we don't have the right to vote in U.S. elections, and yet we serve in the military and we can be drafted."

In 1950, the men of the 65th finally had the opportunity to prove their mettle in the Korean War. In spite of the prejudice that was still the norm in the Army, they performed impressively during the first years of the war, even earning kudos from General MacArthur. "I was glad that the Puerto Ricans were on my side," says Colonel Willis Cronkhite, a 65th company commander.

But as the Korean War bogged down into a stalemate, the regiment felt the full weight of the new "hold at all costs" strategy, losing many of its men in impossible missions. In October of 1952, several companies were sent to defend a barren outpost against overwhelming enemy fire. Following a massive mortar barrage, several dozen men abandoned their positions. Wrapped in mystery and controversy to this day, the real story of what happened has never been told until now.

More than ninety Puerto Rican soldiers were tried in one of the largest courts-martial of the Korean War. The Borinqueneers uncovers the circumstances surrounding the dramatic events of 1952 and explores the rich history of the 65th Puerto Rican Regiment

Written and produced by Noemi Figueroa Soulet, and distributed by El Pozo Productions, this feature-length documentary film will have its worldwide DVD release on August 15th.

For More Information Contact:
Noemi Figueroa Soulet
Tel/Fax: (914) 739-3989
contact@borinqueneers.com


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