My new exhibit: Visions of Puerto Rico

Exhibition: Visions of Puerto Rico & Puerto Rican Pride

June 12th – 28th – Opening Show 7-10 p.m. on June 12th

Clemente Soto Velez Cultural & Educational Center, Inc.

107 Suffolk Street, Manhattan

Contact: Mia Roman Hernandez - artbymamamia@yahoo.com / 646-361-6448

About the show:

“Visions of Puerto Rico & Puerto Rican Pride” Celebrates Puerto Rican culture through Photography. The show will include more than fifty works by emerging and established artists from Puerto Rico, Miami Fl. and New York City. Each artist brings a unique style and vision. These artists have discovered the beauty, tales and the history to their culture in which has been incorporated into their craft of photography. Some of the pieces will depict Community, Urban settings, Music, Nature, Family, Politics and Spirituality. The photos will embrace the cultural empowerment of the Puerto Ricans and their pride. The photos will evoke emotion, feeling and discussion. We have bridged a gap between the Puerto Ricans on the Island and the Puerto Ricans out side of the island and this exhibit is the result of that connection.


Art is an expression of the unconscious and is dedicated to the free expression of feeling.


About CSV/ Clemente Soto Velez Cultural & Educational Center, Inc.:

The Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural & Educational Center, Inc. (CSV), a 501 (C) 3 not-for-profit, was founded in 1993. The CSV Cultural Center is a Puerto Rican/Latino cultural institution that has demonstrated a broad-minded cultural vision and a collaborative philosophy. While CSV's mission is focused on the cultivation, presentation and preservation of Puerto Rican and Latino culture, it is equally determined to operate in a multi-cultural and inclusive manner, housing and promoting artists and performance events that fully reflect the cultural diversity of the Lower East Side and the city as a whole.


Artists include:

Clarisel Gonzalez, Mia Roman Hernandez, Elena Marrero, Vivien Perez, Carissa Hernandez, Christopher Lopez, Susan Alvarez, Marcelino Pagan, Luis Cordero, Pepper Negron, Marie Paola Martinez, Gamalier Martinez, Gerardo Javier Melendez Silvagnoli, Marielly Martinez, Ismael Nunez, Pablo Colon, Eliud Martinez

source: Art by Mia press release

Miguel Cotto delivers a great show at the ring

On the sports corner

After boxer Miguel Cotto suffered a bitter defeat in the hands of Antonio Margarito last July 2008, there were some who questioned whether Cotto lost his confidence. At the same time, he lay low for more than 200 days. There was concern that the layoff would make him rusty. But on the night of February 21, he proved everyone wrong at Square Garden in front of a large fan base.
That night Cotto met Michael Jennings from England who came in with a record of 34-2 and 16 knockouts. It was Jennings first time fighting at the Garden. Cotto won every round, scoring with left jabs, shots to the body, two knockdowns in round four and one more in round five. When referee Benji Estevez saw enough, he said no mas, stopping the fight with 2:36 remaining in the fifth round.
Cotto captured the vacant World Boxing Organization Welterweight Champion.
After the fight, there was some talk about a rematch with Shane Mosley who this past January 24th defeated Margarito.
My advice: Cotto relax, train, be confident, but don’t get over confident. – Ismael Nunez

Subpoenas' Rally

Rally
Originally uploaded by prsuncom

photo by Ismael Nunez
Rally against Grand Jury of Puerto Rican Independence Activists

Here's a link to a recent Daily News column by Juan Gonzalez on the issue:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2008/01/09/2008-01-09_fbi_on_fishy_fishing_expedition.html

'Confessions of a Rogue Teacher'

New novel highlights issues in inner-city schools

There have been many movies and T.V. shows that attempt to highlight, through drama or comedy, the issues that exist in America’s inner-city schools. But what is it like, really? "Confessions of a Rogue Teacher" (published by iUniverse) by novelist and retired teacher George Colon, employs plot as a vehicle to communicate the realities of life for an inner-city teacher.

"Confessions of a Rogue Teacher" opens with English teacher Manny Quesada hurrying back to his classroom from the restroom. He has just had what the reader finds out in Chapter 2, an altercation with one of his students, Wilson Contreras. In the course of this altercation, things turned physical and Manny hit Wilson in self defense. This fateful event will drive the entire plot of Confessions of a Rogue Teacher, not only for Manny but for the people around him as well.

As a result of Manny’s altercation, there is an inquiry. Manny is removed from the classroom pending a full review. This is a great blow to a man who had dedicated his life to teaching and at one time held to the ideal that he could help his fellow Puerto Ricans rise up from poverty through education. Now, after twenty years of teaching, Manny is felled by an altercation resulting in a momentary act of anger and impulse. Manny is instructed to report to the superintendent’s office. Unsure of where he stands or if he will even be allowed to return to the classroom, Manny is faced with a new reality: what comes next?

“I’ve been here three days now and don’t know why,” I complained. “I have union rights.” I’d called Peter Goldstein, who told me Joseph Arimet, roving troubleshooter, would contact me, but he hadn’t yet.
“You’ve been placed in this office,” he twiddled his moustache. “I didn’t send for you.” While he let these words sink in, his eyes bore down on me with the sneer of command. “Don’t know what you’ve done - don’t care.”
“I do.”
His eyes softened, though not his tone “When Minerva returns, she’ll talk to you. For now, man a desk, file papers, and handle the phone. Take messages and complaints. Give information. No opinions. Tell callers they’ll be contacted. Mario will break you in. He’s got a problem, too.”


George Colon is a native of Puerto Rico and grew up in the South Bronx. After earning a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s on Secondary Education, Colon returned to the South Bronx. He was a teacher there for 30 years. Upon retiring, he began writing. This is his first published novel. Colon has a wife and daughter and still resides in the Bronx.

source: press release

UPCOMING APPEARANCE IN THE BRONX
Join George Colon at the Meet the Writers at Small Press Night
7 p.m. April 17
Barnes & Noble Booksellers
Bay Plaza
290 Baychester Ave., Coop City
For more information:
(718) 862-3945

Editor's Note: "Confessions of a Rogue Teacher is also available at the PRSUN aStore:




(photo of George Colon at a book event at Cemi Underground in East Harlem by Ismael Nunez)

Keeping the Stickball Tradition Alive

These are some of the faces of stickball players and enthusiasts who are keeping the old school NYC street tradition of playing stickball.

Today is the 111TH STREET SALSA STREET PARTY AND OLD TIMER'S STICKBALL GAMES in NYC's El Barrio. For more information on this outdoor festival, check out this link at
http://www.salsanewyork.com/events/111th-street-salsa-street-party.htm

(photos from a stickball event last week by Ismael Nuñez)

Photo Op



The New Jersey Saints are this year’s champs of The Stickball Championship of East Harlem, which took place July 27 in NYC’s East Harlem. They defeated the Sugar hill team. (photo by Ismael Nunez)

Spotlight: Author Abraham Rodriguez

Abraham Rodriguez sports a Boriken T-Shirt at a recent book signing event in East Harlem. Tonight Rodriguez will deliver a reading of his latest novel "South by South Bronx" at the Longwood Art Gallery @ Hostos in the Bronx. It is part of tonight's Bronx Culture Trolley activities. For more information, go to www.bronxarts.org. (Photo by Ismael Nunez)

PRSUN Radio chats with Aurora Flores of Zon del Barrio

IMG_3245
Originally uploaded by clarisel.

Aurora Flores performs with her group Zon del Barrio in East Harlem last month.

Tune in at 9 p.m. tomorrow, Wednesday, Feb. 4, to www.blogtalkradio.com/prsunradio. Aurora Flores is the guest on PRSUN Radio, a 15-minute talk show focusing on themes related to Puerto Ricans and the diaspora. If you can't listen in tomorrow night, the show will be archived and will be available at www.blogtalkradio.com/prsunradio.

Here is Flores' bio as posted at her Zon del Barrio site:

Bandleader, composer, Lead and Coro Vocals

Considered a 21st century Renaissance woman, Aurora Flores is a musician, writer, producer and activist. Raised in a musical family where her grandfather played plena and aguilnaldos on the accordion, her father wrote songs, her mother sang while her brother plays percussion she started as a classical musician playing violin, guitar and bass while singing in the school and church chorus before recording her first album at 15 with the Manhattan Borough Wide Orchestra as head of the bass section while studying bass privately with Frederic Zimmerman.

She went on to become the first Latina editor of Latin New York Magazine in 1974 later becoming the first female music correspondent for Billboard Magazine from 1976 to 1978. During this time she sang in the bands of Cortijo & Maelo y sus Cachimbos as well as a few local groups.

She attended the Columbia School of Journalism before breaking into mainstream journalism, writing and reporting news for television, radio and print before starting a family and her own public relations agency, Aurora Communications, Inc in 1987.

With thousands of articles to her name, Aurora Flores organized her own septet in tribute to the music of Rafael Cortijo and Ismael Rivera called Zon del Barrio featuring some of her own original compositions.

Flores continues to write for various mainstream newspapers and magazines while teaching a Latin music history course and lecturing on the roots of the music.

A cultural consultant, she has written bilingual tunes for the hit children's show, Dora, the Explorer and conducts tours of East Harlem in a cultural, political and socio/economic content. She can be seen singing alongside Tito Puente in the Edward James Olmos Docudrama, Americanos, Latino Life in the U.S.; lecturing in the Bravo documentary, Palladium: When Mambo Was King and in the Smithsonian film accompanying the traveling exhibit: Latin-jazz, La Combinación Perfecta. Flores is currently working on a book based on her experiences in the Latino New York world.
For more information on Zon del Barrio, go to www.zondelbarrio.com.

Remember 9 p.m. tomorrow www.blogtalkradio.com/prsunradio.

(photo by Clarisel Gonzalez)

A Q&A with Whose Barrio's Ed Morales

Ed Morales and Laura Rivera are both journalists who were inspired to do the “Whose Barrio?" documentary, which focuses on the gentrification or the selling of NYC’s Spanish Harlem, El Barrio.

East Harlem is one of the hardest hit Latino strongholds in the city impacted. Many Latinos have fallen victim to raising rents, new buildings not suitable for the working class, and small businesses forced to close or relocate. In this documentary, you will hear from activists, artists, elected officials, and groups who are combating this sensitive issue and get a picture of the rapidly changing barrio.

Q: Why East Harlem? What was it about the community that got you into doing the movie?

A: First of all, my parents came to New York from Puerto Rico and they met while living in East Harlem. I have had several relatives who have lived there, and I still have an aunt who lives there. In 2002, I wrote a story for the New York Times about gentrification of East Harlem because I’d heard from some friends who were living there and were upset about it. I also consulted with Arlene Dávila, who was in the process of writing a book about gentrification of East Harlem. The story interested me because I had lived through gentrification of the East Village (Loisaida) in the ‘80s and ‘90s and I was frankly surprised that the same thing could happen in El Barrio. In 2007, while a Revson Fellow at Columbia University, I took a course on making a documentary and I asked Laura Rivera, who was writing a Master’s thesis on gentrification in El Barrio to be a co-director and co-producer.

Q: This documentary is it mainly about gentrification or the daily lives of people dealing with this issue?

A: The story focuses on a few different situations. One is the contrast between Jose Rivera, a long-time resident of El Barrio who feels like gentrification will price him out, and James Garcia, who is relatively new to New York and moved to the neighborhood from Battery Park City because he felt like it offered “more space for less dollar.” The film also focuses on Movement for Justice in El Barrio, Hope Community, and the debate over the East 125th Street development project, which was approved in October 2008.

Q: I noticed in the earlier previews of the film hardly didn’t get a chance to interview some of the white tenants coming into the community/buying property. Did you want to interview them or did they refuse?

A: We interviewed one white tenant briefly on camera. We felt we wanted to avoid an emphasis on race, so we focused on James Garcia to represent the point of view of the “gentrifier.” In this way, we could show that gentrification is first and foremost a class issue, even though race is clearly involved.

Q: While doing the film, did you get a chance to interview business owners and tenants about what is going on?

A: We did interview several tenants but not as many business owners. We tried to focus on dramatic situations to make the film a little more exciting. Not everyone that we interviewed wound up getting into the movie.

Q: What was the whole budget for the film?

A: We did almost all the work on the film ourselves, except for some camerawork and some sound editing, for which we brought in some outside people. Taking into account our labor and the equipment we bought, as well as tape stock, I would estimate that the budget of the film was about $35,000.

Q: Were you able to several well-known people born/raised in the area?

A: People who appear in the film include Aurora Flores and Dylcia Pagán, who grew up in El Barrio, Mariposa and Vagabond, who are artists that have done a lot of work in the neighborhood over the years, and Melissa Mark-Viverito, the City Councilwoman who represents El Barrio. U.S. Representative José Serrano and Taller Boricua co-founder Fernando Salicrup make brief appearances. Several of James De La Vega’s murals appear.

Q: Some people who are moving in are calling the area SP-HA and many longtime residents are not happy about that. What’s do you think about this?

A: I agree that it’s an irritating name. I resented when real estate developers called Loisaida “Alphabet City” in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Names like that are created to erase the memory of communities that already existed and don’t fit into the cool, exclusive gentrified area developers want to create. It’s dismaying that so many elite types move into a neighborhood like El Barrio and say when they moved in there was “nothing” there, ignoring the thousands around them who have created a living, vibrant community that has survived years of marginalization and poverty.

"Whose Barrio?" made its World Premiere at the New York International Latino Film Festival earlier this summer. The documentary has also been screened at several colleges and other institutions.

"Whose Barrio?" is currently available for screening at universities, community organizations, and cultural institutions. The co-directors are also available for speaking engagements related to the film or on other subjects for a fee.

For more information on institutional copies for sale to any universities and other institutions, e-mail whosebarrio (at) edmorales.net to inquire.

“Whose Barrio” is planned for a screening at the East Harlem Café this September, but the date hasn't been confirmed. The documentary is also entered at various film festivals around the country.

To view the trailer for "Whose Barrio?," go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N9IhwXsvDI
-- Ismael Nunez

Ismael Nunez is a contributing writer to Puerto Rico Sun.

Three Kings celebration in El Barrio with a Mexican twist

Q&A with El Museo del Barrio's Gabriel Higuera

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Originally uploaded by prsuncom

Gabriel Higuera is of Mexican and Cuban heritage, lives in Brooklyn and works at El Museo del Barrio in East Harlem as the coordinator of public programs. He describes himself as a writer, educator and organizer. Today his play inspired by the Mexican tradition of pastorelas will debut at the museum’s Heckscher Theater.
Set in East Harlem, the shepherd in the theater play is replaced by a tour guide, leading a flock of visitors through an entertaining and informative journey through the history and sites of the neighborhood. Some surprises are revealed as the tour winds to a close.
The theater play is part of the museum’s Three Kings Day celebration today, which will also include live parrandas with Eddie Alicea y Su Trio de Epoca. Admission is free, but space is limited and will be offered on a first come, first served basis. The event runs from 3 to 5 p.m.



I recently met up with Gabriel Higuera for a Q &A.

Q: Tell me about your play and does it focus on the Mexican community here in East Harlem or is it broader than that?
A. The play is about a tour group walking through El Barrio. This is interesting because so many times, people forget the beauty under their feet. They ask: “Why would someone take a tour of my barrio?” This play will tell you why. The history and cultural production of East Harlem has a worldwide audience, and it is important that the audience understands and appreciates that. The play is in the pastorela format celebrating a neighborhood, which since the 1950’s, has been largely Puerto Rican.

Q: You work in a respected cultural institution founded by the Puerto Rican community and which is more diverse today. You walk daily in the community. Do you see conflicts in the community?
A: I am honored to work for El Museo del Barrio. I feel a strong connection to the roots of the institution. I know what it is like to grow up Latino in a city where my history is not taught, not understood or appreciated. East Harlem is richer for having El Museo, the Julia de Burgos Cultural Center and many other organizations dedicated to preserving and promoting Puerto Rican and Latina/o history and culture. The only conflicts I have encountered in fulfilling the mission of El Museo that are merely budgetary.

Q: Going back to the play, will it show some of the hardships that Latinos in the community go through every day and will there be some cultural elements included in the play?
A. In the play, there is a focus on the poetry of East Harlem. This poetry often speaks of the hardships as well as the beauty of this area. Through poetry, I make connections with other cultural groups who are facing the same issues: identity politics, economics…

Q: Will the play include political issues such as immigration and housing?
A: Keep in mind that this is a holiday play. Through the use of projected images, some of the themes you mention will be gently touched upon, serving as food for thought. – Ismael Nunez

(photo courtesy of Gabriel Higuera)

Community members to be honored as PRSUN Ambassadors

PRSUN Ambassador Award recipients:

Rev. Carmen Hernández, NYC LGBTQS Chamber of Commerce

Ismael Nuñez, contributing writer and photographer

Cecil Harris, advisor

Jose Boricuation Medina, contributing graphic designer

Mike Callender, Bronxmedia

Kevin P. Tyson, contributing photographer

Eileen McNamee, contributing photographer

Miriam Quiñones, contributing photographer

Vivian Lake, contributing writer

Efrain Ortiz, Jr., Efrain's Corner

For supporting and advancing PRSUN's business and social mission of informing, empowering, and building community through their contributions and friendship

The PRSUN Ambassadors will receive their awards at the PRSUN anniversary and networking event this Saturday in the Bronx. Event is open to the public. To RSVP, http://prsun10.eventbrite.com.

Art songs at La Casa

Photo op



La Casa -- La Casa De La Herencia Cultural Puertorriquena, Inc. (The Puerto Rican Cultural Heritage House, Inc.) in East Harlem at 1230 Fifth Avenue is a not-for-profit cultural and educational institution founded in 1981. The cultural heritage of Puerto Ricans/Latin Americans is archived for all to share. La Casa also holds cultural events. In late March, “Art Songs by Classical Composers from Puerto Rico” was showcased. In this photo, director Leticia Rodriguez, at center, poses for a photo with the artists. That day audience members were treated to a live performance by Dominican-American mezzo soprano Anna Tonna and Cuban pianist Daniel Daroca performed songs by Puerto Rican composers from the past and present. – Ismael Nunez

Check out PRSUN Project: National Puerto Rican Day Parade '15

For the last few years, Puerto Rico Sun has assembled a group of photographers to cover the National Puerto Rican Day Parade through their lens. We don't have any other agenda but showcasing select images of the parade as seen by the photographers on our PRSUN team.

Here is the link to our online photo gallery of this year's parade and related activities:

https://www.flickr.com/groups/prsunprproject15

More images to be added soon.

This year's PRSUN team: Ismael Nunez, Miriam Quin and yours truly.

Enjoy.

Doing stunts is Manny Siverio's business

Boricua Manny Siverio is a man known for his many talents. He is a stunt man and stunt coordinator, working in the film industry since the early 1980s. He has over 300 film and TV credits.
He’s a mambo dancer, a writer and a martial artist too.
But he says, “The most important thing for me is that I’m a happily married man and father.”
His wife Addie Diaz is a dance choreographer and a dancer.
As a writer, Siverio’s articles have been published at www.salsanewyork.com and he has contributed to various martial arts magazines, including Black Belt Magazine and Karate Illustrated.
Here’s what Siverio had to say about his career in the stunt world:

Q: You’re a professional stuntman. How did you get into that area of work?
A: I’ve always been physically active ever since childhood. I practiced doing fight scenes and filming it with my super 8 camera when I was 12-13 years old. I still have several of these “fight scenes,” which I had quickly slapped together when I was a kid. When I later moved to NY, I was trying to use my martial art background to get work. I finally got my first non-union job as a guy getting killed by this “creature” in this B-Movie, but I think I got my first union gig because they were looking for Hispanics that could box.

Q: Were you ever a stunt double for any well-known Latino actors?
A: I’ve doubled for various people over the years ranging from John Leguizamo to Manny Perez and Michael DeLorenzo to name a few.

Q: Do you ever decide what stunt to do or not to do?
A: The way a stunt is done or executed is decided or put together by a stunt coordinator. I usually coordinate so you can basically say that I decide how a gag is going to happen or going to be executed. Have I turned down a gag that has been offered to me in the past? At this point in my career, I can honestly say that I’ve been able to tackle everything that has been thrown my way. But there are things that I really don’t have any interest in doing any more such as car hits and high falls. I’ve been there and done that. Not to say that I won’t do them if I had to, but it wouldn’t be one of the things that I would list on my stuntman’s top ten list. I rather let the younger people in the business do it. I have more fun putting it together, helping decide where the cameras go and putting the action together so that it best works for the story line in the movie.

Q: You’ve had your share of accidents, broken bones? Have you had any serious injuries?
A: Over the years I’ve injured myself in an assorted number of ways. For example, I’ve had a sprained ankle, bruised ribs, fractured toe, dislocated knuckle, concussion, hernia, broken nose, and stitches.

Q: Does your family ever get scared of what you do? Do they ever question why you picked this kind of work?
A: During my early years, my extended family (mother, father, brother, sister) never really knew what I was doing until after I had worked on a job. Things have changed somewhat over the years since I got married and started raising a family. My wife is extremely happy that I’ve moved into coordinating more than actually working in front of the camera. I still occasionally get an opportunity to play in front of the camera and have gotten somewhat injured. On one occasion I picked up several stitches after going through glass on an episode of Third Watch. And while doing the opening fire burn scene in American Gangster, I got some minor “hot spots” where some skin kind of peeled off on the bridge of my nose and the back edge of my ears. Needless to say, my wife wasn’t exactly too thrilled by these results. But she more or less trusts me to know what I’m doing.

For more information about Manny Siverio’s work, visit his website at www.mannysiverio.com. -- Ismael Nuñez


(photo courtesy of www.mannysiverio.com)

Comedians Bring Laughs to El Barrio

Four Latino comedians Eric Nieves, Arnold Acevedo (who served as master of ceremonies), Eddie Morales and Herbie Quinones brought a few laughs to East Harlem earlier this month when they performed at Cemi Underground. The comedians say their style of humor comes from a Latino point of view.
“Our comedy is in English,” Nieves said. “Then again all of us perform something that is pure Latino: from rice and beans to dominoes and the jive-talk we heard from our parents growing up.”
The majority of their performance was based on their growing up Latino, home experiences, and culture.
Their performance at Cemi Underground was a fine mixture of comedy, audience participation, monologue, and poetry. -- Ismael Nunez

(In the photo, from left, Eric Nieves, Arnold Acevedo, Hector Caraballo, Kimberly Morales, Eddie Morales, and Herbie Quinones, pose before their performance in East Harlem).

Catalino “Tite” Curet Alonso: A Man & His Music

Latin music rejoices with the return of Tite Curet Alonso's music back on the airwaves after 14-year absence

by Aurora Flores

It was in Old San Juan’s “Bombonera” restaurant in 1977 when I spotted the traditional straw hat and signature daisheke on the man sitting at the counter. Catalino “Tite” Curet Alonso was holding a note pad and tape recorder when I sat beside him. He was reserved, diffident and guarded, until we began talking about Ismael "Maelo" Rivera’s, “Esto Si Es Lo Mio” that I was reviewing for Billboard Magazine. That’s when a glint appeared in his eyes, a smile crossed his face, and we bonded for that moment around talk of ‘Maelo, plena, bomba, poverty, race, politics, religion y música!

Curet defined a revolutionary period in Latin music. His compositions brought out the best in the interpreter. Masterworks included Hector LaVoe’s “Periodico de Ayer” or “Juanito Alimaña,” Cheo Feliciano’s “Anacaona,” Pete El Conde’s “La Abolición,” Andy Montañez’ “El Echo de Un Tambor,” Celia Cruz’ “Isadora Duncan,” and La Lupe’s “La Tirana.”

Curet’s name was ubiquitous, gracing hundreds of album credits of many of the top Latin music artists of the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. He penned more than 2,000 songs, spawning and jump-starting the artistic careers of many, from La Lupe, to Cheo Feliciano to Frankie Ruiz. The most in-demand composer of tropical music, Curet’s songs were guaranteed hits, and classics today.

“You had to take a number and wait on line,” Ruben Blades told the L.A. Times when Curet passed away. “His songs could revive any career, so there was always a fight to get new material from Tite,” recalled the Panamanian singer/songwriter whose interpretation of Curet’s “Plantación Adentro” also hit the top of the charts.

Curet helped father the nascent salsa movement that was marking time in clave through the streets of Puerto Rico and Latin New York. Through news events, music and lyrics, his words inspired hope and faith, solace and joy during a time of social upheaval. In more than 2,000 tunes, Curet was the musical narrator of current events and national pride, romance and religion. He wrote in a time when the social reality of the poor was in direct opposition to the political power line, leaving music as the life-support of hope and faith. Tite Curet reflected the face of a community in need of answers.

His talent for composing extended beyond the borders of the Caribbean dipping into Mexico, Venezuela, Paraguay, Spain and Brazil which he credited for receiving his best musical training referring to them as the “sorcerers of ‘el medio tono’,” (the half tone). His merengue for Los Hijos del Rey, “Yo Me Dominicaniso” made much noise while Tony Croatto’s version of Curet’s “Cucubano” became a hit, later recorded by Menudo. From Chucho Avellanet to Nelson Ned, Tite Curet Alonso was a pivotal figure in the musical repertoires of many Latino superstars.

A compilation of the music of one of Puerto Rico’s most important composers of the late 20th Century now comes to light after a fourteen-year absence in Puerto Rico. Emusica has just released a 31-tune double CD set, featuring some of Curet’s most-loved works.

His songs were unavailable since 1995 due to a separate performance rights society contract Curet signed that built an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy between the radio stations, the publishing rights organizations and the composers. Basically, Tite Curet signed a contract with ACEMLA (Asociación de Compositores y Editores de Música Latinamericana), a performing rights organization that insisted on aggressively collecting additional fees from radio stations on top of the already established publishing rights organizations such as BMI, ASCAP or SEAC. Now imagine the chaos this would cause if every composer insisted that every radio station pay another organization, (not even the individual directly) for performing rights.

“It was a cultural crime,” notes Latin music writer Jaime Torres Torres of El Nuevo Dia. “An entire generation was deprived of the genius of this notable and creative songwriter.”

“When a younger generation cannot hear the songs of the masters that came before them, they create their own,” adds Richie Viera of the Viera Record Shop in Puerto Rico noting this lack of Curet’s commercial hits on radio as a contributing factor to the growing trend of “reggaetón” while salsa music still struggles on the island.

This compilation reflects several of the master composer’s themes. However, Curet was most proud of his writing skills, in particular his journalistic ability often pointing to his scant use of adjectives in crafting a hit number. Tite Curet wrote for newspapers, magazines, hosted radio shows and was later writing screenplays for stage and television as well as children’s songs and hymns.

To read Aurora Flores' complete article profiling Curet, go to her site at

http://www.zondelbarrio.com/Press.php

c 2008 Aurora Flores/All rights reserved

Boogie Down Flamenco Dancer

Nelida Tirado to Perform at BADD!
By Ismael Nunez

Nelida Tirado began her formal training at age six at the Ballet Hispanico of NY where she trained in classical ballet, Spanish dance and flamenco. A talented salsa dancer, she has performed with notable Latin music greats such as the late Celia Cruz and the late Tito Puente. She has given workshops in England and Italy and has performed at the Copacabana Salsa Congress.
This week Tirado will perform in her hometown. She is one of three Bronx Indie artists that will kick off BADD!'s (the Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance) BOOGIE DOWN DANCE SERIES at 8 p.m. on May 9. BAAD! is teaming up with the Bronx Council on the Arts to present performances by Tirado, Bradon McDonald, and Jessica Danser in what organizers are calling a “spectacular dance concert.”
Tirado has danced with Noche Flamenca and Riverdance and the New York Times has called this Flamenco dancing Bronxite "magnificent."
You can check her out at the dance concert, which will be at The Bronx Academy of Art & Dance, 841 Barretto Street in the Hunts Point section of the South Bronx. Admission is $12. For more information on this performance, call 718-842-5223 or www.bronxacademyofartsanddance.org.

PRSUN spoke with Tirado about her dance career, which started in New York and has taken her to different parts of the world.

Q: You started dancing at an early age. Was it something you wanted to do?
A: It definitely was something I wanted to do, but I had no idea that training to be a dancer would be that intense. After a wonderful experience in a kindergarten recital, my mom knew that she needed to put me in classes. It actually wasn’t early. Five to seven years old is a normal age to begin serious formal training if you want to be a professional.

Q: Do you remember the first show you ever did?
A. Honestly, I don’t remember.

Q: Do you get nervous when you perform?
A: Occasionally I do, but I don’t look at the actual show as pressure to be perfect. I see it as an opportunity to express myself.

Q: You performed with two notable Latin music giants: Celia Cruz and Tito Puente. Is this something you’ll never forget?
A: It is definitely an experience I will never forget. They were two of many musical giants I’ve been blessed to work with. It was a wonderful opportunity not only to perform with them but also to have conversations with them.

Q: In your bio it states you’ve worked with notable Flamenco performers in Spain. Can you name a few and what was it like working and performing with these individuals?
A: There were many but the main ones were Maria Pages, Juan Andres Maya and Antonio El Pipa…Juan and Antonio are gypsies. Their dancing and culture is different from the Spaniards. Their culture is a subculture within the Spanish culture. Flamenco for the gypsies is their life…For a lot of them, it’s passed on from generation to generation and there is no formal study. Maria Pages is a Spanish dancer from Seville and is known for her open mentality towards the art form, experimenting and pushing the envelope always with new ideas. I had great experiences with all of them and learned a lot, especially being a foreigner to Spain. I was lucky. Here I was a Bronx girl that was hired to work in Spain with these incredible people. My father did play congas and I do come from a family of musicians but please! It was a big deal to leave NY. It’s difficult to gain their respect and work in Spain being a foreigner. Who would have known that I would have ended up in Spain and traveling the world?

For more information about Tirado, visit her site at www.nelidatirado.com.

Pizza and Salsa in El Barrio -- The salsa group “Ray Delgado y Su Grupo” performs at the May 3 grand opening of Tito’s Pizza Restaurant located at 2049 Second Avenue corner of East 104th Street in NYC’s El Barrio. There was free food, dancing, and live entertainment. (Photo by Ismael Nunez)

Q&A with Rocky on Broadway's Luis Salgado

The actor plays Kid Rizzo in the new production

By Ismael Nuñez




Here is the story of Rocky on Broadway, which is currently playing at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City. Yes, it is that familiar Rocky story from the movies: "Somewhere in downtown Philadelphia, a down-and-out fighter named Rocky Balboa struggles to stay on his feet. But when the chance of a lifetime comes along, he takes his best shot at becoming a champion… and his last shot at finding first love."

The iconic underdog story Rocky has inspired an innovative new stage production, brought to life by a five-time Tony Award-winning creative team, including director Alex Timbers (Peter and the Starcatcher), songwriting team Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime), and book writers Thomas Meehan (The Producers) and Sylvester Stallone (Rocky, the Oscar-winning Best Picture). Rocky is a heart-stopping theatrical experience for everyone brave enough to follow their dream such as Puerto Rican actor Luis Salgado who plays the role of Kid Rizzo in the production.

Puerto Rico Sun had the pleasure of chatting with Salgado about being a Puerto Rican artist in New York, his new role in Rocky on Broadway and more.

1-Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

"I was born in Puerto Rico and my blood is Taíno. Spanish-Caribbean is my soul". Those lyrics from “The Capeman” define very well how I feel. Living in New York City, I have the chance to represent my culture and inspire many other Latinos, through the arts. It is a great time to honor and celebrate our Latino identity, and tell those stories from our own experience.

I started performing at Bellas Artes (Performing Arts Center) in San Juan, professionally directed by Ernesto Concepcion, Sr., at the age of 16-17 - when we did a play called Vida Vida. Then I had the honor of performing alongside renowned actors Angela Meyer, Lucy Boscana and many others, in a revival of Francisco Arriví's Vegigantes, the classic play about three generations of a Puerto Rican family, dealing with race. Another experience that I’ll never forget was working in the Zarzuela by Ernesto Lecuona Maria La O with Johanna Rosaly at the Paoli Hall, directed by Gilberto Valenzuela. I studied at the University of Puerto Rico for three years and then moved to NYC to pursue my dream of being on a Broadway stage.

Now I am celebrating 10 years since my very first Off-Broadway Show, Fame on 42nd St., which I did in 2004. It has been a ride, and I am thrilled to be in my third original Broadway production with a wonderful cast and inspiring creative team. We just recorded the music album for “Rocky Broadway” this past week, and that’s part of the wonderful opportunities that we get to experience and learn from being an original cast member. This album is an addition to my record collection, which also includes . In the Heights and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, which represent my other shows on Broadway.

2. You are on Broadway and you are Latino...Are you aware that in this city there is a large Latin American community?

I am extremely aware because I love my community and try to contribute something to it with every step I take. Sometimes I get to do that by simply doing my art. Other times it is by working in the community such as on R.Evolution of Evolution through the arts. “R.Evolución Latina” is now in its sixth year of empowering local communities and our programs continue to expand.

There is also a BIG interest in the Latino community nowadays. I see it, hear it and feel it.

We have always been here, very present in society, in sports, in arts…Now because of the potential for business in the Latino market, people are paying more attention.

That is why it’s very important that we also use this time to represent our community in the best way possible and voice the things that most empower us and have the greatest potential to make positive changes and contributions in areas such as the arts, TV, news media, public service and cultural awareness.

3-For the part of Rocky on Broadway, you watched the past Rocky movies, right?


Funny enough, I have seen all Rocky movies, many times. I love the first two. I love the relationship of this character [Rocky] with himself, Adrian and his community. My favorite is perhaps Rocky 4 when he meets Drago. But overall, the musical is based on Rocky I, where he gains his self confidence and the love of his life.

Besides my passion for boxing and theater, this show speaks to me closely because my wife Denisse has also been a major inspiration in my life, to dare to go beyond and pursue my dreams with her endless support. She came all the way from Puerto Rico with me and now we have made our dreams come true, one step at a time.

4-In this play you act, dance, and sing. You really had to do a lot of training, practicing?

The last 10 years I have been madly in love with musical theater, so every show has brought the challenge of this combination. I have always had a new positive challenge in every project. I find that being in the arts is the best way to not only train my body, but also my mind, education and spirit.

5-Puerto Rico has produced many gifted boxers. Take any lessons from any of them?

I wish! It would be a great honor to train or do a full training camp with one of the great champions of my island. Perhaps with Miguel Cotto. To be by his corner when entering the ring, that would be a dream. I am very passionate about boxing in my daily life, far beyond this show. I find the discipline and mental challenge of a boxer, one of the greatest of all.

6-A lot of gifted Puerto Rican actors/actresses made a name for themselves on Broadway: Rita Moreno, Chita Rivera, Jose Ferrer, Raul Julia, Miriam Colon, Benicio Del Toro. How do you feel about that?

I have huge respect and admiration for them all. For sure Raul Juliá has always inspired me. Somehow, I realized that he was 24 when he moved to NYC. I was 21, so it sort of inspired me to have three years of studying as my main plan, before pursuing bigger endeavors. I studied non-stop for a year an half, and then got my first musical after performing at places like Madison Square Garden with such Latin music stars as Thalia and Paulina Rubio and traveling to Japan as a guest dance/choreographer artist. I knew quick that NYC was home, that I wanted a life in the theater here. Great leaders like Miriam Colon (and the work she has done at the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater), as well a Rita Moreno, Chita Rivera and the legacy of José Ferrer have created a road map and opened doors for me and my generation.

I also love the story of the underdogs, and there are so many not so famous names that have also inspired me such as Puerto Rican dancer Carlos Sierra, who I saw perform in the Broadway show Swing with the great Maria Torres, who I later worked with in my first Broadway-bound show Mambo Kings. Also Julio Monge, who I saw many times in videos doing Fosse, and whose footsteps I followed in re-creating his role in the musical The Capeman for the concert version staged by the Public Theater at Central Park a few years ago. I even got to take workshops with him before I moved to NYC. All of these people have a part of my heart and a part of my history.

7-Do you feel their presence is with you when performing?

Yes and yes!! When doing “In the Heights” at the Richard Rodgers Theater, I had stories of Raul Julia in my mind during intermissions. I remember telling myself: "I am performing where Raul Juliá performed.”


8-So after Broadway what’s next? Movies, television, telenovelas or another Broadway show?

I love Broadway and there is so much more for me to accomplish here, in the many fields that I love and admire – as producer, choreographer and mainly, as an actor. But I have been able to experience film in projects like Enchanted and Step up to the Streets. I would love to do more film as well. I love all the arts, but among all the forms, musical theater thrills me. To be in front of an audience and get their honest reactions live every night, eight shows a week, while being challenged with dancing, singing and acting night after night is fascinating to me.

9-Any message you’d like to say to the Puerto Rican community here in New York City?

"Si yo no hubiera nacido en la tierra en que nací, estaría arrepentido de no haber nacido allí”. Even when I discover a strong connection with many places in Latin America and admire our collective history as Latinos, I find myself having a very unique human experience thanks to the vulnerable heart and warmth that comes from my island, my people, my family, my pasteles and coquito. Thank you to all of the people who with pride and respect, honor who we are as Boricuas, as Latinos.
Make the Taíno blood always shine throughout the world!


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Salgado's Broadway credits have included: Women on the Verge…and In the Heights. Pre-Broadway: Mambo Kings (Frankie Suarez). Off-Broadway: Fame on 42nd Street (Ensemble, Joe Vegas u/s). Other: The Capeman (Public Theater). Film: Across the Universe, Enchanted, Step Up 2: The Streets, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights. For more information about Salgado, visit www.luissalgado.com.

(video courtesy of Luis Salgado/YouTube)

Ismael Nuñez is a contributing writer to Puerto Rico Sun. He is a resident of East Harlem.