El Maestro is more than a gym

I board the #6 train to the Bronx and get off at the Whitlock Avenue stop. As I walk to my destination, I listen to the busy car traffic and the sounds of people working in garages and businesses in the area. Within minutes, I’m in another world. I’m inside a community treasure: El Maestro.
Some refer to this place as “Juan Laporte’s Boxing Gym,” named after Laporte who was a boxing champion in the early 1980’s. But the gym located at 1029 East 167th Street doesn’t serve only as a gym. It’s also a cultural and educational oasis for those with an interest in Puerto Rican and Latino themes.
The center is an endeavor aimed at transforming a social void into a valuable community space. It serves as a social and cultural center for the entire community. It’s a place for community members to socialize and participate in ongoing programs and activities for children, teenagers and adults.
Among the cultural programs that take place at El Maestro are: “Puerto Rican Roots Music performances (monthly), Afro-Puerto Rican Roots Dance & Percussion Classes (weekly), Resident Musical Ensembles (weekly rehearsals), Educational Video Presentations (monthly), Art Exhibitions (monthly), and Spoken Word/Poetry Open Mic and Showcase (monthly). It’s a busy place for sure.
There is also a little league baseball team and softball league El Maestro sponsors.
At the gym, participants learn to box and work on getting in shape. The gym membership fee: $50.


Coto Talavera, head trainer at the gym, says, “The success is not when an individual wins a title.”
The gym has served as a perfect place for members of several boxing members of the NYPD Boxing Team and the FDNY Boxing Team to work out.
“I come here often to train,” said a police officer at the gym who did not want to be identified. “Everything is clean and in complete order; there are no fights. I recommend every Police Athletic League in the city to come here.”
Naralie Pacheco, a female boxing champion and trainer at the gym, said, “When I train fighters here, I demand respect not just to me but for all, and that’s why this place is so special for the community because there is respect.”
For more information about El Maestro, e-mail elmaestroinc@verizon.net or call (646) 337-6775. –- Ismael Nunez

(photos by Ismael Nunez)

‘The Show Still Goes On’

In one of their first events honoring Women’s History Month at the Centro (The Center for Puerto Rican Studies) library at Hunter College in Manhattan, organizers put together a talk entitled “The Show Still Goes On.”
Professor and historian Virginia Sanchez-Korrol moderated the conversation with actresses Miriam Colon (the founder of the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre) and Eva Vasquez.
The actresses offered a history lesson and conversation full of theatre, especially focusing on the Latino New York theatre scene, and they shared their success stories. Both actresses said their inspiration came from family. –- Ismael Nunez

(photo by Ismael Nunez)

A conversation with martial artist Shihan Warixi Soto

Bronxite Shihan Warixi Soto is a high ranking martial artist, a multiple Hall of Fame recipient and the creator and Executive Director of F.A.S.T. (Female Alternative Street Tactics) and "Secure Your Child."
F.A.S.T focuses on urban survival and has been created to empower and teach women and teen girls how to avoid all forms of attacks and confrontations. The program was created for the streets of New York City. The other program teaches children ages 4-12 street awareness, self protection and self defense. Both programs have been taught throughout the city since 1983. That same year Shihan Warixi was awarded the rank of “Kaiden” in “Miyama Ryu Combat Ju-Jutsu.” The rank is very similar to 10th degree black belt, and it’s the highest rank awarded. Her specialties are anti-rape tactics, live blade knife techniques, and Ju-Jutsu for adults and children.
She has trained and holds certificates in weaponry. She has training in Jodo (the long staff), bokken (wooden sword) and tanjo (short staff).

The Q&A

Q: What got you into martial arts?
A: It was a few things that contributed to my getting into the martial arts. First, I loved Angela Mao, Bruce Lee, and Sonny Chiba. Second, I grew up fighting. When I was little, my father would take me to the fights. Third, I needed to get in shape. You can see it was a few things.

Q: Were you ever a victim of a crime or bullied?
A: Whenever I got bullied, I had to fight or my mom would kick my butt. I grew up fighting. I was the oldest. Sometimes I had to defend my brothers. I’ve always hated bullies.

Q: Were you often the only female in the martial arts class and how did the men treat you?
A: Yes. Some men were really soft, treating my like a real girly girl. Others were really really hard like they wanted me out of there.

Q: Where did you grow up?
A: I was born in East Harlem and lived there until I was eight. We then moved to the Bronx.

Q: How was it? Were you a tough girl growing up?
A: No. No gangs, No bullying. In fact, I hated gangs and bullies. I was more the athletic type: bike riding, swimming, horseback riding, skateboarding, knife throwing, street basement karate.

Q: What do you teach your students?
A: Wow, there is a whole lot that I teach my students. If I’m teaching my children’s program “Secure Your Child,” then I teach everything from how to walk alone, how to deal with bullies and strangers and much more. I don’t teach children about weapons. When I teach my “Female Alternative Street Tactics” eight-hour program, I teach women how to use everyday items for self defense. I also have a workshop called “Using everyday items for self defense.” There I teach how to use everyday items, including weapons.

Q: Which weapons do you specialize in teaching?
A: I specialize in knife, stick, and Bokken (wooden sword).

Q: Could you tell us the certificates you have received and what is the role of the shihan?
A: I have received numerous awards, really too many to mention. I have been inducted into seven Hall of Fames. My most priced award came from my own peers in Miyama Ryu Combat Ju Jutsu. I was given “The Keeper of the Lost Art” Award for “Woman of the Year” in 2004. Shihan is my title, my rank is Kaiden. It means that I have devoted my life to this art, and I am qualified to teach, and rank. It means “All things passed.” Check out my blog at www.shihanwarixi.blogspot.com .

Q: You seem to have a special bond with children. Why?
A: I love children and truly believe that all the children in the world are my children. Children are loyal, honest, truthful and fun. More adults should try to be like children.

Q: Do you have children and are they also in martial arts?
A: Yes, I have three children. When they were young they were in the art. They ranked in Judo and Ju Jutsu. My daughter still trains.

When she is not involved in martial arts, she devotes time to her love for the Taino culture. She enjoys educating people about the rich history of Boriken. For more information, visit www.kukarey.com. – Ismael Nunez

(photos courtesy of Shihan Warixi Soto)

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

RIP JOE CUBA

The best way to remember Joe Cuba is with his music. Enjoy this video posted by neels39 on YouTube.

Here's a news release by writer and musician Aurora Flores about Cuba and his mark in the world of Latin music:

Joe Cuba: The Father of New York Boogaloo has passed

The "Father of Boogaloo," Joe Cuba, passed away on Sunday, February 15, 2009 at 4 p.m. at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York. He was the most popular exponent of the boogaloo, a fused Latino and R&B rhythm that exploded onto the American top 40s charts during the turbulent 1960s & ‘70s. Hits such as “Bang Bang,” “Push Push,” “El Pito,” “Ariñañara,” and “Sock It To Me Baby,” rocked the hit parades establishing Joe Cuba and his Sextet as the definitive sound of Latin New York during the ‘60s & ‘70s. The Joe Cuba Sextet’s unusual instrumentation featured vibraphones replacing the traditional brass sound. His music was at the forefront of the Nuyorican movement of New York where the children of Puerto Rican emigrants...took music, culture, arts and politics into their own hands.


Joe Cuba’s Sextet became popular in the New York Latino community precisely because it fused a bilingual mix of Afro-Caribbean genres blended with the popular urban rhythm & blues of its time creating a musical marriage between the Fania and Motown sound. His was the first musical introduction to Latin rhythms for many American aficionados. The lyrics to Cuba's repertoire mixed Spanish and English, becoming an important part of the emerging Nuyorican identity.


“Joe Cuba’s music validated the developing Nuyorican population whose language and music Cuba captured with his sound,” underlines Giora Breil, CEO of Emusica, the company that now owns the Fania label and who has remastered many of the classics to a new generation of music lovers. “He led the urban tribe,” pointed Breil, “into a united front of cultural warriors that were defining the social and political times they lived in.”

Longtime manager and promoter Hector Maisonave recalls Cuba as ”an innovator who crossed over into mainstream music at an early time. He was the soul of El Barrio. After Joe Cuba, El Barrio is just a street that crosses an avenue.”

In 1962, Cuba recorded "To Be With You" with the vocals of Cheo Feliciano and Jimmy Sabater whose careers he spotlighted after the bands introductory appearance at the Stardust Ballroom prior to its summer stint in the Catskills.


Born in 1931 in the heart of Spanish Harlem, his Puerto Rican parents arrived in New York City in the 20s. Christened "Gilberto Miguel Calderón," Cuba was a “doo wopper” who played for J. Panama in 1950 when he was a young 19 year old before going on to play for La Alfarona X, where the young congüerro/percussionist replaced Sabu Martinez tapped to play with Xavier Cugat.


By 1965, the Sextet got their first crossover hit with the Latino and soul fusion of "El Pito” (I Never Go Back To Georgia), a tune Cuba recorded against the advice of the producer later to be “broken” by a DJ over WBLS FM in N.Y. The Dizzy Gillespie "Never Go Back To Georgia" chant was taken from the intro to the seminal Afro-Cuban tune, "Manteca." Vocalist Jimmy Sabater later revealed that "none of us had ever been to Georgia." In fact, Cuba later comically described a conversation he had with the Governor of Georgia who called him demanding why he would record a song whose chorus negatively derided the still segregated Southern town. The quick thinking Joe Cuba replied, “Georgia is the name of my girl.”

In 1967, Joe Cuba’s band --–with no horns– scored a "hit" in the United States National Hit Parade List with the song "Bang Bang" - a tune that ushered in the Latin Boogaloo era. He also had a #1 hit, that year on the Billboard charts with the song "Sock It To Me Baby." The band’s instrumentation included congas, timbales, an occasional bongo, bass, piano and vibraphone. “A bastard sound,” is what Cuba called it pointing to the fans, the people, as the true creators of this music. “You don’t go into a rehearsal and say ‘Hey, let’s invent a new sound, or dance.’ They happen. The boogaloo came out of left field. “ Joe Cuba recounts in Mary Kent’s book:” Salsa Talks: A Musical History Uncovered. “It’s the public that creates new dances and different things. The audience invents, the audience relates to what you are doing and then puts their thing into what you are playing,” pointing to other artists such as Ricardo Ray or Hector Rivera as pioneers of the urban fused rhythm.


“I met Joe up in the Catskills in 1955,” recalls nine time Grammy Award winner Eddie Palmieri. “When I later started La Perfecta,” Palmieri muses, “we alternated on stages with Joe. He was full of life and had a great sense of humor, always laughing at his own jokes,” chuckles the pianist. Palmieri pointed to Cuba’s many musical contributions underlining the power and popularity of his small band and bilingual lyrics while providing a springboard for the harmonies and careers of Cheo Feliciano, Willie Torres and Jimmy Sabater. “He was Spanish Harlem personified,” describes Palmieri recalling the “take no prisoners” attitude Cuba had when it came to dealing with those who reluctantly paid the musicians. Recalling their early recording days with the infamous Morris Levy, Palmieri cites the antics of Joe Cuba, Ismael Rivera and himself as the reason for Levy selling them as a Tico package to Fania label owner, Jerry Masucci.


Funny, irreverent and with a great humor for practical jokes, Joe Cuba, or Sonny as he was called by his closest friends, was raised in East Harlem. Stickball being the main sport for young boys of the neighborhood, Cuba’s father organized a stickball club called the Devils. After Cuba broke a leg, he took up playing the conga and continued to practice between school and his free time. Eventually, he graduated from high school and joined a band.


“He was not afraid to experiment,” said David Fernandez, arranger & musical director of Zon del Barrio who played with the legendary Cuba when he arrived in New York in 2002.


By 1954, at the suggestion of his agent to change the band's name from the Jose Calderon Sextet to the Joe Cuba Sextet, the newly named Joe Cuba Sextet made their debut at the Stardust Ballroom. Charlie Palmieri was musical director of the sextet before his untimely 1988 death from a heart attack.


Since then, the Joe Cuba Sextet and band has been a staple of concerts and festivals that unite both Latinos, African-Americans and just plain music lovers in venues all over the world.


In 2003, the following CDs were released:

* "Joe Cuba Sextet Vol I: Mardi Gras Music for Dancing"
* "Merengue Loco" and
* "Out of This World Cha Cha".


In 2004, Joe Cuba was named Grand Marshall of the Puerto Rican Day Parade celebrated in Yonkers, New York. Musician Willie Villegas who traveled with Joe for the past 15 years said, “It didn’t matter where we played around the world Joe would always turn to me and say, To My Barrio…. With Love! " Joe Cuba is survived by his wife Maria Calderon, sons Mitchell and Cesar, daughter Lisa, and grandchildren Nicole and Alexis.

sources: YouTube and Aurora Communications Inc.

Editor's note: Joe Cuba's music is available at the PRSUN aStore:

@ the Bronx Tribute to Jose 'Chegui' Torres

Boxing trainer Jose Cotto Talavera, right, and former boxing champion Juan La Porte at the February 7 tribute in the Bronx in memory of the late boxing champion and writer José ‘Chegui’ Torres. Former boxing champion Juan La Porte remembers his mentor as “a true friend who was always at your corner." (photo by Ismael Nunez)

PRSUN Radio chats with Aurora Flores of Zon del Barrio

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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)

RIP: Puerto Rico’s people champion Jose “Chegui” Torres

Jose “Chegui” Torres was known as a man who wore many hats because he did. Torres, a former light-heavyweight champion who became a boxing official and a writer of books about Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson, died January 19 in his native Ponce. He was 72.
Torres was laid to rest in Ponce. His wife of 48 years Ramonita Ortiz said he suffered a heart attack. Torres was honored as the hero he was on the island. The mayor of Ponce declared three days of mourning and ordered flags flown at half staff.
Many in New York City where Torres lived for many years also mourned him.
David Bernier, president of the United States Territory Olympic, spoke about Torres during a radio show, saying, “Puerto Rico has lost a great Puerto Rican, a very valiant person who aside from being a good boxer was a fine human being.”
New York City Comptroller Bill Thompson said: “He cared passionately about this city and all New Yorkers. He gained notoriety in the boxing ring. Eventually, he will be remembered for his strength of character and wealth of generosity.
“He was a role model not just for the Puerto Rican community, but for all New Yorkers who saw that one person could make a difference,” Thompson said. “He wanted our streets/neighborhoods to be safe and clean, and refused to sit on the sidelines because he believed in the power of the people.”
A place that Torres frequently visited in NYC was El Maestro boxing gym in the Bronx. Fernando "Ponce" Laspina, one of the top trainers at the gym, remembered that Torres also made it a point to visit the gym every time he was in town. He wouldn’t work out with the fighters or trainers, but he always talked to the kids, Ponce said.
“He never turned his back on anyone,” Ponce said. “He was always talking to kids telling them to stay in school, not to hurt each other, shaking hands with everyone in the gym. A true sportsman, gentleman.”
Torres was awarded in 1956 the silver medal at the Olympics games at Melbourne, Australia. He turned pro in 1958. In 1965, he became the first Puerto Rican to win the light heavyweight title. He also served as as chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission.
As a writer, Torres contributed to English and Spanish newspapers. He co-authored the book “Sting Like a Bee,” a biography on Muhammad Ali and wrote the book “Fire and Fear,” a book about former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson.
In the early 1990s, he served as president of the World Boxing Organization until 1995. He was a member of The International Boxing Hall of Fame. He also served as chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission. – Ismael Nunez

Note: The website Virtual Boricua has a tribute to Jose "Chegui" Torres. To visit, go to
http://www.virtualboricua.org/Docs/cheguitorres.htm

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

Cemi Underground's Luis Cordero chats with PRSUN Radio tonight

PRSUN Radio

Tune in at 9 p.m. tonight for a chat with Luis Cordero, the owner of Cemi Underground, a cultural bookstore and gallery in East Harlem that features literature, arts and a host of community events highlighting boricua and Latino talent. We will chat on Cemi Underground's challenges, accomplishments and future plans.

www.blogtalkradio.com/prsunradio

For more information on Cemi Underground, go to www.cemiunderground.com.

Photo of Luis Cordero and Elena Marrero at the Viva Bronx festival last year. (photo by Ismael Nunez)

UPDATE: Listen to show right here in this blog or go to www.blogtalkradio.com/prsunradio.

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)

Feliz 2009 from PRSUN

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Originally uploaded by clarisel.

Puerto Rico Sun readers and supporters, I want to thank you.

Thanks for advancing PRSUN's mission of empowering, informing and building community.

I want to especially thank our PRSUN FRIENDS, FAMILY AND ANGEL CONTRIBUTORS (YOUR NAMES ARE IN PRSUN'S HONOR ROLL BECAUSE YOU DESERVE TO BE THERE). THANKS FOR BELIEVING AND INVESTING IN THIS COMMUNITY MEDIA PROJECT.
Thanks to all those who have contributed to this project in one way or another, including Ismael Nunez, Jose "Boricuation" Medina, Samaris Ayala, the photographers in the Puerto Rico Sun group, and the members in the PRSUN Video group. Thanks to our members in the Puerto Rico Sun social network, the Puerto Rico Sun group at Facebook and the Puerto Rico Sun blog network at Facebook. Thanks to my followers at twitter.com. Thanks to PRSUN TV viewers and guests as well as PRSUN Radio listeners and guests. Thanks to those who have supported the PRSUN for the ASPCA fundraising campaign at www.change.org/profiles/prsun. All of you help make the PRSUN community more vibrant and diverse, so thank you.
Thanks to all those who visit, comment and vote in our poll posted right here in this blog. Thanks for your feedback. Thanks for staying in touch, letting PRSUN know about your news and community events.

I look forward to a productive new year. I count with your support.

Consider becoming an official PRSUN member. Help take Puerto Rico Sun Communications to the next level.

Remember that Puerto Rico Sun Communications is a boricua-owned community-minded independent social entrepreneurship project. Apoya lo nuestro.

Thanks and God bless from Puerto Rico Sun.

Happy 2009.

Clarisel Gonzalez
editor and publisher


(photo by Clarisel)

Q&A with Michael Reyes of 'Crime Against Humanity'

Crime Against Humanity NY Premiere
Originally uploaded by prsuncom

"Crime against Humanity" is a play based on the real life experiences of 14 Puerto Rican political prisoners who spent more than two decades in prisons for seditious conspiracy -- two of whom are still incarcerated. Written by poet and activist, Michael Anthony Reyes Benavides and former Puerto Rican political prisoner Luis Rosa, the play brings us into the U.S. prison system and the experiences of these prisoners for more than 27 years. The New York Premiere of the play is this Friday at Hostos Community College in the Bronx. PRSUN contributing writer Ismael Nunez talks to Michael Reyes.

Q. How did you come up with the name “Crime Against Humanity”?
A. “Crime Against Humanity” has two meanings. The first is that the United Nations states its a crime against humanity to have a colony, and Puerto Rico is still a colony of the United States. Also, prison is a crime against a person’s humanity. All of the
prisoners kept referencing the issue of maintaining
and holding onto their humanity, so it was an organic
choice to select the title. It just kept coming up.

Q. Why did you co-write the play with former political prisoner Luis Rosa?
A. True. Luis had a very similar idea when we
visited Puerto Rico and we decided to create it
together. Since his idea was more about a day of a prisoner and my ideas were about years, we fused the ideas to create the play. He was a big help in the entire process because he was coming from a space that experienced prison as a political
prisoner.

Q. You were given the opportunity to interview Oscar Lopez Rivera and Carlos Alberto Torres. Did you get a chance to interview Haydee Beltran as well?
A. Haydee Beltran has made it clear that she does not
want to be included in any of the campaign materials and such, so I fully respect that decision. Since this play is to further the campaign to free them, I did not attempt to include her.

Q. The play pulls no punches. Why did you decide to leave the profanity and nudity?
A. Yes, it was the only way we could present it honestly and truthfully. I decided to go all out with it, so I wanted to show the true brutality of the prison industrial complex and the only way to do that was to reflect the truth.

Q. Did you write this play before the clemency by President Bill Clinton to release some of the prisoners in 1999?
A. No, this play is less than a year old, so it’s really in its infancy.

Q. Would you say this is a educational play?
A. It deals with the issue of political prisoners. It is an issue the legal system never mentions. That's the reason it was created to educate
and spread a message that shows the truth about the United States and the issue of political prisoners and prisoners of war. With this play, we can reach thousands of people in a different way. It has been a great tool.

Q. What has been the response of the other Puerto Rican political prisoners toward the play?
A. Mostly they love the production and are grateful. Almost all of the prisoners that have seen it say it is a very accurate dramatization of their experience. Ninety percent is their actual words and that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to tell their story, so they really enjoy it. As hard as it is for them sometimes, they have been very supportive.

Q. What type of feedback have you received from this play so far?
A. People love it. But the most important thing for me is that the Puerto Rican community loves it. That's who we are speaking to and so that’s who is important. If other people get something out of it, then we have truly created something special. The play does speak to everyone that has to struggle to maintain humanity. For now, we are happy spreading the word through the many communities we reach. And I hope we do get to write a sequel, which will be based on the rest of the prisoners coming home and telling the story of that
journey. – Ismael Nunez

For more information, click on image for larger text or visit www.crimeagainsthumanity.net.

On the Reading Corner



Book lovers were treated to a literary feast last Saturday at Cemi Underground in NYC's El Barrio with the visit of two authors and the presentation of their books: "Sabrosuras Boricuas," a cookbook by Erisbelia Garriga and "Shadow of the Fathers," a novel by journalist Robert Friedman.
The next book presentation at Cemi Underground is "The Diaspora Strikes Back" by author Juan Flores. This event will be at 6:30 p.m. Thursday and admission is free.

This is all part of Cemi Underground's Puerto Rican Heritage Month events.
For more information, visit www.cemiunderground.com.

(Photos of Erisbelia Garriga and Robert Friedman by Ismael Nunez)

Editor's Note: You can also purchase Robert Friedman's book "Shadow of the Fathers" at the PRSUN aStore:



"The Diaspora Strikes Back" by Juan Flores is also availabe at the PRSUN aStore


Purchases at the PRSUN aStore are a way of contributing to the Puerto Rico Sun project.

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)

Sports Spotlight: Boxing's Melissa 'Huracan' Hernandez

Bronxite Melissa Hernandez is known in the boxing world as “Huracan,” Spanish for hurricane.
This boricua boxer made history earlier this month in Las Vegas, winning her third world title belt, the vacant Women's International Boxing Association's super featherweight crown.
She defeated Elsa Nuñez, scoring a unanimous 10-round decision. This is the latest addition to her titles. Hernandez is also the winner of the International Female Boxing Association’s Super Bantamweight title and the Global Boxing Union’s Female Lightweight Title.
Described as fiery, highly entertaining, and confident, Hernandez says she loves the challenge of the sport.
"I am pound for pound one of the best female boxers in the world and I don’t want to just talk about it," she says. "I want to show it. In New York City, I am without a doubt the best female boxer, and I want to prove that I am the best wherever I go."
She now holds a title in three different divisions, which is a real accomplishment in the boxing world. If she were a male boxer, she would probably be a millionaire and more of a household name.
Based on her number of titles alone, she joins her fellow Puerto Rican male boxers Wilfredo Benitez, Wilfredo Gomez, Hector Camacho, Felix Trinidad, and Wilfredo Vazquez who have won three or more division titles.
Hernandez, who was born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, and raised in the Bronx, says she always "wanted to be up there with all the great Puerto Rican boxing champions from the past."
Although boxing is a male-dominated sport, Hernandez believes there is a market for female boxers. She is outspoken about the need for the sport to be fairer to female boxers.
"Women boxers get the short end of the stick all the time cause promoters feel women have a set pay already," she says. "For example, women don’t get that much for title fights. The men get well you up to millions. The women don’t."
But this does not deter Hernandez's love for the sport.
Her family is not crazy that she's a boxer because "they don't want me hurt."
Still, Hernandez is never really outside the ring.
“Things I like to do when I’m not boxing is training my fighters," she says. "I have a stable of fighters from amateurs to world champions at the famed Gleason’s Gym. Crazy thing about me is I eat, sleep and box."
On her spare time, she enjoys spending time at home with her family and friends.
"My home girl Belinda Laracuente, also a boxing champion, often times comes over to help out with the cooking, where we often share recipes," she says. "Nice place to relax when I don’t have a fight coming up. Everyone comes to the house to get the best Latino cooking in town." -- Ismael Nuñez

Ismael Nuñez is a freelance writer based in East Harlem who contributes his writings to Puerto Rico Sun.

(photo courtesy of Melissa Hernandez)

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)

Cotto Loses, Margarito Cheers

Commentary

When two of today's best Latino boxers below the Middleweight Division faced off on a Las Vegas ring last July 26, they put up a good and intense fight.
In the end, Antonio Margarito from Mexico overpowered undefeated welterweight champion Miguel Cotto from Puerto Rico. Margarito score a Technical Knockout with 2:05 of the 11th round.
The fight started slow at first. After the third round both Cotto and Margarito exchanged blows left and right, fighting toe to toe and fighting alongside the ring side ropes.
Margarito, who is known as the Tornado, has said he got stronger after the 7th round. And, it surely became the Tornado’s night.
In the start of the 11th round, Margarito scored a knockdown.
When Cotto’s corner saw he was banged up pretty badly, they threw in the towel to stop the fight.
But Cotto is no loser.
Cotto fought like the fighter he is as his family members, including his little boy, watched and cried.
With his eye nearly shut and his face bleeding, Cotto started to back up and Margarito charged.
After the fight, Cotto described Margarito as being an “excellent fighter” who “did his job better than I did.”
I say that both fighters deserved every penny for their boxing performance.
A rematch in the works?
Oh Yes! -- Ismael Nunez

The Reading Life



Father Luis Barrios reads from his book "Coquiando: Meditaciones subversivas para un mundo mejor" at a recent event at Cemi Underground in East Harlem. (photo 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)