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)

VIVA LOISAIDA USA!

Community Calendar

The Annual Loisaida Festival...
An Urban Mix of Salsa, Plena and Hip Hop

Loisaida Inc. will host the Twenty-first Annual Loisaida Festival, along the Avenue C Commercial Corridor in NYC's East Village, from noon to 6:30 p.m. Sunday, May 25. Last year, more than 4,000 people attended the event.
This year’s festival is jam packed with Latino artists and musicians with strong Loisaida bonds. The entertainment line-up includes Salsa Icon, Johnny Pacheco, and his band; Barrio-based Los Pleneros de la 21; the “Charanga” masters, Orquesta Broadway; the “Merengue” band Oro Sólido; and Hip Hop and Reggaeton performers.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will open the festivities, featuring Puerto Rican actor Luis Guzmán, a Loisaida native.
This year’s festival will include special events for children, youth, and senior citizens.
To honor neighborhood seniors, Loisaida, Inc. has partnered with the Institute for the Puerto Rican and Hispanic Elderly, Inc. to host “Serenata”, an outdoor picnic under the Willow Trees at the Plaza Cultural featuring Latin bolero music, and a traditional Domino tournament.
For youth, Loisaida, Inc. has partner with Madison Square Garden’s Garden of Dreams Foundation to sponsor a basketball clinic.
For children, the festival will feature a theatre performance produced by the bilingual children’s theatre company SEA (Sociedad Educativa de las Artes). Cafecito, the popular local Latin restaurant, will join the festivities by hosting a traditional Caribbean pig roast, or in Spanish, “Lechón a la Vara,” a festival staple in Caribbean countries such as Puerto Rico, Cuba and Santo Domingo.
The Loisaida Festival is sponsored by Loisaida Inc., a Hispanic-based non-profit community and economic development organization serving the Lower East Side since 1978.
For more information, visit www.loisaidainc.orgor contact Loisaida at 212-353-0272.

source: press release

'In the Heights' at Times Square

Performing tomorrow Live for Good Morning America!

The smash hit Broadway musical IN THE HEIGHTS takes Times Square by storm Tuesday, May 13, in a premiere national television appearance on ABC's Good Morning America. Karen Olivo, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Robin De Jesus, Seth Stewart, Luis Salgado and Rickey Tripp will perform "It Won't Be Long" live in the middle of Times Square in the 8 a.m. hour. Mandy Gonzalez and Christopher Jackson will perform "When You're Home" at 9 a.m. exclusively for ABC News Now and the Good Morning America website. ABC's Good Morning America airs on WABC channel 7 in the tri-state area.

source: "In the Heights" at MySpace

East Harlem Arts Festival

Community Calendar




Manhattan Community Board 11, State Senator Jose M. Serrano and Art for Change proudly present the 5th Annual East Harlem Arts Festival with Live Music by: Tato Torres & YERBABUENA, Aurora and Zon del Barrio, and more...

YERBABUENA plays at 2 p.m. at East 106th Street and Park Avenue. Festival is from noon to 5 p.m.

Editor's Note: I, representing Puerto Rico Sun Communications, will have a table at this arts festival. I will display some of my Puerto Rico-related images at the festival. So, drop by my table OK.

Wishing you...

In the Mailbox

A happy Mother's day to all the Moms, Moms to be, Mr. Moms and everyone who's stepped up to the plate in a child's life.
Abrazos!



Olga Ayala
HANDICRAFTS (HECHO A MANO)
Functional Art In Polymer
http://www.olgaayala.zoomshare.com
http://www.myspace.com/prpetite

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Crowning the Virgin 1
Originally uploaded by clarisel.

!FELIZ DIA DE LAS MADRES!

QUE DIOS TE BENDIGA.

WITH LOVE,

PUERTO RICO SUN

In the Mailbox

Boricuation.com and The Boricuation Cultural Foundation is proud to announce that we have created a home for our internet radio show "Boricuation Sunday Afternoon". Our internet radio show will be based on The Lower East Side in New York City and will be aired on our very own 24/7 internet radio station which will be named Boricuation Internet Cultural Radio Network or "BRadio" for short.

We are going to air our first internet radio broadcast on Sunday May 18th from 3-6 p.m. and will be hosted by Boricuation Cultural Foundation Founder Jose Medina. The show will have the same format of Classic Salsa - Cultural Vibe - Special Guests Interviews - Cultural Education and everything Boricuation.

The web site and link is undergoing the testing phase and will be up and running in the next few days. The internet radio network will run 24/7 providing a steady stream of classic salsa - Boricua roots music - Special cultural presentations and reports. Ad space will be available to interested companies and organizations on the internet radio station and on Boricuation.com.

More information to come in the next few days.

We would like to thank our listenership for all the support during our transition phase. We value the time you invest in tuning in to our internet radio show. We would like to thank everyone for inviting us into your lives. We are honored and committed to bringing you the best our culture has to offer. We work hard to earn your listenership and trust. We are grateful in having the ability to bring you this cultural internet program.

Abrazos!

Jose Medina
Founder
Boricuation Cultural Foundation
Boricuation.com
917 843 6419
boricuation@gmail.com

Q&A with Latino Sports’ Julio Pabon

Roberto Clemente is prominent figure inside Latino Sports


If you are in the South Bronx and are a Latino sports lover, a place that you must visit is Latino Sports, a small business located at 424 Grand Concourse.
This haven has rare sports collectibles, Latino Sports’ branded merchandise, sports books about Latinos, and jerseys featuring Caribbean baseball teams. Latino Sports considers itself as the “Number 1 Roberto Clemente Memorabilia Store.”
Latino Sports is not just a business. There is a small museum at the shop, which is free and open to the public.
The store’s motto is: “It’s about us, it’s about time!”
Julio Pabon, CEO and founder of Latino Sports, recently spoke with Bronx Latino about his shop.


(Julio Pabon, left, is pictured here with Senator Jose M. Serrano at the East Harlem Little League Parade.)

Q: Why did this business get started?
A: It got started out of anger. It was a result of an award we presented to Ruben Sierra who at that time was playing baseball with the Texas Rangers. Many felt he deserved to win the “Most Valuable Player Award” in the American League. Eventually, the award went to Robin Yount who played with the Milwaukee Brewers. The baseball writers voted for Yount. Who’s to say they were wrong? Yount had a good season, but then again Sierra’s numbers were far better.
This event showed that a Latin American institution to highlight the positive values of Latinos in sports was needed. So, I felt it was important for the community to have our own award. I didn’t know that it was going to turn out to be a yearly thing and then to the creation of Latino Sports.

Q: So, Latino Sports is not just about promoting the goodness of Latino athletes. Do you also consider yourselves as activists?
A: This is true. That’s how it basically got started. We realized that Latinos were overlooked not only in baseball but also in other sports.

Q: Latino Sports is heavily involved in the fight to retire “Roberto Clemente’s number 21.” Why is that?
A: Very true. Clemente was not only a great player and Hall of Famer. He was a humanitarian, father/husband, and a person who was proud of his Afro-Puerto Rican heritage. He stood up for things he believed in, loved people/children, and gave back. That is why number 21 should be retired.

Q: If 21 were retired, what would that mean to the Latino sports community?
A: It will be a victory for the entire Latin American community everywhere. It will be something that we believed in, working side by side by side to get. That team effort and caring is what has made Latino Sports a success.

For more information about Latino Sports, visit www.latinosports.com. – by Ismael Nunez

(Photos by Ismael Nunez)

Note: This article was originally published in Bronx Latino at www.bronxlatino.blogspot.com.

Mesa con Bebidas

Mesa con Bebidas
Originally uploaded by Hector Melendez.

Boringken in the Bronx

Community Calendar

Town Hall Meeting for Our Artists

In the Mailbox

THE CEG - Cultural Equity Group Present:

SUSTAINING OUR ARTISTS, ARTS ORGANIZATIONS AND CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS OF COLOR DURING THE "RECESSION"

Hunter College
68th & Lexington Avenue , 7th Floor
Hall 714 West Building, Manhattan

Friday, May 9
6 - 8 p.m.
Moderated by:
Dr. Marta Moreno Vega, Founder of the Caribbean Cultural Center

Panelists: Heather Hitchens, Executive Director of NYSCA; Arana J. Hankins, Assistant Secretary for Cultural & Economic Development Office of the NYS Governor David A. Paterson; Kathleen Hughes, NYC Dept. of Cultural Affairs Assistant Commissioner; NYS Assemblyman Darryl C. Towns , 54th District, Chair, Black Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus; and Laurie Cumbo, Founder of MoCADA

Dear Artists, Cultural Activists and People concerned about the community:

We have certainly brought in 2008 with a burst of energy and excitement filled with opportunity and hope for the future! We applaud everyone for their dedication and hard work to preserve and landmark our institutions and culture, which will have an instrumental impact on the quality of life for our communities as well as for future generations. In order to make an impact, we must continue to educate ourselves about the funding process.

We need your voice to be heard and we would appreciate your support in sending this email far and wide to your perspective communities in order to demonstrate to our legislators that our culture is important to the cultural landscape of New York City. Please do not continue to allow the challenges of our community to fall on the shoulders of a few because we need everyone in order to create an impact.

The Cultural Equity Group (CEG) cordially invites you to attend a very important Town Hall Meeting on Friday, May 9th, 6 p.m. at Hunter College (68th & Lexington Avenue) 7th Fl., Hall 714, West Building, to discuss three very important issues that will impact our community:

1. Sustaining our artists, arts organizations and cultural institutions of color during the current "recession" and new stricter budget reforms;

2. Defining a new per capita funding model based on the ethnic and racial demographics of New York City-a more realistic support process, which would impact communities that are underserved;

3. Exploring recommendations, strategies and policies for cultural equity.
Your participation is important! It will help define New York City 's Cultural policy of the future. Sample copies of letters to be sent to your elected officials will be distributed at the meeting. There will also be a petition for you to sign.

Please make every effort to attend. You can RSVP at elsa@latinoarts.org or call 212.876.1242. Thanking you in advance for remaining unified in our commitment to Cultural Equity for our artists and the communities we serve.

Very truly yours,

Steering Committee
Cultural Equity Group


Sandra García Betancourt
Executive Director & CEO

Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance (NoMAA)
The Cornerstone Center
178 Bennett Avenue, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10040
www.NoMAAnyc.org

Politics

With 55 delegates, Puerto Rico eager for primary limelight

Now Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory for more than 100 years, has a place at the center of American political debate. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama are competing for 55 delegates to be chosen in a June 1 Democratic primary. The island also has eight superdelegates.

"We're going to enjoy every minute of the attention," the president of the Puerto Rican Senate, Kenneth D. McClintock, said during a recent visit to the nation's capital. To read the full news report, go to
http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080508/NEWS01/80508023/1006

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.