R.Evolución Latina's 'Dare to Go Beyond' Children’s Performing Arts Camp Began Today

R.Evolución Latina is happy to announce that their 4th Annual D2GB ("Dare to Go Beyond") Children's Performing Arts Camp began today and has expanded to run for a FULL Week, from July 18th to July 22nd, 2011. The program has been recognized in local media as NY1's "New Yorker of the Week" in 2010 as well as being honored with a feature spot on NBC's Nightly News with BrIan Williams in a segment called ""Making a Difference".

R.Evolución Latina, a collective of artists and activists committed to empowering the artistic community in order to inspire growth within the Latino Community through collaboration, productions, and educational support programs, has been serving the Latino communities throughout the five boroughs of New York for the past 4 years and is now expanding globally to places such as Panama, Peru, and India. This "Can do Organization", as described by board adviser Luis Viada, will use a unique array of programs including dance, acting, theatre, and voice, to provide campers with an active and inspiring educational experience. An added focus of this year's program will be health awareness and the importance of physical activity as we address the growing concern of obesity in our Latino children. "Through the arts, we will empower the youth to recognize the importance of leading and maintaining a healthy life" says Camp Coordinator Ali Solomon. "This free camp will provide more than 150 underserved children ages 7-17 the chance to experience the arts through classes taught by NYC and International Artists from the theatre, music, dance, and Latino communities" she adds.

This year the team of directors, that includes Luis Salgado, Gabriela Garcia, Ali Solomon, Denisse Ambert and Heather Hogan, will advance R.Evolución Latina's mission of Daring to Go Beyond in several ways. Last year Corbin Bleu surprised150 campers at the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater where the camp concluded with the promise of taking more kids to a bigger theater and letting them be the stars onstage. That is why Director/Choreographer Luis Salgado will make a pause in his new production to teach every day in this year's camp and guide the campers toward a final presentation at El Museo Del Barrio. Parents, family members, camp teachers, and camp supporters are invited to attend this very special presentation that will begin at 2:00pm on Friday, July 22nd.

The 4th annual D2GB Children's Performing Arts Camp is possible thanks to the love and passion of performers, dancers, singers, and talented volunteers who donate their time as believers in this organization and what it has done in 4 short years. The camp will have a special visit from El Trotamundos, a character developed by Puerto Rican artist Axel Serrant who is returning to R.Evolución Latina after teaching at our first camp in 2008.

This year's teachers include Andrea Patterson, April Ortiz (In the Heights), Bill Santiago, Christina Black (In the Heights), Derric Harris (A Free Man of Color), Doreen Montalvo (In the Heights), Elasea Douglas (Fela), Gabriela Garcia (Chicago the Musical), Gabrielle Ruiz (In the Heights), Ian Hersey (The Public Theatre), Io Alfonso (9 to 5), James Harkness (Chicago the Musical& Aida) Jamie Lozano (Yellow Brick Road), Jared Stein (Hair), Javier Muñoz (In the Heights), Jerome Harmann (Kiss of the Spiderwoman & Swing!), Joe Tuttle (Broken Box Mime Theater), José Ortiz & BombaYo, José Restrepo (Grease), Joshua Bergasse ("Smash"), Marcos Santana (In The Heights & White Noise), Melissa Rae Mahon (Chicago the Musical), Rebecca Larkin (Avenue Q), Reza Salazar, Rickey Tripp ("Smash" & In the Heights), Roni Flores (D1 Dance Company of Peru), Rosie Fiedelman (In the Heights), Stephanie Klemons (Bring it On & In The Heights), Taharqa (Singer/Songwriter), Valeria Cossu (Mayumaná & The Wedding Singer-Madrid), Valerie Salgado (I'll Be Damned), Will Shaw (Broken Box Mime Theater) and R.Evolución Latina's very own founder/Director Luis Salgado (In the Heights & Women On The Verge)

"We are taking it further by providing 200 campers with a full week of classes that will inspire, with art and culture awareness, the growth and development of our youth in relationship to the subject of health and going beyond." says Luis Salgado who is currently directing a new show titled Candela Fuerza y Pasion in Lima Peru.

Organizations and schools participating this year include The Mercy Center & THE POINT Community Development Corp from the Bronx, Pachamama Arts Center from Queens, Cypress Hill Community School and Brooklyn International High School from Brooklyn and Adolph S Ochs PS/IS 111 Elementary & Middle schools from Midtown West. All of these organizations are embraced and inspired by R.Evolución Latina's work throughout the year and grow on their own by building new ideas around the "Dare to Go Beyond!" motto. Together with R.Evolución Latina, they challenge students to believe in themselves and strive to accomplish their dreams.

Sponsors and supporters of the 2011 camp include the Herman Goldman Foundation, HarperOne, Pearl Studios, Energy Kitchen, GreenWell Produce, El Museo del Barrio, popchips, and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. R.Evolución Latina will donate 200 CD's of their self-produced album, Dare To Go Beyond: The Album to inspire the campers year round and remind them to Go Beyond!