R.Evolucion Latina's Choreographers Festival Declared A Success

"Dancing With The Stars" may have premiered at the end of March, but the real stars were not on TV; they were in a theater on 60th street for R.Evolucion Latina's Choreographers Festival. The Choreographers Festival was a journey that brought together Dance Company D1, a group of 19 underprivileged youth from the streets of Peru founded by Vania Massias, in a cultural exchange with 25 local dancers, many of whom are Latino, who have had few performance opportunities on stage. The Manhattan Movement and Arts Center (MMAC) was the location for the performances and the conclusion of 2 weeks of cultural exchange, 6 months of hard work by the R.Evolucion Latina Team, and 4 years of dreaming about this goal.

"R.Evolucion Latina has done it again" were the first words out of many of our guests during the Opening Night of the Festival. Especially gratifying were the compliments of those people close to the young organization who might have initially doubted the success of the ambitious project and believed it to be near impossible.

The star-studded team behind the event was Founder/Director Luis Salgado (In the Heights, Women on the Verge...), Assistant Director Heather Hogan (In the Heights), Assistant to all Choreographers Matt Steffens (Promises, Promises, Women on the Verge...), Choreographers Valaria Cossu, Daniel Fetecua-Soto, Gabriela Garcia, Vania Masias,Marcos Santana, Amanda Turner, Rebeca Tomas, Luis Salgado, Lighting Designer Joel E. Silver, Sound Designer Nick Borisjuk, Costume Designer Hitomi Sasaki, and the R.Evolucion Latina Team of volunteers.

Members of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, who are no strangers to giving, had nothing but positive feedback for the organization: "To Luis Salgado and all involved.... it was an incredibly special night. You dared to go beyond and your ideas can move the world! BRAVO!" said BC/EFA Producer Scott Stevens. BC/EFA's Producing Director, Michael Graziano, said "Not only was the program thoroughly entertaining, but the energy and enthusiasm of the young performers filled the theater with great joy. Dance Company D1 from Peru was a delight. This group dares to go beyond and it is a privilege for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS to be a part of their infectious efforts to affect change through the arts."

These are just some of the many wonderful comments R.Evolucion Latina received after the performances.

However, this event went beyond the two nights at the MMAC. Open rehearsals were held at Arts Centers such as Pachamama, panel discussions were held in collaboration with Latino Organizations such as Arias Dance NYC, and R.Evolucion Latina hosted 2 shows for schools under the Kids Beyond Broadway program, allowing nearly 250 children who could not usually afford theater tickets to see the show through R.Evolución Latina's own funding. "We think that providing these opportunities is important," said Luis Salgado. "In a world where funding for the arts is being cut out of every school budget, it is imperative that someone stands up for the students. Thanks to the support of our community, particularly Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, R.Evolución Latina gets to be one of the people standing up and trying to make a difference."

Broadway stars also took time out of their busy schedules. Seth Stewart (In the Heights, Sweet Charity) stated, "I needed that show to be inspired again, to remember to dance and live for the love of it! Those kids danced from their light, and they shined!" Lin Manuel Miranda (Tony Award Winner) himself attended the opening night performance, and posted this on his Facebook wall: "Had an amazing time at Luis Salgado's concert last night: Those Peruvians are some breakdancing motherf***ers! If you can go, GO."

While no relations with anyone's mother have been reported, those kids certainly could dance.

R.Evolucion Latina is a non-profit located in NYC dedicated to empowering the artistic community in order to inspire growth within the Latino Community through collaboration, productions, and educational support programs. For more information on the organization or to donate, you can visit www.revolucionlatina.org.

Events like the Choreographers Festival couldn't happen without your help. R.Evolucion Latina has recently released their first fund-raising CD Dare to Go Beyond: The Album. (read our glowing review from TheaterMania!) For more information, check out the album website http://daretogobeyond.org.