Luis Santeiro's DANCING WITH DICTATORS Comes to the Repertory Theater

Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture will present Dancing with Dictators, a solo work written and performed with music by the Emmy Award-winning writer Luis Santeiro on Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on the stage of the Repertory Theater at Hostos Community College, 450 Grand Concourse (at 149thStreet), in the Bronx. Tickets are available at www.hostoscenter.org or at the Hostos Box Office, opened Mon-Fri, from 1pm to 4pm and 2 hours before showtime. Call for tickets at (718) 518-4477.

In this cabaret-style show directed by Ron Torres, Luis Santeiro explores his family's journey from pre-Castro Cuba to traumatic exile in Miami during the turbulent 1960s. Forced to leave the island at age 12, he was determined to become all-American and put his Latino past behind. But it wasn't so simple. With a sense of humor, songs and stories he shares a lovely tribute to his family while exploring loss, the passage of time in his homeland, and the richness of being from two cultures. Acclaimed Pianist Paul Greenwood and percussionist Rex Benincasa join Luis Santeiro on this journey.

Luis Santeiro is a Cuban-American television screenwriter and playwright born in Havana, Cuba. At the age of 12 he left the island with his family for Miami, Florida. He first worked as a television writer for Carrascolendas, a bilingual children's television show that debuted in 1970 on the Austin, Texas, KLRN public television station. In 1976 he became head writer of the bilingual sitcom ¿Qué Pasa, USA? a half-hour bilingual sitcom set in Miami's Cuban exile community that traced the lives of three generations of Cubans trying to make it in their new homeland. Running for five years, the show received six regional Emmys and nine special awards from the Association of Critics and Commentators on the Arts for its producers, directors, writers, and cast.

Santeiro wrote a total of thirty-three scripts for the show, including the pilot episode. In 1979 he joined the writing team of the children's television program Sesame Street. Santeiro also contributed scripts and song lyrics to other children's programs, such as 3-2-1 Contact, Big Bag, Oye, Willie, and Little Bill. For his writing for children's television programs, Santeiro has been nominated for 20 Daytime Emmy Awards and has won 14 - 12 of these during his career with Sesame Street.

Santeiro is also recognized for his work as a playwright. Among his most notable plays are Our Lady of the Tortilla (1987), The Lady from Havana (1990), and The Rooster and the Egg (1994). For his musical Barrio Babies, Santeiro received the Edward Kleban and Richard Rodgers Award, and in 1995 was honored with the National Hispanic Academy of Media Arts and Sciences Award for his play A Royal Affair. Santeiro has also been recognized for his contributions to Latino arts and culture with honors such as the Hispanic Achievement Award (1991) and the Hispanic Heritage Award (1993).

Ron Torres is a long-time actor and cabaret performer in his own right, as well as a stage director. He has appeared in many of New York City's top cabarets. He created his successful one-man show Havana B.C., which premiered and ran for months at the Coconut Grove Playhouse in Miami, and won a Backstage Bistro award for "Best Theme". He has also performed in several operas at the Met and with the Florida Grand Opera. His theater credits include over twenty productions, regionally and in New York City. In addition to directing Dancing with Dictators, he has published his memoir titled "Cuban Palm Trees in Manhattan".

Pianist Paul Greenwood, who also serves as Musical Director for this show, and percussionist Rex Benincasa are both acclaimed and well-known musicians who have played with some of America's most beloved performers and music groups in New York, as well as around the country.

The Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture consists of a museum-grade art gallery, a 367-seat Repertory Theater, and a 900-seat Main Theater, presenting artists of national and international renown. It is easily accessible from Manhattan, Queens and New Jersey and is a mere 15 minutes by subway from midtown Manhattan. www.hostoscenter.org

Hostos Community College is an educational agent for change, transforming and improving the quality of life in the South Bronx and neighboring communities since 1968. Hostos serves as a gateway to intellectual growth and socioeconomic mobility, and a point of departure for lifelong learning, success in professional careers, and transfer to advanced higher education programs. Hostos Community College is part of CUNY, the nation's leading urban public university serving more than 480,000 students at 24 colleges. https://www.hostos.cuny.edu/

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