2016, Bilingual, Education, Family Activities, New York History, Past, Visual Art, Workshops, Youth

Arts Path to Leadership

Posted on March 18, 2016May 2, 2016 by Alejandro

Loisaida Inc. presents

Arts Path to Leadership with Maria Dominguez

FREE for Ages 15-19

When: 4 Thursdays, April 7, 14, 21, and 28 from 6:30PM – 8:00PM (4 days, 1.5 hours)

Overview:

Maria Dominguez (visual artist, muralist, educator) will use Object Based learning with Loisaida, Inc’s 2015 acclaimed !Presente! Exhibit. While adhering The New York States Department of Education Standards the workshop will lead students to gain access into the contribution of the Puerto Rican community’s cultural, political history while engaging them in a hands-on art project. This exposure can lead students to make global community connections. One that is imperative to the development of young students as they form their character and identity.

Pedagogy of Object Based Learning:

1. Provides a direct link with a topic or ‘the past’ and can really enhance young people’s interest
in and understanding of a good topic/subject.

2. Encourage learners to use all their senses – especially touch, sight and smell.

3. Helps to develop the important skill of drawing conclusions based on an examination of evidence, together with an understanding of the limitations and reliability of evidence.

4. Ideal for generating group and class discussion.

5. Promote the value of museums and encourage young people to visit museums and galleries with their families to further their learning.

About Maria:

Dominguez Is a Loisaida native who graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 1985 and went on to establish her career as a muralist by achieving an internship with CITYarts Org., a public art organization. This 30 year trajectory in public art making lead to her commission by The Metropolitan Transportation Authority in NYC with a permanent glass installation “El –Views”in 2002. She has exhibited locally, nationally and internationally in numerous solo and group shows, and has received awards from The National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council for the Arts and New York Foundation for the Arts. Currently, scholars are surveying her early murals and personal professional documents are being archived by The Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College in NYC.

WHERE: The Loisaida Inc. Center – 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY 10009 – View Map

2016, Bilingual, Books, Education, Partners, Past, Poetry, Politics, Storytelling, Theater, Workshops, X-Change Express, Youth

How to Self Publish Your First Book

Posted on March 17, 2016April 1, 2016 by Alejandro

La SoPA NYC and Loisaida Inc. presents

How To Self Publish Your First Book

A free workshop talking about the process of publishing, editing and promoting your first book using low cost digital tools.

Speakers: Elisabet Velasquez & George Torres

The School of Poetic Arts aka La S.O.P.A. is a producer of diverse poetry and performing arts events in New York City, formed using the philosophies of the most progressive intellectual and artistic movements of the last century (i.e. The Harlem Renaissance, the Beat Poets, Black Arts Movement & most notably the Nuyorican Movement). We were founded in Brooklyn in March 2007 as an Open Mic & made our presence felt immediately by featuring both veterans as well as up-and-coming performers of spoken word, prominent visual artists, comedians, and select musical guests covering the genres of salsa, bomba y plena, progressive hip hop, and more. We have taken our brand to major academic institutions like New York University, Hunter College and Long Island University, and we have also taken our brand to major international corporations like National Grid Energy and Pepsi.

3/30 – 6pm -8pm

2016, Past, Performance, Poetry, Residencies, Storytelling, Theater

Venus y el Albañil – Casa Cruz de la Luna

Posted on March 17, 2016April 11, 2016 by Alejandro

Loisaida Inc. presents:

“Venus y el Albañil” (in Spanish)

written by: Nara Mansur, as interpreted by: Casa Cruz de la Luna

Saturday, April 9th at 8:00 PM -and- Sunday, April 10th at 3:00 PM

Admission is by a donation $5 – $10

In Spanish. Adult Content.

Our resident theater company Casa Cruz de la Luna will give us a glimpse into their development process. Interpreting the theatrical text “Venus y el Albañil” by Nara Mansur. Presentation is in Spanish, content is adult oriented.

With Alejandra Maldonado and Christopher Cancel Pomales.

Directed by: Aravind Enrique Adyanthaya.

Presentation venue: Loisaida Center, 710 E. 9th Street & Avenue C

Limited Capacity,

With Alejandra Maldonado and Christopher Cancel.
Directed by: Aravind E. Adyanthaya

Capacity is Limited.

2016, Bilingual, Education, Past, Performance, Poetry, Residencies, Storytelling, Theater, Workshops, Youth

Words & Images – Intensive Workshop for Youth

Posted on March 7, 2016April 20, 2016 by Alejandro

Loisaida Inc. presents:

WORDS & IMAGES

FREE Intensive two day workshop with Casa Cruz de la Luna Theater Company

Saturday, April 16 and Sunday, April 17: 1:00P.M.-5:00P.M

Ages 15 – 18

Come and explore how bodies in space create theatrical pictures that can be linked in many ways to spoken and projected words. This workshop combines Brazilian director Augusto Boal´s notions of image theatre with “escritura acto” (computerized writing projected live), a practice we have developed at Casa Cruz de la Luna Theatre. Using the texts generated by the participants some of the exercises will take the form of individual poetry presentations or collective performative sketches.

Instruction will be conducted in English but participants can work in whatever language they choose.

Saturday April 16 and Sunday April 17: 1:00P.M.-5:00P.M.

Facilitated by Casa Cruz de la Luna Company members: Aravind E. Adyanthaya, Alejandra Maldonado and Christopher Cancel.

Requisites:

-Targeted for ages 15-18 years old

-Participants should be able to attend the full two sessions

-Wear clothes comfortable for movement. Bring pen or pencil and notebook.

This workshop is free, but space is limited. Register Today!

2016, Education, Events, Latin America, Music, New York History, Partners, Past, Storytelling, Workshops, X-Change Express, Youth

Meet and Greet – Johnny Colón

Posted on February 29, 2016March 20, 2016 by Alejandro

Loisaida Inc. presents:

The Johnny Colón School of Music @ Loisaida Inc. Center

Music theory lessons for the younger set by the boogaloo music legend Johnny Colon. Divided into three groups ages; 8-10, 11-14 & 15-18. Bilingual friendly (Spanish, English)

Latin music legend and renown music teacher Johnny Colón revives the tradition of his famous uptown music school, now downtown at the Loisaida Center. An dynamic hands-on weekly series of ongoing music classes focused on Latin rhythms and sounds directly under the instruction of vocalist, multi-instrumenatlist, arranger and musical director Johnny Colón.

About Johnny Colón

Johnny Colón, was born in New York City to parents of Puerto Rican heritage. He is the director of the Johnny Colon Orchestra, founder of the legendary East Harlem Music School and widely recognized as a major and legendary contributor to the popular boogaloo sound of the 1960s.

Colón, a versatile vocalist, multi-instrumenatlist, arranger and musical director, became one of Latin music’s leading impresarios at the forefront of the new “Latin Boogaloo” sound when he formed the first Johnny Colon Orchestra in the mid 1960’s. He first found success in the world of salsa with his 1966 debut album”Boogaloo Blues” in 1966, which became a classic, selling over 3,000,000 copies worldwide, and which continues to be an anthem for this period on Latin music history. Colón’s hit “Boogaloo Blues” came out during a time of transition in the Latin music scene of New York years before there was such a thing as “salsa,” when the mambo craze was over and Puerto Ricans were coming of age in the city and the “Nuyorican” culture was emerging. As many of their peers went off to fight in Vietnam, some of New York’s younger Puerto Ricans were losing interest in Latin music and beginning to identify more with R&B hits in English than with the music of their roots. Johnny recorded several other notable tunes over the years, releasing five albums over the period 1967-72.

In 1968, with public funding and much of his own money, Colón founded the East Harlem Music School and offered free lessons to the community. His impact as a music instructor for more than three decades may be even greater than the effect of his recordings. Students like the singer Tito Nieves, percussionists Jimmy Delgado and Robin Loeb, bass player Rubén Rodríguez, and singer Marc Anthony would all go on to become stars in salsa and contemporary Latin music. By the mid-1990s, Colón was struggling to secure funding to maintain the school open. In 2004, unable to keep a permanent space for his school, Colón was given the opportunity to bring his brand of music education to New York City public schools. Today, as well as teaching in schools around the city, Colón has begun giving music classes to patients at drug treatment centers. He’s found a new location for his school at The Loisaida Inc. Center.

– Meet and Greet on Saturday, March 19 at Loisaida Inc. 710 East Ninth Street, New York, NY 10009

Stay tuned!

2016, Bilingual, Education, Past, Photography, Storytelling, Visual Art, Workshops

2016 Community Screenprinting Workshops

Posted on February 22, 2016March 20, 2016 by Alejandro

Hester Street Collaborative & The Loisaida Center

proudly presents:

Water-Base Screen Printing Workshop 2016

8 sessions – YOU CHOOSE EITHER: Tuesday classes or Thursday classes;

Monday, 7:00pm – 9:30pm

Thursday, 7:00pm – 9:30pm

FREE!

Ages 16+

Overview:

For a 2nd year, Hester Street Collaborative happy to announce that we are partnering with the Loisaida center to offer FREE Screen-printing workshops for immigrant, Asian and Latino communities on the Lower East Side. All skill levels are welcome, ages 16 and up.

The workshop series will reflect the neighborhood tradition of art activism and cultural preservation. Art will be the vehicle that unites members of Asian and Latino immigrant communities to discuss, create and build the artistic capacity necessary for socio-cultural change. Our goal is to create opportunities to develop important artistic skills while sharing across differences that would not otherwise be possible.

Workshops will be focused on current social justice issues – from immigrant rights to climate change to cultural identity. We will work with participants to increase their understanding of the built environment, expose them to art/design careers, develop age-specific art/design skills, and actively improve their neighborhood’s quality of life.

2016, Bilingual, Caribbean, Dance/Movement, Education, Events, Music, Past, Performance, Plena, Plenatorium, Workshops

2016 Plenatorium Ensemble Workshops

Posted on February 16, 2016March 20, 2016 by Alejandro

Loisaida Inc. presents:

Plenatorium Ensemble Workshops (Pandero, Güiro & Plena Dance)

Package includes: 4 Sessions, 1 Final presentation – 1pm, Four Saturdays, One Friday March 5 – March 26, 2016. at Loisaida Inc. Center. Transgenerational (ages 15+), bilingual friendly (Spanish, English)

Workshop schedule as follows:

– Saturday, March 5th: Class 1
one (1) hour of pandero instruction (basic seguidor, punteador & requinto),
one (1) hour of güiro instruction (basic rhythm & technique)
and one (1) hour of plena ensemble.

– Saturday, March 12th: Class 2
one (1) hour of pandero accompaniment instruction (seguidor, punteador & requinto for ensemble),
one (1) hour of güiro accompaniment instruction (rhythm & technique for ensemble)
and one (1) hour of plena ensemble.

– Saturay, March 19th: Class 3
one (1) hour ensamble and
one (1) hour of basic plena dance instruction

– Friday, March 25th: Class 4
two (2) hours of ensamble and
two (2) hours of plena dance instruction

– Saturday, March 26th: FINAL
plena Dance/Social with live plena ensemble

2016, Education, Past, Politics, Workshops, X-Change Express

Feminism 101 – Introduction to Feminist Thinking

Posted on February 12, 2016March 12, 2016 by Alejandro

Loisaida Inc. presents:

Introduction to Feminism Workshop (GROUP DISCUSSION)

2 Sessions – 1pm-3pm, Two Saturdays, February 27 and March 5, 2016
FREE, mixed gender, transgenerational (ages 15+), bilingual friendly (Spanish, English)

Moderated by: Las Marias Project

RSVP:

Did anyone ever tell you to “act like a lady” or “be a man”? Has anyone ever expected you can’t do something simply because of your gender? Or do you think women are often judged by their looks?

Feminism is about defending equality for men and women. It helps us reflect on conflicts we might see in society and within ourselves, as well as articulate motives and solutions. It’s about thinking things through, considering community and being proactive. Learning about feminism will help you be more fair towards both women and men, and respect others.

The workshops are a non-academic introduction to the ideas of feminism. Over the course of these two sessions we will talk about some basic feminist ideas (like “objectification” or “patriarchy”) and figure out what these mean to us by using our collective intelligence: talking about our own experiences and those of the group. Other topics discussed will include: feminism (what is it exactly?), gender roles, masculinity in crisis, and feminism around the world.

In our workshops we will all learn about feminist thinking, talk about our own experiences and think of ways in which we can advocate for gender justice.

Snacks will be served.
Questions? Email us at hellolasmarias@gmail.com or check out our website at www.lasmariasproject.com

2015, Events, Past

The 28th Annual Loisaida Festival

Posted on May 25, 2015April 11, 2016 by Alejandro

A Festival For All

Latinos (re)Planted their Flag in the Lower East Side with the 28th Loisaida Festival

NEW YORK, NY – On May 24st, 2015 the 28th Loisaida Festival uncovered the Latino spirit still very much alive in the Lower East Side. This year’s Festival created an over-the-top Latin performance art, music, and culinary experience that celebrated Puerto Rican and Latino culture and history, as well as its present and future in downtown Manhattan. Avenue C from 6th to 12th street reclaimed its role as a hub of Latino creativity and culture in the city and the nation, as this year’s festival featured offerings and acts from the neighborhood and from all over the United States, from East L.A. to Puerto Rico.

Kicking off the Festival was a Carnival Procession, a rarity in the downtown area nowadays. The Felix Millan Little League, established in 1977 and named after the famous Puerto Rican baseball player, and the New York Stars and Marching band from Washington Heights led the parade, which culminated in the mainstage, where a host of music genres came together through acts by DMob, Capa Prieto, Calma Carmona, Chicano Batman, E.A. Flow, Papote Jimenez and his Orchestra, and Johnny Olivio y Herencia de Plena. The different genres captured the diverse makeup the Latino community in NYC. The energy of the day was such that Chicano Batman and Calma Carmona delighted the audience with an impromptu jamming session—live. Luis Guzman, a product of Loisaida, captivated the audience with his energy.

Beyond, the Theater Lab, the street performers, the Latino fare and domino tournaments, were also the Viva Loisaida Awards. Announced earlier in the week at a special Opening Reception, the awards themselves were given to four pillars of the community: Nydia Velazquez for her bold leadership, and long-standing support to the Latino community causes. Marlis Momber whose legendary photographic and documentary work has illustrated the struggle and character of the mostly Latinos people living in the Lower East Side since the 70s; Dr. Joseph Kramer, known as “El Doctor del Pueblo,” who served as a doctor to thousands over the years from his storefront on Ave D, regardless of their ability to pay; Lizabeth Bruno whose admirable passion for environmental and social justice issues led her to establish the LES Girls Club CSA; Sammy Tanco, an unquestionable pillar of NY’s Puerto Rican community, respected master of plena music who helped co-organize the first Loisaida Festival along Tato Laviera and has been a figure of social and cultural re-affirmation of Loisaida for over 40 years.

A particularly unique aspect of the Festival, beyond the diversity of offerings, was the wide range of audience members. People of all generations, groups, and countries came together in a single spot. A celebration of all the rich layers, diversity, and textures that made the Lower East Side of Manhattan an iconic neighborhood, the 28th Loisaida Festival provided a delicious shot of Latino culture that left us wanting for more.

ABOUT LOISAIDA INC: Loisaida, Inc. is a Latino-based non-profit community development organization affiliated to Acacia Network. Located in the Lower East Side, it boasts over 30 years of award-winning innovative programs in education, arts, culture and community development focused on highlighting the contributions of Latinos to the vibrant cultural fabric of downtown Manhattan. One of the events Loisaida, Inc. is best known for is theLoisaida Festival, a Festival that has long celebrated Latino culture in the Lower East Side while also highlighting the community’s rich diversity. This year’s event is presented by Popular Community Bank and Acacia Network. Additional major sponsors are the Hispanic Federation, Phipps Houses, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, ConEdison, Well Care, El Diario la Prensa, Webster Hall, Two Boots, Gale A. Brewer, Gouverneur Health, Rojo Chiringa, among others.

Photo Credits: Javier Romero

#LoisaidaFest2015

Facebook.com/LoisaidaFest / Twitter.com/loisaidafest