December

North America / USA / New York

En el nombre de Salomé is a playwriting written by Marco Antonio Rodríguez and directed by José Zayas based on the fiction novel In the name of Salomé by Julia Álvarez, a history that presents the life of the patriotic poet and Dominican political activist, Salomé Ureña and her youngest daughter, Camila Salomé Henríquez Ureña. Two ladies that extolled the rights of women in XIX and XX centuries.

Salomé Ureña Díaz was a feminist poet during the most important years of Independence of the Dominican Republic, which became independent from Haiti and then returned to be the Colony of Spain for a time for their protection, hence the famous poem by Ureña “A la Patria” ” Salomé also founded the first university for women in the Caribbean country with the help of her husband, Francisco Henríquez y Carvajal, who years later was president of that nation.

By the other hand, Camila Henriquez Ureña was the youngest of her intellectual children, she was a respected educator of Spanish in the United States, lecturer in Latin America, co-founder of one of the main cultural feminist associations in Cuba, obtained a PhD in that Afro Caribbean country, participated in the restructuring of University of the Havana and ended up teaching in her homeland..

This fascinating novel published in 2000, captivated the attention of the director José Zayas, who decided together with the executive director of the Repertorio Español (Theater Company in Spanish famous in New York) to put it on stage.

Both decided that Marco Antonio Rodríguez, a New Yorker with Dominican roots, was the ideal playwright for this adaptation since all his masterpieces have been of total pleasure to the audience. “I was not familiar with Salome; she was a great poet. I knew about her poetry, but I was not very informed about her, and in reality that turned out to be something very positive. It allowed me to undertake the work not as if I were writing about an icon, but in order to find her humanity”, said Rodriguez for an American media.

This writer, producer, actor and director of Latin origin modernized the dramatic play venturing elements of humor as the creation of the character “Sylvestre”, who is a naive man, which is not accepted neither in Haiti nor in the Dominican Republic, so in the scenes of conversation with “Camila” speaks in a colloquial regionalist language, which produces in the audience, acceptance, identification and laughter. Rodriguez explains that his main objective in carrying out this work was to represent the Latino in other facets and not as usual (linked to drug trafficking or other problems), he wanted to change the stereotype of Latin in dramaturgies and films.

“I’m sure they are successful … but we have other stories to share, another psychology to explore, and other issues with which our communities identify.”

Zaya and Marcos made a perfect duet for the creative realization of En Nombre de Salomé. Together, they analyzed every detail of the scenes and characters, recreated a part of the Dominican culture and highlighted the Caribbean artistic talent that according to Zaya is still scarce in the theater.

For the author Julia Álvarez, poet, novelist, and American essayist of Dominican descent, it was a pleasant impression to see the dramaturgy in the Repertorio Español. “It is so rewarding when an artist sees that her play has inspired another artist and that through that artist the word spreads and we reach more and more people … It is a way to spread the stories that are important to our history and culture … Especially at times like this, when so many in the Latino community feel harassed, unwanted and undervalued”. This playwriting, the last October, was awarded with four HOLA (Hispanic Organization of Latino Actors) Awards, including: Outstanding Achievement in Dramaturgy and Outstanding Production of the Year.

En el Nombre de Salomé Next performances:

• Friday, December 1st at 8pm Cost: $17 – $72
• Tuesday, December 12th at 11am Cost: $30 Venue: Repertorio Español

Location: 138 East 27th Street, New York, NY 10016

To get more information about EN EL NOMBRE DE SALOMÉ, please visit their website http://www.marcoantoniorodriguez.com/

To the motherland

Tear, my homeland, the mantle that vilely, on your shoulders put the barbaric cruelty; already raises the bloody forehead from the dust, and sings the holy hymn of union and freedom.

Get up to gird yourself with the purple of glory, oh you, the world’s favorite of Columbus! Your sovereign rank dispute history, demand your laurel and your coat of arms from fame.

And ask your children, called to holy union, to carve you a grandiose pedestal of virtues, to affirm forever the powerful plant, showing the nations your immortal title.

And let, beloved country, let my hymns of pleasure mix with yours in the sonorous wind; Allow me to celebrate your joy and your contentment, as I regretted with you your bitter suffering.

I saw your own children yoking you to the iron yoke, making you an instrument of their cruel revenge; for a scepter they put the executioner’s ax for you, and funereal cypresses formed your canopy.

And then you looked at them outlaws, wandering, wandering tearful foreign beaches; and sad and downcast dying eyes I saw you return to heaven tired of crying.

You know how many times with your unfortunate pain I wept for your misfortune, I wept for your destruction, just as the daughters of Zion once wept for the ruin and havoc of its walls.

And you know that, like them, I hung from your palm groves the harp with which I wanted to sing your facts, because when I watched your blood flow relentlessly to the seas I couldn’t even prelude a chord sound.

But today that it seems you are reborn to another life, with holy rejoicing I take down my lute, to tell the world, if it judged you defeated, that, phoenix, you resurrect with new youth;

that you already hold the standard as the scepter of the free and your mother-of-pearl and sapphire sky as your canopy, and you go with progress, which flies to illuminate you, in pursuit of the bright future that flatters you;

that now your new children embrace each other like brothers, and swear to restore your dignity to your anguish, and among them there are neither serfs nor tyrants, and peace and good give us union and freedom.

O idolized country! Girded with high glory, prepare to be queen of the world of Columbus: your sovereign rank already guards history, fame presents you with your laurel and your coat of arms.

Salome Urena (1874)

North America / USA / New York

Social dancing is one of my favorite things about the Latin dance world. There’s something magical about going to any social, but especially one in New York City. As I step out of the elevator and into the social, New York’s busy streets fade away and transported to an entirely different time and place. Music vibrates through the room. The air hangs heavy with sweat. Here I am free to feel, to create, to imagine. Here I am safe.

But it didn’t always feel this way. There was a time when the idea of going to any social left me anxious and uncomfortable. I felt nervous asking leaders to dance. I dreaded the part in the dance when he would let me go and leave me on my own for shines––what would I do?! Surely I’d run out of steps and embarrass myself.

The biggest thing that has changed since then and now is my ability to follow. As I’ve become a better follower, I’m able to devote more energy to creating actual movement while I’m social dancing, and spend less time thinking about which foot I step with or which hand I take.

For me, a lot of the magic of social dancing comes from the movement itself. That dancer’s high comes from the physical exertion itself, the endorphins your body creates as it bends and twists, contracts and lengthens.

Practicing the very fundamentals of leadand-follow will help you get to this state in your own social dancing. Take classes and private lessons too, but don’t forget to spend time practicing on your own. Without dedicated practice, you’ll waste all of the time and money you spend on classes. It doesn’t matter if you practice in a studio space or in your living room, just devote time to practicing.

It’s also helpful to set a goal for yourself each time you go out social dancing and focus on that one particular thing all night. For example, if you just learned a new pattern in class, try to use it at least once during each dance. If you’re working on transferring your weight, pay special attention to your six/seven or your two/three during every dance.

Actively creating a community is another large part of being a successful social dancer. While the salsa scene is an incredibly diverse community, it still has a strong Latin influence, and there are certain Latin cultural norms present throughout any salsa community regardless of city, state, or country. Perhaps the one that took me the longest to figure out is the idea that it’s your responsibility to go around and say hello and goodbye to everyone in the room, whether you know them well or not.

Growing up I was taught that it is rude to ask questions or insert yourself into a conversation with people you don’t know that well. It took me a while to learn and understand that at a salsa social, it’s considered rude not to. Be the person who walks into the room and says hello to everyone with a kiss on the cheek. Say hello to them even if you don’t know their name, or don’t quite recognize their face. Even if doing so feels a bit uncomfortable. Make sure to make the rounds and say goodbye before you leave the event too.

Successful social dancers also ask others to dance. Followers, this applies to you as much as it does to leaders! Ask the person you really want to dance with to dance, even if you’re scared to do it. Ask the person you’re not excited about dancing with too. It will make their night. Ask the regulars in the community you see all the time, the newcomers, and out of town visitors.

Finally, a huge part of creating any community is showing up. You don’t have to go out social dancing every weekend, but do make an effort to go out regularly. Show up and show your support for recurring socials, as well as those special events and anniversary parties. The social dancing community only flourishes as much as the people in it and for this global community to grow, we all have to devote energy and time to it.