Casa Azul Of Greensboro

HOSTED EVENT - DIA DE MUERTOS IS CELEBRATED IN MEXICO AND PARTS OF THE UNITED STATES ON OR AROUND NOVEMBER 2ND. ON THIS HOLIDAY, PEOPLE REMEMBER AND HONOR THEIR DECEASED LOVED ONES. PEOPLE VISIT CEMETERIES TO DECORATE THE GRAVES AND TO BE IN THE PRESENCE OF THEIR DECEASED FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS. THEY ALSO CREATE OFRENDAS IN THEIR HOMES IN HONOR OF THOSE WHO HAVE PASSED. THE DAY IS A UNIQUE ASPECT OF MEXICAN CULTURE PASSED DOWN THROUGH GENERATIONS, BEGINNING WELL BEFORE THE ARRIVAL OF EUROPEANS. UNESCO NAMED THE CELEBRATION AS PART OF THE INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE OF HUMANITY IN 2008. PARTICIPATING ARTISTS: BALLET FOLKLORICO CORAZON DE MEXICO AND "MARIA ELENA VALDEZ. LA REINA DEL MARIACHI"NOCHES LATINAS AT THE PARK. EVERY FIRST FRIDAY BEGINNING IN MAY TILL NOVEMBER. IT TAKES PLACE AT LEBAUER PARK. THIS IS A 45-MINUTE DANCE LESSON FOLLOWED BY A 2.5 HOUR DANCE SOCIAL. IT ATTRACTS BETWEEN 300 TO 400 PEOPLE EACH TIME. THE CLASS IS TAUGHT BY MARIA GONZALEZ (BOARD MEMBER) AND SHE ALSO LEADS THE SOCIAL THROUGHOUT THE EVENING. MARIA GONZALEZ: MUSIC AND DANCE. ORIGINALLY FROM COLOMBIA. SHE IS THE CO-FOUNDER OF GSO NATIONAL DANCE DAY AND DANCES WITH GREENSBORO SALSEROS. SHE HAS GIVEN DANCE CLASSES TO GREENSBORO CITY EMPLOYEES DURING HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH (2021), AND HP DISCOVER AND YWCA NOCHES DE BAILE IN HIGH POINT. SHE LEADS CASA AZUL PROGRAM NOCHES LATINAS AT THE PARK. AS PART OF HER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, SHE CONSTANTLY PARTICIPATES IN DANCE WORKSHOPS. SHE HAS PARTICIPATED AT THE WORKSHOP WITH WORLD-CLASS & INTERNATIONAL SALSA ARTIST BETSY CORTEZ (CHARLOTTE, JULY 2022), WORKSHOP WITH AFRO-CUBAN DANCE WITH MARISOL BLANCO (DURHAM, SEPTEMBER 2022 AND FEBRUARY 2023) AND PRIVATE LESSONS BY ANNIE VELEZ (DURING 2023)ART SERIES: LATITUDES IN AFRO-LATINX ART. IN THIS SERIES, CASA AZUL HIGHLIGHTED ARTWORKS AND PRACTICES THAT EXPLORED THE AFRICAN INFLUENCE IN LATIN-AMERICANS CULTURES. THE SERIES ENGAGED WITH THE AFRO-LATINX EXPRESSIONS IN THEIR DIVERSITIES, EXPANSIONS, AND IMAGINATIONS. THE SERIES HAD SEVERAL EVENTS THAT TOOK PLACE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER OF 2023. THE EVENTS WERE THE FOLLOWING: AN ART EXHIBIT AT THE AFRICAN AMERICAN ATELIER. A ROUND-TABLE DISCUSSION WITH THE ARTISTS THAT SHOWED THEIR WORK IN THE ART EXHIBIT, A TALK ON THE AFRICAN INFLUENCE IN LATIN RHYTHMS. TALK, DEMONSTRATION, BY BETTO HERRERA. DIRECTOR OF MAMBO DINMICO DANCE COMPANY AND A DANCE SOCIAL HIGHLIGHTING LATIN RHYTHMS WITH AFRICAN INFLUENCE. CREATIVE LEADERSHIP FOR THE ART SERIES:CURATOR FOR THE ART EXHIBIT: PAULA DAMASCENO. SHE IS AN AFRO-LATINX AWARDED VISUAL ARTIST AND EMERGING CURATOR. DAMASCENO'S WORK INTERSECTS PHOTOGRAPHY AND MATERIAL CULTURE TO EXPRESS AND DISCUSS CULTURE THROUGH FORM AND SHAPE. DAMASCENO WAS SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE LIGHT WORK ARTIST RESIDENCY IN 2022 AND IS CURRENTLY PURSUING AN MFA AT THE SCHOOL OF THE INSTITUTE OF ART AND DESIGN OF CHICAGO FROM WHICH SHE WAS AWARDED A FULL MERIT-BASED SCHOLARSHIP. SHE HOLDS A BFA WITH A CONCENTRATION IN PHOTOGRAPHY FROM UNC GREENSBORO. SHE WAS AWARDED THE 2020 HARIBAN JUROR'S CHOICE AWARD CHOSEN BY LUCY GALLUN AND THE SILVER 2020 FINE ART AWARD FROM THE BUDAPEST INTERNATIONAL PHOTO AWARD. SHE EXHIBITED AT THE WEATHERSPOON MUSEUM AND THE SOUTHEASTERN CENTER FOR PHOTOGRAPHY. HER FIRST SOLO EXHIBITION IS SCHEDULED FOR THE WINTER OF 2024 AT THE HORACE WILLIAMS HOUSE IN CHAPEL HILL. THE FOLLOWING WERE THE ARTISTS SELECTED FOR THE EXHIBITION.1LETHICIA THOMAS. 2. GILSER FUENTES. 3. KAREN SALINAS. 4. MARIA TAVAREZ 5. MELVIN D. NIX6. RAPHAEL SERRANO DISLA 7. MATTHEW JOHNSONTALK ON MUSIC BY BETTO HERRERA. HE IS THE FOUNDER OF MAMBO DINAMICO DANCE COMPANY BASED IN DURHAM. HE HAS OVER 20 YEARS OF TEACHING EXPERIENCE AND HAS EDUCATED PEOPLE ABOUT LATIN CULTURE THROUGH MUSIC AND DANCE. IN HIS WORK WITH MAMBO DINAMICO BETTO HAS BEEN FOSTERING THE LOVE FOR AFRO LATIN DANCE AND MUSIC THROUGH INSTRUCTION, PERFORMANCE, AND SOCIAL EVENTS. HIS LECTURES BRING A MIXTURE OF DANCE, CULTURE, AND HISTORY AND TAKE THE AUDIENCE ON A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME AND SPACE FROM AFRICA, EUROPE, THE CARIBBEAN, AND THE AMERICAS. BETTO'S DANCE JOURNEY GIVES YOU AN UNDERSTANDING AND A SENSE OF APPRECIATION TOWARDS AFRICAN CULTURE AND ITS CONTRIBUTIONS TO ART AND SOCIETY OBSERVED IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE US TODAY. ORIGINALLY FROM ECUADOR MOVED TO WEST NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY WITH HIS FAMILY IN 1996, WHERE HE STUDIED DANCE UNDER ISMAEL OTERO, ONE OF THE PIONEERS OF MAMBO AND SALSA DANCING IN THE AREA. HE MOVED TO RALEIGH IN 2004 WHERE HE CONTINUED HIS DANCE TRAINING IN DIFFERENT LATIN DANCE STYLES. HE TRAINED IN TANGO TECHNIQUES WITH FELLOW INSTRUCTOR DANIEL MCCLAIN. HE ALSO RECEIVED MENTORSHIP AND TRAINING FROM CUBAN MASTER FELIX "PUPY" INSUA IN AFRO-CUBAN MOVEMENT AND DANCE.