Soy Andina: The Blog

Soy Andina in San Francisco: Thursday June 26, at the Brava Theater (part of SF Ethnic Dance Festival)

We're returning to the Bay Area for the prestigious:
San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival
Thursday, June 26, 7:30
Brava Theater
2781 24th St. (in the Mission District)

Screening Plus:    
- Live dance by Cynthia Paniagua!
- Post-screening party/show at Pachamama!

RSVP FOR $10 TICKETS ($12 at door)
rsvp@latinofilmfestival.org 

 Co-presented by International Latino Film Festival (ILFF) -- thanks to artistic director Sylvia Perel and programmer Charlotte von Hemert. This is our second collaboration with the dynamic duo from the ILFF, following last fall's screening at La Peña in Berkeley.

Click below for downloadable flyer, help spread the word! (a collectors item)

photos from last fall's show with the ILFS at La Peña in Berkeley in Berkeley,CA

Press:
sfstation 

SF Gate (Chronicle)

"The Most Exciting Peruvian Restaurant Concept in NYC," seeking investors

That's how entrepreneur (and former McKinsey and IBM consultant) Edgar Perez describes Peruvian Bistro, the $1.2 million restaurant he's developing in New York City with a team of veteran consultants.

Soy Andina educational consultant Carolina Huaranca introduced me to Edgar after reading about a spectacular five-course Tasting Meal Tasting Meal (Pisco Sours included!) planned for July.

We've proposed that one or both Soy Andina stars perform -- one mesmerizing dance with either Nelida or Cynthia, and investors will be fighting for a piece of the action.

Investment opportunities are still available. See a video presentation here. Contact Edgar for more information at 516-761-4712, eperezs@optonline.net, or on Facebook/Linkedin.

Inti Raymi in New York!

Our friends at Abyayala Arte y Cultura have announced the 2008 edition of the spectacular Inti Raymi Andean festival in New York, Sunday June 29 at St. Marks Church in Manhattan, 2nd Avenue at 10th street.

For a list of participants, click to enlarge the poster.

Soy Andina will be represented by associate producer (and executive wife) Doris Loayza, dancing as a palla (royal Incan princess) for the first time in New York!

More info: intiraymi.abyayala AT gmail

May 29: Presentation of new book about Llamellín by Rósulo Reyes Espinoza

Rósulo Reyes Espinoza has written a new book about the now-famous town of Llamellín.

The book is titled "Ucrania peruana: Llamellín, Antonio Raimondi, Ancash," and it's a thorough investigation of the history and culture of this fascinating Andean town and region.

If you're in Lima, you can attend a presentation with the author Thursday May 29 at Club Ancash (Jesus Maria).

More about the book and presentation, here (in Spanish)

What's The Hustle got to do with Peruvian Dance?

Last weekend Doris and I went to a surprise birthday party for our Filipino friend Irene at a Brazilian Sports Bar in Astoria, Queens. There we met Jenny, an award-winning dancer who showed off her Hustle moves in the borough made famous by Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever -- and more recently by Cynthia Paniagua in Soy Andina:

The Vermont-Peru connection

Peru's not the only place where folks gather for traditional ritual celebration -- I've been going to southeast Vermont for years to reconnect with old friends (many met through Earthstory) for celebrations like this Beltane circle at the Brattleboro Farmers Market (featuring appearances by famed mother/daughter radio talk show hosts Chandra and Tara, and associate producer Doris Loayza).

More photos here from our May 2008 trip, documenting some of events like Beltane, Nature Walks and Morris Dancing.

May 22 in NYC: Art for Change/Carlitos Cafe reunion -- help build a cultural center in East Harlem!

Message from our friends from Carlitos/Art for Change:

Join us for a Carlitos Cafe reunion! Open Mic and Concert benefiting Art for Change and an East Harlem cultural center

Featuring Open Mike, Live Music, Raffle, Limbo Contest, World Famous bartenders and more....

Thursday, May 22nd, 6pm - midnight
Julia De Burgos Cultural Center (1680 Lexington Ave)

$12 in advance online (or $15 at door)
More info on the Carlitos or Art for Change websites!

Soy Andina at Dance on Camera/Jacob Burns Film Center (Westchester County, NY) May 10 & 11 -- with live dance by Cynthia Paniagua!

(click to enlarge)

Very excited about this screening, since we have many Peruvian friends in Westchester asking for Soy Andina!

And the Jacob Burns Film Center is the best theater in the county - a restored landmark dedicated to world cinema and community outreach. Even better, we're part of the renowned Dance on Camera Touring Series. Best of all -- Cynthia Paniagua is back in town, and will be performing her extraordinary dance piece "Despierta Peru" after Sunday's screening -- not to be missed.

Sat May 10, 4:30 pm and Sun May 11, 6:30 pm. Tickets and more info from the Jacob Burns Film Center

More photos from The Jacob Burns Screening here

 PRESS AND REACTIONS: BELOW

Post-screening dinner (after Saturday show at Burns Film Center)

Fredy Aguero, Rosanna Ramos-Velita, Hans Levin
Originally uploaded by MTeplitsky.

That's Fredy Aguero, me, Rosanna Ramos-Velita and Hans Levin, shamelessly devouring burgers (sorry, no Peruvian restaurant in walking distance).

Fredy's a Westchester County resident, but originally from Huari, just a hop, skip and a mountain peak down the road from Llamellin. We first met at an Andino festival in Pt. Chester some years back.

Fredi said the movie made him cry three times (in a good way!): "Soy Andina let us meet and share great special moments. No matter our cultural roots, Soy Andina lives inside us. Thank you!!!

And I met Rosanna and Hans just a couple months earlier at the Wharton Conference in Lima, and turns out they are my neighbors in Manhattan! I expect to be writing more about this extraordinary couple in future blogs....

Cinema Tropical: Your one-stop online source to Latin American Cinema in the USA

If you're reading this, you care about Latin American films, therefore you must subscribe to Cinema Tropical, the weekly guide to Latin American Films playing in your city.

I've known co-founder Carlos A. Gutiérrez since the late 90s, when he was working for the Mexican Cultural Institute and I for the Film Society of Lincoln Center. Carlos has been very supportive of Soy Andina since the early days, lending his dashing presence at our fundraisers, premiere, and of course, always listing our screenings in the CT newsletter.

I got a special kick out of seeing Soy Andina listed right below Vargas Llosa's La Fiesta Del Chivo this week (we're at the Jacob Burn Center, "Chivo" at Museo del Barrio), since it was just last month I met the legendary author himself at the Wharton Conference in Lima.

Carlos Guitierrez and fans
(SA Fundraiser, Peru ambassador residence, NYC, May 2004)

Mario Vargas Llosa and fan
Wharton Conference, Lima, Peru, March 2008)
Photo courtesy of Rocio Infante from Ashoka)