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Arts & Culture

Centro Premieres New Documentary on Nuyorican Icon Tato Laviera
On Thursday, May 3rd, Centro hosted the premiere screening of its latest film, AmeRícan Poet: Tato Laviera (2018), which took place inside a packed auditorium on the second floor of Hunter College’s Silberman School of Social Work in East Harlem. The one-hour documentary explores the life and legacy of Jesus Abraham ‘Tato’ Laviera , one of the leading figures of the Nuyorican movement , who...
Sylvia del Villard: Afro-Puerto Rican Activist, Dancer, & Actress
Editor's Note: The following biography appears on the website of the Fundación Nacional Para La Cultura Popular. To read the original version in Spanish, [ click here ]. The actress, dancer, singer, choreographer, and orator Sylvia del Villard Moreno, was one of the greatest spokespersons for Afro-Puerto Rican culture. Sylvia completed her elementary and high school education in Santurce...
The Puerto Rican Cuatro Graduates From the Berklee College of Music
Editor's note: The following article was first published by the website 80grados. To read the original Spanish version, [ click here ]. The Puerto Rican instrument par excellence, the cuatro, graduated this past Friday evening, February 23, from the University of Berklee in Boston, in the hands of Gurabo-native Fabiola Méndez, who, in her recital, “Al otro lado del charco” offered an...
Remembering “La Majestad Negra” of Doña Sylvia del Villard-Moreno
Editor's Note: Sylvia del Villard (1928-1990) was a celebrated Afro-Puerto Rican activist, dancer, choreographer, actress, and declamadora, that the Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular describes as "one of the greatest spokespersons for Afro-Puerto Rican culture." In 2015, del Villard was posthumously honored by the National Puerto Rican Day Parade [see video below]. In the following essay...
Dark Humor in Dark Times: Teofilo Torres as Pateco el sepulturero at the Loisaida Center
Wearing black rubber boots, a heavy black winter jacket, and a worn straw hat, Teofilo Torres stumbled into the room carrying with him a jug of pitorro and an old shovel. The smell of cigar smoke trailed him as a small ensemble seated on stage provided a soundtrack of jíbaro music. The 53-year-old Puerto Rican actor and renowned monologist was in character as Pateco the Gravedigger, a drunken...
Podcasts a lo boricua
Before reading this list, you should probably ask yourself a couple of questions. For example, do you know what a podcast is ? If not, no need to worry. It’s still a fairly new concept with a broad definition. We would, however, recommend reading this brief introduction. Next question: do you know how to listen to a podcast? Again, there are a lot of answers, but overall, it’s easier than you...
Las Tres Hermanas: Art, Education, & Activism
In mid-November, “ Las Tres Hermanas: Art, Education & Activism ” opened for the third time this year. The traveling exhibit tells the story of three Puerto Rican activist sisters: Elba Cabrera, Lillian López, and Dr. Evelina Antonetty. “I never in a million years thought we would be honored in this way,” says Elba, the youngest and last surviving sibling. “I just wish my sisters were still...
Our Latin Thing: The Nuyorican Experience in Narrative Film
Editor's note: The following essay is a reprint of a classic essay that serves as an introduction to the history of Nuyorican cinema. For more information, visit http://www.prdream.com/film.html . The films mentioned in this essay were made in the United States and had a Puerto Rican in one or two creative capacities, that of director or writer. They span nearly three decades, from the seventies...
2017 National Heritage Fellow Modesto Cepeda Lights Up Washington D.C.
On the evening of September 15th, 2017, George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium was rockin’. There wasn’t a foot not tapping or hands not clapping. Maestro Modesto Cepeda Brenes and his talented ensemble Cimiento de Puerto Rico, were IN THE HOUSE, Puerto Rican flags waving and sharing their joy with the crowd via bomba and plena music. Tonight was the culmination of a 2-day celebration–...
Nuyorican Basketball in Puerto Rico: A Game-Changing Documentary
Short version of the story: A group of Nuyoricans changed the history of Puerto Rican basketball forever. There’s now a movie about it. Longer version of the story: Of course we all know about the great migration of Puerto Ricans to the United States during the 40s and 50s. Even if we have never been to New York, we know of a Puerto Rican friend, cousin, great-grandparent who has visited or grew...

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