Featuring:  Mambo Blue, Golpe Tierra, Tony Castaneda, Grupo Candela and Special Dance Rview by Dando Mambo.

All proceeds go to Doctors without Borders for Latin America Disaster Relief!

Sponsored by Centro Hispano, WORT, Cardinal, Madison-Camagüey Sister City Associaion.

Skloot’s play, written in 2006 and translated last year by Bertha Pancorvo, was passed along to a small theatre company, Grupo Teatral Teatro, by Orestes Larios, one of the two artists who visited Madison last year. The company’s director, Onel Ramirez, agreed to produce the one-act play, and gave it its first full staging; in previous appearances in the U.S. and Europe, the play had only been given staged readings. Prior to the premiere, Skloot delivered a lecture about the subject of the play at the Galeria Larios.

Lemkin was the great international lawyer who coined the word genocide and who wrote the treaty against genocide that was ratified by the United Nations in 1951. Today, Lemkin’s name and importance are not well recognized, and the audience’s enthusiastic reception of the play in Camaguey also displayed a great curiosity to know more about Lemkin. A number of Cuban journalists attended the lecture and performance, and later wrote stories about Lemkin, and cited the Madison-Camaguey linkage and the importance of the mutual artistic exchanges that have lately characterized our cities’ relationship.

While in Camagüey, Skloot toured other performing spaces, and worked with the acting company in its final preparations for the premiere. “I was very satisfied with the performance,” Skloot said. “Seeing the play come alive in Spanish was wonderful, and the actors and director worked successfully to bring the play to life. It was both impressive and moving.” Skloot, a retired professor of theatre at the University of Wisconsin, was invited back by Ramirez and troupe to work again with the company.

(For more information about the play or future productions, write to the playwright at: rskloot [at] wisc.edu  .)

Camagüey, Como parte del proyecto de intercambio cultural “Mentes y manos unidas por el Arte”, se estrena en esta ciudad,  la obra Aunque todo el cuerpo muera, escrita  por Robert Skloot, destacado dramaturgo y profesor de la Universidad de Wisconsin, en el estado norteamericano de Madison.

Con la puesta en escena de la pieza, se consolidan  los lazos de hermandad, suscritos hace 15 años entre las ciudades de Camagüey y Madison;  por lo que  Robert Skloot  llegará aquí para la conclusión del montaje de la obra y el estreno con  el grupo Teatral Teatro, dirigido por el actor y dramaturgo Onel Ramírez Morgado.

En la  obra Aunque todo el cuerpo muera,  concebida en un acto, Skloot, parte del origen de la palabra “Genocidio”, reconocida por las Naciones Unidas luego de terminada la Segunda Guerra Mundial.

La pieza, por tanto, tiene como objetivo también  reconocer a Rafael Lemkin, autor de la Convención para la Prevención y la Sanción del delito de genocidio.

La historia narrada por Skloot, condena el fascismo, y los crímenes de guerra, y rinde tributo a quienes entregaron sus vidas en la lucha contra el genocidio o fueron víctimas de él.

¿Por qué se estrena en Camagüey la obra del norteamericano Robert Skloot?

Los antecedentes están en la visita realizada, en noviembre de 2009 por los reconocidos artistas de la plástica Orestes Larios Zaak y Gregorio Pérez Escobar, a la ciudad de Madison, Estados Unidos, donde exhibieron sus obras.

Comenzó así el programa de intercambio cultural entre las ciudades de Madison y Camagüey, con  el objetivo de fortalecer los lazos de amistad suscritos hace 15 años, entre los Alcaldes de las dos ciudades, y ampliarlos  a otras manifestaciones del arte.

El Dr. Robert Skloot, -anfitrión en noviembre de 2009 de la visita de los pintores camagüeyanos- con una vasta experiencia educativa y autor de varias obras puestas en el teatro, propuso entregar la pieza para su estreno en esta provincia a un grupo que trabajara el realismo poético o sintético como estética.

Las primeras coordinaciones se realizan a través de la Filial  Camagüeyana de Artes Escénicas de la Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (UNEAC), con la primera actriz Reina Ayala y ella  con el director Onel Ramírez, y ambos estudian el texto y la posibilidad de realizar el montaje de la obra, cargada de dramatismo y de un rico antecedente histórico.

De esta manera, el Grupo Teatral Teatro asume el reto y el artista de la plástica Orestes Larios Zaak se convierte en gestor de este proyecto, que ya confirmado, estrenará la pieza  “Aunque todo el cuerpo muera”, en la Academia de las Artes de la Ciudad de los Tinajones.

Lazos entre Madison y Camagüey

Hace 15 años se iniciaron las relaciones entre las ciudades de Madison y Camagüey; período caracterizado por el intercambio, la entrega de donativos a instituciones médicas, la visita de estudiantes  norteamericanos, quienes se han  vinculado a  labores constructivas en varias instituciones de arte, la realización de encuentros culturales y el apoyo a la Sociedad Hebrea de la provincia agramontina.

Con el fin de celebrar los tres lustros del hermanamiento fueron invitados a realizar y exponer sus obras, en Madison,  los artistas Orestes Larios Zaak y Gregorio Pérez Escobar.

El apoyo de la Asociación de Ciudades Hermanadas, a la que  pertenece el Dr. Robert Skloot y cuyo esfuerzo personal ha sido permanentemente reconocido,  propicia la preparación de tan exitosos proyectos.

En esta ocasión la ciudad de Camagüey recibirá su visita para la conclusión del montaje de la obra y su estreno en el contexto del área de las Américas, hoy con asunto de plena vigencia que retoma la lucha contra el fascismo, los crímenes de guerra y el genocidio, en momentos donde se reconoce la constante violación del derecho internacional, y el mundo vive bajo el inminente peligro de una guerra nuclear.

At Cardinal Bar on Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Starting with program at 5:30 PM

A Celebration of Sistering and International Solidarity is a tribute to Madison’s sister city relationships with Arcatao (El Salvador), Camaguey (Cuba) and the special sister relationship between WORT-FM, our own Listener Sponsored Radio, and Radio Victoria in Cabanas, El Salvador.

Join us on Tuesday, May 4 for an evening of food, live & dj music, dancing, stories from recent visits and camaraderie. The program begins at 5:30 pm with an update on current conditions in Cuba by recent visitors to sister city Camaguey, followed by a report from the frontlines of the struggle against environmentally devastating gold-mining operations in Central America.

Stay for the music of Bonobo Secret Handshake, who will take the stage at 6:30 pm and provide two sets of groovy dance music, plus the Brazilian and international sounds of Dr. Beat on the turntables in between sets and after 9.

It’s all happening on Tuesday, May 4 at the Cardinal! A $10 donation (with a sliding scale) will be asked at the door.

From today to Sunday 18 groups like Congregation, Cry Out For, Akupunktura,
Cancerbero, Methastasys, Citadel, Parasomnia, Grinder Carnage, Breaking
Death, Konflikt, Uranium Willy, Antagon and Samada will play every night,
starting at 9: 00 pm, in the amphitheater of the Casino Campestre Cultural
Complex, to put their rhythmic arsenal to the test his and provide selection
of the main themes of their repertoire, the event organizer, Salvador Torres
Crespo, told Granma.

The program will also find room for the presentation of the latest issue of
Punto G, by its editor José Antonio González, and the fan magazine
Scriptorium.

From the 2nd to the 27th of November, 2009, the Madison-Camaguey Sister City Association hosted a visit from two noted Camagueyano artists, Orestes Larios Zaak (a painter) and Gregorio Perez Escobar (a sculptor). The visit had political significance because the Cubans received among the first artists’ visas issued by the U.S. government under the new Obama administration. Among the many events and appointments the Cubans had was an introduction to American politics — the Madison variety — when they attended a meeting of the city’s Common Council at which they received a warm welcome that included a proclamation congratulating them for their part in the Madison-Camaguey relationship which had achieved its 15th anniversary.   Partial support for the visit was provided by the Dane County Cultural Arts Commission.

Larios and Perez were invited to display their work at the DeRicci Gallery of Madison’s Edgewood College. Their exhibition was called “Celebrating Friendship/Celebrando Amistad.” Accompanied by the exhibit’s curator Maria Ofelia Granela, the work on view showed the distinct interests and differing perspectives of two artists whose work is beginning to achieve international recognition. Larios’s paintings are gentle and ruminative expressions of the natural environment and the (implied) threat to the natural world’s beauty. Perez’s sculptures in dark, polished wood are both aggressive and intricate in their expression of the lost human figure (often absent), but many pieces also possess a wry, surprising humor. More than a hundred enthusiastic patrons attended the opening reception on November 6.

There was an important educational component to the visit. Larios and Perez attended several art classes at Edgewood, working with students and their teachers. On Nov. 11th, members of the Madison/Dane County community heard an illustrated lecture on “Cuban Art from Colonial Days to Today.” The artists also travelled to Milwaukee at the invitation of the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, where they interacted with MIAD’s art students, and commented on the students’ work; they also presented a talk on the theme of “The Life of Cuban Artist in the 21st Century.” In addition, while in Milwaukee, they visited the city’s famous Art Museum and had the opportunity to visit Chicago’s Art Institute on a quick trip to the Windy City as well.

To be sure, the visit occasioned much socializing, including attending several important concerts featuring Cuban music and musicians. They visited Taliesen, Frank Lloyd Wright’s studio/school in Spring Green, WI, and a number of art galleries in the area. They attended a sabbath service at Madison’s Beth Israel Center (Larios is Jewish), and enjoyed many lunches and dinners provided by members of MCSCA and others with whom they became quick friends. Because the end of the visit coincided with Thanksgiving, they attended two gatherings and spoke eloquently about the friendship and love that they encountered, and about the importance of their visit as an opening wedge in what they hoped would be a fully engaged cultural interchange between Cuba and the U.S.

The Madison-Camaguey Sister City Association hopes to make that dream a reality, and will plan for more visits TO Cuba by U.S. artists. In the meantime, we have the memory of an extraordinary month of activities and encounters to inspire the continuation of this work. Please contact MCSCA if you would like to participate in planning future exchanges.

The performances will cover the musical spectrum of Latin jazz, mambo, chachacha, charanga, salsa and merengue, and it is being welcomed by listener-sponsored community radio WORT-FM.

Organized last year to raise funds for hurricane victims in the Caribbean, the Latin Music Fest attracted over 400 people to the Majestic, inspiring promoters to make it an annual event on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

The Majestic will open its doors at 8 pm. The event is 21+ and a donation of $10 will be asked for at the door.

Mr. Ricardo Gonzalez,

President of the Madison-Camagüey Association.

The committee members have already declared II Annual International Video Art Festival of Camagüey event an undeniable reality — even before opening night.   We realized at the outset that our project would require the full backing of people and institutions.  We knew that  it was essential to have their good will and that they be fully prepared to engage in this project, which supports the dissemination of theory and practice of video arts in the province, the country and a good part of the world.  We also knew that the financial constraints of our situation would hamper our ability to develop the festival to its full potential.  We had to consider not only the primary role technology plays in the genre, but also the scope of our goal: to make this a true achievement in the field of camagüeyano cultural events.

But we didn’t give up.  Today, after almost a year of intense work, we can announce that the II Annual International Video Arts Festival this year received 237 works by 127 artists representing 27 countries and will include the participation of delegates from 10 countries.

With this achievement, the steering committee has the pleasure of thanking you and your institution for the backing you offered this cultural project, for the fulfillment of a promise made, and for the the confidence that you provided us by being able to count on you.   This being so, please accept this simple gesture of thanks from our committee, and please understand the privilege and satisfaction that we feel in having involved you in the realization of the Festival.

With sincere appreciation and hope of new collaborations in the future,

The Steering Committee

II Annual International Festival of Camagüey

_________________________________________

Estimado Sr. Ricardo González
Presidente de la asociación MADISON-CAMAGUEY

Aun cuando el II Festival Internacional de Videoarte de Camagüey no ha llegado a su noche de inauguración, los miembros de su Comité Organizador están en condiciones de declarar que este es ya una realidad inobjetable. Desde los primeros días de trabajo supimos que nuestras aspiraciones demandarían -sin evitación posible- del respaldo de personas, instituciones, buenas voluntades en sentido general, que estuvieran dispuestas a involucrarse en un proyecto para la difusión del pensamiento y la práctica videartísticas de la provincia, el país y también buena parte del mundo. Por otra parte sabíamos que las austeridades cotidianas de nuestra realidad lastrarían el despliegue cabal del festival, signado no sólo por el protagonismo tecnológico, sino además por las intenciones de convertirse en un verdadero acontecimiento cultural dentro de los predios camagüeyanos. Pero no desistimos. Hoy, después de casi un año de trabajo intenso, podemos anunciar que el II Festival Internacional de Videoarte de Camagüey  recibió este año 237 obras de  127 artistas en representación de 27 países y  contará con la participación de  delegados de más de 10 paises.
Ante esta realidad, el Comité Organizador del Festival siente el placer de agradecerle a usted y la institución que representa por el respaldo brindado para la realización de este proyecto cultural, por el cumplimiento del compromiso asumido, por la seguridad que nos proporcionó haber contado con usted. Siendo así, lleguen en este sencillísimo gesto las gracias de este comité y sienta el privilegio y satisfacción que experimentamos al saberlo involucrado en la realización del Festival.

Con gratitud sincera y esperanza de futuras nuevas colaboraciones,

Comité Organizador
II Festival Internacional de Videoarte de Camagüey

“Tiempo Libre is one of the hottest Latin jazz bands hitting the scenes today.  Expertly blending the sounds of their native Cuba with those of Florida, they were named “Best Latin Band 2008″ by the Miami New Times. A hit in the U.S. and abroad, the group is celebrated for its incendiary, joyful performances of timba, an irresistible, dance-inducing mix of high-voltage Latin jazz, and the seductive rhythms of son, adding salsa to the mix. We dare you to stay seated!”

Tiempo Libre Web Site

Presenting Partners:

Dando Mambo Salsa Dancers, Camaguey Sister City Association

Adolfo Silva Sept 20, 2009

Camagüey, The painter Orestes Larios and the sculptor Gregorio Pérez have been invited to present their works in Madison as part of the fifteenth anniversary of the Sister City relationship between that US city and the capital of Camagüey.  Larios stated that the exhibition would take place from  November 6 to November 24 at the D’Ricci Gallery and will have more than 20 pieces featuring environmental concerns

The interview touched on the details of the trip in which the artists will meet with many groups including art students, professional artists and members of the Latin American community

Founded in 1836 in northeast (sic) North America, Madison is the capital city of the state of Wisconsin.

Larios has traveled three times previously to launch exhibitions in Philadelphia, Miami and Colorado.

This September, Camagüey celebrates the the 35th anniversary of Larios’ professional life, which includes the opening of an exhibit by Italian photographer Alfredo Canatello.

The artist is director of the gallery/workshop Larios located in a large eighteenth century house two blocks off of the Plaza de Armas, in the area designated by the UN as a Cultural Heritage site.  The insitution has a gallery for exhibitions and offers courses in the plastic arts.

__________________________

Camagüey,  (AIN) El pintor Orestes Larios y el escultor Gregorio Pérez fueron invitados a exponer obras suyas en Madison, en ocasión del XV aniversario del hermanamiento entre esa ciudad estadounidense y la capital camagüeyana.

Larios declaró a la AIN que la muestra se desarrollará del seis al 24 de noviembre en “D’Ricci Gallery”, con más de 20 piezas relativas a la protección del medio ambiente.

El interlocutor aludió también a los preparativos de la visita y en la cual ambos autores realizarán, además, encuentros con estudiantes de arte, creadores profesionales y miembros de la comunidad latinoamericana, entre otras.

Fundada en 1836 en el noreste norteamericano, Madison es la ciudad cabecera del estado de Wisconsin.
Larios viajó antes tres veces a los Estados Unidos para inaugurar exhibiciones de pinturas suyas, en Filadelfia, Miami y Colorado.

En septiembre próximo conmemorará en la capital provincial el aniversario 35 de su vida artística, en una celebración que incluirá la apertura de una muestra de fotos tomadas por el italiano Alfredo Canatello.

El artista es director de la galería-taller Larios, ubicada en una casona del siglo XVIII a dos cuadras de la antigua Plaza de Armas, en el sector local declarado Patrimonio Cultural de la Humanidad.

La institución tiene una galería para exposiciones y ofrece cursos concernientes a la plástica, entre otras modalidades de su programa cultural.