First Friday: Art, Music, Dancing! With AIM Fellow Carla Maldonado
Friday, May 3, 2024
6–9PM • Free!
Please RSVP
Schedule:
6PM – Choreographing The End Of The World: A Dance Workshop with AIM Fellow Carla Maldonado
7PM – Salsa dance tutorial with Instructor Talia Castro-Pozo
7:30PM – Live salsa music by Johnny Mambo & Friends and dancing!
All are invited to The Bronx Museum for this fun evening of art, music, and dancing that is part of our ongoing series of events that take place after-hours on the first Friday of a month. You are welcome to drop-in, but you can let us know if you plan to stop by with an RSVP.
This First Friday features a dance workshop with AIM Fellow Carla Maldonado, as part of our exhibition Bronx Calling: The Sixth AIM Biennial (Part Two).
In addition, we are thrilled to welcome back salsa dance instructor Talia Castro-Pozo—who will be offering an open-level free salsa tutorial. And the band Johnny Mambo & Friends will be playing live salsa music throughout the evening!
Choreographing The End Of The World: A Dance Workshop with AIM Fellow Carla Maldonado
AIM Fellow Carla Maldonado, whose installation Rituals for the End of the World is on view in Part Two of The Sixth AIM Biennial, is offering this free open-level workshop titled Choreographing the End of the World.
Maldonado will begin the workshop by highlighting a key source of inspiration for her work: Marina Guzzo’s essay Dance Away the Crisis from the book Sensing Earth: Cultural Quests Across a Heated Globe. Through the lens of Brazilian culture and in the context of the current climate crisis, the essay argues that choreography and dance are transformative tools for processing emotions, fostering resistance, igniting hope, and collective healing.
One of the dance styles highlighted in the essay is twerking, and Maldonado will teach participants in her workshop the basics of this dance style. The workshop concludes with a short performance from Maldonado and then an opportunity for all to join in the joy and liberation of dancing.
Artist Bios
Carla Maldonado
I am a Brazilian artist, working with film, photography, site-specific installation and the multimedia experience of their intersection. I create visual narratives influenced by queer ecofeminism, intertwining captivating imagery with social criticism.
With my lens, I investigate contemporary relationships with the environment within socio-political structures, highlighting issues related to the global climate crisis, exploitation of nature, and colonialism. Every piece I conceptualize, film, photograph, edit, and direct stands as a form of resistance against the destructive actions driven by Western imperialism.
Beauty in my work isn't just a visual component; it's a revolutionary statement, a transformative tool employed to ignite dialogue, stimulate critical thinking, and inspire visions of new futures.
Talia Castro Pozo
Formerly, “Peruvian Ballet Representative to the World,” Talía represented Peru in the most prestigious ballet competitions around the globe. Talía started dancing at the age of three, becoming the youngest Soloist to join the National Ballet of Peru at age 14. After relocating to New York City to study at the prestigious School of American Ballet, she was able to expand her dance abilities by training in other forms of dance including, Contemporary, Modern, Jazz, Ballroom & Latin, among other styles. Talía graduated from the William Esper Studio, studied acting under Bill Esper, voice & movement. She went on to study singing to strengthen her connection to her Peruvian Roots, currently singing Afro-Peruvian Jazz Music and continuing her music studies. She just finished Pre-Production as a recurring co-star playing “Mona” for the upcoming TV mini series “Fleishman is in Trouble” Starring Jessie Eisenberg. She is currently choreographing for the TV series “The Godfather of Harlem” Season 3 and has choreographed for numerous independent films & TV commercials. She starred in the movie “Isn’t Romantic” as principal dancer, “Falling in Rhythm,” “Summer of Sam”, “Tango Finish” Off Broadway. You will see her dancing in the upcoming new TV series”Three Women” & “The Godfather of Harlem” Season 3. As a Dance Coach she has trained professional dancers in partner dancing including Broadway dancers for choreographer Christopher Gattelli. Talia has managed numerous iconic dance studios in NYC and has taught master classes at BDC, Lincoln Center, Columbia University, NYU to name a few. As Spokesperson and guest artist, she has been featured on NBC’s The Today Show with Patrick Swayze, Tiki Barber, Marc Anthony, Pitbull, The New York Times, ABC’s Good Morning America, CBS, Univision, Telemundo, and celebrated as “The Woman of Salsa” by Latina Magazine. She is the producer of Latin Mondays at Taj celebrating 16 years, Sunset Salsa with Talia, Bryant Park Dance Party & Midtown Dance. She is also a member of the International Dance Council & Board Director of the Unspoken Smiles Foundation helping children at risk help develop healthy habits for life & Board Member of Ballroom Basix USA providing school children physical, social, emotional and cultural engagement through dance serving more than 20,000 school children in over a hundred NYC schools.
Johnny Mambo & Friends
Johnny Mambo & Friends is a band that performs for the audience: the dancers, the salsa lovers, the jammers. They consistently project a high energy performance on stage which transcends into the crowd. Their love for the art and passion for the beat allow them to connect with their audience and create a setting unlimited fun and fusion.
Johnny Mambo started playing congas with his dad’s band at the age of 8 years old. At the age of 21, he met someone who was a huge influential figure, Mr. Eddie Iglesias (his music angel). Eddie was a well-known trombonist and singer in the salsa genre circle. Eddie inspired Johnny to live his dream. Johnny’s dream was to become a musician and to become a band leader.
Johnny has been influential to play Bongo by many Percussionists, like Charlie Salinas, Johnny “Dandy” Rodriguez, Willie Moreno, Jimmy Delgado, Yusnier Sanchez Bustamante, Jesse ‘Timbalon” Perez, George Delgado, Orlando Vega, Wilmer Vega, & many more.
In 2005, Johnny Mambo formed his band, now known as Johnny Mambo & Friends. Johnny Mambo & Friends has had the pleasure of performing in many venues in New York, New Jersey, PA & Connecticut, etc. over the years including for Carnegie Hall City Wide. Since 2018, Johnny Mambo has a weekly residency & performs every Saturday Brunch at Made in Puerto Rico, in the Bronx.