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MetaMovements & Blackstone Community Center
spices up the City of Boston with “Salsa In The Park”
FREE Salsa Dancing & Music to Promote Youth Education & A Healthy Community
Every Monday night from June 13, 2011 – September 19, 2011
Sponsored by DJ Hernan, Boston Dance Alliance, & SalsaBoston.com
Additional sponsorship & vendor opportunities available.
Boston, Massachusetts – (May 1, 2011) – Back by popular demand, MetaMovements Dance Company, Blackstone Community Center and supporting sponsors set out for the 4th consecutive year to launch Salsa In The Park, a 15 week series of FREE outdoor salsa dance and youth programs in collaboration with the cities of Boston and Cambridge. Also returning this summer is Move4Health, a youth job-training program providing high school students opportunities to improve their communities through physical activity, dance education, social dance, and community development. The programs are mutually supportive with the Move4Health youth participating in essential roles, and gaining valuable experience through Salsa in the Park.
Every Monday night from 6-9pm, starting June 13th to September 19th (excluding July 4th & Labor Day – dates subject to change pending on financial support), the courtyard of the Blackstone Community Center, located at 50 West Brookline St., Boston, MA 02118, will transform into a night-time Salsa soiree with two full dance floors, music by DJ Hernan, healthy food and snacks, drinks and more – all provided by community vendors and sponsors.
Created to decrease crime in the area, provide dozens of summer jobs for high school students, and to improve the overall livelihood of the community, Salsa In The Park offers a stimulating cultural and learning experience for everyone to enjoy in a safe and friendly outdoor environment. Last summer, Salsa In The Park attracted over 500 people every clear Monday night to the Blackstone Center, including children of all ages, families, adults, and senior citizens, not to mention Boston’s leading Salsa dancers, creating an empowering sense of community and positive, healthy energy.
“It has been incredibly awarding to see how much Salsa In The Park has grown over the past three years, and become such an important part of the community,” says Anara Piers Frank, founder of Metamovements. “It’s amazing to see people of all ages coming together to dance, learn and really enjoy each other and the overall experience. I hope to see our programs continue to grow over the coming years, fulfilling many of the community’s wishes and needs.”
Additionally, now in its second summer, MetaMovements’ Move4Health program, designed to not only teach high school students how to become healthy and positive community leaders, will also provide students with a comprehensive learning experience – showing them career fields which they might not get exposure to in school, as well as the specific skills needed to succeed in those fields. They learn how to conduct research, design lesson plans and cooperative games, develop marketing materials, engage people of all ages, manage an event, evaluate their work, and of course, learn how to teach and dance Salsa. Students are then able to take the valuable lessons they have learned throughout the summer at Salsa In The Park and apply them to school, work, and life. The program also strives to hold zero-waste events by providing ways to recycle, as well as educating the community as to why it is important to do so. The implementation of Move4Health at Salsa In The Park was made possible last summer through a grant from the City of Cambridge’s Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program (MSYEP).
Salsa In The Park also partners with Kerry Thompson, a MetaMovements dancer who is deaf and visually impaired. This amazing woman developed the Silent Rhythms program, teaching salsa to the deaf community over the past 3 years. She has also taught members of the salsa community how to do basic sign, enable lip-reading, and how to help people of different abilities be included. This summer she and her team of volunteers will provide free salsa lessons for the deaf and people with disabilities, as well as training for all people who would like to share their love of salsa, and help people with disabilities participate fully in the lessons, parties and fun.
Salsa In The Park has been made possible with support from many organizations: including direct financial support from the Boston R.O.C.K.S.!!! grant, in-kind donations from the Boston Dance Alliance, the largest Boston-based dance organization, who donates a custom-designed portable sprung dance floor to be used each week at the event, SalsaBoston.com, Boston’s #1 online source for Latin dancing, who donates a second dance floor, and DJ Hernan, one of Boston’s hottest DJ who donates his time and musical talents while providing promotion for Salsa In The Park and the Blackstone Community Center.
We are also planning to bring Salsa In The Park to more people this summer by providing one-time events to new centers and communities. If you would like to bring us to your town or to your festival, let us know!
Past partners and donators include Teddy Shoes, Sansha, Community Arts Center, Burju Shoes, Whole Foods, Flum Family Chiropractic, and many more.
MetaMovements, founded by Anara Piers Frank, is a leading dance company in the Boston area. While teaching salsa is at the center of their purpose, MetaMovements true mission is to help individuals and communities experience a metamorphosis to improve fitness and movement, by promoting salsa for social change and community health. While working on your skills on the dance floor, you will also be improving your own personal health and well-being, as well as that of your community. www.metamovements.com
The Blackstone Community Center is one of 46 Boston Centers for Youth and Families (BCYF) sites, and serves the South End and lower Roxbury. The mission of BCYF is to enhance the quality of life for Boston’s residents by supporting children, youth, and families through a wide range of programs and services. www.yourblackstone.org
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* The above buttons will direct you to the BDA's Fiscal Sponsorship page, from which you can select Metamovements-Salsa In The Park as the beneficiary.
Donations are tax-deductible, and can be made easily online. We also accept donations of goods and services. On a larger scale, we now have sponsor and vendor opportunities for individuals and corporations.
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Additional information
If you have any questions please contact us:
Natalie Maniscalco
Email: Natalie@salseek.com or at
Tel: (845) 659-6506
Email: metamovementsdance@gmail.com
Tel: (617) 983-1418
SALSEEK pr & events provides a variety of services including public relations, event production, photography, advertising and sponsorship/promotional services for the salsa industry worldwide. SALSEEK stems from a unique passion and appreciation for the art form and essence of the dance, Salsa, and the world culture of the people who love it.