RJTU 2020 Online

Raúl Juliá Training Unit + Beyond Workshop Series

Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater is pleased to announce its third year partnership with R.Evolución Latina for realization of the Raúl Juliá Training Unit (RJTU) in conjunction with the Beyond Workshop Series (BWS). The program is a performing arts training workshop at the pre-professional level, and is imparted by seasoned theater professionals with Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off Broadway, film and television credits.

In compliance with the 2020 NYS Pause, RJTU + BWS successfully migrated to ONLINE formats for both our Dance and Shakespeare curricula. Enrollment is FREE, and we are now proud to welcome hundreds of participants from the five New York City boroughs, from other states in the U.S., and from other countries around the world!

JOIN us and continue to build your knowledge, skill set, and creative networks!

Pregones/PRTT and R.Evolución Latina provide this platform as a means to empower artists and individuals during uncertain times. We believe that coming together as creative community makes us stronger, that easy access technologies like Zoom broaden our reach, and that frequent virtual practice keeps us in optimal shape for when we meet in person again!

SECOND SESSION: Starting April 14th through May 1st we will have dance classes every day, Monday to Friday, at 11:00am and 3:00pm.

If you are interested, please fill out the ONLINE SIGN-UP FORM and we will send you a link to connect to each class. You must submit your form at least 12hrs prior to class time and will receive a Zoom link via email. You must be 16 years or older to participate.

The renewed partnership and joint run of the RJTU and BWS in 2020 is a way to magnify the impact of each of the partnering organizations’ missions, and to honor the memory and legacy of Miriam Colón (1936-2017) and Raúl Juliá (1940-1994), two titans who helped pave the way for all Latinx artists today. The partnership builds on the strengths of last year’s joint run, and raises the bar with new and welcome creative challenges.

Luis Salgado, Artistic Director of R.Evolución Latina, says “Every door I have opened today has opened because I’m a dancer. Dancing is what made me, what opened those doors. I am everything else because I was a dancer first.”

Rosalba Rolón, Artistic Director of Pregones/PRTT, adds that “Our relationship with the artists of R.Evolución Latina is all about raising the bar of performing arts training available to aspiring youth and diehard theater lovers in our communities. It’s all about pooling talent from our best in the field, and collaborating to lay a strong foundation for those who seek to try a career in the arts. It’s all about our accents and visions for today and for the future, in counterpoint and in unison. We continue with year three in spite of the unthinkable challenges the world is facing — dancing together we’ll grow stronger!”

Our Esteemed Faculty – Click to Open

LUIS SALGADO is “one of the young Latinos on Broadway who has dedicated his entire life to both dance and social work” as quoted on Broadway World. Luis is a true leader who lives full of passion, fire, and a commitment to going beyond. A unique style, influence of Latin rhythms and his heritage make Luis a stand out among dancers. His ability to “dive right in” makes him an artist and a visionary who makes things possible at times against all odds. Salgado has come on strong with his love for theatre plunging into every aspect of the art form, including producing. This Puerto Rican artist is a versatile performer whose career has molded him into an internationally established director, choreographer, and a teacher that brings a unique passion to the classroom.

GABRIELA GARCÍA is a native of La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico. She feels grateful to have been on Broadway for so many years and blessed to be able to give back to her community. Her passion for the arts brought her to join Luis Salgado and R.Evolución Latina at the beginning of 2008. Gabriela follows the RL motto of “Dare to Go Beyond.” She’s a passionate teacher, inspiring, mentoring and instilling her values and work ethic into the young Latino community. She is recipient of “El Diario’s 2010 Mujeres Destacadas” award and member of the advisory board for the Broadway League’s “Viva Broadway” initiative. She has taught Ballet, Jazz and Theater Dance at schools across Germany, Austria, Mexico, Peru, Sweden, and in various schools in New York.

IAN HERSEY is an actor, director and teacher of Shakespeare, and master teacher and curriculum designer for R.Evolución Latina’s Shakespeare Project. He was assistant director of Dan Sullivan’s much lauded production of Cymbeline at the Delacorte. He adapted and co-directed Othello for the José Limón dance company. Text and Dialogue Coaching credits include The Old Globe, The Public Theater, The Juilliard School, Williamstown, Shakespeare on the Sound, The 52nd Street Project, and The Flea. As an actor he has performed on stage and television, in film and commercials. He holds a Master’s in Education from Harvard University.

DESMAR GUEVARA is Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater’s Resident Composer and Musical Director. A seasoned composer and concert pianist, he studied at Berklee College and is a champion of new music idioms in Latin Jazz, as well as experimental/non-traditional music for live theater performance. He also has substantial experience in traditional composition for stage, film, and video. Awards and commissions include Ford Foundation, New York Foundation for the Arts, Bronx Council on the Arts, TCG/Pew Trusts, Meet The Composer, and National Performance Network. He is a founding member of acclaimed contemporary Puerto Rican bomba and plena band Viento de Agua, and founding director of Afro Puerto Rican chamber jazz ensemble Taller Sicá.

Our Esteemed Funders – Click to Open

This program is made possible, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Southwest Airlines is the official airline of Pregones/PRTT. For a full list of our funders, visit www.pregonesprtt.org.