Luna Negra Celebrates 10 Years

Posted October 29, 2009 3:56 PM in Press Releases

CHICAGO - Luna Negra Dance Theater’s Board of Directors; the Gala Host Committee, including co-chairs Kristin Conley and Jennifer Edgcomb; Acting Artistic Director Michelle Manzanales; and Executive Director Joanna Naftali, celebrated Luna Negra Dance Theater’s 10th Anniversary with Noche de Luna, October 9, 2009. A gala evening in tribute to Founder Eduardo Vilaro, attendees helped raise money to support the on-going work of Luna Negra Dance Theater as a springboard for Latino contemporary choreographers and artists to express the voice of their communities.

Some 325 guests were in attendance, helping raise over $155,000. The evening began with a retrospective performance at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, which featured special guests Welz Kauffman, CEO and President of the Ravinia Festival, on piano, together with vocalists Michelle Areyzaga and Paul Corona. The program’s finale was the World Premiere of Vilaro’s Danzón, a new look at the classic Cuban dance form of danzón, reuniting two-timeGrammy® Award winner Turtle Island Quartet with Cuban jazz legend Paquito D’Rivera (a nine-time Grammy® Award winner) to perform their critically acclaimed song of the same name.

Following the performance, guests took a trolley ride over to Griffin Court at The Modern Wing of The Art Institute of Chicago, where they enjoyed cocktails and live music by Latin band Son de la Habana before sitting down to dinner. Dinner consisted of a chilled shrimp with curried mango, cilantro, green chilies and lime zest appetizer; a main course of roasted chicken breast with yellow rice, black beans, fried plantains and chimichurri sauce; and a dessert buffet of spice flan with orange caramel, baked meringue with pistachio mousse, coconut tapioca sips, chocolate-dipped pineapple, mini saffron panna cotta, and mini spiced doughnuts. Speakers during the event included guest-of-honor Vilaro, acting artistic director Manzanales, board member Andres Tapia, event co-chairs Conley and Edgcomb, and executive director Naftali. Following dinner guests enjoyed an evening of dancing. Dinner was catered by Bon Appetit and table and centerpiece design was donated by Kehoe Designs.

ComEd was the Gala Presenting Sponsor; Harris Bank was the Partner Sponsor; Gala supporters were The Boeing Company, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, and Hewitt Associates; Media Sponsors were Cafe Magazine and Chicago Latino Network; and Fairmont Chicago and Aria were the Hotel and Restaurant Partners.

The Gala Host Committee included Maria Bechily, Cristina Benitez, Lester Coney, Kristin Conley, Pamela Crutchfield, Jennifer Edgcomb, Suzanne Griffith, Patty Holecek, Welz Kauffman, Sarah Mirkin, Elena Mulcahy, Madeleine Plonsker, Abby O'Neil, Wendy Raymer, Gina Santana, Bettina Slusar, Janet Carl Smith, Tyronne Stoudemire, Art Velasquez and Jaime Viteri. Gala Honorary Committee members were Paquito D'Rivera, Carlos Tortolero and Commissioner Lois Weisberg.

Luna Negra Dance Theater creates, performs, and teaches contemporary dance by Latino choreographers. In ten years, Luna Negra has established itself as a significant and vital component of Chicago’s arts and cultural community. Founded by Eduardo Vilaro in 1999, Luna Negra serves as a springboard for Latino contemporary choreographers to give expression to their stories and bring new life to the cultures of their communities. Steering away from stereotypes and folkloric representations, Luna Negra brings to audiences modern Latino expressions with energy, power and passion, reflecting through dance the immense cultural shift that is shaping America in the 21st century.