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About OSMP and the Arts

OSMP and the Arts connects people to the land through creative art programs and hikes. Join OSMP naturalists and local artists to discover nature in unique ways. A variety of medias have been explored through this program, from music and dance to the written word, sketching, watercolor, collage, and photography. We welcome all ages and artistic skill levels.

Upcoming Programs

Salsa: La Naturaleza como Musa para los Ritmos Afrocubanos y Latinos/Salsa: Nature as the Muse for Afro Cuban and Latin rhythms

Descripción: ¡Únete a Boulder Afro-Latin Dance para otra colaboración con los Espacios Parques de Montaña de la Ciudad de Boulder en el hermoso Anfiteatro Sunrise en Boulder! Una tarde llena de presentaciones de danza, talleres, baile social y música en vivo con la artista invitada Marisol Blanco de Cuba, el artista local Jesús Muñoz, el Equipo de Entrenamiento de Boulder Afro-Latin Dance y la banda local de Salsa Los Chicos Malos.

¡Vengan a explorar la historia, cultura y música de la Salsa a través de una presentación de la Diáspora Cubana! Traigan su curiosidad y sus zapatos de baile ya que exploraremos el significado cultural de la danza a través de su conexión con la naturaleza, su gente y su música. ¡No se pierdan esta oportunidad de conectar con bailarines locales y visitantes! Ya sean bailarines experimentados o estén comenzando, hay algo para todos en este evento que celebra la Latinidad.

Reserven la fecha: Jueves 10 de julio, 7-9pm

Ubicación: Anfiteatro Sunrise en La Cima de Flagstaff

Para reservar ir a GivePulse.

In English:

Descripcion: Join Boulder Afro-Latin Dance for another collaboration with The City of Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks hosted at the beautiful Sunrise Amphitheater in Boulder!

An evening full of dance performances, workshops, social dancing, and live music with guest artist Marisol Blanco from Cuba, local artist Jesús Muñoz, the Boulder Afro-Latin Dance Training Team, & Los Chicos Malos local Salsa band.

Come explore the history, culture, and music of Salsa through a full presentation of the Cuban Diaspora. Bring your curiosity and dance shoes as we will explore the meaning of cultural dance through its connection to nature, its people, and its music!! Don’t miss out on this opportunity to connect with local and visiting dancers. Whether you’re a seasoned dancer or just starting, there’s something for everyone at this event celebrating Latinidad.

Save the Date: Thursday July 10, 7-9pm

Location: Sunrise amphitheater at Flagstaff summit

To reserve your spot go to GivePulse.

Declaracion del Artista/Artist Statement:

La danza cultural comenzó como una forma de expresión de diferentes civilizaciones. Se fue formando a través del folclore, que es el conocimiento transmitido de generación en generación. La palabra “folk” significa gente, y “lore” se refiere a esas tradiciones compartidas.

En el siglo XVI, los bailes de corte dieron origen al ballet. Más tarde, en el siglo XIX, surgió la danza moderna como una manera de rechazar las reglas estrictas del ballet. En Estados Unidos, el jazz también se convirtió en una forma de danza influenciada por la historia y la mezcla de culturas, al igual que sucedió en Cuba con la llegada de diferentes tradiciones debido al comercio de esclavos africanos.

Todas estas formas de baile ayudaron a crear lo que hoy llamamos “entrenamiento de danza”, que consiste en técnicas con pasos específicos y un vocabulario propio. La danza es más que solo movimiento: refleja el tiempo en el que vivimos, expresa emociones y exagera los gestos naturales para hacerlos aún más expresivos. ¡Es una forma de representar quién eres!

In English:

Cultural dance carried out the beginnings of movement and civilizations added to it in Folklore forms. "Folk" meaning people and "Lore" referring to knowledge that is transmitted from word of mouth, generation to generation. The court dances of the 16th century that became Ballet, Modern dance as a rejection to it in the late 19th century, & Jazz dance that arose in the U.S. vernacular era similar to how Cuba was influenced by many cultures & regions from the West African Slave Trade of the early 1600s. All of these forms of dance created what we know today as "dance training." Meaning developed and codified dance techniques with specified vocabulary and intensions of steps. "Dance" carries so many evolved and fused free movement which related to the specific contemporary social concerns of each era. Dance represents you, it takes your gestures, postures, and it exaggerates them, it concentrates them, it isolates them, and it elevates them.

Biografias/Bios:

Marisol Blanco es una gran maestra y bailarina de Cuba. Se graduó en el Instituto Superior de Artes (ISA) y en la Escuela Nacional de Artes (ENA). Ha enseñado y bailado por más de 25 años. Se especializa en la danza folclórica y popular de Cuba, pero también conoce otros bailes tradicionales de todo el mundo. Es muy famosa por sus clases de Rumba y su programa especial de aprendizaje llamado "HPS". En sus clases, Marisol enseña no solo los pasos, sino también la historia, las canciones, los ritmos y el significado de la danza. Le gusta crear un ambiente en el que sus estudiantes se sientan motivados, apoyados y curiosos para aprender y mejorar. Marisol es la directora del proyecto de danza Sikan Afrocuban Dance Project. También formó parte de Obini-Bata, el primer grupo de mujeres que tocan tambores y bailan en Cuba, donde fue reconocida como experta en percusión y canto. Bailó profesionalmente en la Compañía Nacional de Folklore de Cuba y ha estudiado temas como la gestión artística, la antropología y la historia de la danza. Ha viajado a muchos países y sigue activa en su carrera como bailarina y maestra. ¡Es una artista increíble!

Marisol Blanco

Jesús David Muñoz es un artista de danza y percusionista Latinx que combina las tradiciones indígenas, mexicanas y cubanas con estilos de danza europeos como el ballet, la danza moderna y contemporánea. Actualmente, forma parte del grupo de danza Cleo Parker Robinson Dance y recientemente obtuvo una maestría en danza en la Universidad de Colorado, Boulder. También tiene una licenciatura en danza de la Universidad de Central Oklahoma. Con más de veinte años de experiencia en la comunidad de danza Latinx a nivel internacional, Muñoz ha trabajado como bailarín independiente, educador, intérprete y coreógrafo. Su herencia mexicana-indígena influye en su arte, permitiéndole explorar la danza desde una perspectiva cultural que celebra la identidad Latinx, promueve la excelencia artística y crea nuevos espacios accesibles para su comunidad.

Jesús David Muñoz

El fundador de Los Chicos Malos, Victor Mestas, es un pianista de Caracas, Venezuela. Es artista patrocinado por YAMAHA teclados en Venezuela. Mestas ha tocado con bandas famosas, como Guaco y Trabuco Venezolano, y también ha acompañado a cantantes muy conocidos en todo el mundo, como Soledad Bravo, Cheo Feliciano y Julio Iglesias. Desde que se mudó a Boulder, ha estado tocando en la escena de jazz latino-brasileño. En 2016, empezó a enseñar Ensamble de Jazz Latino/Piano en el Thompson Jazz Studies Program de CU Boulder.

Los Chicos Malos

Boulder Afro-Latin Dance representa a la diáspora cubana en Colorado. Queremos vivir, invitar y representar la danza cubana de una manera completa, creando espacios accesibles, con oportunidades y diversidad, mientras construimos una amistad fuerte con el arte latino. Estudiamos la conexión entre el movimiento y la cultura en el baile de salsa, explorando los diferentes estilos que forman este género. Nuestro entrenamiento de baile se enfoca en danzas populares sociales, folclóricas, afrocubanas y contemporáneas cubanas, a través del estudio de la historia, la tradición, la población y los cambios generacionales dentro y fuera de Cuba.

In English:

Marisol Blanco, Master Teacher and graduate of Cuba’s prestigious Superior Institute of Arts (ISA) bachelor dance teacher and The National School of Arts (ENA) professional dancer, teaches Afro-Cuban Folkloric and Popular Dance, as well as, other forms of traditional dance from around the world. Marisol has been a professional dancer, teacher, and choreographer for more than 25 years. She has earned popularity for her Rumba classes and special Afro-Cuban learning program, “HPS”. Marisol emphasizes the connection between steps, story, song, percussion, body expression, philosophy, psychology, and technical knowledge in her classes. She creates an environment of support, motivation, creativity, and curiosity, while encouraging her students to reach their full potential in her classroom. She is the owner and director of Sikan Afrocuban Dance Project. Marisol is also a former member of the first female drumming and dance group, Obini-Bata with respective recognition and evaluation from the Cuban National Center of Popular Music as percussion specialist/vocalist master level. She professionally danced in The Cuban National Folkloric Company. She has also successfully completed certificates of Art Performance Management, Ethnology, Social Anthropology and Ethno Choreography. She has traveled to several countries and remains active in both her dance and teaching careers successfully.

Jesús David Muñoz is a Latinx dance artist and percussionist within the complexities of Indigenous, Mexican and Cuban culture, music, and dance, and within Eurocentric dance in ballet, modern, and contemporary techniques. Muñoz is a current ensemble dancer at Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, & recent MFA in Dance Graduate from the University of Colorado, Boulder. He holds a BFA in Dance Performance from the University of Central Oklahoma. Alongside extensive communitarian and performance work, Muñoz holds twenty years of involvement in the Latinx dance community internationally as a freelance dance artist, educator, performer, and choreographer. Being informed by his Mexican-Indigenous heritage, he explores dance through a cultural lens that celebrates Latinidad, fosters Latinx artistic excellence, & builds new accessibility spaces for his communities.

Los Chicos Malos founder Victor Mestas is a pianist from Caracas, Venezuela. Endorsement artist for YAMAHA keyboards in Venezuela. Mestas has performed with renowned bands, including Guaco and Trabuco Venezolano, and he has also accompanied world renowned singers, including: Soledad Bravo, Cheo Feliciano, and Julio Iglesias. Since moving to Boulder, he’s been performing on the Brazilian-Latin Jazz scene. In 2016 he started to teach Latin Jazz Ensemble/Piano at Thompson Jazz Studies Program, CU Boulder.

Boulder Afro-Latin Dance represents the Cuban Diaspora in Colorado. We aim at holistically living, inviting, and embodying Cuban dance to create spaces of accessibility, opportunity, and inclusion through building deep allyship with Latinx art. We examine the relationship between movement and culture in Salsa dancing through a study of the different styles that make up this dance genre. Our dance training focuses on Social Popular, Folkloric, Afro-Cuban, and Contemporary Cuban dances through a study of history, tradition, demographics, and generational developments inside and outside of Cuba.

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.

- Albert Einstein
Woman in OSMP and the Arts Program

What participants say

"Thank you for arranging the wonderful morning of Improvisational Singing! Five stars for everything. On scale of 1-10, this was a 12. Celeste’s enthusiasm, rapport, knowledge, clarity, and receptivity are all excellent."

“I liked the size of the group…large enough to be varied, but small enough for the group to be cohesive….good mix of ages.”

What did you like about the program? “Being outside, sitting, being present with surroundings…”

“It was wonderful to take in the beauty of OSMP with the specific intent of expressing through art a couple hours later! I liked that the art form was brand new to me and required no special skill, and the process was short enough that we were able to leave with several finished pieces.”

“This idea of blending art with learning and appreciating OSMP lands is a marvelous idea! It seems to be getting new people out appreciating the lands-there was one woman in the class who had never hiked before…and I think now she might be a little hooked.”

“The pace was very comfortable and pleasant. Lots of time for contemplation and reflection.”

“The artist en couraged us to see ourselves in nature and stimulated us to take time to see the beauty around us and feel the emotion.”

“(This program) helped me see with new eyes…”

“OSMP provides many artistic opportunities. Even a brief hike reveals a variety of natural colors, textures, scenes and juxtapositions that can be translated into art forms.”

“(I gained) new appreciation for the many colors and textures in nature as I began to see rocks, grass, cones, etc from the perspective of the artistic techniques one could use to represent them.”