Casita Maria Celebrates it's Annual Fiesta 2018

 

Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos, Carlos Souza, and Mary Snow 

 Earlier this week, Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education celebrated it's annual Fiesta 2018 at New York’s Plaza Hotel. Each year at Fiesta, the Casita Maria Gold Medal of Honor is awarded to outstanding individuals in recognition to their contribution to the worlds of arts, education, and philanthropy. This year, Casita Maria honored three exceptional philanthropic individuals: Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos, Mary Snow, and Carlos Souza. 

 

Cuban Actress Sissi Fleitas was the evening’s host. The Dinner Chairmen were Jacqueline Weld Drake, HRH Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia, and Carlos Mota. Casita Maria’s Chairman Jacqueline Weld Drake presented all three honorees with their Gold Medals of Honor. 

 

The Honorary Chairs were Elizabeth Peabody, Christine Schwarzman, and Lynn Wyatt. 

 

American-Brazilian singer Bebel Gilberto performed two songs with guitarist Guilherme Monteiro. 

 

“I am proud to say that in 2018, our programs have served more than 1000 promising young members of the Bronx, East Harlem and Harlem communities,” said Board Chairman Jaqueline Weld Drake. She went on to say, “Looking ahead to what’s in store in 2019 and beyond, Casita Maria will continue to advance our mission and work to build a brighter, more creative, and culturally rich future for our children and all future residents of the South Bronx and East Harlem.” 

Casita Maria’s Executive Director, Haydee Morales, said “For more than 80 years, Casita Maria's educational and creative arts programs have opened doors of joy and opportunity for the youth, families, and communities we serve. We are proud of our history as the first and oldest Latino-serving charity in New York City, and look forward to many more years serving the people of East Harlem, Hunts Point and the South Bronx. Over the last year, we have redoubled our efforts to bring high- quality education to South Bronx youth, and to curate and present artists and performers who represent the best of the Bronx's diversity, beauty, and resilience.” 

Casita Maria’s annual benefit is an elegant and fun evening that begins with cocktails, followed by seated dinner, music and dancing by The Bob Hardwick Sound. Past honorees have included outstanding individuals such as Santiago Calatrava, Marcelo Claure, Roberto Cavalli, Patricia isneros, John Demsey, France Desmarais, Marta and Placido Domingo, Emilia and J. Pepe Fanjul, Joanna Fisher, Carlos Fuentes, Audrey Gruss, Agnes Gund, Rosaura Henkel, Audrey Hepburn, Carolina Herrera, Julio Iglesias, Hilda Ochoa-Brillembourg, Eddie Palmieri, Elizabeth T. Peabody, Rodman C. Rockefeller, Julia Salvi, Daisy Soros, Hutton Wilkinson and Lynn Wyatt.

 

 

About Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education

 

Casita Maria was founded in 1934 by Claire and Elizabeth Sullivan.  For more than 80 years, Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education has served as a cultural and community anchor for thousands of young people and their families in the Hunts Point section of the South Bronx. Casita has earned a reputation as the first and oldest Latino charity in New York City. The mission of the Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education is to empower youth and their families by creating a culture of learning through high quality social, cultural, and educational opportunities.

 

 

Olivia Palermo and Nicky Hilton Rothschild

 

Renee Rockefeller, Jennifer Creel, Alexandra Lind Rose

 

Princess Astrid Von Liechtenstein, Carlos Souza

 

 

 

Photos by:

Annie Watt/ Annie Watt Agency 

Gonzalo Marroquin /PMC

 

Free Beauty Events October Giveaway

FreeBeautyEvents.com is back this month with another amazing giveaway.  For anyone not familiar with FBE, the site is a great tool for all beauty addicts.  It helps you stay up to date on the latest beauty happenings in your area and serves as an awesome way to snag killer free samples. Each month the site gives away a bundle chalk full of the industry's best must haves.  Let's check them out!  

 

This month's basket includes industry favorites from Maybelline, Lumene, imPress, Milani, Eva- NYC, LA Girl, and more!  The contest runs from now through 10/31//18, winners will be chosen on 11/10/18 and notified by 11/15/18.  Entering is simple!  Visit FreeBeautyEvents on Facebook (don't forget to like them!) or enter directly on their website.

Besides the monthly giveaways, the site also offers great beauty advice and product reviews on their blog.  Like any of the products you read about?  Keep your eyes open for your chance to stock up!  Easy as 1-2-3, just enter your zip code into the site's search bar to find out which locations in your area might be handing out samples.  It's a helpful way to keep up to date with the beauty events happening in your town.  

  

Get more FBE info here

Have you attended a past event listed on the site? 

together1heart Honors Actors Susan Sarandon and Danny Abeckaser

Actors Susan Sarandon, AnnaLynne McCord, Danny Abeckaser

Susan Sarandon and Danny Abeckaser were honored last week at the together1heart inaugural New York Gala at TAO Downtown. The evening supported together1heart's continued work to end slavery and to support women's rights globally.

It was a moving evening with every speaker receiving a standing ovation.  Bill Livermore, Executive Director of together1heart, cited a figure of 22 million girls currently held in sex slavery worldwide and the emergence of significantly younger women being sold into Cambodian brothel’s. “Somaly Mam recently rescued a child of only 22 months,” he said.

Sina Vann, herself a survivor of sex slavery, and now a staff member of together1heart, described the horrific conditions she was kept in against her will, and the joy she now experiences working with survivors. Actor, writer, and producer DannyAbeckaser received the “Voices for Change” award for his generous support of both the organization and for the chairman, actress AnnaLynne McCord.  Said McCord, “This organization changed my life, gave me a sense of worth, and an understating of what one person can do.  When you show up for children you change the world.  I want to applaud everyone who showed up tonight.”  

Susan Sarandon and Somaly Mam together on stage made an indelible impression.  Said Susan, “In this time when you can be disheartened and distraught, look instead at how many women are finding their voices and how many men are standing beside them.  Love is a powerful force and we are all privileged to be part of the love Somaly Mam brings to a difficult story.  Look at what Somaly has done, what one person can do.  She invited me to meet the young women and girls in her program.  What I met were strong women. You don’t forget the past but you can move forward”.  Said Somaly on closing, “Susan, I love you very much”.

Guests included Model Carol Alt, Adrianna Beer, Andrea Cataneo, Yuliya Dan, Ezequiel de la Rosa, Victor DeSosa, Claude Hildenbrand, Arielle Jacobs (Jasmine from Disney's Aladdin), Jenn Lyon (HBO Claws), Jennifer MacFarlane, Ty-ron Mayes, Samira Panah, Jean Shafiroff, and Chris Talbot. 

 together1heart works to care for and secure the rights of young women and girls who are victims, or at risk of being victims, of slavery, and to successfully recover, educate, train and reintegrate them into mainstream society through financial independence in a sustainable and innovative manner. They accomplish this by helping and teaching them how to achieve financial independence through sustainable careers. together1heart welcomes them to become a part of our survivor empowerment network.

 Photos by Stephen Smith

Casita Maria's Pachanga Luncheon

 

 

Jacqueline Weld Drake, the longtime chairman of the Casita Maria Center for Arts Education, hosted her annual Pachanga luncheon last Monday at her Park Avenue residence. The annual event allows the Junior (“Pachanga”) Committee to plan for the upcoming Fiesta Gala at The Plaza Hotel Tuesday October 16th. This year's Pachanga Chairs are Adriana Echavarria-Eisenhower, Anthony Souza, and Sean Souza. Guests included Fabiola Arias, Andrea Casanova,  Atencio Coromoto, Henry Lord Boulton VI, Halim Bulos, Bella Eastham, Hanson Greene, Elizabeth Jacoby, Michelle Karut, Alicia Lubowski-Jahn, Henrique Cisneros, Gabriel Rivera-Barraza, and Sabrina Wirth. 

Casita Maria's Fiesta 2018 Gala will honor Isabel Goldsmith-Patiño, Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos, Mary Snow, and Carlos Souza. The Dinner Chairmen are Jacqueline Weld Drake, Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia, and Carlos Mota. This year's Honorary Chairs are Elizabeth Peabody, Christine Schwarzman, and Lynn Wyatt. 

The Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education offers high quality, innovative after school arts education to over 1,000 students daily in their state-of-the-art facility in the South Bronx. Casita's enriching programs produce engaged, well-rounded individuals, who go on to fulfill their dreams.

 

Photo Credit: Annie Watt Agency

The Artists Behind "Sleeping Beauty Dreams"

 

 Sleeping Beauty Dreams is a retelling of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale.  The highly anticipated work is an artistic exploration of the untold story of Princess Aurora's 100 years of dreams, set to premiere in Miami at The Adrienne Arch Center on December 7th and 8th.  It will be very different from the fairy tale and popular The Sleeping Beauty ballet, and I'm both intrigued and excited to see the project come to life.  

The piece will star American Ballet Theatre's former principal dancers Diana Vishneva as Aurora, and Marcelo Gomes as the Prince.  It will be the first time the pair has performed together since leaving the company.

I recently attended the exclusive Sleeping Beauty Dreams presentation at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City and learned about the project.   The work is a mixture of dance, music, technology, film, and art.  The panel included Diana Vishneva (principal dancer), Tobias Gremmler (digital artist), Thijs de Vlieger (composer) Edward Clug (choreographer), Bart Hess (costume design) and Laurent Fort (light artist).  Each artist gave remarks about their part in the creative process.  

Costume designer Bart Hess said "My work is known for using materials that are not usually considered for fashion like silicon, latex, plastic, foil, and metals. Some of the costumes and installations I’ve designed in the past, employ completely not wearable materials like shaving foam or iron or like the 'slime dress' for Lady Gaga."

Digital artist Tobias Gremmler, explained the creation of 3D digital avatars that will dance alongside Vishneva and Gomes, and react to the dancers' movements in real time.  This innovative technology will make its debut on the stage inside the dance world for the first time.  I expect this will be more then another brilliant performance art lovers will be raving about.  Sleeping Beauty Dreams sounds like a surefire new experience that anyone with a beating heart should go see.  

You can get tickets to the New York’s Beacon Theater December 14th and 15th performances here:

 www.ticketmaster.com. 

 

 

Photo credit: Presley Ann for PMC and Brian Willam Waddell