This weekend, The Maria Torres Emerging Artists Foundation is making the dreams of 12 young girls come true.
MTEAF, co-founded by Torres, award-winning actress Vanessa Williams and John O’Connor, collaborated with Cherilyn Marrocco, the owner of MAD Performing Arts Studio in Florida, to educate emerging artists. With the foundation’s main goal of empowering young artists from multi-ethnic and underserved communities at the forefront, IMPACT (Intensive Musical Performing Arts Career Training) was born. From the 50 MAD students who auditioned, a dozen dancers were selected to enter the 12-month mentorship, which included educational training on how to succeed in the entertainment industry, performance and a trip to the Big Apple.
Jeté Dance Latin Jazz Team from Brooklyn, New York, whom the IMPACT dancers will meet with over the weekend
On Friday, August 17, and Saturday, August 18, the MTEAF will host the first IMPACT Program Showcase in New York City. The two days will include a tour of Juilliard at Lincoln Center, educational workshops with Jeté Dance’s Tamia Santana and a talk with MTEAF co-founder and artistic director Maria Torres at Ballet Hispánico. To finish the evening, the students will see Frozen on Broadway.
More information about the organization, please visit the Maria Torres Emerging Artists Foundation page on Facebook: @MTEAFoundation.