This July Phoenix will host its first BlakTina Festival celebrating the powerful and dynamic narratives of people of color through performance art. BlakTina Festival is driven by its mission to create opportunities for professional Black and Latino choreographers and the desire to diversify programming and audiences in the Phoenix dance community. The event will make its debut at the Helen K Mason Performing Arts Center – home of the Black Theatre Troupe Black on July 22, 2017. It is produced by Licia Perea of The Latina Dance Project and Liliana Gomez, Phoenix’s award-winning dancer.

BlakTina Festival will premiere work by ten Arizona choreographers and two visiting choreographers from Los Angeles. The choreographers are: Ashley Baker, Angel Castro, Elisa Cavallero, Malikah Fernandez, Jenny Gerena, Sydney Jackson + Reyna Montoya, Taimy Miranda + Joan Hernandez Rodriguez and Alexander Patrick. Invited Los Angeles-based choreographers are Primera Generación, a collective comprised of Alfonso Cervera, Rosa Rodriguez-Frazier, Irvin Gonzalez, Patty Huerta and Michelle Funderburk, of Funderburk Dance Artist.

The festival originated in Los Angeles, California, premiering for the first time in 2013 by choreographer Licia Perea, and has been an annual production at the Bootleg Theatre for the past four years. BlakTina expanded to Tucson, Arizona, in 2015, and this year, through a collaboration with Phoenix-based choreographer Liliana Gomez, BlakTina will expand to Phoenix.

Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online at www.davissonentertainment.com. For more information regarding BlakTina Festival Phoenix or to get involved, please visit www.blaktinafestival.com or contact Liliana Gomez at moc.liamgnull@ecnad.zemog.anailil