The Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA) presents Destinos al Aire, its 4th free, outdoor family festival, Sunday, May 21, 2 to 5 p.m. at the National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St., in the heart of Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood.
Destinos al Aire is CLATA’s annual outdoor multidisciplinary pop-up event that brings free, Latine-centric performing arts entertainment and culture to different Chicago neighborhoods.
This year’s 2023 edition, presented on the new outdoor Ray Castro plaza right next to the National Museum of Mexican Art, features:
Emcee Gwen La Roka, fresh off her win of the 2021 NY Latino Film Festival Latino Stand Up Comedy Competition, and now the first Latina from Chicago to make her comedy special debut on HBO Max. Catch her now on Entre Nos: The Winners 3.
Teatro Tariakuri’s Los Chilpayates Youth Ensemble performing a sneak peek of El Baile de los Números, a new production by Tomas Urtusastegui, premiering at the 2023 Destinos, 6th Chicago International Latino Theater Festival this fall.
The Center of Peruvian Arts presenting authentic folkloric Peruvian dance and music, with Hugo Gutierrez performing traditional Andean music.
Jesus Ramos, accompanied by Mariachi Perla de Mexico, playing contemporary Mariachi, some urban/jazz tunes, and a delightful transition to R&B and country to end the evening.
Also on tap: “Performance art with living statues by Teatro Carnal, an arts activation booth by Yollocalli, a story booth, and arts and craft vendors, everything you need to showcase and sample Chicago’s Latine arts and culture scene, in the heart of Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood,” said CLATA Executive Director Jorge Valdivia.
Visit clata.org for more information about Destinos al Aire. To receive the latest updates, sign up for CLATA’s weekly e-news, and follow CLATA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The 4th Destinos al Aire is supported by a Chicago Presents grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events and National Endowment for the Arts.
Living statues by Teatro Carnal
Destinos al Aire : Meet the artists
Gwen La Roka (emcee) is Chicago’s rising star of stand-up. She was the winner of the 2021 NY Latino Film Festival Latino Stand Up Comedy Competition, and is now the first Latina from Chicago to make her comedy special debut on HBO Max. Catch her now on Entre Nos: The Winners 3.
La Roka has also performed at The Laugh Factory, Zanies, and The Improv, and worked with comedians like Gina Yashere, Felipe Esparza, Aida Rodriguez, Finesse Mitchell, Paul Rodriguez and George Wallace. Her one woman show Mi Casa Es Tu Casa sold out its entire 13-show run debut in Chicago last year. She also recently was a voiceover actor for Viva Films in Around the World in 80 Days. gwenlaroka.com
Teatro Tariakuri dance and theatre performing arts (TTPA) is a non-profit community arts organization established in 2004 in Chicago’s Marquette Park neighborhood to offer children and adults there and in surrounding communities affordable access to an array of performing arts classes and professional artistic training opportunities. Teatro Tariakuri offers bilingual/bicultural dance, theater, and music courses for all ages. teatrotariakuri.org
The Center of Peruvian Arts connects audiences and students to the Indigenous cultures of Peru through performances, educational programming, and participatory workshops. Serving the Chicagoland area, the Center strengthens the community’s identity to their Indigenous Peruvian counterparts. General Artistic Directors Jessica Loyaga and Ruben Pachas researched in indigenous towns for 20 years and are Fine Arts teachers promoting Peruvian ancestral cultures to different cultures in the world. centerofperuvianculture.com
Hugo Gutierrez is a world renowned musician, author, composer, inventor, professor, recording artist and former Director of the Argentienian group Los Hugos. He plays wind and string music instruments from the Andes region. Watch Gutierrez at a recent performance, here.
Jesus Ramos is a genre-defying musician dedicated to music and performing. Since entering the music world in 2008, through his unforgettable live performances and impeccable studio recordings, Ramos has honed his unique sound from contemporary ballads, jazz and traditional Mariachi music to form an unstoppable force in Chicago’s music scene. jesusramossinger.com
Mariachi Perla de Mexico, founded in 1997, is a renowned Chicago based mariachi group considered by media, businessmen, fellow musicians and the public as the best Mariachi in Chicago. Today, Perla de México, made up of eleven of the best Mariachi musicians from the Midwest, is the most requested Mariachi for recordings of local singers and to accompany famous artists performing in Chicago and other major cities in Illinois. facebook.com/mariachiperlademexico
About the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA)
The Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA) is a transformative cultural engine helping drive the city’s local Latine theater community to a more prominent level.
CLATA's signature program is Destinos, the Chicago International Latino Theater Festival, an annual, citywide festival showcasing Chicago’s Latine theater artists and companies alongside top Latine artists from the U.S. and Latin America. For six weeks each fall, Destinos presents a rich, diverse array of bilingual, Latine-themed shows, panels and student performances at marquee venues downtown, as well as storefront theaters and cultural institutions in predominantly Latine neighborhoods throughout the city.
Additionally, CLATA provides local Latine theater groups ongoing organizational and financial support, and is working to create a permanent home for Chicago’s Latine theater artists. Ultimately, CLATA works year round to enhance Chicago’s reputation as one of the most exciting and culturally diverse theater cities in the world.
CLATA was co-founded in 2016 as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization by the late Myrna Salazar and Chicago’s three most prominent Latine arts organizations: the National Museum of Mexican Art (NMMA), the International Latino Cultural Center (ILCC), and the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance (PRAA). Jorge Valdivia, formerly Director of Performing Arts at the National Museum of Mexican Art, was appointed CLATA’s Executive Director in November 2022.
CLATA gratefully acknowledges general operating support from the Ford Foundation, Joyce Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Driehaus Foundation, a CityArts grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Shubert Foundation, Illinois Arts Council Agency, Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, Walder Foundation, NALAC, 3Arts and Lloyd A. Fry Foundation.
For more information, visit clata.org.