‘Romeo and Julieta’ opens door to future bilingual productions in the borderlands

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For bilingual, bicultural border cities like El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, the story of two lovers whose miscommunication leads to their tragic death does not sound far fetched. Although Shakespeare’s plays were originally written in English, many, like Romeo and Juliet and Othello, have been performed all over the world in bilingual fashion to attract a broader audience. For this year’s 27th season of the local acting company, “Shakespeare on the Rocks,” Artistic Director Hector Serrano directed for the second time a bilingual version of Romeo and Juliet at the binational Chamizal National Park near downtown El Paso. The bilingual Romeo and Julieta play embodies the mission of The Chamizal, which commemorates the diplomatic negotiation between the United States and Mexico through the Chamizal Treaty. This new treaty, which ended a border dispute over land in 1848 when the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo established the Río Grande River as the international boundary, negotiated the borderline because the river had naturally moved leaving Mexico with less land than was originally granted in the 1848 Treaty.

Arcade bar mixes nostalgic games with 80’s-inspired cocktails

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The 80’s are making a comeback and they can be seen everywhere from skinny jeans to song artists like pop singers Bruno Mars who infuses his music with the retro sounds of the 80’s. Even soda companies are revamping their cans with throwback designs and big screens everywhere flooded with 80’s remakes like The Exorcist, Evil Dead, RoboCop, Karate Kid, Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street, to name a few. While many marketers and businesses are just now jumping on the 80’s trend, El Paso businessman and high school teacher Alex Macias has been stuck in that past decade for years. “Since I was young I always wanted to open up my own arcade. It was such a huge part of my childhood,” said Macias, 43, who has been collecting and repairing arcade games for over ten years.

Dos delfines traen una nueva aventura acuática a Juárez

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CD. JUAREZ –Isis y Luna son dos delfines provenientes de la ciudad de León que llegaron aquí recientemente para convertir a esta frontera en su nuevo hogar. La empresa juarense Mundo Acuático Anita inauguró desde el pasado mes de mayo un nuevo parque llamado “Anita Nueva Aventura”, abriendo las puertas de un delfinario para deleitar a todos los fronterizos. “Este proyecto viene de aproximadamente un poco más dos años, lo que es el delfinario de aquí de Ciudad Juárez”, comentó Alfonso Téllez, el entrenador de los delfines. La alberca tiene dimensiones de 20 metros de largo por 18 de ancho y seis metros de profundidad y fue construida especialmente para ellas.

Fiesta Juárez continues to grow

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CD. JUAREZ — Thousands of Juarenses gathered at the Chamizal Park during a month of Fiesta Juárez as this city continues to move away from a dark decade of violence forward to family fun and entertainment. Fiesta Juarez offered music, sports, mechanical games, a circus, rodeo, charrería and art exhibitionsfor in September and October. Performances were spread out over three different stages at the fair. Foro fiesta de las estrellas where national and local artists performed.

Bazar del Monu en Cd. Juárez ofrece espectáculo de lucha libre de calibre internacional

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CD. JUAREZ — Localizado en el histórico monumento a Benito Juárez, el Bazar del Monu se convierte todos los domingos en un ‘mecca’ para intelectuales, poetas, escritores, artistas, malabaristas, titiriteros, y en esta ocasión, en estrellas de la lucha libre Mexicana. “Tenemos ya 17 años utilizando este espacio como bazar artístico”, dijo Pablo Montalvo, fundador original del Bazar del Monu. Desde sus orígenes trató de hacerlo en un lugar donde los jóvenes y personas en general pudieran juntarse, expresar y compartir sus más grandes gustos en cuanto al arte se refiere, dijo Montalvo. Montalvo recordó que la idea para el espacio público artístico comenzó en mayo de 1998 cuando él y un amigo, Humberto González, conocido como “el Sabio,” buscaban un lugar donde intercambiar discos de vinyl.

Few realize Syfy comic book character’s links to El Paso

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Matthew Rothblatt waited for what seemed like an eternity for the first printed copies of the first comic book he created to arrive and when Spiralmind finally did, he asked his wife to get a camera and record the moment as he cut open the box. “I still remember putting the box on the table, and making my wife take pictures because I knew I’d want to go back to that moment,” said Phi3 Comics co-owner Rothblatt ,43. “I remember opening the box and they were stacked in there in all this shredded paper and had a band around them. Related: Spiralmind Comic Delivers in English and Spanish

Seven years later, Rothblatt and co-owner Ben Perez are still producing comics and working on getting their character, Spiralmind, recognized around the world. Spiralmind battles evil characters using mental powers that can manipulate reality across dimensions.

St. Anthony’s Seminary Bazaar a classic El Paso tradition

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EL PASO –There are a lot of events going on in this city every September, but the annual St. Anthony’s Seminary Bazaar has become a must-attend affair, famous for its music, gorditas, enchiladas and family-friendly fun. “The enchiladas are the best I’ve ever had. I had nine yesterday. And I’m an enchilada connoisseur,” said 33 year old John Lloyd Gardner, who attended his first St.

‘Block party’ en El Segundo Barrio donde los vecinos imponen una nueva tradición

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EL PASO — Por segundo año consecutivo la Asociación de Vecinos del Segundo Barrio organizó este pasado domingo, la denominada fiesta de la cuadra o “block party” en las calles Fourth y Park para celebrar la cultura Mexicana en este mes de la herencia hispana. La celebración es para reunir a la comunidad del vecindario y también de toda la ciudad que es mayormente hispana. Durante el evento de seis horas las más de 500 personas que asistieron pudieron disfrutar de diferentes tipos de bailes a cargo de los alumnos del ballet folclórico de Amalia Hernández, así como también de ricos antojitos y buena música. Felix Rivera, que ha vivido en el Segundo Barrio desde que nació, agradeció a la asociación de vecinos por organizar este tipo de evento y darle una mejor imagen al vecindario que es uno de los mas antiguos y mas necesitados de la ciudad. “El evento de este día es donde se junta la comunidad del segundo barrio y celebran que no hay ´gangas´ y que todos los vecinos estamos juntos”, dijo Rivera.

Segundo Barrio taking community pride to the streets with expanded block party plans

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EL PASO – There’s a big block party taking shape in Segundo Barrio to bring El Paso to the city’s founding neighborhood in September to celebrate local culture and life, enjoy community, good food, music and dancing in the street. The South Side Neighborhood Association in the Segundo Barrio is busy organizing a block party for their neighbors and many others across the city. They say the massive celebration is for the community to come together, and to give the rest of El Paso insight into their neighborhood.This is the second year for the festivities. Last year, the neighborhood association, which has more than 40 members, hosted approximately 400 people. This time, the crowd is expected to double and the site has been extended from one block to two. “Red” Romo, a member of the association, said that he hoped the block party would show people the Segundo Barrio isn’t as dangerous as it used to be. “We had too many gangs here going on, now slowly, little by little, we got rid of the gangs and it’s better now,” Romo said.

6 great El Paso live music venues for the 18 and up crowd

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Not every bar with a stage allows young adults under the age of 21 inside to enjoy the band, so here are some bumping places in El Paso where young music lovers can relish in some live tunes. 1. Tricky Falls – 209 S. El Paso St. Are you a hardcore metal-head ready to get hardcore? Then, Tricky Falls is the way to go.

Fast and furious go-kart trend rolls into El Paso

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EL PASO –The go-carts at Zero to 60 Indoor Motor Speedway aren’t your dad’s go-karts. “That was a rush,” says Pearl Martinez. “This was our first time here, my son and I did one race, and it was such a rush we had to do it again. The go-karts are super fast, and you actually drift a bit! I’m hooked now.”

Sporting the newest in cart technology, the totally electric carts at Zero to 60 Motor Speedway can reach speeds up to 50 miles per hour.

8 things to know when considering becoming a go-go dancer

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Go-go dancing might seem like an easy job. You just get in front of people at a club or party and dance, right? Wrong. There is so much more to it than just moving around. As a former go-go dancer I learned the hard way that it takes more than just looks and moves to succeed.

Fire, dance, fun fuel Odd Lab entertainment project

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Odd Lab, a flow arts entertainment troupe, found a new level of expression while preparing for its performance at El Paso’s Chalk the Block festival in October. “This pushes us to a theatrical production standard that we’ve never had the incentive to really accomplish,” said Georgina Armendariz-Ramirez, director and coordinator of the group. Find out more about Odd Lab at their website here. Members of Odd Lab, who practice on Rim Road overlooking the city, spent up to 12 hours a day perfecting their skills and planning for the 7th annual Chalk the Block, which drew more than 30,000 people to Downtown El Paso October 10-12. The group unveiled a 20 minute Shadow Box Theatre show as well as a 40 minute fire show that were developed especially for the festival.

At 80, El Paso folklorico pioneer Rosa Guerrero still lets faith guide her steps

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EL PASO – Dressed in a bright orange jacket adorned with a necklace and a crucifix pendant, Rosa Guerrero flashes a warm smile, projecting the trademark youthful spirit and upbeat stamina that belie her approaching 80th birthday. “Age is just a matter of the mind,” Guerrero said as she sipped her cranberry and orange juice drink, a mix she concocted herself. “If you don’t mind, then it doesn’t matter.”

Guerrero’s long resume in the professional dance world has not weighed her down. An avid dancer in all types of genres, a dance teacher of students that range in age from two-year- olds to 100-year-olds, and an ambassador for Mexican folkloric dance, her love for dance is evident in the rhythm of her hand gestures and expressive nature. “I started dancing in my mother’s womb,” Guerrero exclaimed as she sculpted a simple dance move with her hands.

Award-winning writers team up in Texas to broadcast unique national showcase for creative writing

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EL PASO – A little stubble on his face, a fedora hanging on an empty microphone to his right, Daniel Chacon is ready to record Words on a Wire, a KTEP-FM weekly radio show that showcases some of the best in creative writing. The show, in its fourth year, is attracting listeners throughout the borderlands and beyond. That’s no surprise to the creator of the show, Chacon, a University of Texas at El Paso associate professor of creating writing and novelist who has a reputation around campus as being somewhat eccentric. A lover of reading and books since childhood (his favorite book as a child was “Danny and the Dinosaur”), several years ago Chacon began thinking about doing thought-provoking radio interviews with accomplished writers. After discussing the idea with then chair of the UTEP creative writing department, Benjamin Alire Saenz, they agreed to approach El Paso’s public radio station KTEP-FMA with the idea.

A dachshund races across the field at the St. Luke's Great Dachshund Stampede 2014, Oct. 4.

Hot dog! It’s the Great Dachshund Stampede

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LA UNION, NM — Call them wiener dogs, hot dogs or dachshunds. The folks who turned out for the Great Dachshund Stampede 2014 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church just call them a lot of fun. According to the Rev. Daniel Cave, more than 100 dachshunds from three states came out for the highlight of the church’s annual country fair on Oct. 4, 2014.

New Fox TV show “Bordertown” treats Latinos with respect, cartoonist says

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By Ramon Renteria – El Paso Times

Award-winning Chicano cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz describes the new Fox network comedy “Bordertown” as a historic step for Latinos in American television. “This is the first time that Latinos are going to play at least half the characters on a primetime animated show,” Alcaraz said recently before speaking to students at the University of Texas at El Paso. “We finally have an actual mainstream show that treats Latinos with respect.” Alcaraz, a nationally syndicated cartoonist and political satirist, is among five Latino writers on the 13-episode series which is scheduled to air next spring. The writing team also includes Gustavo Arellano, a newspaper editor who writes the nationally syndicated column “¡Ask a Mexican!”

Love and death visit Handel’s Acis and Galatea in a Bhutanese cremation field

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EL PASO –The German composer G.F. Handel took his genius to London in the 18th century and in the 21st century the University of Texas at El Paso transported him to Bhutan. Famous for its century-old campus of Bhutanese architecture, UTEP has always been a beacon of diversity in the Chihuahuan desert, so no eyebrows were raised when the melodies of Handel’s Acis and Galatea were performed before dancers in skull masks. Tshering Goen, a musician from Bhutan and one of the program coordinators, described the opera as incorporating elements that both cultures can relate to. “From the story we can learn the nature in death, the love, and we can see the eccentricity of transformation of one’s life,” he said. Goen also danced in the opera, bringing Bhutanese music and culture into the performance.

First look: The quest for Atari’s secret desert burial ground

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El Paso filmmaker Carlos Corral is happy to share the dirt on a Southern New Mexico treasure hunt and a 30-year-old mystery for Atari video game fans. Corral worked as the location sound mixer for Lightbox Entertainment in the spring of 2014 when the production team came to Alamogordo, N.M. to learn what, if anything, legendary video game company Atari buried there. Atari went bankrupt in 1983 after releasing a cassette game called “ET The Extraterrestrial” that some say was the worst video game in history. Many believed that an embarrassed Atari dumped hundreds of copies of the game cassette in an Alamogordo landfill to hide them from the public. In a recent post on his blog, Corral shares photos of his experience on the set, including some of the artifacts that were unearthed.

Spiralmind Comic Delivers in English and Spanish

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EL PASO — On a recent Friday afternoon, three engineers in baseball caps and sneakers sit in a downtown cafe plotting a narrative that involves werewolves, fallen angels and a rabbi who performs exorcisms.

Ben Perez (39) and Matt Rothblatt (37), test engineers at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, grew up watching horror films. As kids, they created make-believe radio shows and stuffed animal theatre for their sisters. Now adults, the two cousins maintain an active imagination. They’re self-publishing a comic book series called Spiralmind; and they’re releasing it in both English and Spanish. The idea for the main character has been living in Perez’s mind since childhood. Related: Few realize Syfy comic book character’s links to El Paso

“When I was a little boy my mom would take us to go see the movies,” he said.