The Old Globe to Offer Free SATURDAY MORNING SALSA! Next Weekend

The Old Globe wants to make theatre matter to more people! So we invite friends, fleet-footed strangers, and everybody who wants to take their salsa dancing skills to the next level to our latest free AXIS event, Saturday Morning Salsa, on Saturday, August 19 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.

This exciting event will take place on the Globe's Copley Plaza, part of the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center in Balboa Park, preceding the 2:00 p.m. matinee of the Globe-commissioned world premiere comedy Ken Ludwig's Robin Hood!, a timeless story of a swashbuckling hero of the people who takes on the powers that be.

Saturday Morning Salsa is family-friendly and free to all, and will begin with an open dance led by professional dance instructor and Salsa World Champion Carlos Jaimes Noriega, moving to the beat of DJ Melao (aka Patrick Hernandez). Local artist Nadia Guevara will host the "uno, dos, tres" rhythm-packed activities. Noriega will offer brief group dance lessons in salsa, bachata, and combined styles, followed by a chance to perfect your technique and show your moves on the dance floor!

The schedule: 10:00 a.m. open dance; 10:45 a.m. salsa lesson; 11:00 a.m. open dance; 11:20 a.m. bachata lesson; 11:35 a.m. artist showcase; 11:45 a.m. combined lesson; 12:00 p.m. open dance.

Carlos Jaimes Noriega was born in Ensenada, Mexico, and is a professional dancer with over seven years of experience in salsa on 1, salsa on 2, bachata, and cha-cha-cha. He trained with the top dance schools and choreographers in Mexico and the United States and holds four World Championship team and couple titles. Noriega was recently featured in the internationally acclaimed Las Vegas Salsa/Bachata Showdown. He is known for his energy, skill, creativity, grace, and passion on and off the dance floor.

DJ Melao, also known as Patrick Hernandez, is the Director of Melomano Entertainment and Dance in San Diego, a dance company that offers some of the best salsa and bachata group lessons, private lessons, wedding choreography, and dance team training, as well as hosts some of San Diego's best dance socials.

Nadia Guevara previously hosted The Old Globe's events The Living Altar and Happy Birthday, Mr. Shakespeare! An amateur Latin dancer and partner dance aficionado, Guevara has danced salsa, bachata, zouk, and kizomba from here to Australia. She is a teaching artist, performer, and Associate Artistic Director at New Village Arts in Carlsbad, and she can be seen on several stages throughout San Diego.

"We are excited to welcome guests to the Globe for another amazing free AXIS event," said Director of Arts Engagement Freedome Bradley-Ballentine. "Saturday Morning Salsa is the party where you can let your hair down, dance, meet new friends, and connect with existing ones. There will be great music and dance lessons for those who want to show off their moves and those who want to learn. It really doesn't matter what your skill level is. I invite everybody to come to the Globe and have a great time with us!"

One of the ways The Old Globe's Arts Engagement team exemplifies its mission to make theatre matter to more people is through a program called AXIS, where free cultural programs on the Globe's Copley Plaza are led by local artists and craftspeople. 9.5 million visitors pass through Balboa Park each year. The Old Globe strives to engage this population as we transform our non-performance space into a participatory art venue, utilizing the Globe's unique physical location as an opportunity for connectivity and creative placemaking. AXIS is an effort to broaden our concept of audience, extending beyond regular ticket-holders and encompassing diverse, multigenerational constituencies from communities across San Diego County.

The Tony Award-winning Old Globe is one of the country's leading professional regional theatres and has stood as San Diego's flagship arts institution for over 80 years. Under the leadership of Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein, The Old Globe produces a year-round season of 15 productions of classic, contemporary, and new works on its three Balboa Park stages: the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the 600-seat Old Globe Theatre and the 250-seat Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, both part of The Old Globe's Conrad Prebys Theatre Center, and the 605-seat outdooR Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, home of its internationally renowned Shakespeare Festival. More than 250,000 people attend Globe productions annually and participate in the theatre's artistic and arts engagement programs. Numerous world premieres such as the 2014 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Bright Star, Allegiance, The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and the annual holiday musical Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! have been developed at The Old Globe and have gone on to enjoy highly successful runs on Broadway and at regional theatres across the country.