Elaine Del Valle is amazing!
I'm still figuring out what I should include in my blog, and I think a quick review of a show I saw is still appropriate, regardless of it being poetry or not.
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Yesterday night I got the amazing opportunity to see Elaine Del Valle, an amazing Puerto Rican actress, perform her one women show called "Brownsville Bred". This coming of age show chronicles Elaine Del Valle's life in Brownsville, Brooklyn, one of the most notorious neighborhoods in NYC. During her hour and half performance, you hear how she crafted her identity among her Puerto Rican heritage and her booming love for hip hop.
I cried, laughed, smiled and have never been so proud of being Puerto Rican. The way she spoke with her boricua accent, the energy she put into her performance and the stories that reminded me of my life had me relating to her in so many ways. She absolutely rocked it. She was so full of life and had the whole audience feeling the emotions she did.
But what made me so proud is the fact that last night, salsa, the sound of congas and Marc Anthony boomed down the halls of Riverdale, a school where all you here is house and edm music. It made me proud of being Puerto Rican. And it made me proud that such a beautiful, talented women like her was doing such an amazing job.
Afterwards, I spoke to her and she was so humble and sweet. We became friends on Facebook and that's how you know its official: we're definitely primas (that means cousins in spanish; in Puerto Rico, when you become friends with someone, they become family). I'm so glad I saw her, and I hope to one day be as fabulous as she is! \
(Elaine on set of Brownsville Bred!)