EVENT PRESS RELEASE

Bembé Drum & Dance

611 South Layton Blvd.

Milwaukee, WI 53215

RELEASE DATE: May 24st, 2024

NEW HUB OF AFRO-LATINO MUSICAL CULTURE OPENS IN MITCHELL PARK

[Bembé’s Casa Cultural Grand Opening to provide access to the practice of Afro-Latino music and dance] 

(MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, May 21) On Saturday, June 1, from 2-5pm, Bembé Drum & Dance will open its doors in on South Layton Boulevard to the public in its Grand Opening of it’s Casa Cultural de Bembé (Bembe’s Cultural House), the first of its kind in Milwaukee and the greater Midwest, as a vibrant hub of Afro-Latino musical culture. Refreshments and housewarming will take place from 2:00-3:00pm, followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony and opening remarks at 3:00pm. A registration drive for summer workshops will take place throughout the event. Open Studios and a community performance will be offered from 3:00pm-4:00pm, where attendees can experience the cultural and educational opportunities that Casa Bembé offers and celebrate this significant milestone for our city.

“After years of generosity from local schools loaning Bembé space to connect with thousands of community members, we are proud to open our own cultural home for Milwaukee to enjoy  through our many programs, and for artists and cultural elders from across the Afro-Latino Diaspora to visit and pass on their their knowledge to our community. Casa Bembé will be a beacon of cultural practice and connection, drawing people to the Mitchell Park neighborhood and to the City of Milwaukee from across the Americas.” - Johanna De Los Santos, Founder and Executive Director

Incorporated as non-profit in 2018, Bembé Drum & Dance is a community-based cultural arts organization that inspires intergenerational connection, community and cultural identity exploration through Afro-Latino musical culture. Through drum, dance, song, and performance events that center tradition, celebration and education, Bembé brings Afro-Latino musical traditions from across the Americas to the greater community where it can serve as part of daily life. Bembé provides school-based programs, its public academy, Academia Bembé, artist residences for cultural masters, and free public events for an inclusive, multi-ethnic and intergenerational community. 

Bembé continues to be an important resource for the community, thanks to supporting partnerships with: Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Bader Philanthropies, Milwaukee Public School Partnership for the Arts & Humanities, United Performing Arts Fund, Wisconsin Arts Board, Milwaukee Arts Board, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

For more information about Bembé’s program and event offerings, visit proyectobembe.org  For more information about Bembé and the Open House event, please contact Johanna De Los Santos at johanna@proyectobembe.org