Maria Aponte to Perform at Eastern

Written by Sarah Swann

Willimantic, CT --  Maria Aponte, performance artist and playwright, will present her poetry, "Brown Hips, Red Lips, Hot Skins," at 3 p.m. on April 21 in the Student Center Theatre at Eastern Connecticut State University. The public is invited.  Admission is free.

Born and raised in New York City, Aponte studied acting with the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre, the Actor's Playhouse and Henry Street Settlement. She has performed in several theatre productions and has been featured in two videos that deal with racial discrimination.

"Lagrimas de Mis Madres" is a biography of the women in her family that also deals with discrimination against women of color.  She has performed the show at numerous colleges across the country and has also written and performed her own monologue, "I Will Not Be Silenced," which is based on the life of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, Mexico's first feminist poet and playwright. 

Chacho Ramirez, a percussionist who specializes in jazz and Latin music, will accompany Aponte during her presentation.  Ramirez performs throughout the New York metropolitan area, teaches in public schools and owns a studio where he teaches private percussion students.