Forza Malizia Dance Company (FMDC) was officially incorporated in the state of New York on April 17, 2014. Since our incorporation we have developed partnerships with the Hispanic Federation, THE POINT Community Development Corporation, and Phipps Neighborhoods. We premiered our inaugural show at Columbia University, performed at The Daughters of Jacob Care Center, El Museo del Barrio’s ‘Super Sabado’ Block party, P.S. 188X, and staged three original productions at the Julia De Burgos Latino Cultural Center. FMDC is a culturally-rooted, community-minded, multi-genre dance company whose goal is to share the art of dance with ALL people. We strive to do everything with purpose, passion, and FORZA (Italian meaning ‘strength’).
In addition to traditional, for-profit shows, we also do community-based productions and projects. As previously mentioned, FMDC began a partnership with THE POINT Community Development Corporation in the summer of 2014. This partnership entailed offering free Hip-Hop classes to students at THE POINT, which is a non-profit, youth development organization in the Hunts Point neighborhood of the Bronx. Our POINT students, who we offered free Hip-Hop classes to, then opened our inaugural show, Lost in the World, the Journey of Bea, directly applying their dance education on a professional stage. Additionally, a portion of the proceeds from Lost in the World, the Journey of Bea, was donated to THE POINT.
Following this project, we embarked on our second production, Definitions: Defining the Unspoken, which was performed for the residents at the Daughters of Jacob Care Center and at the Julia De Burgos Latino Cultural Center. Following our second production, we resumed our partnership with THE POINT and continued offering free classes every Tuesday night in exchange for equivalent free rehearsal space, beginning a fall residency.
FMDC re-performed, Definitions: Defining the Unspoken for the students and staff at P.S. 188X in the Bronx, taking on a very special community-based performance. We organized our third production entitled; I AM…Stories in Motion, which took place at the Julia De Burgos Latino Cultural Center. I AM…Stories in Motion was a special intergenerational dance production that brought to life the stories of residents from the Daughters of Jacob Nursing Home. For this production, we brought the residents from the nursing home to the theater so they could enjoy their stories come to life through the art of dance. Concurrent with production of I AM…Stories in Motion, Forza Malizia was honored to receive a grant from the Hispanic Federation to create and manage the inaugural Let’s Dance program. Thanks to the generosity of the Hispanic Federation, Forza Malizia had the opportunity to carry out its mission of being community-minded by offering free, Hip-Hop and salsa classes to teens in the Spanish Harlem neighborhood. The program concluded in a free performance entitled, REVIVAL: Flavas of El Barrio. In the show the students showcased their Hip-Hop and salsa dances, and displayed their research of the historic El Barrio neighborhood in their ‘flava facts’ for the lobby. The show also featured live conga drums and an instructor performance.
FMDC has recently completed its fourth original production at the Julia de Burgos Latino Cultural Center entitled, To Turn Under Heaven: an Homage to Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons.’ We also performed this production for the students and staff at P.S. 188x in the Bronx. Presently, FMDC, along with THE POINT, is embarking on another dance education program at the Peace and Diversity Academy (a Community School operating under Phipps Neighborhoods in the South Bronx). FMDC will be creating and managing another semester-long dance education program for high school students at the Peace and Diversity Academy. This program will also conclude in a performance, giving students a real opportunity to apply their dance education. Furthermore, the company is was just accepted to perform at the 2016 Harlem Arts Festival! Through FMDC’s vital partnerships with the Hispanic Federation and THE POINT, the company hopes to continue to carry out its mission of sharing dance through strong dance education programs, traditional and non-traditional performances, and original productions. We strongly believe in the value of the arts and making dance accessible.