Cecilia Nadal, Founder of Gitana Productions has been selected as one of ten people selected by St. Louis Magazine for their first annual Luminary Award. The December magazine issue notes, "when we looked around the St. Louis landscape, there were plenty of candidates...But the quality we wanted to recognize was warmer than vision, nobler than coolness. It had to do with light; with people whose ideas glow so brightly, they illuminate a path for the rest of us."
Cecilia founded Gitana Productions with Danny Clark, former principal dancer with the Alvin Ailey Dance Ensemble in 1996. The mission of Gitana has remained the same to use music, dance, and drama as a core strategy to engage diverse segments of the community together in love and acceptance.
Cecilia brought the first major Chinese event to Powell Symphony Hall in 2000 after traveling to China at her own expense to convince the Minister of Culture that St. Louis should be a point of destination for the China National Orchestra. Later she teamed up an internationally known Moroccan singer and musician, Hassan Hakmoun with local Jewish Rock singer, Rick Recht. Discovering that there was a significant Roma (Gypsy) population in St. Louis Cecilia organized a core group of the leaders to provide the first St. Louis Roma Festival in Forest Park. On all of the above events there has been very serious community outreach resulting in precedent setting audience diversity.
Community outreach efforts have included cross-cultural social events and educational programs that have enlisted the involvement of local businesses, universities, and community organizations. To mention a few, Cecilia brought Chinese leaders and African Americans together at the Scott Joplin House to share cultural foods and discuss life stories that define our American experience. Dr. Ian Hancock, a romani scholar and representative to the United Nations came to Washington University to discuss the history and culture of the Roma people. A dinner was held at the Central Reform Congregation which brought African and Near and Middle Eastern Muslims togetherto share music and discuss the meaning of “fellow feeling?in Jewish and Muslim traditions.
Finally, Cecilia started “Global Education through the Arts,?a community arts program that serves at risk African American and immigrant youth who live in South St. Louis. The youth receive top notch training in dance, drama and cultural diversity training using music, lecturesand speakers.
Board President, Gloria Overton said, “Cecilia has contributed tirelessly to the mission of Gitana with a solid vision of the quality of international and local performers needed to reach targeted populations. She has a real sense of the pulse of our community and has the courage to put on a play like Complacency of Silence: Darfur. It has been a pleasure and honor to be President of an organization filled with such inspiration and dedication. Cecilia was so committed to bringing the China National Orchestra that she took out a second mortgage on her house to make a significant contribution to Gitana. Many were skeptical about our ability as a small organization to deliver…we did more than deliver. Cecilia engaged the General Consul of China to come to St. Louis with a reception given by Webster University. Eighty musicians went to St. Alphonsus Rock Church with their first African American experience and a team of six journalists from China came with the orchestra to cover this unique collaboration. African American and Chinese youth from local schools performed together to open the show. Finally, Cecilia co-produced a film on Chinese music that won the top CALOP award for best artistic and technical production. This energy and conviction is typical for Cecilia and our board has supported her efforts as we see first hand the positive influence and light she has brought to St. Louis. |
