Renowned dance theater hosts free class for Altadena seniors
The Australia native chose Atladena as her permanent home in 1991 after a short stint in London.
"Really friendly people," she said. "It's a very, very diverse community, which is why we like Altadena.
She and her partner just finished a remodel with a dream kitchen overlooking the tranquil garden and the trail.
"This became a really special place of us," Fortunaso said. "It's really hard to lose it."
Fortunaso said that life has been a blur ever since the Eaton Fire destroyed their beloved home — at least, until recently. A few weeks ago, the renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater invited Fortunaso and several other seniors who lost their homes to a free dance class.
"Mr. Ailey believed dance came from the people and it should be given back to the people," teacher Aaron Thomas said.
Ailey is known as the father of African American modern dance. He used movement to express his history of growing up poor in the Deep South.
"We're hoping to take the personal stories for all of our seniors and friends who join us, and be able to take those experiences and turn it into something beautiful," Thomas said.
The class began with a simple, seated warmup. Fortunaso reunited with her neighbor as they followed each movement carefully. The group focused on the theme of resilience, using word association to create special movements. They also learned some choreography from Ailey's ballet masterpiece, Revelations, which explores grief, joy and hope.
During the exercise, Fortunaso unexpectedly began to cry after the class gave her the opportunity and permission to not only heal but to feel.
"Hoping to have some fun, to be honest with you, and a distraction," she said. "This just released my sadness and my loss."
The unforgettable, therapeutic experience erased the blur surrounding her life since the fire.
"I think I'm going to more of it," Fortunaso said. "I think I'm going to go home and dance."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Bold & Beautiful Spoilers Preview: What Will Happen This Week (August 11-15)?
Wondering what drama unfolds this week in Los Angeles? The latest spoilers preview a week of shocking revelations, life-changing proposals, and family tensions that could alter relationships forever. Here's what Bold and the Beautiful spoilers reveal about confrontations, heartfelt confessions, and unexpected twists ahead. The Bold and the Beautiful spoilers preview for what happens this week Liam tells Bill that Grace fabricated his brain tumor diagnosis and gave him medication to imitate symptoms. Grace admits she created the scheme to extort one million dollars from Bill to cover her ex-husband's debts. Bill reacts angrily and declares she will face consequences. Hope is present and recalls previous harm caused by the Buckingham family. Ridge returns from Italy and tells Taylor that Brooke fell overboard during a boat trip with Nick and that he rescued her. Taylor expresses relief that no one was injured but says Brooke's future does not include Ridge. She firmly states she will not remove her engagement ring. Nick visits Brooke at Forrester Creations after the boating incident. He professes his love, produces a ring, and proposes marriage. Nick tells Brooke their relationship is not over, leaving her to carefully consider his unexpected and emotionally charged offer for their future. Sheila arrives at Li's home and discovers Luna alive and supported by medical equipment. She reacts to the sight and questions Li's decision to save her. Li explains that Luna's troubled upbringing influenced her actions and expresses belief in Luna's ability to change. Following the discovery, Sheila says she wants to take part in Luna's care and recovery. Li listens but does not immediately agree to the request. The development creates uncertainty about Luna's rehabilitation, future well-being, and the complex family relationships going forward. The Bold and the Beautiful airs weekdays on CBS and streams the next day on Paramount Plus. The post Bold & Beautiful Spoilers Preview: What Will Happen This Week (August 11-15)? appeared first on - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. Solve the daily Crossword
Axios
5 days ago
- Axios
Bud Billiken Parade on Chicago's South Side is back
Grab your lawn chairs. The back-to-school festival returns Saturday. Why it matters: For more than 90 years, the Bud Billiken Parade has been a Chicago tradition that has drawn massive crowds to celebrate Black culture, art, music and history just before the start of the academic year. What to expect: It's the largest African American parade in the U.S. and features marching bands, dancers, floats, live music and more. Flashback: The parade was established in 1929 by Robert Sengstacke Abbott, founder of the African American newspaper The Chicago Defender. The name Bud Billiken originated from the newspaper's youth page, "Defender Junior," which then transformed into a club and mascot, "Bud the Billiken," which was said to serve as a protector of children. State of play: The very first parade honored the young newsboys who sold the newspaper. Since then, public figures, community leaders and entertainers like former President Barack Obama, Muhammad Ali, Nat King Cole, Oprah and many others have taken part in the celebration. If you go: The festival is 10am-4pm Saturday starts at 35th and King Dr. and ends at 55th Street.
Forbes
04-08-2025
- Forbes
CTV Was Supposed To Be The Great Equalizer
Tony Gonzalez is Co-Founder and CEO of Mundial Media, a leading contextual marketing platform focused on multicultural audiences. We've all heard the promise: CTV is the future. It's the great equalizer, blending digital targeting with the storytelling power of TV. That vision is authentic and compelling, but turning it into meaningful results, especially with multicultural audiences, requires more than flipping a switch. After more than a decade immersed in multicultural media strategy, I've learned that reaching Hispanic and other diverse audiences on CTV takes a mindset shift from checking boxes to embracing cultural fluency. There's no debate: U.S. Hispanics over-index on CTV. They're streaming more content across more platforms and engaging with content in both Spanish and English. This behavior represents a powerful opportunity, but only for brands that approach this audience with intentionality. Simply put, to connect with this audience, marketing must reflect the lived experiences, values and aspirations of its target audience. African American audiences also play a significant role in shaping CTV trends, driving substantial viewership and cultural influence across various genres and platforms. Like Hispanic viewers, they are not a monolith. Connecting with them requires more than surface-level gestures; it calls for a genuine investment in representation, storytelling and a deep understanding of the community. Too often, the default approach mirrors traditional broadcast methods: repurposing a general-market ad, dubbing it in Spanish, adding a few cultural signifiers and distributing it through a Spanish-language app. While well-intentioned, this rarely taps into the deeper layers of identity and relevance that multicultural viewers respond to. So, what should brands do instead? It starts with involving the right voices up front. That means working with creatives, strategists and researchers who bring cultural insights and lived experiences to the table from day one. Brands should commission original creative, developed specifically for the audience they're trying to reach. Casting should reflect cultural authenticity; scripts should consider vernacular and humor that come naturally, and story arcs should resonate with the community's values, including family, perseverance, cultural pride and ambition, to name a few. CTV audiences are nuanced. Language is just one dimension. Factors like generational perspective, region of origin, acculturation level and shifting identity expressions all share what resonates. Increasingly, these dimensions overlap in ways that require more than translation; they demand tailored, informed storytelling. One of CTV's advantages is its robust targeting capabilities. Brands can layer data such as language preference, geography, cultural affinity and viewer behavior to deliver highly tailored messages. However, access to those tools isn't what sets great campaigns apart; it's how you use them. Take Toyota, for example. Rather than viewing 'Hispanics' as a single audience, the brand develops distinct purpose-built creative for bilingual, English-dominant and Spanish-dominant audiences. They respect nuance, and in doing so, create ads that connect rather than just categorize. 5 Ways To Take A CTV Multicultural Strategy To The Next Level If your brand is serious about building meaningful connections with Hispanic audiences on CTV, here are five foundational shifts that can move the needle: The majority of the 60-plus million Hispanics in the U.S. are bilingual or English-dominant. Language matters as a starting point. Cultural attitudes, values and identity shape what drives engagement. Brands can leverage these insights through qualitative and quantitative research, ethnographic studies, social listening and analysis of first-party data. For example, identifying a high affinity for nostalgia-driven content among second-generation Latinos could influence whether your ad leans into retro aesthetics, multigenerational storytelling or familiar music from the 2000s. Inclusive media planning begins long before the media buy. Storytelling that reflects lived experiences through casting, scripting and narrative lays the groundwork for genuine connection. Work with writers, producers and directors who mirror the communities you want to reach. Authentic representation builds trust and lifts campaign performance. CTV allows real-time testing and refinement. Experiment with cultural cues, language combinations and regional variations to enhance your understanding. Use performance data to refine messaging and evaluate emotional response metrics, such as whether viewers watched to the end. Did they comment, share or follow up? Optimization should include a combination of cultural impact and click-through rates. Hispanic Heritage Month is important, but it is not enough. Audiences notice when brands disappear for the other 11 months. Consistent visibility, even in smaller ways, signals commitment and builds brand equity. The most trusted brands in multicultural households are those that are present year-round, not just seasonally. Data is crucial, but cultural fluency comes from lived experience. Collaborate with partners—media platforms, creators and strategists who understand the nuances of diverse audiences because they are part of those communities. Demographics reveal who someone is; fluency helps you know how they think, feel and live. A Shift From Reach To Resonance CTV has made targeted media more accessible than ever. However, meaningful results emerge when brands shift their perspective on multicultural engagement from a box to check to a core growth strategy. Multicultural audiences, particularly U.S. Hispanics, are influencing content. They're shaping trends, redefining narratives and setting the tone for where media goes next. African American viewers are equally influential as cultural catalysts, with impact across every platform and genre. Brands that get this right will capture attention and earn loyalty, advocacy and long-term value from the communities shaping the future of entertainment and culture. Forbes Agency Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?
