The Curtis Brothers (Zaccai & Luques Curtis)
Trabajo: Musicians
El Barrio: Hartford, CT

The Curtis Brothers are two remarkable young musicians gracing today's Jazz and Latin Jazz scene. Zaccai and Luques Curtis have an outstanding amount of experience under their belt. The Curtis brother’s journey in music began in their Hartford, Connecticut home where lessons and rehearsals were almost daily.  Their basement was a 24 hr music space that once held the entire record collection of the great bass player, Andy Gonzalez. Their consistent dedication has kept the brother's focused and without it they could have not accomplished all they have today.

Zaccai and Luques went to Boston, Massachusetts to enroll in college. Pianist/Composer/Arranger, Zaccai went to the New England Conservatory and Bassist Luques attended the Berklee College of Music. After earning their degrees, they headed south to the jazz capital of the world,  New York City -- where they officially began their music career. The two have played with Jerry Gonzalez, the Fort Apache Band, Jimmy Greene and Donald Harrrison, among others.

In addition, Luques has performed separately with artists such as Eddie Palmieri, Brian Lynch, Ralph Peterson and Christian Scott. While Zaccai  has composed and arranged music for his own quartet, trio, solo piano works, Big-Band orchestra and various-sized string ensembles. He is also the head of his own record independent label “Truth Revolution Records”.

The Curtis Brothers are constantly on the move performing, working on various individual projects and recording joint albums like the successful "A Genesis” and "Blood, Spirit, Land, Water, Freedom". Their third and most recent release released entitled "Completion of Proof" is available now.

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Madelyn Rodriguez
Trabajo: On-Air / TV Personality
El Barrio: Queens, NY

Madelyn Rodriguez was born in Queens, New York to Dominican parents. The bilingual journalist has tremendous experience in television, radio and print. She started her journalism career as a researcher and reporter for various magazines such as; People en Espanol, Sports Illustrated Latino, Grupo El Nuevo (Jersey Journal Spanish Edition) and Elle Magazine. With an impressive print resume she landed jobs in the newsroom of CBS News working on programs such the the CBS National News, The Early Show and a 60 Minutes special; Mexico: The War Next Door, with CNN correspondent Anderson Cooper. Her unique, raspy voice has been heard on New York City's top Latin radio stations as on-air talent for La Mega 97.9FM, Amor 93.1, X96.3FM, WADO 1280AM, and 92.7FM La Que Buena. She can be heard on commercials and reporting on traffic and weather from different locations throughout New York and New Jersey. This Dominicana is also a correspondent and producer for Mun2 and currently an on-air personality for the show Acceso Total on Telemundo 47. Madelyn earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a Bachelor of Arts in Print Journalism from Brooklyn College. In addition, Lopez studied American Sign Language at the Lexington School for the Deaf to communicate with her hearing impaired brother, who she says is her biggest inspiration.

Melanie Torres
Trabajo: Dancer/Choreographer/Instructor
El Barrio: Spanish Harlem, NY

Today's Copacabana Dance Director, Melanie Torres not only instructs the club's Copa Girls and Cabana boys but she also teaches many dance students in New York City. Ms. Torres was born and raised in Spanish Harlem. Over the years, her father Eddie Torres (also known as the "Mambo King of Latin Dance") was a huge influence in both her life and career. As she got older, it became increasingly evident that Latin rhythm was in her blood. Yet, she surprisingly did not discover her true passion for dance until her freshman year in college when she was asked to perform a Salsa routine with her father. Ms. Torres failed to admit that she did not know how to dance Salsa - but within two weeks and with the help of her Dad, she nailed it!

"I'll never forget my first performance. It was at the Alpha Phi Alpha Semi-formal at Binghamton University. I think my Dad chose one of the fastest Tito Puente tunes, or at least it felt that way," remembered Torres. "But no other music had ever spoken to me like that before. It was an instant connection and I quickly fell in love with this beautiful music and dance".

While pursuing her law degree from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Melanie performed with such Latin legends as Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, El Gran Combo, Ruben Blades and many other noted artists. Though she practiced Law for several years, she returned to pursue a career in dance.  Torres opened her own dance studio, Dance On 2, where she conducts weekly dance lessons for small groups. She would later expand by offering a wide variety of classes, becoming one of the most sought after Latin dance Instructors.