For those who still write or collect post cards Andy Torres’s El Barrio Postcards are for you. This collection of post cards created by Andy Torres are a glimpse into his family, friends and neighborhood in the late 1950s and early 60s.   The Torres migrated to the United States from Puerto Rico in 1946 and settled on East 110 Street between Madison and Fifth Avenues in El Barrio.  One of their neighbors was the late and extraordinary poet, Julia De Burgos.

Andy’s postcards capture glimpses from his early years including images of the baseball league in Ponce, Puerto Rico in 1944 where his father played ,extending to time spent in Central Park and ending in  East Harlem.  The Park has always been the only green respite for those of us living in East Harlem’s  crowded and often dark dwellings

Andy and I met  in the 70s when he was performing on Broadway in Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope.  A backstage visit, and we have been friends ever since.  His career as a performing artist spans four decades, with appearances in more than 17 musicals including  Purlie, Your Arms Too Short to Box with God and The Wiz. He danced with a range of companies such as, Asadata Dafora, Talley Beatty, Fred Benjamin and Eleo Pomare and  was nominated for an AUDELCO Award in choreography for Blues for a Gospel Queen and Play to Win.  A sampling of his regional, Off-Broadway and touring credits: Gospel at Colonus, South Pacific, Tribute to Rosa Parks and Bubblin Brown Sugar.  In the 90s he became the artistic director of the Alpha-Omega Dance Company until 1996 when he relocated to the Washington, D.C. where he joined the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange.

Card Captions:

Andy Torres Army Portrait, 1961

Andres Torres (Andy’s Father)

Puerto Rican Baseball-Ponce 1944 (Andy‘s father on Right)

Andy, Mom & Sister

Orchard Beach 1960s

Never Forget Me, Anna

Andy, Grandmother & Sister (Asbury Park, N.J.)

Dancing Couples in Central Park

Group Picture Central Park &110 St (Andy Center)

Andy At Gardens Across the Street from El Museo 1957

Audubon Ballroom 1958 (Andy Center)

Palladium 1958

Young Gifted & Gay (Andy on Right Kneeling)

Reception Station, Fort Dix, NJ. 1961 (Andy Front Row, Third from Left)

Somewhere Along 7^th Avenue

La Mujer Puerto Ricena @ 110 Street & Park Avenue

El Barrio’s Six Fine Men

Angel Luis and Johnny Velez Central Park

What Pretty Eyes You Have, Friends at Central Park