THE RIDE FOUNDATION PRESENTS DANCE FOR FREEDOM GALA
INTERVIEW: ITALO ELGUETA and ROBYN SHREIBER
BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO
Following the success of the RIDE Foundation’s 2017 gala event, Dance for Africa, which raised funds for the African Wildlife Foundation, their next gala, Dance for Freedom on September 29th, 2018, will benefit CAST (Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking), and Journey Out. This evening of dance and entertainment will feature guest artists like Brooke Burke, Carrie Ann Inaba, Constance Marie, Kate Bosworth, Cheryl Burke, Louis van Amstel, Anna Trebunskaya at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica. The RIDE organization is created by Pro-Am ballroom couple Robyn Shreiber and Italo Elgueta with a mission to create one-of-a-kind dance events for difference-making charities. In this Tin Pan L.A. exclusive co-founders Robyn Shreiber and Italo Elgueta give insight into the objective of this event and what patrons can expect when attending this sensational gala.
What makes RIDE Foundation different than other non-profit organizations?
We as RIDE will put on the best possible event with a spectacular unique variety show for each years cause. Similar to if you were going to a Broadway show.
How do you choose which charities you will support?
We always start from the heart. We get many suggestions from our team and friends and then we get to researching and learning. We start to think which cause we feel needs the most current attention and seek interest in collaborating with them to use dance to bring awareness.
Italo Elgueta, left, and Robyn Shreiber, right.
How did you learn about CAST (Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking), and Journey Out?
Once we locked in our cause for 2018 We had a list of various organizations that are fighting human-trafficking. What we learned is that all these organizations work very closely with one another as almost sister organizations in order to abolish modern day slavery. After some thought we decided we wanted to pick two beneficiaries because of the work they do complimentary to one another. Both agencies are also Los Angeles based and that was important to us as we learned how prominent human trafficking is right in our back yard.
This year’s gala event is produced by Tony Award-winning producer Scott Mauro, how has he helped shape the production?
This is our first year working with Scott Mauro as a producer although he did attend last year at our inaugural gala. With his experience it has been great to make almost all ideas come to life. He and his team are so experienced and since our gala is so much entertainment and dance based, he has been a tremendous help in putting on an incredible production.
What are some performance highlights of the Dance for Freedom gala?
What is so exciting about our show is that we mix it up with celebrity and featured dancers and more. This year we have Louis Van Amstel and Anna Trebunskaya. Max Sinitsa and Tatiana Seliverstova. We have a singer name Javier Almaraz. Also we have extraordinary group of 8 Ballroom dancers that are stars in their own right, from national titles, So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With the Stars. Additionally we have a few more supieses with some musicians and guest dancers.
What are you most excited about for this event?
What we love doing is merging the world of dance and entertainment with the world of philanthropy. We have such an eclectic room of people and it’s beautiful to see.
What kind of giving opportunities will patrons have at the Dance for Freedom event?
We will donate all profits to CAST LA and Journey out. Most of our profit comes from our ticket sales which includes the full gala experience with dinner, after party, gift bags and of course a wonderful show. We also will have an exciting silent action filled with travel, beauty, merchandise and much more. We also create unique jewelry for each years event that ties in to the current cause. We have some exciting plans for our guests to be able to get a chance to collect this one of a kind jewelry.
MORE INFORMATION AND TICKETS:
DATE: September 29, 2018, 8PM
TICKETS: www.RIDEvents.org.
