Lizbeth Ortiz
(Craft Arts Instructor)
Ms. Ortiz was born in Mexico City and moved with her family to the United States when she was only two years of age. Lizbeth attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) in Houston, Texas, where she majored in Visual Artsand graduated in 1994.  Her love and passion of the arts lead her to Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York where she majored in Fine Arts and Fashion Design.                                                                                                       
 Since graduating from HSPVA and attending Pratt Institute, she has developed a signature style of recycling materials and incorporating various modeling paste and gels into all of her art.  Lizbeth's first solo show was in October 2001, which became the first of many "Dia de los Muertos" exhibitions.  The show held in October 2001 marked the beginning of how she would celebrate the people that perished on September 11th in New York City.                             
As a member of the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture, Lizbeth has been privileged to work and continues to collaborate with artists such as Amalia Mesa-Bains and Delilah Montoya.  Additionally, as a Volunteer Advisory Board member of Neighborhood Centers Inc. - Ripley House she has been instrumental in organizing and securing space for emerging Houston artists to show their work.  Lizbeth has made such a significant impact in the arts community that she has been featured and is part of Chuy Benitez's "Houston Cultura" series, showcasing emerging Latino art and cultural leaders in Houston.  As the Visual Art Coordinator at the Multicultural Education and Counseling through the Arts Center (MECA) she organized visual art exhibits, and successfully helped expand MECA's day of the Dead Celebration into one of the largest Day of the Dead celebrations in Houston.  Lizbeth's latest accomplishment is being named the Official Artist of the 2008 Latin Grammy Awards by the Latin Recording Academy. Lizbeth's art will grace the cover of the 2008 Latin Grammy Awards invitation, show tickets, poster and program book.
 
Itza Garza
(Dance Instructor)
Ms. Garza graduated from La Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon in 1984, majoring in Modern Dance and Dance History.  She was the Artistic Director of her own dance company in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico from 1988 to 1999.                                    

 In 2000 Itza moved to Houston, Texas where she later formed the dance company, "Ballet Folklorico Itzaes". The company provided evening and weekend classes at TBH for children 6 to 15 years of age. The dance group performed at prestigious venues and events such as:  The Houston International Festival, Cesar Chavez Festival & Parade, Edward J. Olmos "Festival of Books", University of Houston Film Festival, First Annual Hispanic Heritage Month, University of Houston-Clear Lake,  Super Bowl XXXVIII "NFL Experience" at the George R. Brown Convention Center,  Telemundo/AARP "La Celebration de la Familia",   St. Thomas University, "Cinco de Mayo Celebration", "Cultural Extravaganza" at the University of Houston Clear Lake,  "La Gran Fiesta de Fort Worth," and Bayou City Art Festival. In addition, the group  performed at numerous Talento Bilingüe de Houston presentations including,  Latino Festival, Doris Martinez Art Exhibit, Dia de Los Muertos, Carmina Guajardo Art Exhibit, Leticia Martinez Art Exhibit, and Recuerdos de Monterrey Art Exhibit.                                                                  

Ms. Garza also taught Classic and Folkloric Ballet at Mason Park Community Center from 2004 to 2008 where she then moved to teach Classic Ballet at Ripley House.

Recently, Ms. Garza was selected to coordinate and manage the children's craft area at TBH's "Dia de La Comunidad de Target" on November 22nd, 2008.

Currently Ms, Garza is teaching dance at Macario Garcia Elementary School.

In partnership with the music educational program, Mrs. Garza's choreography skills are the perfect accompaniment to a well-rounded approach to fine arts in public education.  Her knowledge of folk, as well as classical dance styles is evident in the programs she has provided for the Garcia students in grades Pre-K through 5th grade

Ms. Garza is a 4 year veteran dance/art instructor with Flor y Canto Summer Art Camp.
 
Jesus Lozano
(Poetry/Theatre Arts Instructor)
Mr. Lozano was born in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico on April 20, 1959. At the age of 8, he started learning to play the guitar and piano.  A year later he began to play music with a rock & roll band called the 3 J's.  At 11, years old, he started playing professionally with a Marimba Orchestra.

While attending middle school, he sang with the school choir, played guitar and up-right Bass with the school Estudiantina. Jesus continued his studies in music at the  Escuela Superior de Musica de la Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon for two semesters, while at the same time,  attending the Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon. In 1977, he enrolled in the Facultad De Antropologia de la Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon and worked as  a Teaching Assistant under Dr. Mario Rios, at the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon in 1979 and 1980.   Mr. Lozano held a teaching position at the UDEM (Universidad de Monterrey) working under Dr. Breen Murray, teaching Physical and Cultural Anthropology  until 1981, which was when he completed his studies and started working as a Field Researcher with the Instituto de Desarroyos Humanos de la Universidad Autonoma  de Nuevo Leon.

Upon arriving in Houston in 1982, he started working as a free lance musician in the Galveston- Houston area.  He married Maria Lozano in 1986 and it wasn't long before  both started working with different Fine Arts Organizations which included  MECA, Talento Bilingüe de Houston, Gano-Carecen as art/music instructors of Music, Dance, Ethno-Crafts, Theater Arts.

In 1993 he began working with HISD as a Music Teacher in the Central Region.  By 2005 his curriculum broadened by incorporating Muticultural Studies in which the students receive more instruction regarding cultural diversities, interjecting geography, music, dance and other related subjects.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Lozano are professional performers with their own company Bossa II and have been performing throughout the city and surrounding areas for the past 22 years. Together, they have years of experience working with hundreds of children on a daily basis through schools as well as summer camps and afterschool programs.
 
Nicolas R. Valdez
(Percussion Instructor)
Mr. Valdez was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, where he began studying traditional Conjunto accordion by age 9. At thirteen, he was involved in writing, producing, and performing original theatrical work through the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, Jump-start Performance Co., The Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, and various other cultural arts organizations. He is a founding member of Grupo Animo, the teen-resident-theatre company of the Guadalupe Cultual Arts Center.

Since then he has performed nationally with El Teatro Campesino, La Peña, Galeria de la Raza, Teatro Vision, M.A.C.L.A., Pocha Nuestra, Talento Bilingüe de Houston and has shared the stage with Sandra Cisneros, Maya Angelou, Jesse Borrego, Luis Valdez, Guillermo Gomez-Peña, and others. Nicolas is also the co-founder of Madmedia, a San Antonio based performance collective, and is member of RESET, a multi-media production team. This is Mr. Valdez' second year with Flor y Canto Summer Art Camp.