![\"\"](\"https:\/\/performingartslegacy.org\/ubarry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/112\/2019\/04\/junior-high-school-792x1024.jpg\")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Oklahoma blog<\/p>\n
In January 1962 my family moved from the St. Nicholas projects in Harlem to a tenement apartment in
\nBrooklyn. I also left behind lifelong friends and my Doo-Wop singing group. I was 15 years old.
\nIn 1962 Brooklyn was a haven for gangs. Gangs with names like the Dekalb Chaplains, Junior Sinners,
\nPhantom Lords and too many others to name. I began the second half of my senior year at the Mark
\nHopkins junior high school. One day while walking home a female student began talking to me and
\nwelcoming me to Mark Hopkins. She said goodbye and left. A few minutes later I was approached by
\na gang member to tell me \u201cYou almost died\u201d! \u201cThe girl you were talking to is their gang leader\u2019s
\ngirlfriend\u201d. I said I didn\u2019t know that and he told me to watch myself\u201d! I knew I was in gang land
\nterritory. I was assigned to Mr. Pasinkoff\u201ds class. Mr. Pasinkoff\u2019 was also in charge of directing the
\nschool\u2019s theatrical production of Oklahoma. I told him I could sing and he suggested I see the music
\nteacher Mr. Miller. Mr. Miller auditioned me and offered me the leading role of Curly.
\nI was then known by my birth name Hector Mercado and I had been accepted by the High School Of
\nPerforming Arts. This was my first full musical production as an actor\/singer. I remember waiting for
\nthe curtain to rise and the nerves were unimaginable, I was scared! The curtain went up, I\u2019m standing
\nthere, the music began and out of my mouth came the song \u201cOh! What A Beautiful Morning\u201d!
\nI remembered my lines and lyrics and the production was successful. I began to have many
\nfriends. But outside the school, the gangs were always around and very dangerous. I made sure never
\nto talk to that gang leader\u2019s girlfriend. Survival depended on that. In September of that year I began
\nmy acting and dance classes at the High School Of Performing Arts in Manhattan. Each day when I
\nreturned home to my gang infested neighborhood, I made sure to hide my ballet shoes!<\/p>\n
\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Oklahoma blog In January 1962 my family moved from the St. Nicholas projects in Harlem to a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":115,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-highlight"],"metadata":{"_edit_lock":["1554145263:115"],"_edit_last":["115"],"_wpac_members_redirect_to":[""],"_wpac_show_in_search":["0"],"_wpac_show_excerpt_in_search":["0"],"_wpac_nonmembers_redirect_to":[""],"ase_map_component_start_point":["a:2:{s:3:\"lat\";d:29.76;s:3:\"lng\";d:-95.38;}"]},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n