Lil’ Kim & Rosie Perez To Host ‘Move Against AIDS: Return of the Dance-a-thon’.

Hip-Hop icon Lil’ Kim and actress Rosie Perez, currently on Broadway in the smash hit Reckless, have signed on as special guest hosts of Move Against AIDS: Return of the Dance-a-thon, on December 11, 2004, at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in Manhattan. Lil’ Kim and Rosie Perez join an all-star line-up of internationally renowned producers and DJ’s, including Beverly Bond, Peter Rauhofer, Danny Tenaglia, Tony Touch, and Junior Vasquez. Other special guest performers include R&B sensation 3LW, disco and club music legend Martha Wash, and Kevin Aviance, whose club hit Din Da Da reached number one on the Billboard dance charts.

“This event will engage those young men and women most at risk for contracting HIV,” said Ana Oliveira, executive director of GMHC. “The participation of youth in HIV prevention is a vital part of the solution in reducing HIV transmission. Our goal is to reprise the successes of past Dance-a-thons in raising awareness about HIV and AIDS, and raising the funds needed to continue our fight against the Pandemic.”

There are one million people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States, and 40,000 more people are infected each year. African Americans and Latinos have experienced the greatest increases in HIV diagnoses, especially among young people and women. Half of all new HIV infections are among people under the age of 25, and the number of women living with HIV has tripled in the last two decades.

“The HIV epidemic in the United States is a rapidly changing public health emergency, and we must address the exploding rates of HIV infections among young people,” said Move Against AIDS Producer Craig R. Miller of MZA Events. “Move Against AIDS is an innovative way to raise awareness and re-invigorate our response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. We are honored that these world-class entertainers have united to reach out and inspire a new generation of AIDS activists.”

Move Against AIDS: Return of the Dance-a-thon is produced by MZA Events and is one of many events in its long legacy of successful AIDS fundraisers, including AIDS Walk. New York City’s first AIDS Dance-a-thon, launched by Miller and MZA Events in 1990, was an all-star show and dance party that immediately appealed to a wide and diverse base of participants. Move Against AIDS: Return of the Dance-a-thon is sponsored in part by Delta Airlines, NBC, KTU 103.5 FM, Power 105.1 FM, Metro Newspaper, HX Magazine, and Next Magazine. Move Against AIDS benefits Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), the nation’s
oldest AIDS service and advocacy organization. GMHC is a not-for-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based organization committed to national leadership in the fight against AIDS. Its mission is to reduce the spread of
HIV disease, help people with HIV maintain and improve their health and independence, and keep the prevention, treatment and cure of HIV an urgent national and local priority. GMHC provides services and programs to over 15,000 men, women and families that are living with or affected by HIV/AIDS in New York City.

For more information at http://www.gmhc.org