To update information or submit an event, email ACTA.
Beyond the Rainbow: Maguey Textiles of Guatemala
Through September 9, 2005
UC Davis Design Department Museum
145 Walker Hall
UC Davis Campus
Davis, CA
The first fibers woven by the indigenous people of Mesoamerica came from the endemic maguey or agava plant. Still in use today, ancient techniques transform these fibers into rope, bags, cargo nets, tumplines, hammocks, and horse gear. The secrets of these processes were learned from extensive field research in Guatemala, and are the basis for this exhibit. Photos and samples illustrate methods of fiber extraction, spinning, and loom and non-loom construction techniques. Market scenes and product use round out the display. Visitors can follow the strand from past to present, by looking beyond the bright rainbow colors of Mayan clothing, to the natural color of maguey.
Admission: Free
Museum Hours: Monday through Friday 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.; Sunday 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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The Feast of Straw – Harvest of Hope
Through September 25, 2005
Craft and Folk Art Museum
5814 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90036
The exhibit features mummer costumes (a mummer is someone who goes from door to door during the holidays performing traditional plays) from Ireland, Great Britain, Western and Eastern Europe, including the Wittlesby Bear Costume, and masks from Lithuania, Belarus and the Ukraine, exploring the cultural aspects of celebrations connected to the festivals of agrarian communities.
Admission: $3.50
Museum Hours: Tuesday through Sunday 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Native Voices . . . Honoring the Animals
Through September 30, 2005
The Maidu Interpretive Center & Historic Site
1960 Johnson Ranch Drive
Roseville, CA 95661
The “Native Voices...Honoring the Animals” exhibit presents photographs, audiotapes and videotapes of native people sharing how they honor the animals for providing food, clothing, tools, and regalia.
Admission: $4.00
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 9:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m.
For more information call (916) 774-5934.
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Carnaval in Africa: Photographs of Guinea Bissau
September 7 through October 29, 2005
UCLA Campus
Hilgard and Strathmore Avenues
Los Angeles, CA
The photographs by Doran H. Ross document a West African Carnaval celebration, which in 1987 featured more than 500 newly made pâpier maché masks.
Admission: Free
Museum Hours: Wednesday through Sunday 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Thursday 12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Woven Legacy: A Collection of Dat-so-la-lee Works,
1900-1921
Through October 31, 2005
Marion Steinbach Indian Basket Museum
130 West Lake Blvd.
Tahoe City, CA
The collection comprises an exhibition of 62 miniatures and models, woven for Amy Cohn, from 1900-1921. Dat-so-la-lee (Louisa Keyser) became well known for her talent while creating baskets exclusively for Cohn's Emporium Stores in Carson City, NV and Tahoe City, CA, producing over 100 recorded large and miniature Washoe-style baskets, from 1895-1925. Her creations have since become well known and remain a lasting tribute to the artist. This will be the first time Amy Cohn's personal collection will be on public display. This exhibition will feature baskets, personal items, photographs and educational materials.
Admission: $3
Museum Hours: Wednesday through Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
For more information call (530) 583-1762 or visit the North Lake Tahoe Historical Society website.
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Pieces of the Past: Quilting Traditions
Through November 6, 2005
Grace Hudson Museum
431 South Main
Ukiah, CA
Pieces of the Past: Quilting Traditions an exhibition of over forty regional quilts, drawn from both public and private collections, will be on display at the Grace Hudson Museum through November 6, 2005. The quilts range in date from the early 1800s to 2002, highlighting examples of major quilting traditions and techniques while documenting the values, interests and experiences of their creators and the times in which they lived.
Quilts on display are made from bright silks, tobacco felts, simple cotton shirting material, cigar ribbons, expensive dress fabric and wool suits. These quilts have fascinating stories to tell. There is a double wedding ring quilt, made for the bride-to-be by her friends, and stored away, unused, when she ran away from the arranged marriage to follow her own heart. Another quilt won first prize at the California State Fair in 1954, a hand-painted piece requiring hundreds of hours to complete, created by the wife of a logger living out in the wilds of Mendocino County. One quilt was made to help the temperance cause, while another was completed in Finland and carried to America by the maker’s sixteen year old daughter.
The Sun House Guild quilt, finished in 1980, pictures a number of historic sites existing around Mendocino County during Grace Hudson’s lifetime. Designed by Virginia Fitch and containing the work of over 30 quilters, it helped to raise over $6,000 to pay for building the Grace Hudson Museum. There is a quilt made by three grandchildren for their grandmother, depicting life on their northern California farm in 1893; and another picturing the bombing of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001.
Museum Hours: Wednesday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.; Sunday 12:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Sueños Realizados: Photographs from the Galería de la Raza Collection
Through November 12, 2005
The Mexican Museum
Fort Mason Center - Building D
San Francisco, CA
During their Silver Anniversary in 1995, Galería de la Raza commissioned a series of photographs by Bay Area photographers, which they then donated to The Mexican Museum. The suite of 40 large gelatin prints features the work of Virginia Benavides, Catalina Govea, Rubén Guzmán, a former master artist in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program, and Antonio Tovar. The exhibition includes personal portraits taken of the Mission District's multicultural residents and documentation of the East Bay's Mexican cultural traditions.
Admission: Free
Hours: Wednesday through Saturday 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Costumes of Kathak: the Classical Dance of North India
Through November 26, 2005
Oakland Asian Cultural Center
388 Ninth Street, Suite. 290
Oakland, CA
This exhibit offers an educational presentation of the traditional costumes of Kathak dance, a classical dance form from North India.
Admission: Free
For more information call (510) 637-0462 or visit the Oakland Asian Cultural Center’s website.
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Calavera: Days of the Dead Altars Remixed
October 12 – December 4, 2005
Oakland Museum
1000 Oak Street
Oakland, CA
For the museum’s 12th annual Días de los Muertos exhibition, artists, school groups, and members of the community create installations that reflect how California has developed its own cosmopolitan version of this celebration—grounded in spiritual Mesoamerican traditions, but open to new expressions.
On October 23rd from 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., the museum will host the 12th Annual Community Celebration for the Days of the Dead, a free celebration where participants can help create a community altar, take part in craft activities, or enjoy food, music, and dance performances. Featured performers include Danza Xitlalli, Ensembles Ballet Folklorico de San Francisco, Mariachi Colima de Javier Magallón, Teatro Familia Aztlàn, and Yolanda Aranda.
Admission: $8
Museum Hours: Wednesday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Sunday 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Hidden Treasures from the Mexican Collections
Through December 23, 2005
Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology
UC Berkeley
103 Kroeber Hall - Bancroft and College Ave.
Berkeley, CA
Tesoros Escondidos presents a selection of objects from Mexico including clothing, textiles, pottery, baskets, gourds, masks, ceremonial objects, toys, and miniatures. Although these pieces have been accumulating since the Hearst Museum's founding in 1901, only a few have ever been exhibited before. A wide range of forms and media is represented, with regional strengths in the central and southern states. While some objects were created self-consciously as tourist and folk arts for sale to outsiders, much of the collection was made for use in daily life. Most of the items were collected in the 1950s and 1960s, but some pieces date as far back as the seventeenth century.
Admission: $4
Museum Hours: Wednesday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.; Sunday 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Behind the Altar: Retablos
September 22 – December 31, 2005
Craft and Folk Art Museum
5814 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA
Retablos, better known as laminas in Mexico, are small oil paintings on tin, zinc, wood or copper which were used in home alters to venerate Catholic saints. This genre of folk art, deeply rooted in Spanish history, represents traditional religious beliefs in 17th, 18th, and 19th century Mexican culture. Colorful, spiritual, symbolic, allegorical, and historical are just a few of the words that best describe the unique art form.
Admission: $5
Museum Hours: Wednesday to Sunday 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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The Hopi: People of the Mesas
Through January 1, 2006
Riverside Metropolitan Museum
3580 Mission Inn Ave.
Riverside, CA
The Hopi: People of the Mesas examines traditional Hopi life through basketry, pottery, jewelry, and kachina dolls. Items chosen from the Museum’s permanent collection span a century, including yucca baskets from the 1890s and a quilt made in the year 2000.
Museum Hours: Tuesday through Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Sunday 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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The Art of the Japanese Doll
Through January 8, 2006
Mingei International
Balboa Park
El Prado and the Plaza de Panama
San Diego, CA
The exhibition focuses on six categories of ningyo — gosho ningyo (palace dolls), hina ningyo (Girls' Day dolls), musha ningyo (Boys' Day dolls), isho ningyo (dolls of fashion and popular culture), karakuri ningyo (theater dolls, some of which are mechanical) and dolls relating to health. Carved from wood, the dolls are clothed in elegant, often elaborate, costumes with heads, hands and bodies that have the appearance of white porcelain, an effect achieved by application to the wooden base of gofun, a white pigment made from crushed clam and oyster shells and glue. Of special note is a four and one-half foot, uncostumed Bunraku puppet, a beautiful example of the mechanics of its art.
Guest Curator Alan Pate notes, “No other country in the world can boast as long-lived, vibrant and diverse a doll tradition as Japan. The doll in Japan holds layers of meaning and symbolism that anchor it more deeply in Japanese culture than its Western equivalent."
Admission: $6
Museum Hours: Tuesday through Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Big Drum: Taiko in the United States
Through January 8, 2006
Japanese American National Museum
369 East First Street
Los Angeles, California
With its thunderous rhythms and energetic movements, taiko is a powerful and popular style of group drumming. In Japanese, the word taiko translates to "big drum" or "fat drum". While drumming has always been a part of Japanese and Japanese American culture, it was not until the latter part of the twentieth century that taiko evolved into the ensemble form practiced and performed today. The pioneering American taiko groups were formed in California during the social and political tumult of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Today, there are hundreds of groups throughout North America and Hawai'i.
Big Drum: Taiko in the United States is the first major museum exhibition about taiko in America. Through media arts pieces, artifacts, photographs, and artwork, the exhibition explores how the development of taiko in this country reflects the resilience of cultural traditions, the historical journeys of Japanese Americans, and the cultivation of new diverse communities.
Admission: $8
Museum Hours: Tuesday through Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Thursday evening until 8:00 p.m.
Visit the museum’s website to learn about a series of Taiko Concerts which complement the exhibit.
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Shadows, Masks, and Music: Aspects of the Performing Arts in Asia
Through January 22, 2006
Asian Art Museum
Tateuchi Thematic Gallery
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA
The worlds of the performing arts and the visual arts intersect in numerous ways. Musical instruments, set designs, costumes, and masks, while intended to accent performances, have also been valued as aesthetic objects in their own right. This exhibit explores this connection featuring a selection of more than 50 instruments, masks, and other items that were used in various Asian theatrical, dance or musical performances. It also draws from the museum’s collection of painted and sculptural works that depict such objects or performances.
Admission: $10
Museum Hours: Tuesday through Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. with extended hours every Thursday until 9:00 p.m.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Rustic Splendors: Kiln Treasures From Shiwan
Through March 2006
Pacific Heritage Museum
608 Commercial Street
San Francisco, CA
The Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco and the Pacific Heritage Museum will cosponsor Rustic Splendors: Kiln Treasures from Shiwan. This exhibit of Chinese ceramics will feature one hundred forty one pieces, on loan from nineteen Bay Area collectors, ranging from the Ming Dynasty (AD 1368-1644) to the present.
For more information call the Chinese Culture Center at (415) 986-1822 or visit the center’s website.
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Passage to Panama: Past to Present
Through March 26, 2006
San Diego Museum of Man
Balboa Park
1350 El Prado
San Diego, CA
Curated by Grace Johnson, Passage to Panama: Past to Present is based on the research, collections, and photographs of William and Evelyn Phillips taken in the 1950s. This exhibit describes the lives and culture of the Guaymí peoples of the mountains of Chiriquí and Veraguas and the Chocó peoples of the Darién in the 1950s.
The Chocó, currently known as the Wounaan/Embera people, live along the rivers in the Darién region of Panama. This exhibit centers on their environment and their daily life, including rituals and healing. The Museum's collection of baskets highlights Chocó culture, which is further detailed through displays of wooden bowls, hunting and fishing implements, traditional dress and jewelry, and carved wooden staffs.
The lives of the Guaymí, presently known as the Ngöbe, are recounted through their daily lives by looking closely at objects they use in their households, such as gourds and woven hats, as well as musical instruments associated with the balsaría ceremony. The exhibit also looks at how these indigenous groups are affected by other cultures by considering their art and economy, and examining the wide range of contemporary baskets, jewelry, and woodcarvings made for sale.
Photographs taken by Dr. Julie Velasquez-Runk and Dr. Philip Young between 1997 and 2004 give a sense of the current life of indigenous peoples of the Darién. Contemporary photographs of Panama and historic and contemporary images of the Panama Canal illustrate life in Panama as it is today.
Admission: $6
Museum Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. daily
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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The Art of Being Kuna: Layers of Meaning Among the Kuna of Panama
Through May 14, 2006
San Diego Museum of Man
Balboa Park
1350 El Prado
San Diego, CA
The Art of Being Kuna: Layers of Meaning Among the Kuna of Panama is a major traveling exhibition that presents a view of the Kuna culture as seen through its expressive arts: the Kuna's central concern for form and beauty in everyday life, narratives, rituals, healing, and visual arts such as Kuna women's molas (textiles). The Kuna people live on the San Blas islands and Atlantic coastline of Panama. The exhibit showcases Kuna culture through a wide range of objects including baskets, wooden objects, molas, and gold jewelry. Large-scale photo panels with supportive descriptive panels and visual documentation, depicted in an environment suggestive of a Kuna village and video stations add depth to the presentation.
Admission: $6
Museum Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. daily
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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September
E Hula Mau
September 2 – 4, 2005
Terrace Theater
Long Beach Performing Arts Center
300 East Ocean Boulevard
Long Beach, California
E Hula Mai is Southern California’s only Hula and Chant competition, produced by Na Mamo, a Southern California non-profit organization. In addition to being a competition the event also offers cultural workshops, jam sessions, food, arts and crafts, and concerts by award-winning performers.
For more information visit Na Mamo’s website.
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Tibetan Torma Demonstration
September 3 – 4, 2005
10:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Asian Art Museum -
North Court
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA
Master artist Lama Pema Tenzin will demonstrate the making of tormas (butter and roasted barley flour sculptures) which are given as offerings to the deities. Tenzin, a native of East Bhutan, began the study of Buddhism at the age of 6. At age 13, he began to focus on the traditional Tibetan and Bhutanese arts, learning how to create thangka paintings, tormas, and sand mandalas.
Admission: Free with museum admission of $10
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Art & Soul
September 3 – 5, 2005
Downtown Oakland
Oakland, CA
The 5th Annual Art & Soul features artisan booths, international foods, and live music including gospel and blues performances. The Blues Stage, presented by the Bay Area Blues Society, features Henry Clemente, Ron Joseph, Zydeco Flames, Motor Dude Zydeco, Hurricane Sam, Caravan of Allstars with Pork Pie Phillips & Teddy ‘Bluesmaster’ Watson, Ron Thompson, Sonny Rhodes, Caravan of Allstars with
Wylie Trass & Willie G, The Ballads, Passions, Freddie Hughes, the Brummelles, Terrible Tom, Wylie Trass, Billy Dunn, and more.
For more information visit the Art & Soul website.
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Cantorial Music
September 8, 2005 – 6:30 p.m.
The Judah L. Magnes Museum
2911 Russell Street
Berkeley, CA
Cantor Roslyn Barak and Hazzan Sharon Bernstein will perform traditional Jewish cantorial music, illustrating the evolution of the art form.
Admission: $8
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Cascada de Flores
September 8, 2005
12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Yerba Buena Gardens
760 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA
This event features Cascada de Flores, a folkloric quartet dedicated to the exploration, preservation and dissemination of Mexican and Cuban regional music and dance.
For more information visit the Yerba Buena Gardens website.
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Philippine Textile Weaving
September 9 - 18, 2005
12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Asian Art Museum -
Samsung Hall
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA
Master artists from the Philippines will demonstrate traditional weaving techniques.
Admission: Free with museum admission of $10
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Chinese Muslim Calligraphy
September 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18
12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Asian Art Museum – Samsung Hall
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA
Master calligrapher Haji Noor Deen Mi Guangjiang will demonstrate Arabic calligraphy from China. Haji Noor Deen's sacred art interweaves Islamic characters and writing style with Chinese style brushwork
Admission: Free with museum admission of $10
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Folk Tales of Korea
September 10, 2005 – 10:00 a.m.
Ford Amphitheatre
2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East
Hollywood, CA
The Kim Eung Hwa Korean Dance Academy tells one of the most popular Korean folk tales, the story of two brothers, Hungbu and Nolbu. The performance for children features traditional dances and costumes of Korea.
Admission: Free for children; $5 for adults
To purchase tickets call (323) 461-3673 or visit the Ford Amphitheatre’s website.
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Tet Trung Thu: Mid Autumn Children’s Festival
September 10, 2005
4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Oakland Museum of California
1000 Oak Street
Oakland, CA
The Houng Viet Community Center co-hosts this traditional Vietnamese full moon family festival. Children can learn to make Moon Festival Lanterns, watch lion dances, traditional Vietnamese dances, singing and skits, and view a Parade of Moon Festival Lanterns.
Admission: Free
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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16th Annual Polish Festival
September 10, 2005
12:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Polish American Hall
327 Main Street
Roseville, CA 95678
The Polish community will gather at the Polish American Club of Greater Sacramento to celebrate their culture. There will be Polish music, dancing and samples of Polish food and beer. There will also be carnival games and crafts for children, and a raffle with many chances to win. Lowiczanie Polish Folk Dance Ensemble will perform Polish suites.
Admission: Free
For more information call (916) 782-7171 or (916) 725-8704.
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A Concert for Prayer and Healing
September 11, 2004
Herrick Chapel
Occidental College
Los Angeles, CA
Brothers Ritesh and Rajnish Mishra will perform classical North Indian vocal music with their father and uncle Rajan and Sajan Mishra. The two sets of brothers carry on the musical traditions of the city of Banares passed from generation to generation. They are accompanied by tabla player Kumar Bose.
Admission: $25
For more information visit the Music Circle’s website.
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Ganga…Life as a River
September 11, 2005 – 7:00 p.m.
Claire Trevor Theatre
School of Art - University of California
Irvine, CA
This performance features Bharata Natyam dance with Ramya Harishankar, a former master in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program, and the Arpana Dance Company.
Admission: $25
For more information or to purchase tickets visit the Sulekha website.
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Melody of China with Gene Coleman and Wei Wu
September 12, 2005 – 7:30 p.m.
Old First Church
1725 Sacramento Street
San Francisco, CA
This concert is a new concept music performance, the musician/producer and Director of Sound Field Festival (Chicago) Gene Coleman, sheng master Wei Wu, master morinkhuur player Li Bo (Japan), and composer Carl Stone on computer, will be incorporated with the musicians of Melody of China, Yangqin Zhao on yangqin (hammered dulcimer), and Hong Wang on multi-instruments (guanzi, erhu, morinkhuur etc.).
Admission: $15
For more information visit Melody of China’s website.
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The 2005 Tamburitza Extravaganza
September 15 – 18, 2005
Los Angeles Airport Marriott Hotel
5855 West Century Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA
The Tamburitza Association of America presents the Tamburitza Extravaganza featuring Kolo dance (Croatian circle dance) instruction, a Hall of Fame Banquet, and concerts by 25 Tamburitza ensembles including: Jerry Grcevich Orchestra, Slavonian Traveling Band, Tamburaski Orkestar Momci, OtrovNovi Stari Tamburasi and Dalmacijo Singers, The Continental Strings of Cleveland, Becari Adriatic, Braca Veseli Tamburitzans, Jedinstvo Tamburica Orchestra, Orkestar Zabava Tomicic Brothers Orchestra, Sarena Los Angeles Tamburitza Orchestra, Sviraj Prazna Flasa Yeseta Brothers Tamburica Orchestra, Dunav of Chicago Trubaduri, Boduli T-Rroma Sinovi of Chicago, Radost Tamburitza Orchestra (Pittsburgh), Sinovi of Seattle, and Orkestar Junaci.
Admission: $115 for all events, or tickets to concerts and workshops are sold separately
For more information visit the Extravaganza’s website.
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Mariachi Divas
September 16, 2005, 12:00 p.m.
Grand Performances
California Plaza
350 S. Grand Ave.
Los Angeles, CA
Founded in 1999, this all-female ensemble is an amalgam of talents from Mexico, Cuba, Samoa, Central America, Japan and Europe. Rooted in traditional mariachi style, the addition of congas, timbales, bongos, cajón and tambora gives the group a distinctive sound .
For more information visit the Grand Performance’s website.
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Bluegrass in the Foothills
September 16 – 18, 2005
Amador County Fairgrounds
Sherwood & School Streets
Plymouth, CA
The Bluegrass Music Festival features three full days of world class bluegrass music in the heart of the Gold Country of the Sierra Nevada Foothills. Fifteen nationally known bands will perform including: Lost & Found, James King Band, Nothin' Fancy, Bluegrass Brothers, Michele Nixon & Drive and many more.
For more information call (209) 785-4693 or visit Land Promotions’ website.
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Millpond Music Festival
September 16 - 18, 2005
Millpond County Park
Sawmill Road
Bishop, CA
The Festival brings an eclectic collection of traditional music that crosses cultural lines in a celebration of diversity. Some of the featured performers include: Fiddlin’ Pete, Derik and Charlie, Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion, and Mamadou Diabate & Walter Strauss.
Admission: $35 for one day pass; $70 for three day pass
For more information visit the Festival’s website.
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The 8th Annual E Pili Kakou I Ho`okahi Lahui
September 16-18, 2005
Double Tree Hotel
2001 Point West Way
Sacramento, CA 95815
For eight years, E Pili Kakou I Ho'okahi Lahui has been dedicated to its mission to join together as one body of people, from all corners of the world and all of Hawai'i Nei, to promote, share, and perpetuate Hawai'i's rich culture and heritage by sustaining and further educating all who are practitioners and enthusiasts of the hula. Each year, kumu hula and kupuna from throughout Hawai'i are invited to pass on their teachings. These individuals are devoted to ensuring that the art of hula will be passed on from generation to generation with accuracy, integrity, and with great love for the culture and its people. This year, workshops are offered in hula kahiko, hula ‘auana, ka wakahiko, instrument making, and feather work.
To register, or for more information, visit E Pili Kakou I Ho'okahi Lahui ‘s website or call (916) 419-3374.
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Stories of Mexico
September 17, 2005 – 10:00 a.m.
Ford Amphitheatre
2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East
Hollywood, CA
Conjunto Jardin performs the traditional son jarocho music of Veracruz, Mexico. To engage children, they will perform songs about animals, comical characters, nursery rhymes and tongue twisters.
Admission: Free for children; $5 for adults
To purchase tickets call (323) 461-3673 or visit the Ford Amphitheatre’s website.
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World Festival of Sacred Music
September 17 – October 2, 2005
Various Los Angeles region venues
The World Festival of Sacred Music offers forty-three events over sixteen days in venues across the Los Angeles region. The Festival highlights artists from Siberia, the Czech Republic, Korea, Thailand, Mexico, and more – a showcase of the diversity of Los Angeles artists. Some of the featured performers include the Lian Ensemble on September 24th, who participated in ACTA’s Traditional Arts Development Program in 2003. Ensemble members Mahshid Mirzadeh and Pirayeh Pourafar were participants in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program, and Houman Pourmedhi was a mentor in ACTA’s Folk and Traditional Arts Mentorship Initiative. Malathi Iyengar, a master artist in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program, and the Rangoli Dance Ensemble, will perform on September 25th. Prince Diabaté, a former master in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program, will perform in Alchemy of Dreams on September 24th.
Schedule of Events:
- Sacred World Benefit Concert at UCLA Sunset Canyon Recreation Center
September 17, 2005 from 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
- Sound of the Sacred: Songs of the Earth at Topanga Community House and Sacred Grounds
September 18, 2005 from 12:00 pm – 9:00 pm
- Jiri Pavlica & Hradistan Dulcimer Band and Zhena Folk Chorus at Wayfarer’s Chapel
September 20, 2005 at 7:00 pm
- Yuval Ron Ensemble: Mystical Music of the Middle East at Alfred Newman Recital Hall
September 21, 2005 at 7:00 pm
- Flor de Serena’s Ladino Music in the Americas: Journeys from Spain to the New World at San Fernando Mission
September 22, 2005 at 12:00 pm
- Moon of the Scarlet Plums: Crazy Horse at the James Armstrong Theatre
September 23, 2005 at 8:00 pm
- Yabas/Queens at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre
September 23, 2005 at 8:30 pm
- Watts Tower Day of the Drum Festival at Watts Tower Arts Center
September 24, 2005 from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 pm
- World City : The First Americans at W. M. Keck Foundation Children’s Amphitheatre at Walt Disney Concert Hall
September 24, 2005 at 11:00 a.m., 12:30 pm and 2:00 pm
- Mystical Persian Music & Soulful African American Spirituals at Westminster Presbyterian Church
September 24, 2005 at 4:00 pm
- Alchemy of Dreams at John Anson Ford Amphitheatre
September 24, 2005 at 8:00 pm
- Tracing Light: An Evening with Simon Shaheen and Ali Jihad Racy at the Getty Center
September 24, 2005 at 8:00 pm
- Madrid Theatre Festival of Sacred Music: A Festival within a Festival
September 25, 2005 12:00 pm – 10:30 pm
- Celestial Sounds and Dancing Gods – Aum-Sho-Namah: Dance & Music of India, Persia and Japan at the James Armstrong Theatre
September 25, 2005 at 4:00 pm
- Sidi Goma Sacred Joy: The African Indian Sufis of Gujarat at Skirball Cultural Center
September 28, 2005 at 8:00 pm
- Of Melodies Old: New Works by the APPEX Ensemble at the Japanese American National Museum Plaza
September 29, 2005 from 7:30 – 8:30 pm
- Sacred Drums of India at the Irvine Barclay Theater
September 30, 2005 at 8:00 pm
- Bamboo and Silk: Traditional Music from China and Japan at the Armory Center for the Arts
September 30. 2005 at 8:00 pm
- World Jewish Music Fest at Santa Monica Pier
October 1, 2005 from 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
- Gagaku: Music and Dance of Ancient Asia at Senshin Temple Courtyard
October 1, 2005 at 3:00 pm
- Wehda World Music: Arab American Unity Event at Occidental College
October 1, 2005 at 8:00 pm
- Honoring the Sea: Festival Closing Ceremony at Santa Monica Beach
October 2, 2005 from 3:00 pm – 6:30 pm
For ticket prices and other information visit the Festival’s website.
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Fall Equinox Flute Circle
September 17 – 18, 2005
Haramokngna American Indian Cultural Center
Angeles Crest Highway and Mt. Wilson Rd.
La Canada, CA
The 3rd annual Fall Flute Circle Festival will be held deep in the San Gabriel Mountains in the Angeles National Forest amidst the oaks and cedars overlooking the City. Native American flutists, and Indigenous musicians, singers, and dancers from the Western Hemisphere will offer music, song, dance and ceremony.
The program includes music on the flute by Bill “Elkwhistle” Neal, Carlos Reynosa, Gary Lemos and Sarah Thomson, Scot Cunningham, Manny Saenz, Eric Sevilla, and Erik Alvarado. Also performing are the Desert Cahuilla Birdsingers, the Bolivian group Kiya Runa, the Ohlone Humayan Dancers, the Pima Singers and Dancers, the Southern California Sacred Sites Singers, and many others. An “open mic” area allows for new musicians to share their songs. Workshops in flute making, water drum construction, gourd rattle and clapper stick making, and flute performance are a part of this event. A highlight is the opening blessing of the City from the headwaters of the Arroyo Seco, and a Fall Equinox celebration with the marking of the sun symbols.
Part of the World Festival of Sacred Music this event is presented by Ne’ayuh, a project of Community Partners, a permitee of the Angeles National Forest.
For more information visit the World Festival of Sacred Music website.
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Hungarian Folk Culture Through Song & Dance
September 18, 2005
2:00 pm
Hearst Museum of Anthropology, in Kroeber Hall
Bancroft Way at College Avenue
University of California, Berkeley
One of Hungary’s leading musicians, and a former master artist in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program, Ferenc Tobak, along with his family, will present traditional Hungarian music and dance. Audience members will have the opportunity to learn Hungarian folk dances during this one hour program. Hungarian pastries will also be available for purchase.
Admission: $4 general admission, $3 for seniors, and $1 for students. Children 12 and under are free. Free to UC staff, students, and faculty.
For more information, please call (510) 643-7649 or visit the museum’s website.
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11th Annual Arab Cultural Festival
September 18, 2005
San Francisco County Fair Building
Golden Gate Park
9th & Lincoln
San Francisco, CA
The 11th Annual Arab Cultural Festival hosted by the Arab Cultural and Community Center, features Arabic music, dance, food, and a unique arts & crafts bazaar. The festival will be held in the San Francisco County Fair Building in Golden Gate Park. The Arab Cultural and Community Center is a participant in ACTA’s Folk and Traditional Arts Mentorship Initiative.
For more information call (415) 664-2200 or visit the center’s website.
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Lian Ensemble & Shahrokh Meshkin Ghalam
September 18, 2005, 7:30 p.m.
Wilshire Ebell Theatre
4401 West 8th Street
Los Angeles, CA
Based in Los Angeles, The Lian Ensemble is a group of virtuoso performers and composers who perform mystical Persian music. The Lian Ensemble participated in ACTA’s Traditional Arts Development Program in 2003. Ensemble members Mahshid Mirzadeh and Pirayeh Pourafar were participants in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program and Houman Pourmedhi was a mentor with ACTA’s Folk and Traditional Arts Mentorship Initiative. The will perform with Shahrokh Meshkin Ghalam and the Nakissa Dance Company.
Admission: $25 – $100
To purchase tickets call the Music Box (310) 473-3466 or Lian Records (310) 477-8617. For more information visit the Lian Ensemble’s website.
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Chinese Moon Festival Concert
September 18, 2005
3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Music Recital Hall
Sacramento State Campus
Sacramento, CA
The Sacramento Chinese Culture Foundation presents the Chinese Moon Festival concert featuring the musicians of Melody of China. They will perform traditional Chinese music and contemporary works by well-known Chinese American composers.
Admission: $15
For more information visit Melody of China’s website.
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Hun Lakorn Lek Puppet Theatre Troupe of Thailand
September 18, 2005 – 4:00 p.m.
Wat Thai of Los Angeles
12909 Cantara Street
North Hollywood, CA
The Wat Thai of Los Angeles, the largest Thai Theravada Buddhist Temple in the United States, sets the stage for the ancient and masterful artistry of Hun Lakorn Lek (Traditional Thai Small Puppet Theatre). In an afternoon of deep immersion in Thai culture, artistic director Sakorn Yangkhiawsod ("Joe Louis"), consecrated by the Thai Royal Family as National Artist in Performance Art, leads the only troupe in Thailand that performs this intricate and elegant art form. The puppeteers are classically-trained Khon (Thai mask play) dancers who work together in perfect unison on stage to produce the lifelike human movements and personality of each puppet. Interacting with the audience during the performance, the puppeteers showcase the dexterity of the ornately decorated puppets as they enact scenes from the Thai/Indian Epic Ramakien.
Set outdoors in the courtyard of the Temple, this family afternoon of sights, sounds, and tastes from Thailand also includes classical dance and music from the temple’s music and dance troupes led by Kungwan Kurdpon.
Part of the World Festival of Sacred Music, this event is presented by The Wat Thai Temple of Los Angeles in collaboration with Thai International Airways and the Royal Thai Consulate.
For more information visit the World Festival of Sacred Music website.
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Mystical Music of the Middle East
September 21, 2005 – 7:00 p.m.
Alfred Newman Recital Hall
University of Southern California
University Park Campus Child’s Way
Los Angeles, CA
The Yuval Ron Ensemble, performing Mystical Music of the Middle East, unites sacred musical traditions of Judaism, Sufism (Islamic mystical tradition) and the Christian Armenian Church in an evening of healing and transcendence. Composer and world-music record producer Yuval Ron explores the mystical teachings of these cultures and their deep inter-cultural connections. The concert features songs of Sufi origin from Turkey, Jewish prayers from Morocco, Yemen and Israel and Armenian chants. The ensemble brings together artists from Israel, Lebanon, Armenia, Iran, France and the USA. The result is an expansive and transformative exchange that provides a source of inspiration for the musicians.
Part of the World Festival of Sacred Music, this event is presented by USC Spectrum.
Admission: $20
For more information visit the World Festival of Sacred Music website.
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Native American Day
September 23, 2005
1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
219 S. Palm Canyon Drive
Palm Springs, CA
To commemorate the strength and sacrifice of Native American people throughout the history of the Golden State, California has declared the fourth Friday in the month of September as Native American Day. The public is invited to celebrate this joyous occasion with the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum. The event will feature a Native American artist exhibit, Cahuilla cultural display, information, handouts, and refreshments.
Admission: Free
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Los Cenzontles Documentary Screening and Performance
September 23, 2005 – 8:00 p.m.
Julia Morgan Center for the Arts
2640 College Ave.
Berkeley, CA
Los Cenzontles Mexican Arts Center presents Pasajero: A Journey of Time and Memory, a one-hour documentary film that tells an authentic and uplifting story of a group of young Mexican-American musicians who go to Mexico in search of the deeper meaning of its traditions.
Los Cenzontles is a music and dance ensemble of folk masters and emerging tradition bearers. The group celebrates the innovation and imagination of Mexican music, weaving together centuries-old musical traditions with the contemporary sounds of the world stage. Under the direction of Grammy-nominated producer Eugene Rodriguez, this versatile group presents traditional, popular and original music.
Admission: $15
To purchase tickets call (925) 798-1300. For more information visit the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts’ website.
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Sogetsu ArtScapes – Japanese Flower Arranging
September 23 - 25, 2005
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Yerba Buena Gardens
760 Howard Street
San Francisco , CA
This outdoor exhibition features Ikebana, the art of Japanese flower arranging, which is one of Japan's most popular traditional arts.
For more information visit the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival website.
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Master Koto Concert Series
September 24th, 2005 – 7:00 p.m.
East Bay Center for Performing Arts
339 11th Street
Richmond, CA
The Japanese Music Institute of America presents a new concert series. This performance features Shoko Hikage on koto, and Masayuki Koga on shakuhachi.
For more information visit the Institute’s website.
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Cuando Hablan Los Santos
September 24, 2005
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
The Museum of Man
Balboa Park
1350 El Prado
San Diego, CA
In honor of Hispanic History Month New Mexican woodcarvers Felix Lopez and Joseph and Krissa Lopez will demonstrate woodcarving and discuss their art. Retablo (images painted on wood) workshops will be led by Krissa Lopez. Workshop participants will research images of saints, prepare the wood, and paint the images on the retablos with acrylic paint. Space is limited and reservations are required.
Admission: $15 including materials
Call (619) 239-2001 for reservations. For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Latino Heritage Month Programs
September 24, 2005
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
California Academy of Sciences
875 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA
Mexican Migajón (10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Main Floor):
Migajón is the Mexican folk art of miniature flowers fashioned from bread dough. With the appearance of fine porcelain, these life-life decorations are used for wedding bouquets, for azahares (orange blossoms worn by the bride to denote purity) and for lazo (a rosary-type creation that is placed around the bride and groom during the ceremony to symbolize their union of love). Eva Dias demonstrates this art using white bread crumbs, glue, glycerin, and acrylic paints .
Mexican Serenades (1:00 p.m., Academy classroom):
El Trio del Puerto serenades the audience with musica romantica - Mexican songs of love and nostalgia for the homeland. Performing on guitars, the Trio includes regional songs from throughout Mexico.
Bolivian Music (2:30 p.m., Academy classroom):
The Oscar Reynolds Trio performs in both modern and traditional Bolivian music. Oscar is a composer who interprets Bolivian music while moving in new directions. Performing on antara (pan pipes) and guitar, Oscar is joined by Jose Luis Reynolds on charango (a small stringed instrument) and Lalo Izqiuerdo, a former master in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program on cajón (a box-shaped drum).
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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The Ninth Annual Iranian Arts and Cultural Event
September 25, 2005
11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Quinlan Community Center
10185 Stelling Rd
Cupertino, CA
The event will consist of community activities, such as dance, music, poetry, arts and crafts, book signings, art gallery, and authentic Persian cuisine. Sponsoted by Payvand, a cultural and arts school that provides students with opportunities
to learn English and Persian, traditional and contemporary dance and music, art and
other activities that draw from Iranian and American culture.
For more information visit Payvand’s website.
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13th Annual Thai Cultural Day
September 25, 2005
10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Barnsdall Art Park
4800 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA
Presented by the Thai Community & Cultural Arts Center, the one-day festival features activities such as Thai dancing and other performing arts, a Thai traditional painting workshop, and a children's workshop. This event was made possible in part by a Grant from the City of Los Angeles.
For more information visit the Arts Center’s website.
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An Open Door to China
September 25, 2005 – 2:00 p.m.
Oakland Asian Cultural Center
388 Ninth Street, Suite 290
Oakland, CA
This performance displays the dances and costumes of many different minorities of China such as Han, Xin Jang, Mongolia, Tibetan, Dai, Li, and many more.
Admission: $6
For more information visit the center’s website.
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The Sixth Annual San Francisco World Music Festival
September 26 – October 16, 2005
Various San Francisco Bay Area Locations
The San Francisco World Music Festival 2005 will celebrate its Sixth Anniversary with a gathering of musicians from around the world. The centerpiece of Festival 2005 is a specially commissioned world premiere work called Nowruz Project, which will premiere on October 2 as an international music experiment and artistic statement for global peace. This evening will present traditional and newly composed music, poetry, and film, featuring Azerbaijani pianist Chingiz Sadykhov, Azerbaijani kamancheh soloist Imamyar Hasanov, Afghani dutar and rubab player Aziz Herawi, Persian ney master Hossein Omoumi, tombak player Pejman Hadadi, Persian tar player Ashkan Ghafouri, Kurdish vocalist Ozden Oztoprak, and composer and lyra master Ross Daly; Kurdish filmmaker Nizamettin Aric; and Kurdish community leader and poet/singer Mustafa Kart. All of these artists represent a variety of traditions, nationalities, ethnicities and disciplines. The binding thread in bringing them together is the observance of the vernal equinox or Nowruz, whose pre-Islamic origins are embraced in different ways throughout the Caucasus, Middle East and Central Asia.
Another featured Festival event is a Chinese & World Percussion concert on October 15, with Master Wang Wei, a participant in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program.
Schedule of Events:
- Nowruz Lecture at the Community Music Center
September 26, 2005 at 7:00 pm
- Ross Daly with Kelly Thoma at Periklis Papapetropoulos, and Pejman Hadadi at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
October 1, 2005 at 8:00 pm
- Nowruz Project at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
October 2, 2005 at 7:00 pm
- Ross Daly Lecture Demonstration & Workshop at The Community Music Center
October 3, 2005 at 7:00 pm
- Women Singers of the World at The Brava Theater
October 8, 2005 at 8:00 pm
- Youth World Music Showcase at The Asian Art Museum
October 9, 2005 from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
- Dona Rosa & Gulare Azalfi Concert at Ashkenaz, Berkeley
October 9, 2005 at 7:00 pm
- A Closer Look at Kurdish Music at the Asian Art Museum
October 13, 2005 at 7:00 pm
- Chinese & World Percussion at the Brava Theater
October 15, 2005 at 8:00 pm
- Festival Closing Event Featuring Cemali & Guests at the Croatian American Cultural Center
October 16, 2005 at 7:00 pm
For ticket prices and other information visit the festival’s website.
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Sacred Joy: The African Indian Sufis of Gujarat
September 28, 2005 - 8:00pm
Skirball Cultural Center
2701 North Sepulveda Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA
This event offers a rare opportunity to discover the devotional music and dance of the community of Sidi African-Indians from Gujarat, India. The Black Sidis of Gujarat are a Sufi community of East African origin that came to India eight centuries ago and made Gujarat their home. They carried with them a rich musical tradition and kept it alive and flourishing through the generations, unknown to the rest of the world. Their native African music styles, melodic and rhythmic structures, lyrics and musical instruments have mingled with local influences to form this final symbolic representation of African-Indianness. They are directed by hereditary leaders Iqbal Kamar Sidi (music) and Sabbir Kamar Sidi (dance).
Part of the World Festival of Sacred Music, this event is presented by Skirball Cultural Center. Tour organized by Kapa Productions, London.
For more information visit the World Festival of Sacred Music website.
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Francis Clay & Friends
September 29, 2005
12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Yerba Buena Gardens
760 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA
Francis Clay was Muddy Water's drummer on and off for about 15 years. Francis was in the thick of things during the heyday of Chicago blues and played with all the greats. He has toured and recorded with Little Walter, Otis Spann, Clifton Chenier, John Lee Hooker, Big Mama Thornton, Lightnin' Hopkins and Jimmy Reed and was a founding member of the James Cotton Blues Band. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
For more information visit the Yerba Buena Gardens website.
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October
Gamelan: A Hundred and One Movements and Rhythms of Bali
October 1, 2005 – 1:00 p.m.
Yerba Buena Gardens
701 Mission St.
San Francisco, CA
Gamelan Sekar Jaya presents a tour of the performing arts of Bali, Indonesia. Hosted by director Wayne Vitale, Sekar Jaya will guide the audience, through narrative, demonstration, and performance, via an insider's perspective on these living traditions of music and dance - centuries old, but still rapidly evolving. The explorations will range from the complex interlocking rhythms and ensemble sensibility of Balinese music, to the myriad expressions and delicate hand and eye motions of Balinese dance, to the dynamic interaction that unites them. The performances will be led by guest artists-in-residence from Bali.
Admission: Free
For more information visit Gamelan Sekar Jaya’s website.
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Echoes of the Drum
October 1, 2005
Sunset Center
San Carlos Street
Carmel, CA
Oriki African Dance Troupe will perform traditional African drumming, dance, and poetry.
For more information visit Cultural Monterey’s website.
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Blues Festival
October 1 – 2, 2005
Vallejo Waterfront Weekend
Mare Island Way & Georgia Street
Vallejo, CA
The Blues Festival will feature Maria Mular & the Louisiana Hot Band, Craig Horton, Ron Thompson & the Resistors, Tom Rigney & Flambeau, Birdlegg & the Tightfit Band, Raymond Victor, Alvon & the Allstars, Bay Area Blues Society Caravan of Allstars with Pork Pie Phillips, Billy Dunn, Teddy “Bluesmaster” Watson, Willie G., Guitar Mac and more.
Call (707) 647-3962 for more information or visit the festival’s website.
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Kazakh: Art of Storytelling and Culture
October 1, 2, 15, 16
12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Asian Art Museum – Samsung Hall
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA
This event features poetic storytelling and music of the Kazakhs, the last nomads of modern Central Asia.
Admission: Free with museum admission of $10
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Shujaat Khan and Abhiman Kaushal
October 2, 2005 – 11:00 a.m.
Schoenberg Hall
UCLA Campus
Los Angeles, CA
Shujaat Khan, a North Indian classical musician who belongs to the Imdad Khan tradition of music, will perform on sitar with Abhiman Kaushal on tabla. The performance honors Gandhi’s birthday and celebrates the gift of UCLA’s new Sambhi Chair in Indian Music.
For more information visit the Music Circle’s website.
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Zagreb Folk Dance Ensemble
October 2, 2005
3:00 pm
Warner Grand Theater
478 West 6th Street
San Pedro, California
All the Croatian institutions in San Pedro – Croatian American Hall, Croatian Cultural Center of Greater Los Angeles, and the Dalmatian American Club – have come together to host the 42-member Croatian folklore ensemble, Zabrebacki Folklorni Ansambl Dr. Ivana Ivancana. The concert will include a selection of dances, songs, national costumes, and Croatian musical instruments.
Admission: $30.00 for premier seats, $25.00 for reserved seats, $15.00 for students and military.
For more information, or to purchase tickets for the concert or an after-show dinner, please call the Dalmatian American Club at (310) 831-2629.
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Croatian Fiesta
October 3, 2005
7:00 pm
Croatian Cultural Center of Greater Los Angeles
510 West 7th Street
San Pedro, California
The three Croatian clubs in San Pedro – Croatian American Hall, Croatian Cultural Center of Greater Los Angeles, and the Dalmatian American Club – plan to host a “Croatian Fiesta.” During this event, people will have the chance to mingle and dance with members of the Zagreb Folk Dance Ensemble (performing the previous evening in San Pedro) and meet with their choreographer Mr. Andrija Ivancan and their musical director Mr. Marijan Makar. Space is limited.
Admission: $15.00
For more information or to purchase tickets, please call the Croatian Cultural Center of Greater Los Angeles at (310) 833-0103.
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Odissi Dance with Pallavi Dance Group
October 4, 2005
11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Asian Art Museum
Samsung Hall
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA
Pallavi Dance Group, past participants in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program, will perform Odissi dance, a traditional dance from the Eastern Indian state of Orissa. Odissi uses mudras and postures found in bas-relief sculptures as inspiration for its movements.
Admission: Free with museum admission of $10
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Zagreb Folk Dance Ensemble
October 7, 2005 – 8:00 p.m.
Croatian American Cultural Center
60 Onondaga
San Francisco, CA
October 8, 2005 – 7:00 p.m.
The Heritage Theatre
1 West Campbell
Campbell, CA
This is the first West Coast tour of the Croatian dance company, Zagreb Folk Dance Ensemble, formerly known as "Joza Vlahovic". The troupe presents Croatian traditional folk music and dance. The dance choreographies are enhanced by the ensemble's vocal work, traditional costuming, and live orchestra. Traditional musical instruments featured include the tamburaljerica, samica, dangubica (string instruments), sopile, dvojnice, šurle, diple, gajde, dude, mišnice, vidalice (wind instruments), and the drums.
Admission: $25
For more information visit the Slavonic Cultural Center’s website.
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La Guelaguetza
October 8, 2005
5:00 – 9:00 p.m.
The Mexican Cultural Institute
125 Paseo de la Plaza, Suite 300
Los Angeles, CA
La Nueva Antequera will perform the music and dances from the La Guelaguetza, a traditional Oaxacan fextival.
For more information visit the Institute’s website.
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Los Cenzontles
October 8, 2005 – Vacaville
October 15, 2005 – Saratoga
Los Cenzontles is a music and dance ensemble of folk masters and emerging tradition bearers. The group celebrates the innovation and imagination of Mexican music, weaving together centuries-old musical traditions with the contemporary sounds of the world stage. Under the direction of Grammy-nominated producer Eugene Rodriguez, this versatile group presents traditional, popular and original music.
October 8, 2005 – 8:00 p.m.
Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre
1010 Ulatis Drive
Vacaville, CA
Admission: $26 – 29
For more information visit the Theatre’s website.
October 15, 2005 – 7:00 p.m.
Carriage House Theatre
Montalvo Arts Center
15400 Montalvo Road
Saratoga, CA
Admission: $20 - 25
For more information visit the Montalvo Arts Center’s website.
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A Gathering of Gamelans
October 13 – 23, 2005
Cowell Theatre
Fort Mason Center
San Francisco, CA
Gamelan are bronze and drum orchestras of Southeast Asia, and the Bay Area has a thriving gamelan scene all its own. This year, ShadowLight Productions presents a festival uniting the music, dance and shadow theater of Java, Bali, Cambodia, the Philippines and Thailand to showcase the breadth and depth of these artistic traditions. A highlight of the festival will be a performance by Charya Burt and Ho Chan, former master’s in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program. The festival culminates with a re-invention of a Shakespeare classic: A (Balinese) Tempest, featuring ShadowLight’s cinematic, wide-screen theater and the music of Gamelan Sekar Jaya.
For more information visit ShadowLight’s website.
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Yamato
October 14, 2005 – 8:00 p.m.
Carriage House Theatre - Montalvo Arts Center
15400 Montalvo Road
Saratoga, CA
Yamato, a traditional ensemble visiting from Japan, performs Wadaiko on an array of drums, including one made from a huge, 400 year old tree.
Admission: $30 - 45
For more information visit the Montalvo Arts Center’s website.
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Durga: Avenging Goddess, Nurturing Mother
October 15, 2005 – 2:00 p.m.
Norton Simon Museum
411 West Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA
The Rangoli Dance Company leads this program especially designed for children and families. During this presentation of dances traditionally performed in honor of the goddess, visitors participate by clapping as well as making hand and arm movements. The performance concludes with an invitation for children to touch costumes, use finger cymbals and perhaps learn a few steps. Following the performance, Malathi Iyengar, Artistic Director and a master artist in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program, leads related visual arts workshops outside of the special exhibition. Participants will make flower garlands and create colorful rangoli (chalk designs) on cardboard, reflecting two ways that Durga Puja is celebrated in India.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu
October 15 & 22, 2005 – 8:00 p.m.
October 16 & 23, 2005 – 2:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.
Palace of Fine Arts Theatre
Bay & Lyon Streets
San Francisco, CA
Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu, directed by Kumu Hula Patrick Mauakāne, celebrates its 20th performance season with six performances highlighting the best pieces of the past twenty years.
Admission: $25-30
For more information visit Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu’s website.
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Ganga… Life as a River
October 16, 2005
4:00 pm
Cubberley Theater
4000 Middlefield Road
Palo Alto, CA 94303
Choreographer Ramya Harishankar, Artistic Director of the Arpana School of Dance, and former Master Artist in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program, presents her newest work. Accompanied by 4 members of her Arpana Dance Company, who also participated in the choreographic process, Harishankar has combined all the elements of ‘traditional’ Indian dance in this unique presentation. The program also features special choreography by Pt. Birju Maharaj, Saswati Sen, and Dominique Delorme. Dr. Priya Srinivasan was the co-director of this project. Specially commissioned music was composed by Babu Parameswaran and spoken word written by D’Lo. This program was partly funded by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Fund for Folk Culture.
Admission: $10 to $20
Fore more information contact the Arpana Dance Company at (949) 874-3662 or info@arpanadancecompany.org.
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World Arts and Cultures Alumni Performances
October 22, 2005
1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Glorya Kaufman Hall
Department of World Arts & cultures
University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
Alumni of UCLA’s World Arts and Culture’s Program, including Malathi Iyengar, a master artist in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program, will perform at the opening ceremony of UCLA’s Glorya Kauffman Hall.
For more information visit Rangoli Foundation’s website.
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A Harvest of Customs: Straw Art from Around the World
October 22, 2005
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
California Academy of Sciences
Academy Classroom
875 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA
Throughout history, people in many cultures have used straw to create works of art. In ancient times, a community's survival depended on a bountiful harvest, and amulets made of straw were used in seasonal rituals, functioning as good luck charms to ensure a plentiful crop in the coming year. Some were known as "corn dollies" in which the Spirit of the Corn resided. Additionally, heart-shaped "love knots" were used in courtship, and fan-shaped "house blessings" were given to new brides to bless their new home. Straw figures were fashioned in a variety of shapes and designs, and regional styles developed in countries throughout northern Europe.
This event will feature art presentations exploring the social customs and folk beliefs associated with wheat, rye and other grains. Sponsored by the American Museum of Straw Art in Long Beach, the program brings together numerous artisans who will demonstrate techniques such as weaving, plaiting, and wrapping, representing traditions from Sweden, Scotland, Wales, Germany, Lithuania, and Ireland. Examples from the Museum's straw art collections will also be on display .
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Aarohi – Avarohi
October 23, 2005 – 7:00 p.m.
Rangoli Space
14802 Huston Street
Sherman Oaks, CA
Rangoli Foundation presents “Aarohi-Avarohi,” a music concert featuring two young groups of artists, Shaheen Sheik and her band who will perform folk and pop music, followed by a performance of Balinese music by Gamelan Silih Ganti. Reservation is required and only floor seating is available.
Admission: $12
For more information visit Rangoli Foundation’s website.
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Dia de los Muertos Celebration
October 23, 2005
12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Bowers Museum
2002 North Main Street
Santa Ana, CA
This celebration will feature live entertainment by Fiesta Ballet Folklorico and singers Sonido Mexico. The event will also feature George Newman’s display of calaveras (skeletons), local artists’ display of altars, children’s face painting and traditional tamales and sugar skulls.
Admission: Free
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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The Spirit of Sarode
October 29, 2005 – 7:30 p.m.
Marin Veterans Auditorium
10 Avenue of the Flags
San Rafael, CA
Ali Akbar Khan and his sons Asshish Khan and Alam Khan will explore the history and evolution of the sarode. They will be accompanied by Swapan Chaudhury on tabla and Ali Akbar Khan’s youngest son, Manik Khan on tanpura.
For more information visit the Ali Akbar College of Music website.
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Music for the Soul III
October 29, 2005 – 7:00 p.m.
Santa Rosa Junior College
1501 Mendocino Ave.
Santa Rosa, CA
The Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir is an interfaith multicultural chorus that performs black gospel music.
For more information visit the Choir’s website.
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County & Regional Calendars
A calendar of Festivals and Celebrations in San Diego is available from the San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture.
Let us know if you have special information that should be posted here.
To update information or submit an event for the calendar,
please email ACTA.
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