To update information or submit an event, email ACTA.
Modern Mode: Kimono for Japan’s
New Woman
Through April 1, 2006
The Ruth & Sherman
Lee Institute for Japanese Art
15770 Tenth Avenue
Hanford, CA
The term kimono (literally, thing to wear) came into use at the dawn
of Japan’s modern age. During the Meiji Restoration, Japan was
open to foreign trade and participated in World Expositions held in
Europe and the United States. Japanese men and women began to adopt
Western fashion and the word kimono came into use in order to distinguish
indigenous dress from Western-style clothing (yôfuku). Both Japan
and the West were greatly influenced by the cross-cultural fertilization
that took place during the Meiji and Taishô (1912-1926) periods.
Japanese art and design inspired the art nouveau movement in Europe
and America while Western technology, especially synthetic dye and
textile manufacturing techniques, contributed to the development of
Japan as a major exporter of silk thread and textiles.
The kimonos exhibited in Modern Mode are made from a type of silk
plain-weave fabric known as meisen that owes much of its existence
to Western technology. Meisen is a commercial term used to describe
a textile of inexpensive machine-reeled silk thread and colored with
synthetic dyes that was developed in the 1880s. Western dye technology
adapted to traditional Japanese dye methods resulted in new, cost-effective
techniques and dazzling, multicolored pictorial designs resembling
paintings. Both traditional and Western-inspired motifs decorated the
affordable meisen kimono worn by the upper and middle classes as everyday
wear and by the working-class, such as the increasing number of women
who worked in the new textile mills, as formal attire. These vibrant
meisen kimonos reflect the stimulating changes that occurred in the
lives of women living in a modern Japan.
Admission: $5
Gallery Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
For more information visit
The Ruth and Sherman Lee Institute for Japanese Art website.
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A Chocó house, Darién, Panama, in the 1950s.
Photograph from the William and Evelyn Phillips Collection.
Passage to Panama: Past to Present
Through April 2, 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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Inside Lunar New Year: Auspicious Food and Decoration
Through April 2006
Oakland Asian Cultural Center
Pacific Renaissance Plaza
388 9th Street Suite 290
Oakland, CA
The exhibition provides an educational exploration of Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese cultures for the Lunar New Year celebration. The exhibit will display the meaning of symbols and colors, explain various activities people engage in during the Lunar New Year, and share the history behind auspicious foods and decorative family traditions.
Admission: Free
Museum Hours: Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
For more information visit the Oakland Asian Cultural Center’s website.
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¡Carnaval!
Through April 23, 2006
Fowler Museum of Cultural History
UCLA Campus
Hilgard and Strathmore Avenues
Los Angeles, CA
This exhibit explores the revelry of Carnival festivals as they are enacted today in eight different geographic and cultural regions. This lavish exhibition presents approximately fifty elaborate costumes and numerous masks reflecting a range of masquerade and performance themes that represent traditions in these sites: Laza, Spain; Venice, Italy; Basel, Switzerland; Oruro, Bolivia; Tlaxcala, Mexico; Recife/Olinda, Brazil; Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; and New Orleans. These unique celebrations and rituals are brought to life through photographic murals and short video programs of recent Carnival festivities in these locales, allowing visitors to explore the history and evolution and experience the sights and sounds of this vital celebration.
Admission: Free
For more information visit the museum’s website.
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Carnival in Europe and the Americas
Through April 23, 2006
Fowler Museum of Cultural History
UCLA Campus
Hilgard and Strathmore Avenues
Los Angeles, CA
Photographs by Robert Jerome feature contrasting Carnaval celebrations around the world from the Black Forest to the Canary Islands to Mobile, Alabama and many spots in between.
Admission: Free
For more information visit the Fowler Museum of Cultural History’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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Our People, Our Land, Our Images
April 8 through June 23, 2006
Carl Nelson Gorman Museum
1316 Hart Hall
UC Davis Campus
Davis, CA
The C.N. Gorman Museum is hosting an exhibition
featuring artworks and artist talks by practicing Indigenous photographers
from throughout the globe. The exhibition features photographic
artworks by the participants as well as other leading Indigenous
lens-based artists. The exhibition visually and textually demonstrates
the longevity of the field of Indigenous photography by representing
works from 1910-2006, by some of the earliest Indigenous photographers,
prominent artists working today, and students from the next generation
of artists.
Museum Hours: Monday through Friday 12:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Admission: Free
For more information visit
the museum’s website.
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Totems to Turquoise: Native North American Jewelry Arts of the Northwest
and Southwest
March 31, 2006 through August 20, 2006
Southwest Museum of the American
Indian
Mt. Washington Campus
234 Museum Drive
Los Angeles, CA
This landmark exhibition comes to the Autry National Center from the
American Museum of Natural History, New York. Totems to Turquoise celebrates
the beauty, power, and symbolism of modern Native American jewelry
arts, focusing on the cultural similarities and differences of the
Northwest and Southwest, the role of tribal and individual identity
in design, and how artists incorporate images from their physical landscape
into their work. More than 500 objects, including dazzling contemporary
and historic Native American jewelry and artifacts, illustrate how
techniques, materials, and styles have evolved as Native American jewelers
have adapted to technical, societal, and commercial changes, transforming
traditional craft into a full—fledged mode of artistic expression.
Admission: $7.50
Museum Hours: Tuesday through Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
For more information visit
the Autry National Center’s website.
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The New Cantonese Opera Heritage Project
April 23, 2006 through September 9, 2006
Chinese Culture Center of
San Francisco
750 Kearny Street, 3rd Floor
San Francisco, CA
A Comprehensive Exhibition of History of Chinese Opera: from Ritualistic
Shamanism to Developed Theater. On May 18, 2006 at the Chinese
Culture Center, composer Gang Situ and the Chinese Culture Foundation
will premiere a brand new Cantonese Opera at the Chinese Culture Center
auditorium.
Museum Hours: Tuesdays through Saturdays 10:00 a.m. – 4:00
p.m.
For more information visit
the museum’s website.
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Norway –Art of the Land and the People
Mingei International
Balboa Park
El Prado and the Plaza de Panama
San Diego, CA
This exhibit celebrates 100 years of Norwegian independence. On display are arts of daily life including metalwork, jewelry, festival costumes (bunads), textiles, rosemaling-decorated pottery and furniture, and a group of Norwegian-American immigrant chests from the 18th century. A substantial group of objects are on loan from the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, Iowa. Many others are from private San Diego collections.
Bunads, or festival dress, uniquely designed to represent their districts, are worn by both men and women on ceremonial occasions. Distinct from folk dress, but often inspired by traditional designs, bunads were first made in the 19th century. They are characterized by hand-woven textiles, elaborate embroidery and silver buttons and jewelry.
Rosemaling, or rose painting, flourished in rural Norway between the beginning of the 18th century and the last quarter of the 19th century. Based on foliage and flower motifs from the Renaissance and Baroque Periods found in the towns, rosemaling decorated rural pottery, furniture and interiors. As with bunads, styles of rosemaling varied from district to district.
Wood carving in Norway includes the chip technique (karveskurd), identified by its geometric patterns, and a low relief technique (flateskurd), emphasizing vine tendrils and leaves. After the building of the Cathedral of Oslo in 1699, in which the acanthus leaf with its vine tendril was a new decorative motif, a typically Norwegian motif emerged combining the acanthus and tendril with flowers, angels and Biblical scenes.
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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March
Freeing the Spirits – A Korean Dance Performance
March 30, 2006 – 7:00 p.m.
Aisan Art Museum
Samsung Hall
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA
Four dances, some with live percussion accompaniment, are directed,
choreographed and performed by the Northern California Korean Dance
Association. Founder Hearan Chung began dancing at the age of five
and now is a master of several Korean dance forms, including, court,
folk and contemporary. Dancers Su Kyung Choi, Il Hyun Kim and others
are featured.
Admission: $10
For more information visit
the Asian Art Museum’s website.
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Algerian Cultural Night
March 30, 2006 – 6:00 p.m.
Arab Cultural and Community Center
2 Plaza St.
San Francisco, CA
Participants can enjoy Algerian food and music and experience its
history and culture.
Admission: $10
For more information visit
the Arab Cultural Center’s website.
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April
Lao Arts with Prince Somsanith
April 1-30, 2006
12:00 – 4:00
p.m.
Asian Art Museum
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA
Lao
Prince Nithakhong Somsanith is one of the last gold thread embroiders
in the ancient tradition of the court of Luang Prabang, the former
kingdom of Laos. Now internationally renowned for his art, Prince Somsanith
started his apprenticeship at an early age with his grandmother.
Each
week he will showcase a different type of art:
Week One–traditional pattern design for stencils for gold-thread
embroidery or temple decorations
Week Two–gold-thread embroidery
Week Three–banana leaf ceremonial flower arrangements for festivals
and daily use (these arrangements will be used in the Lao New Year
Celebration on April 22)
Week Four–lacquer art with gold-leaf stencils
Admission: Free with museum admission of $10
For more information visit
the Asian Art Museum’s website.
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Latin American Symposium: Defending Indigenous Lands, Languages,
and Culture
April 1, 2006
San Diego Museum of Man
Balboa Park
1350 El Prado
San Diego, CA
With the theme of Defending Indigenous Lands, Languages, and Culture,
the the 13th Annual Latin American Symposium will give a focused overview
of the indigenous people of Panama—the Kuna, Emberá, Wounaan,
and Ngöbe. Participating scholars include Mari Lyn Salvador
(San Diego Museum of Man), Mac Chapin (Native Lands), James Howe (Massachusetts
Institute of Technology), Julie Velásquez Runk (Yale University),
Joel Sherzer (University of Texas, Austin), and Philip D. Young (University
of Oregon).
Registration begins at 8:00 a.m with the presentations from 8:30 a.m.
to 5:00 p.m. A wine and bocaditos reception will be held in the Museum
Saturday evening following the Symposium.
Registration: $75 for non-members.
To reserve a space with a credit card, call (619) 239-2001, or mail
a check to the Museum. For more information visit
the Museum of Man’s
website.
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Echoing the Land: Jewelry Arts
April 1, 2006 – 1:30 p.m.
Museum of the American West
Griffith Park
Los Angeles, CA
Participants can explore the influence of cultural history and local
ecology on Northwest Coast and Southwest jewelry art with a panel of
leading artists. Panelists include Jim Hart (Haida), Nathan Jackson
(Tlingit), Jesse Monongya (Navajo), and Verma Nequatewa (Hopi). The
panel will be moderated by Lois Sherr Dubin, cocurator of the exhibition
Totems to Turquoise: Native North American Jewelry Arts of the Northwest
and Southwest. Following the panel discussion, artists will sign copies
of the exhibition catalogue.
Jim Hart (Haida)
Photo credit: Yukiko Onley
Admission: $5
For more information visit
the Museum of the American West’s
website.
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Music and Dance of Bali
April 1, 2006
8:00 p.m.
California State University Sacramento
Music Recital Hall
Sacramento, CA
Gamelan Sekar Jaya offers a special program of music and dance from
Bali, featuring its 25-member gamelan gong kebyar ensemble composed
of gongs, drums, flutes, and other bronze instruments. Gamelan Sekar
Jaya's performance will be directed by artists-in-residence I Made
Arnawa (guest music director) and Tjokorda Istri Putra Padmini (guest
dance director).
Admission: $15
For more information visit
Gamelan Sekar Jaya’s website.
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Mariachi Sinfónico
April 1, 2006 – 8:00 p.m.
The San Gabriel Civic Auditorium
320 Mission Drive
San Gabriel, CA
The Mariachi Heritage Society presents its 15th Annual Concert "Mariachi
Sinfónico con Jose Hernandez y su Mariachi Sol de Mexico®," produced
and directed by Maestro Jose Hernandez. The concert features
Grammy Nominated Mariachi Sol de Mexico®, the Sol de Mexico Symphony
Orchestra®, the all Female Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles® and
Mariachi Heritage Society’s students from Anaheim, Carson, Compton,
Los Angeles, Norwalk and South El Monte.
All proceeds benefit the Mariachi Heritage Society, a non-profit organization
which funds a music education program for the children.
For more information visit
Latino LA’s website.
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Food of Fire: Flavors of the Earth
April 1, 2006
7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Museum of the
American West
Griffith Park
4700 Western Heritage Way
Los Angeles, CA
Participants can sample food from the Northwest Coast to the Southwest
with Lois Ellen Frank, author of the award-winning cookbook Foods
of the Southwest Indian Nations: Traditional and Contemporary Native
American Recipes; Navajo chef Walter Whitewater; and Haida culinary expert Roberta
Olsen. The exhibition Totems to Turquoise: Native
North American Jewelry Arts of the Northwest and Southwest will be open for viewing during
the event.
For more information visit
the museum’s website.
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3rd Annual Norouz Spring Festival
April 1 – 2, 2006
Vasona County Lake Park
333 Blossom Hill Road
Las Gatos, CA
The Bay Area Iranian American Chamber of Commerce presents the 3rd
Annual Norouz Spring Festival celebrating the 13 bedar (13th day after
the New Year). The event features live music, cultural dances,
and traditional food.
Admission: Free
For more information visit
the 7rooz website.
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Sogetsu Ikebana School Display
April 1-2, 2006
Japanese American National Museum
369 East First Street
Los Angeles, CA
The George & Sakaye Aratani Central Hall will be adorned with
more than fifty imaginative floral sculptures arranged by members of
Sogetsu Ikebana School in Los Angeles. Ikebana is the art of
Japanese flower arranging. Founded in 1926 by Sofu Teshigahara,
the Sogetsu philosophy is that ikebana should be accessible to people
of all backgrounds and in all parts of the globe. Stop by and view
the work of talented local students who demonstrate a keen awareness
and deep respect for the natural world.
For more information visit
the museum’s website.
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Norwegian Festival
April 1 – 2, 2006
Mingei International Museum
Balboa Park
El Prado and the Plaza de Panama
San Diego, CA
The Festival will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 1, with a lecture,
True Colors: Folk Art as an Expression of Ethnic
Identity, by Janet
Blohm Pultz, Director of the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in
Decorah, Iowa. Another lecture on stave and stone church construction,
Norwegian Churches of the Viking Age, by Bernt Erik Nilsen will follow
her talk. Lunch and a bunad (folk costume) parade are on the schedule
as are tours of the exhibition with demonstrations of rosemaling (rose
painting) and traditional Norwegian weaving. The afternoon program
includes folk dancing by the Scandia Dancers Performance Ensemble of
Los Angeles and a concert by a trio of Norway's premiere folk musicians
Steinar Ofsdal (sea flute), Gjermund Larsen (fiddle) and Einar Olav
Larsen (fiddle).
A Henrik Ibsen Dinner will take place that evening, in commemoration
of the hundredth anniversary of the playwright's death. The menu is
inspired by the food served at the Grand Café in Oslo, where
Ibsen ate every day of his later life. Guests will enjoy dramatic readings
from Peer Gynt by Professor Peter Larlham from the School of School
of Theater, Film and Television at San Diego State University and music
by Steinar Ofsdal, Gjermund Larsen and Einar Olav Larsen.
On Sunday, April 2, the Museum will offer a special program for children
and adults by Princess Märtha Louise of Norway. She will speak
about growing up as a member of the Royal Family, then read from her
children's book Why Kings and Queens Don't Wear Crowns. Following the
program the Princess will sign copies of her book. The program will
be presented twice at 1:00 pm and at 4:00 pm. A reception with light
refreshments follows each event.
To make reservations or for information, please call 619-239-0003,
extension 116 or visit
the Mingei museum’s website.
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Kularts Magui Moro Master Artists and the Mutya Project
April 2, 2006
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
701 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA
Photo: Raphael Musni This double feature showcases Magui Moro
Master Artists of the Philippines and Alleluia Panis Dance Theater’s
new project called Mutya. According
to the producers, "Mutya
is Tagalog for the essence of creative power, the prana, the chi, the
breath, the pearl, life’s pulse in all being. Mutya, a female
energy, is a most sacred & powerful magic, the artist’s muse & inspiration.
Mutya is also the pearl-like object said to issue from the heart of
a banana plant during the holiest day of the year and is believed to
be a powerful amulet. The concept of Mutya is often co-opted by enterprising
beauty pageant organizers."
Collaborators include Ana Hortillosa (Video
Art), Anthony Legarda (Costume Design), Francis Wong & Herna Cruz
(Music) and Jean Vengua (poetry).
For more information visit
Kularts’ website.
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4th Annual YouthFest
April 2, 2006 – 7:00 p.m.
San Francisco Jewish Community Center
3200 California Street
San Francisco, CA
After three successful years of mutual effort from ODC
School, ODC Theater, and Chitresh Das
Dance Company, "YouthFest" has refined and articulated
its message: bringing together the highest caliber youth companies of the region
in a cross cultural performance, showcasing the focus, talent, and commitment
of youth in the performing arts. This year’s festival features the
The ODC Dance Jam, The ODC Jellies, Chitresh Das Youth Company, Ragazzi Boys
Chorus and the San Jose Junior Taiko Performing Ensemble.
Admission: $12
For more information call (415) 863-9834.
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Axé e Evoê! An Evening at Carnaval in
Northeast Brazil
April 6, 2006
7:00 p.m.
Fowler Museum of Cultural History
UCLA Campus
Hilgard and Strathmore Avenues
Los Angeles, CA
Visiting Brazilian carnavalesco José Ataide shares his experiences
as a community leader and cultural representative of his city in Pernambuco,
Brazil. Accompanied by Brazilian musicians, Ataide will demonstrate
the rhythm and dance traditions unique to the northeast of Brazil,
including batucada (Brazilian samba), frevo (music with a quick tempo
performed at Carnival), and maracatú (an Afro-Brazilian performance
genre).
For more information visit
the Fowler museum’s website.
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Danzantes Unidos Festival 2006 - Celebrando el Fandango Jarocho
April 7 – 9, 2006
Whittier, CA
Danzantes Unidos Festival 2006 will feature instruction in dance and
music in the Fandango Jarocho improvisational style. The Danzantes
Unidos Festival has been made possible in part by a grant from the Alliance
for California Traditional Arts' Living Cultures Grants Program,
in partnership with the Fund for Folk Culture, the Walter and Elise
Haas Fund, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the James
Irvine Foundation.
The event will feature concert showcases & gala, the mercado,
the pachanga and more than 40 workshops to accommodate 1,000
participants. Classes will be separated by age and level of dance experience.
Curriculum will include movement sessions from over a dozen states
of Mexico, as well as, seminars in costuming and stagecraft.
In the tradition set forth by previous festivals in Los Angeles, San
Jose, Fresno, San Diego, Salinas, Hayward, Sacramento and Gardena,
Danzantes Unidos Festival in Whittier will once again celebrate the
folklorico dancer.
For more information visit
Danzantes Unidos’ website.
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Ancient Voice, Contemporary Dialogue – Korean Music Performance
April 13, 2006 - 7:00 p.m.
Asian Art Museum
Samsung Hall
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA
Gayageum (Korean zither) musician Aeri Ji (on gayageum and bubgeum)
and percussionist Woong Sik Kim (on janggo) present a concert of traditional
Korean sanjo (a type of Korean folk music) and newly commissioned contemporary
works written for Aeri Ji. The program includes world premiere works
by Korea’s renowned composers Byung Ki Hwang, Young Ja Lee, Hi
Kyung Kim and eminent Bay Area composers Andrew Imbrie and David Cope.
Admission: $10
For more information visit
the museum’s website.
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K. Sridhar in Concert
April 13, 2006 – 8:00 p.m.
The Neurosciences Institute
10640 John Jay Hopkins Dr.
San Diego, CA
Two music traditions co-exist in India, that of the North (Hindustani)
and of the South (Carnatic). K. Sridhar is a practioner of both. K.
Sridhar was, from early childhood, initiated into the Carnatic music
tradition by his mother, a descendent of fourteen generations of musicians
including Narasimha Bhagavater, and also the pupil of Ustad Zia Mohiuddin
Dagar, in the Dhrupad Dhamar style of the North. At the age of 12,
Sridhar became the youngest member of Ravi Shankar's orchestra. He
has given concerts worldwide, and forged links with jazz, flamenco,
Arabic, African, Persian and European classical musicians.
Admission: $25
For more information visit
the World Music Concert Series.
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The Silverado Bluegrass Band
April 8, 2006
9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
The Flower Fields
5704 Paseo del Norte
Carlsbad, CA
The Silverado Bluegrass Band blends the high lonesome sounds of the
traditional bluegrass vocalists with smooth, tight, and intriguing
harmonies.
For more information visit
The Flower Fields website.
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Odissi Vilas: Sacred Dance of India
April 15, 2006 – 7:00 p.m.
Marin Showcase Theater
3501 Civic Center Dr.
San Rafael, CA
Odissi Vilas presents Nritya Sangham: A Confluence of Dances, a program
featuring Vishnu Tattva Das, members of Odissi Vilas Dance Company
and guest artists Rudrakshya from Orissa, India. This concert
is partially funded by ACTA’s
Living Cultures Program.
Admission: $15
For more information visit
Odissi Vilas’ website.
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2006 US–Japan Taiko Festival and Northern California Cherry
Blossom Festival
Cherry Blossom Festival April 15 – 23, 2006
Taiko Festival April 23, 2006 - 7:00 p.m.
San Francisco Japantown
Geary and Post Street
San Francisco, CA
The US--Japan Taiko Festival, hosted by San Francisco Taiko Dojo with
Grand Master Seiichi Tanaka, is the corner-stone of the annual Northern
California Cherry Blossom Festival in San Francisco’s Japantown. Now
celebrating its 39th year, the Cherry Blossom Festival is one of California's
most prominent celebrations of Asian traditions. Over 150,000 attend
this event that showcases the color and grace of the Japanese culture
and the diversity of the Japanese-American community. In addition
to the US-Japan Taiko Festival, there will be a street fair that
will feature other performances by San Francisco Taiko Dojo, traditional
Japanese cuisine and cooking demonstrations, traditional Japanese arts
and crafts, a children's fun village, classical and folk dancers, martial
artists, and more.
For more information visit
Taiko Dojo’s website or the Northern
California Cherry Blossom Festival’s
website.
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2nd Annual Cambodian New Year Parade
April 16, 2006 – 10:00 a.m.
Anaheim Street to Macarthur Park
Long Beach, CA
The 2nd Annual Cambodian New Year Parade features traditional Cambodian
dancers and musicians and colorful floats. Afterwards, there
will be a festival in Macarthur Park with Cambodian musicians and dancers,
food, clothing and crafts.
For more information visit
the event’s website.
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Sarod Concert
April 16, 2006
4:00 p.m.
Ektaa Center
2691 Richter Ave.
Irvine, CA
K Sridhar performs both the Hindustani and Carnatic traditions of
Indian classical music on the sarod (a 25 stringed lute-like instrument).
Admission: $15
For more information visit
Ektaa Center’s website.
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Classical, Complex and Creative: The Art of Nattuvangam
Sunday, April 16, 2006 - 4:00pm
Highways Performance Space
1651 18th Street
Santa Monica, CA
Hema Iyer and Shaheen Sheik, Disciples of Malathi Iyengar and Senior
Dancers of the Rangoli Dance Company, are the recipients of The Elaine
Weissman L.A. Treasures Award for Traditional Artists (2005). The
art of Nattuvangam takes great skill, coordination, flexibility and
technical knowledge of both music composition and dance. With
hand symbols, the two dancers will set the pace for each piece, similar
to a conductor of an orchestra, guiding Bharata Natyam dancers with
their rhythms. This unique project is supported, in part, by
the California Traditional Music Society and the City of Los Angeles
Department of Cultural Affairs.
Admission $8
For more information call Shaheen at (310) 428-6414 or Hema at (818)
871-9854 or visit
the Rangoli Foundation’s website.
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Songkran Thai New Year's Celebration
Sunday, April 16, 2006
11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Wat Mongkolratanaram Thai Buddhist Temple
Thai Cultural
Center of San Francisco Bay Area
1911 Russell St.
Berkeley, CA
This year's festivities will include the temple's weekly food court,
a procession around the temple, a performance by the students of the
Thai Cultural Center and a new year's watering ceremony paying respect
to the temple monks and community elders.
Admission: Free
For more information, contact Virada at vchatikul@hotmail.com.
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Lao New Year Ceremony of Prayers and Good Wishes (Baci)
April 22, 2006
1:00 – 3:00 pm
Asian Art Museum
Samsung Hall
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA
In the morning, museum visitors may observe AsiaAlive artist Prince
Nithakhong Somsanith preparing the centerpiece of the ceremony with
flowers and other offerings. The ceremony starts at 1:00 pm with a
Lao elder leading a chant. Other elders in attendance will receive
honors and gifts from the community; then all participants will receive
blessings.
Admission: Free with museum admission of $10
For more information visit
the Asian Art Museum’s website.
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Mariachi sol de Mexico de Jose Hernandez
April 22, 2006
8:00 p.m.
The McCallum Theatre
73000 Fred Waring Drive
Palm Desert, CA
Under the leadership of José Hernandez, Mariachi Sol de Mexico
has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic as well as with several
symphony orchestras in the United States. Hernandez is also the musical
director of the Las Vegas International Mariachi Festival and the Viva
El Mariachi Festival at the Greek Theatre.
Admission: $30-$75
For more information visit
the Inland Arts website.
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California Indian Storytelling
April 22, 2006
1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
The California Academy of Sciences
875 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA
The California Indian Storytelling Association (CISA) sponsors an
afternoon program focusing on the oral traditions of California's indigenous
people. Anne Marie Sayers (Ohlone), Alex Ramirez (Ohlone), and Gregg
Castro (Salinan) will share with Academy visitors a variety of stories,
both traditional and contemporary, that mirror their life experiences,
history, and relationship to the land. Their repertoire includes family
anecdotes, morality tales, and ancient myths. They are stories that
inform us about tribal cultures and embody native belief systems and
knowledge handed down from one generation to the next.
CISA is an organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion
of California Indian storytelling and to educating the Bay Area public
about tribal traditions. Throughout the year, they provide venues for
local storytelling, workshops, and an annual festival. For further
information on CISA, visit
their website.
For more information visit
the California Academy of Sciences website.
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Recital of Rondallas
April 22, 2006 – 6:00 p.m.
Memorial Auditorium
1515 J Street
Sacramento, CA
The Mexican Cultural Center of Northern California presents the 7th
Annual Recital de Rondallas. A rondalla is a traditional Mexican
music ensemble performing on string instruments. Rondalla
de Guadalupe will share the program with Desde Saltillo, La Rondalla from the State
of Coahuila, Mexico, and the Rondalla Voces & Cuerdas from San
Luis Rio Colorado, State of Sonora, Mexico. Desde Saltillo, La Rondalla,
was founded in 1998 by the poet Marco Antonio Aguirre. This rondalla
has had tours and presentations in different states in the Mexican
Republic. Voces & Cuerdas was founded in 1994 and represents the
Centro de Estudios Superiores. The Rondalla Voces & Cuerdas has
won several awards in different competitions. In 2001 they won first
place at the National Rondallas Contest and in 2002 recorded its first
CD.
Admission: $10
For more information visit
the City of Sacramento’s website.
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San Francisco Festival of the Mandolins
April 23, 2006
11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Croatian American Cultural Center
60 Ondondaga Ave.
San Francisco, CA
Performing this year will be John
Reischman, Eva Scow, Aurora
Mandolin Orchestra, and the Hot
Frittatas. The Concert is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Performers
will offer workshops from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Participants are
welcome to join the Bring Your Own Mandolin Orchestra at 12 noon.
For more information visit
the Croatian American Cultural Center’s
website.
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Ballet Folklorico de Veracruz – Quetzalli
April 26, 2006
8:00 p.m.
Center Arts
1 Harpst Street
Arcata, CA
Quetzalli performs a range of style from the complex
dances of ancient Mexico’s indigenous peoples to boisterous steps set to the popular “La
Bamba” (from their home state of Veracruz). Accompanied by a
lively group of musicians performing on authentic stringed instruments,
Quetzalli journeys through Mexico’s rich and diverse cultural
history.
For more information visit
Humboldt State’s Center Arts website.
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Korean Storytelling and Music
April 27, 2006 - 7:00 pm
Asian Art Museum
Samsung Hall
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA
Experience pansori, a Korean storytelling tradition, in this program
featuring live music by Korean composer Chan Hae Lee.
Admission: $10
For more information visit
the Asian Art Museum’s website.
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Viva Italia!
April 27, 2006
6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
San Diego Museum of Man
Balboa Park
1350 El Prado
San Diego, CA
This event features Italian food tastings, drink,
music and dance. In addition to experiencing the music, dance and cuisine
of Italy, those attending can explore the Museum's exhibits at no additional
cost. Proceeds from each “Tower After Hours” evening benefit
Museum programs.
Admission: $20
Tickets may be purchased at the door, or obtained in advance by calling
the Museum at (619) 239-2001. For more information visit
the Museum of Man’s website.
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Cambodian Classical Dance
April 27, 2006
7:00 p.m.
The Bowers Museum
2002 N. Main St.
Santa Ana, CA
The exquisite and stylized form of classical dance of Cambodia, considered
the culture's most precious art form and developed as a vehicle of
worship in the temples of ancient Angkor, will be presented by Sophiline
Cheam Shapiro, a graduate of Royal University of Fine Arts in Phnom
Penh. Sophiline Shapiro was a former master in ACTA’s
Apprenticeship Program. Reservations required. Light refreshments
and wine served.
Admission: $22
For more information call (714) 567-3679 or visit
the Bowers Museum website.
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KITKA in Concert
April 28-29, 2006
8:15 p.m.
Noe Valley Music Series
1021 Sanchez St.
San Francisco, CA
KITKA, a women’s vocal ensemble performing Eastern European
women’s vocal traditions, will perform with Bulgarian Folkloric
Soprano Tzvetanka Varimezova.
For more information visit
KITKA’s website.
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Masters of the Steel Drum
April 29, 2006
8:00 p.m.
Center Arts
1 Harpst Street
Arcata, CA
Direct from the island of Trinidad come steel drum
players Ray Holman, Clifford Alexis and the “Paganini of the Pan,” Liam Teague,
performing with Humboldt State’s Calypso Band.
For more information visit
Humboldt State’s Center Arts website.
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A Night in Chile
April 29, 2006 – 8:00 p.m.
Museum of Latin American Art
628 Alamitos Ave.
Long Beach, CA
Participants can taste the world famous wines from Chile, enjoy great
food, and dance to the rhythms of the Chilean band Sajama, led by zampoña (pan
pipe flute) player Rubén Ortíz. Sajama presents
an eclectic mix of strong Andean flutes mixed with Latin rhythms.
Admission: $45 – 65
For more information visit
the museum’s website.
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Youth World Music Festival
April 30, 2006 – 3:00 p.m.
Cowell Theater, Fort Mason Center
Marina Boulevard at Buchanan Street
San Francisco, CA
The Youth World Music Festival features Bay
Area’s young people,
students of world music masters, sharing their musical heritage in
an afternoon performance showcase. Youth musicians present their own
traditions and also work together with youth artists of other cultures
to perform new music. The Festival features the Nejad World Music Center
Youth Orchestra and Drum Circle playing traditional music from Iran,
Indian youth singer Gaayatri Kaundinya from the Ali Akbar School of
Music, Chinese Arts & Music Center Youth Orchestra highlighting
the music of China, the Kurdish Youth Chorus chanting music and poetry
and much more.
Admission: $10
For more information visit
Door Dog Music’s website.
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Legend of Chinese Music
April 30, 2006
2:00 p.m.
San Franciso Public Library
Ortega Brach @ 35th Avenue
San Francisco, CA
“Legend of Chinese Music” is a well planned series of
education programs about Chinese music and instruments. The program
will be presented by the musicians of Melody of China.
Admission: Free
For more information visit
Melody of China’s website.
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May
Ravi and Anoushka Shankar in Concert
May 3, 2006 – 7:30 p.m.
Montalvo Arts Center
2215 Broadway
Redwood City, CA
The 85-year-old icon, Ravi Shankar will perform along
with his daughter, Anoushka, as well as some of India’s prominent musicians
and singers.
Admission: $55 – 88
For more information visit
the Silicon Valley Arts Council’s
website.
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Los Hermanos Herrera
May 4, 2006 – 6:00 p.m.
UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History
UCLA Campus
Los Angeles, CA
To celebrate Cinco de Mayo, Los Hermanos Herrera will perform Mexican
music, including sones huastécos. The event is outdoors with
light refreshments provided.
For more information visit
the museum’s website.
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17th Pacific Islander Festival
May 6 – 7, 2006
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Harbor Regional Part
25820 Vermont Ave.
Harbor City, CA
The Pacific Islander Community Council presents the 17th Pacific Islander
Festival celebrating Tonga and the Tongan community. The event
features performances, traditional arts demonstrations, storytelling
and exhibits.
Admission: Free
For more information visit
the Hawaiian Inter-Club Council of Southern California’s website.
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Old Town Fiesta Cinco de Mayo
May 6 – 7, 2006
San Diego Ave.
San Diego, CA
This event features more than 200 performers at eight venues of entertainment
and booths featuring hand made crafts and regional cuisine. A highlight
includes the “My Ancestor’s Village,” a traditional
Kumeyaay community created by the Barona Band of Mission Indians.
Admission: Free
For more information visit
the San Diego Art and Sol website.
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Music and Dance of Bali
May 7, 2006 – 1:00 p.m.
Yerba Buena Gardens Esplanade
Third and Mission St.
San Francisco, CA
Led by Made Arnawa (guest music director) and Tjokorda Padmini (guest
dance director), Gamelan Sekar Jaya convenes two large gamelan orchestras:
the bronze gamelan gong kebyar, and the ensemble of giant bamboo marimbas,
gamelan jegog. The setup recreates the kalangan-style arena used
in traditional Balinese contexts, where the audience is welcomed to
enjoy the performance from three sides. The audience will have the
opportunity to enjoy the complex interlocking rhythms and virtuosic
ensemble sensibility of Balinese gamelan, and the myriad expressions
and delicate hand and eye motions of Balinese dance.
For more information visit
the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts website.
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Rangoli Annual Dance Showcase
May 7, 2006
21622 Sherman Way
Canoga Park, CA
Rangoli Foundation for Art and Culture presents its annual dance showcase
featuring students of Malathi Iyengar. Malathi Iyengar is a former
master artist in ACTA’s
Apprenticeship Program.
For more information visit
the Rangoli Foundation for Art and Culture’s
website.
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Wayang Bali
May 19 – 20, 2006 – 8:00 p.m.
Yerba Buena Gardens Esplanade
Third and Mission St.
San Francisco, CA
ShadowLight Theater presents Wayang Bali,
a Balinese shadow play. Until
recently, language barriers have kept its drama and humor hidden from
the world at large. Larry Reed and his gamelan musicians make it possible
for Western audiences to enjoy this classical form of storytelling.
Plots for the shadow play are drawn from the Mahabharata myth cycle.
Five brothers are pitted against one hundred jealous cousins in a struggle
for power involving gods, demons, magical weapons and the inevitable
beautiful princess. Wayang Bali has been awarded the UNIMA-USA Citation
for Excellence, puppetry's highest award.
For more information visit
the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts website.
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Spirit of Brazil: Danças dos Guerreiros
May 19 – 21, 2006
Project Artaud Theater
450 Florida Street
San Francisco, CA
ABADÁ – Capoeira San Francisco’s Danças
dos Guerreiros (Warrior Dances) Festival will present the traditional
Brazilaian genres of capoeira, jongo and maculelé. Unique
to Brazil, these three folk dances and music forms are linked by their
origin on slave plantations in Portuguese-colonized Brazil. Each is
a distinct folk art with a unique cultural role and identity, yet they
share similarities stemming from their historical origins in the daily
lives of slaves and freed Africans in Brazil. Danças
dos Guerreiros will emphasize the shared African traditions that shape
and define each of these traditional arts. The Festival is partially
funded by ACTA’s
Living Cultures Program.
For more information visit
ABADÁ’s website.
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California Herdeljezi Festival 2006
May 20, 2006
12:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.
Ives Park
Sebastopol, CA
Herdeljezi is a traditional Romani neighborhood celebration announcing
the end of the cold, indoor season and the renewal of outdoor, nomadic
life.
In 1997, Voice of Roma (VOR) created the first Herdeljezi Festival
in California. It was designed as a means of preserving and sharing
the cultural traditions and folk arts of the Romani people in the United
States, while building a sense of community among the friends and neighbors
who help to make it happen. Since then, the Herdeljezi Festival has
become an annual event that draws larger crowds each year. Nine
years later, the Herdeljezi Festival continues to exemplify the way
in which VOR creates a sense of "mahala" (community-neighborhood),
infusing it with the traditional music, songs, dances, stories, foods,
crafts, literature and customs of the Roma. Both events benefit VOR's
efforts on behalf of the Roma in/from Kosovo, to educate the public
and international organizations about their plight and to provide them
with humanitarian aid. The Herdeljezi Festival 2006 is partially
funded by ACTA’s
Living Cultures Program,
in partnership with the Fund for Folk Culture, the Walter and Elise
Haas Fund, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the James
Irvine Foundation.
For more information visit
Voice of Roma’s website.
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Asian-Pacific Heritage Month Programs
May 21, 2006
California Academy of Sciences
Academy Classroom
875 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA
Asian Oboes and Shawms – 12:00 p.m.
Brenda Schuman-Post's collection of oboes from around the world includes
many types from Asian cultures, each with a distinct shape and design.
Brenda compares the unique sound of each instrument and discusses its
role in ceremonial and daily life.
Japanese Swordsmanship – 1:00 p.m.
Iaido is an ancient form of Japanese martial arts whose traditional
purpose was to defend against a surprise attack during combat. Today,
it is practiced mainly to cultivate self-discipline, physical coordination
and spirituality. Using katana – steel swords two to four feet
long with curved blades – Judy Huang and members of the Nishi
Kaigan Iaido Dojo demonstrate fighting styles and techniques of iaido
weaponry.
Chinese Tai Chi – 2:30 p.m.
As a mental and spiritual discipline, tai chi has been part of Eastern
philosophy for thousands of years. Master George Xu focuses on the
health benefits of tai chi. He illustrates breathing exercises and
meditative movements designed to increase the body's energy and flexibility
and improve muscle and skeletal strength.
For more information visit
the California Academy of Sciences website.
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2006 Highland Games
May 27 – 28, 2006
Fairplex
1101 W. McKinley Ave.
Pomona, CA
The United Scottish Society presents the annual Highland Games.
The event will feature piping, drumming, dancing and traditional athletic
competitions.
For more information visit
the United Scottish Society’s website.
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Carnaval San Francisco Festival and Parade 2006
May 27 - 28, 2006
Harrison Street between 16th and 23rd Streets
San Francisco, CA
Carnaval San Francisco showcases Latin American and Caribbean cultures
with a diverse array of food, music, dance and artistry, including
works created by the community of Mission District residents and Bay
Area artists. Conceived 27 years ago by a group of local musicians,
artists and residents eager to bring the spirit of Latin American and
Caribbean culture to San Francisco, Carnaval San Francisco is produced
by the Mission Neighborhood Centers, Inc. and is supported by San Francisco’s
Grants for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.
For more information visit
Carnaval San Francisco’s website.
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A Journey to China – Chinese Youth Arts Festival
May 28, 2006 – 3:00 p.m.
Cowell Theater, Fort Mason Center
Marina Boulevard at Buchanan Street
San Francisco, CA
"A Journey to China" - Chinese Youth Arts Festival features
the music and performing arts students from Alice Fong Yu Alternative
School in San Francisco performing Chinese music, percussion, dance,
brush painting, martial arts, lion dancing, and more. Combining direct
documentary film footage shot by this year’s 8th Graders’ visit
to China with special sets and lighting design, master Chinese artists
from different disciplines work together with these young artists to
create a highly original multi-dimensional stage performance.
Admission: $10
For more information visit
Door Dog Music’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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