Living Cultures Grant Program
Round 2 (2006-2007) Grantees
Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose, $5,000 – Support
will go towards the production of “Prithi: the Earth,” an
evening length concert that will interpret ancient Sanskrit texts
about Mother Earth. The repertoire includes three traditional
Bharata Natyam pieces, which is one of the classical dance styles
of Southern India. Performances will take place in November
2007.
Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival,
Vallejo, $5,000 – Funds will be used for website and database
development to support increased efficiency towards reviving Native
California Indian languages. AICLS core belief is to nurture
and expand the earthbased wisdom housed in the legends and astute
observations of the environment. It is through these qualities
that Native Californians have evolved into the most culturally and
linguistically diverse peoples on earth. There are over 100
different languages of five or more major language families in California
alone.
Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, Palm Springs, $7,150 – The
2nd Annual Singing The Birds Festival (Wikitmallem Tahmuwhae) highlights
the music and dance traditions of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla
Indians. The birdsongs are sung to bring the souls of the
deceased back. The festival will take place on December 16,
2006.
Ali Akbar College of Music, San Rafael, $5,000 – To
mark the 85th birthday of Ali Akbar Khan, a National Heritage Fellow,
and 40 continuous years of the music school’s operation, the
award will support the school’s master artists in concert performances,
the archiving of historic documents and development of web-based
long distance learning courses.
Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, $5,000 – Master
Japanese bamboo basket artists, Koho and Aya Kajiwara, will be in
residence for three weeks coinciding with the exhibition of the Cotsen
Japanese Bamboo Basket Collection which will be on view from February
2, 2007 – April 29, 2007. These funds support the artists in
public programs.
Association for the Advancement of Filipino American Arts & Culture
(FilAm ARTS), Los Angeles, $7,000 – Funds will support
the traditional/folk arts component of the 16th Annual Festival
of Philippine Arts and Culture. Some of these components include
craft workshops for making parols (star lanterns), sipa (rattan
kick ball) and kites; a workshop on the ancient Philippine script,
Alibata; rondalla music (plucked string ensembles from the Spanish-influenced
North); as well as kulingtang music (from the Muslim South) are
also featured. Appearances by the BIBAK dance ensemble offer a
rare insight into the tribal cultures of the Bontoc, Ifugao, Benquet,
Apayao and Kalinga who live in the Southern Philippines. The Festival
will be held September 10-11, 2007, at Point Fermin Park, San Pedro.
Bay Area Boricus, Inc, Oakland, $7,500 – The
Encuentros de Maestro Project is a year-long education project that
will explore bomba, the Puerto Rican song and dance style whose influences
come from Africa, Europe, and the indigenous people of the island.
Weekly song, percussion, and dance workshops with local artists will
culminate with the visit of Modesto Cepeda and Gladys Camara, tradition
bearers of bomba, who will teach a series of master workshops in
July 2007.
Berkeley Old Time Music Convention, $5,000 – This
four day traditional folk arts festival celebrates and perpetuates
the old-time music genres of the Appalachian region. The festival
includes concerts, workshops, master classes, panel discussion, square
dance, string band contest, jam sessions, and community stage. The
award will support the appearances of master artists Clyde Davenport,
old-time fiddler and banjo player from Tennessee and National Heritage
Fellow; Sheila Kay Adams, ballad singer, banjo player and storyteller
from North Carolina; and Southern Carolina native and singer, Rich
Hartness. The fifth annual event will take place in September 2007.
BrasArte: the Damesceno Brazilian Cultural Exchange,
Oakland, $5,000 – The performance troupe Ile Aiye from Brazil
is best known for advancing the African roots of Brazil’s celebrated
Carnavale. The company will be in the Bay Area in May for
performances, outreach activities with youth, and an appearance in
the San Francisco Carnavale in May 2007.
California Association for Music Education, Portola,
$3,798 – As a principle partner in the music education of students,
the CMEA will bring traditional master musician Jose Hernandez and
Mariachi sol de Mexico to instruct educators at its statewide conference. Instructions
will relate directly to the goals of teaching music of all cultures
to students, and help expand its current practice of presenting multicultural
music workshops to music educators in California. The conference
will take place on March 15-17, 2007.
Camp Fareta, Berkeley, $5,000 – A residential
intensive with master artists from Guinea and Mali will offer an
opportunity for instruction in drumming, dance, song, history and
language. Youssouf Koumbassa, Abdoulaye Sylla, Moustapha Bangoura,
Fode Bangoura, Mangue Sylla, Nimatoulaye Camara, M’mah Tooure,
Mariama Camara, Alseny Soumah, Lansana Louyate, Moussa Traore and
Djenema Sako will be the artists in residence. Each have had
professional touring experiences with national African dance companies. The
camp offers these diaspora master artists an opportunity to convene
and create. The camp will take place on July 8-15, 2007,
at Camp Hye Sierra, near Fresno.
Carolina Lugo’s Brisas de Espana’s Flamenco
Dance Company, Pleasant Hill, $5,000 – A full length
concert production, “El Camino de un Artista – The
Pathway of an Artist,” will commemorate 40 years of Carolina
Lugo’s exploration into the full spectrum of flamenco and
Spanish dance. The concerts and educational outreach
concerts for school-age children will be presented in July 2007
and will be featuring guest artists from Spain.
Charya Burt Cambodian Dance Company, Windsor,
$5,000 – “Princesses and Peacocks: An Exploration of
Cambodian Classical and Folk Dance” will premiere in May 2007
for audiences in Sonoma County. The production will be in collaboration
with the Khmer Arts Academy of Long Beach.
Center for Bridging Communities, San Diego, $7,000 – The
Burannbur Conference takes its name from traditional Somali women’s
poetry. This event will bring together women poets, cultural
activist and scholars to reflect upon the art of Burannbur. The
event will provide an opportunity to teach young refugee high school
girls the art of Burannbur. Artists and panelists will include
Fadumo Ali Nakruma, a singer, actress and buraanbur poet, Sahra Muse,
a poet whose recitation is in demand at wedding ceremonies, Saeed
Salah, musican and filmmaker and Amina Cali Mire, a human rights
activist. An evening cultural celebration will include traditional
dance, song and oral poetry in February 2007.
City of San Fernando, $7150 – The Master
Mariachi Apprenticeship Program brings together mariachi music masters
with promising youth in an instructional experience that preserves
the mariachi music tradition. The program focuses on advanced
instrumentation, arrangement, and performance skills for youth between
the ages of 11 and 19. Among the master artists who teach this
program are the distinguished Nati Cano, a National Heritage Fellow,
as well as other musicians from Mariachi Los Camperos, including
Jesus Guzman, musical director; Sergio Alonso, ensemble harpist;
Juan Halcon, multi instrumentalist; and Martin Padilla, violinist.
Diamano Coura West African Dance Company, Oakland,
$7,500 – Support for the 2007 “Collages des Cultures
Africaines” which is a four day event comprised of workshops,
symposium, performances, and festival which maintains a bridge between
African Diaspora master artists and community participants. The
event will take place in March 2007.
Dimensions Dance Theater, Inc., Oakland, $5,000 – Free
classes for youth will be taught in the Rites of Passage program. The
program goals are to deepen young people’s understanding and
appreciation of cultural traditions that share a common thread and
have contributed to African-American history. Tradition bearers,
Collette Eloi of Haiti and Alseny Soumah of Guinea, are among the
instructors.
Friends of Negro Spritiuals, Oakland, $7,500 – Documenting
the art of spirituals through the activities of community sing-alongs,
quarterly workshops, and interviews with lay and community leaders,
the FNS will promote and cultivate new culture bearers while recording
the oral history of 10 singers and musicians in the Bay Area community.
Friends of Peralta Hacienda Historical Park, Oakland,
$5,000 – In a project highlighting traditional arts of farming
and cooking, the Mien elders of the Fruitvale community of Oakland
transmit their cultural traditions to Mien youth and other youth
of the surrounding neighborhood. The project documents the
traditional arts of the Mien and holds public community banquets
bi-monthly.
Japanese Cultural Fair, Santa Cruz, $5,000 – In
its 21st year, this one day cultural fair is a celebration of the
many cultural contributions of Japan. Presentations include
performances of taiko drumming, folk and traditional dance styles
from Japan and Okinawa, shamisen (lute) music, and storytelling. Demonstrations
of Aikido (martial art), Ikebana (flower arrangement), tea ceremony,
origami (paper folding), and bonsai (miniature tree gardens) will
be presented. The fair is scheduled for June 2007.
Jewish Music Festival, Berkeley, $5,000 – The
22nd Annual Jewish Music Festival will present an outreach program
to youth featuring Dror Sinai, an Israeli citizen of Yemenite- Jewish
and Syrian-Turkish background, with Faisal Ghazi Zedan, a Syrian
born Muslim musician. This program uses music to facilitate
commonality in musical traditions, representing the rich cultural
histories of the Middle East. The festival will be held in
March 2007.
Ke Po’okela Cultural Foundation, Redondo
Beach, $7,250 – Two workshop events will be held in Los Angeles
and Encinitas to provide opportunities to learn more about Hawaiian
culture and heritage as exemplified through dance, language, crafts,
and music. Collaborating with other Southern California halaus, or
schools, a non competitive traditional environment will be emphasized. Traditional
master artists from Hawaii and Californian will participate in sharing
the spiritual essence of hula. Kumu Frank Kawaikapuaokalani
Hewett will offer classes in Hawaiian healing principles and ancient
hula and chant, Kumu Sonny Ching will offer classes in dance and
chant, and Kumu Hula Kunewa Mook will offer classes in the making
and playing of authentic hula implements and instruments. Workshops
will occur in Encinitas and Los Angeles in May 2007.
Kitka Inc., Oakland, $5,000 – Three week-long
residencies with master artist Mirjana Lausevic will encompass intensive
repertoire development work focused on traditional Bosnian song forms. Additionally,
community outreach workshops will be offered as well as in school
lecture/demonstrations and radio appearances.
Korean Youth Cultural Center, Oakland, $5,000 – The
grant will support 2007 Korean Lunar New Year ritual and celebration
known as jishinbalpki. The drum and dance ritual parade brings
auspicious tidings in the new year as it performs in various public
venues. Occurring on February 24, 2007, the jishinbalpki will culminate
in a performance at the Koryo Village Center.
Kulintang Arts, San Francisco, $7,500 – Funds
will support the residency activities of Tongatong Kalinga Music
and Dance Ensemble, led by Cirilo Sapi Bawer, in March 2007. The
troupe will provide a one-week intensive workshop for adults at Bayanihan
Community Center and two lecture demonstrations and community interactions/dialogue
in dance, music, and indigenous practices of the Kalinga tribe of
Southern Philippines.
Linda Tillery and The Cultural Heritage Choir,
Oakland, $5,000 – Musical director and vocalist, Linda
Tillery, and ensemble, the Cultural Heritage Choir, will collaborate
with English acapella choir, Black Voices, on a project called “A
Long Way Home.” This collaboration will explore the musical
legacy of the slave trade from Africa, through the Caribbean to the
New World. Outreach activities with local African American
choirs culminate in performances in May 2007.
Mas Makers Massive, Oakland, $7,500 – A
two day symposium entitled “Calypso Journey” explores
Trinidad and Tobago’s musical genre. A series of interactive
workshops will take place. There will be a culminating musical
performance to explore and display the multifaceted history and aesthetics
of calypso in the 20th century. Hollis Urban Liverpool, Director
of the Carnival Institute from the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago,
will be the featured speaker. Rudolph Ottley, researcher and
author of books on women in Calypso; Brother Resistance, international
performer and lecturer in the genre of spoken calypso rapso; and
Joanne Rowley, international calypso performer, are among the participants. The
symposium will take place in June 2007.
Pacific Islander Community Council (PICC), Huntington
Beach, $7,000 – Each year this festival focuses on particular
island cultures. On May 5-6, 2007, the 18th annual festival
will focus on the Maori communities from Aoteroa (New Zealand) and
Cook Islands. There will be displays and performances of traditional
dance and music, cultural arts, (weaving, flower craft, and tattooing),
historical artifacts, displays, and foodways. Additionally,
there will be participation from the indigenous Polynesians from
Hawai’i, Samoa, Tonga, Tahiti ,and Cook Islands, as well as
Micronesians from Guam, Northern Marianas, Marshall Islands, and
Melanesians from Fiji. Los Angeles hosts the largest
community of Pacific Islanders on the mainland.
Persian-American Cultural Center, Berkeley, $7,500 – Funds
will support travel and artistic fees for a master Iranian percussion
artist, Houman Pourmedhi, to travel from Los Angeles to Berkeley
in order to teach bi-monthly music classes to Persian-American youth. The
instruments include the tonbak, the chief percussion instrument made
of a single block of hollow wood , and the daf, a frame drum with
a row of small circular metal hoops fastened to the inside of its
rim. The students, ages 8-18, meet regularly for language and
culture classes. A culminating performance in March 2007 coincides
with the Persian New Year.
San Francisco International Arts Festival, $5,000 – The
4th annual festival, “The Truth in Knowing/Now, A Conversation
Across Africa and the Diaspora” will use the award to support
the performance and community residence activities of Ayanagalu,
a traditional Yoruban music and dance performance group from Nigeria. This
troupe is comprised of dancers, masqueraders and praise singers who
have passed down their skills and knowledge from generation to generation. Master
classes at the African American Art & Culture Complex in San
Francisco are planned as well as a performance for middle school
students.
San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, $7,150 – The “Weavings
of War: Fabrics of Memory” traveling exhibit will be in the
Bay Area July-September 2007. The exhibit highlights textiles
created by people in Afghanistan/Pakistan, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam,
Chile, Peru, Israel, Egypt, the Caucasus, and South Africa who have
begun incorporating pictorial images of violence and war into traditional
art forms that previously included mostly abstract patterns. The
museum will work with local social service agencies and cultural
organizations to plan and implement a series of public programs in
connection with this exhibit. Included will be artist demonstrations. Performances
and panel discussions on the vital role of folk arts and how people
respond to and cope with experiences of war will also be included.
Slavonic Cultural Center, San Francisco, $5,000 – The
7th Annual St. Kiril and Methody Bulgarian Music and Dance Festival
will take place in May 2007. The festival will feature master
Bulgarian performing artists, sing-a-longs, master classes, group
dancing, children’s workshop, food, and wine.
Stepology, San Francisco, $6,000 – The Bay
Area Tap Festival provides an opportunity for American tap dance
master performers to teach and perform. A week long event in
August 2007 will include the Bay Area Rhythm Exchange Concert Performance,
30 workshop classes open to the community, and a community showcase
performance.
Teatro de la Tierra, Fresno, $7,000 – The
award will support the production costs and artist fees of “A
Yellow Rose From Texas – The Story of Emma Tenayca,” a
bi-lingual work in Spanish and English, depicting the life of a labor
organizer who, at 16 years of age, mobilized 12,000 pecan shellers
in a historic strike that led to the passing of national legislation
that raised wages and protected workers rights. The community
based theater, under the leadership and training of Augustin Lira,
will combine elements inherent in Mexican carpa, or folklore theater,
techniques with live corridos, or ballads, to create the piece which
will take place in March 2007.
vivaARTSnetwork, Oakland, $5,000 – The Omo
Aso Quilt project serves to weave common threads of cultural traditions
through different African derived textile and beading traditions. The
master artists include Sina Olajuwon, a Nigerian master artist specializing
in understitch embroidery and appliqué work. Shaka Zulu
from New Orleans, whose family has participated in the “Indian” masquerading
tradition associated with the annual Mardi Gras for several generations,
will lecture and lead a workshop about the soft sculpture beading
style that is associated with the Mardi Gras contingent’s costumes.
Regina Califa Calloway provides instruction in quilt traditions,
altar installations, and ceremonial regalia related to African based
religions. Charmaine Ridder, a practictioner of Yoruba traditions,
will provide a workshop on three dimensional beading.
World Beat Center, San Diego, $7,000 – In
December 2006, Kwanzaa in the Park will celebrate two of the Seven
Principles of Kwanzaa with free community wide events that reaffirm
African-American traditions and connections to African ancestry. In
addition to music, dance, food and performances, the creator of Kwanzaa,
Maulana Karenga, will be a guest speaker. An informational
fair will coincide with the celebration providing social service
resource information to all attendees.
Yuval Ron Music, Los Angeles, $5,000 – Yemenite-Israeli
singer, drummer, dancer, and actress Margalit Oved will record rare
traditional Yemenite folk songs and related explanations and stories
with world music producer and scholar Yuval Ron. This series
of ten 2-hour recordings will focus on archiving and preserving songs
from the three main cultural sources of traditional Sephardic-Yemenite
folk music – women’s songs, songs of the Diwan, (a 17th
century book of devotional poems that are sung outside the synagogue),
and prayers and chants of the Synagogue. Culminating in two
workshops for educators and the general public, the work will also
be uploaded to a web site for free access.
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