La Peña Cultural Center
La Peña Cultural Center is a vibrant community cultural center with a national reputation and a global vision that promotes peace, social justice, and cultural understanding through the arts, education, and social action. As a welcoming gathering place, La Peña provides opportunities for artists to share diverse cultural traditions, to create and perform their work, and to support and interface with diverse social movements. Annually, La Peña presents over 200 events with emerging and established artists; organizes an arts education program; produces new works by local artists, presents internationally and nationally renowned artists, and houses Cafe Valparaiso, a Latin American café which complements the organization’s mission.
In 2013, a grant from ACTA’s Living Cultures Grants Program supported the Huaranguito, Rompe y Raja project. A repertoire of traditional dances and percussion styles from the coastal region of Peru such as festejos, landos, and zamacuecas will be offered to youth and adults. Serving the Peruvian-American community and open to all, the weekly classes are part of La Peña’s robust class offerings. Taught by dance artist, Gabriela Shiroma whose area of focus is Afro-Peruvian traditions, public performances are planned for the spring.