Classes
La Peña offers low-cost classes in Latin American music, dance, and other art forms taught by some of the best local artists and instructors. Currently, our low-cost classes are supported by participant fees. Enrollment is limited, and instructor permission is required. Students may seek permission from instructor by speaking with them at their first class.
All classes are currently open except where it indicates that you must contact instructor for an audition.
Our complete list of classes is below. For more information regarding classes and schedules please contact:
Mariola Fernandez
Staffing & Volunteer Coordinator,
Ticketing System Manager, Rentals,
Class Coordinator & Daytime Box Office Services
mariola@lapena.org
(510) 849-2568 ext.20
Adult Classes
Adult Afro-Peruvian DanceSaturdays 12-1pm | $12 drop-in/$40 month Learn to dance a varied repertoire of traditional dances from the coastal region of Peru such as festejos, landos, and zamacuecas. |
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The People’s Community YogaMondays at 7pm | $10 per class Drop ins welcome and encouraged! Bring your own mat, and meet us in the La Peña theater 15 minutes before the start of class! All levels of yoga experience welcome! |
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Beginning/Intermed. Latin American GuitarWednesdays 6-7pm & 7-8pm | $15/class Open to all who always wanted to learn the basics of Latin-American guitar. Learn the fundamentals of guitar holding, melodic picking and rhythmic strumming, with an emphasis on similarities and differences across the various musical traditions of Latin-America. Students will progress from learning essential techniques and standard tunes to learning how to play along with singers and other instruments. Students must pay for 4 classes upfront before they are able to take the first one. |
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Blues Dance with Beyond BluesWednesdays 7-8pm, with dancing after, till late Join Ted and Beyond Blues every Wednesday to learn the partner dance that anyone can do! Then dance the night away with drink specials from Café Valparaíso. No partner required. No experience necessary. Come dance with us. For our upcoming schedule and classes and dances around the Bay Area, visit our website: beyondblues.com/lapena |
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Bomba, Afro-Puerto Rican DanceSundays 12:30-2:30pm | Ask instructors for fee info. Location: Theater Space Students will learn bomba dance, rhythms, and songs, accompanied by live drummers. For more information you can email Shefali Shah at bombayplena@sbcglobal.net |
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Latin Jazz OrchestraMondays 8:30-10:30pm | $15/class Class meets year round. In this large ensemble with horns, vocalists, and percussionists, students learn and perform great Salsa and Latin Jazz arrangements. |
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Puerto Rican Music EnsembleMondays 7-8:30pm | TBA This is a workshop designed for all instrumentalist and vocalists interested in studying folkloric and popular Puerto Rican music. We will cover a variety of genres such as plena, aguinaldo, seis, guaracha jibara, and bomba popular, focusing on the dominant musical and lyrical structures, as well as the central rhythmic and melodic patterns, variations, and approaches to improvisation within each of these genres. For more info contact Héctor Lugo at hectorlugo65(at)gmail.com. |
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Children’s Classes
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Rockin’ Kids Sing-AlongFridays 10:30-11:30am | $10 per family/class | $10/class or 5 classes for $30 A musical play group for kids of all ages. Hosted by Stephanie Pepitone, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and former punk rock singer/guitarist. Stephanie plays acoustic guitar and leads families in about an hour’s worth of singing, dancing, music making and fun/chaos. Features original children’s music and some of your old time favorites. Dance/Movement |
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Vocals for Kids! (Ages 5 & Up)Mondays 6-7:15pm | $10/class Let’s sing! With the help of instructor Gail Dobson students will work on how to sing, learn to breathe properly, learn how to sing in a microphone, and get over their fear of performing – yes, it can be scary! Bring in your favorite songs to share. Students will sing both group and solo songs. This is their time to express themselves as individuals. They will also work on playing percussion and small shakers that the instructor will provide. The class will work towards a performance for family and friends. Prerequisite: Bring your love of music to class! |
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Bomba Percussion & Dance Youth Workshop (Ages 4 & up)Thursdays 4-6pm: Students will learn Bomba songs, dances, rhythms, and beats along with Bomba history and its significance and place in Puerto Rican and Afro-Caribbean culture. Bomba is a traditional form of Puerto Rican music and dance. The central feature of all bomba dancing is its improvisational character. The dancer calls, with her or his moves, for specific accents and figures, piquetes, that the drummer has to execute on the drum. Musically, bomba features the use of the drum and other percussion instruments in combination with an African derived call and response vocal style. |
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