La Peña Cultural Center

Welcome to La Peña! Promoting social justice & intercultural understanding through the arts since 1975.

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The Freight & Salvage Presents: Barrio Manouche in Honor of La Peña’s 43rd Anniversary!

We are so excited to announce that the Freight & Salvage is throwing La Peña a 43rd birthday party!  Thank you to the amazing team at the Freight for this wonderful gesture and partnership.

Gypsy Jazz and Flamenco fusion with Barrio Manouche

Sunday, June 17th at 7pm (Doors open at 6pm)

All proceeds benefit La Peña Cultural Center! So get your tickets here today!

Barrio Manouche is a gypsy jazz & flamenco fusion ensemble based in San Francisco, with musicians from Spain, France, Brazil, California and Quebec.

They are known for curating their concerts with special guests from Colombia, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Spain and beyond!

The band performs a repertoire of original musical compositions deeply influenced by a range of musical traditions: from the swing of Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet, to the hot jazz of Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli, the flamenco & rumba of Paco de Lucía, to the avant-garde sounds of Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane.

Barrio Manouche is considered one of the Bay Area’s biggest rising stars, mesmerizing audiences with their live musical performances that incorporate flamenco dancing and other memorable surprises.

The band will be releasing a new album May 31, 2018.

Thank you for your support! Get your tickets before this show sells out!

Announcing La Peña’s Mundos Musicales Summer Camp!

A Bilingual Summer Camp Exploring Latin & Caribbean Culture through Music, Dance & Art!

THREE CAMP DATES: 
June 25-29, July 9-13 and July 16-20 
Best suitable for ages: 7-11 years old

The emphasis of Mundos Musicales Summer Camp is hands-on learning and fun activities! The musical and artistic curriculum is designed to develop musicianship, physical coordination, bilingual literacy/pronunciation skills, multi-cultural awareness, and comfort with public speaking and performance among our students. At the end of the week the children will have an opportunity to share what they learned with their friends and family!

At La Peña’s Mundos Musicales Summer Camp, participants will:

  • Take an imaginary trip through Mexico with maestra María, exploring its music, legends, dance, and song. They will learn to sing, play and dance to son jarocho music and other Mexican folkloric genres. 

  • Through drumming, song, and story telling, children will be introduced to the musical traditions of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti and the Dominican Republic by maestro Hector. They will learn to play hand drums, maracas, bells, claves and other Afro-Caribbean percussion instruments. They will also learn beats, songs and stories that come from these countries.

  • Using the music and dance classes as inspiration, students will design and prepare stage scenery for use in their showcase the last day of camp! Maestra Laura will guide students to creating murals and props created with their imagination based on what they learn in their mundos musicales classes!

     

Daily Itinerary:

8:30am-9am: Drop off time at La Peña Cultural Center (3105 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley, CA 94705)

9am-9:30am Circle Time with 3 core teachers – Work on skills that are part of the program, bring energy up, bond, build comradery, play musical games from different parts of the world – a repertoire of games.

9:30am-10:30am 1st Class Rotation

10:30am-10:45am Break (Snack Break/Bathroom Break)

10:45am-11:45am  2nd Class Rotation

11:45am -12:30pm LUNCH TIME 

12:30pm-1:30pm 3rd Class Rotation

1:30pm-2pm Closing Circle

PLAY TIME 2pm-2:30pm – Also pick-up time for those not in Extended Program

CHOOSE “EXTENDED CARE” PROGRAM: 2:30pm-5pm Bilingual after-school care. ONLY $50 MORE PER WEEK!

Please remember to bring lunch every day! 

We provide basic snacks and drinks. 

Mariela’s Music Time: Bilingual Circle for Children – NEW CLASSES!

Mariela’s Bilingual Music Circle for Children is now offering 2 classes:

9:30AM: Bilingual Circle for the Whole Family (Babies, toddlers, parents, aunties, etc) $15

10:15AM: Rhythms & Songs: Ages 4 & Up $12 (This is a drop-off class, just children 4 and up. Parents are welcome to wait in Los Cilantros Restaurant or in our Lounge space)

This educational event for children is based on folk songs, tales and popular games based on cultural traditions from various regions in South and Central America.

“Mariela’s Music Time is an educational, energetic and interactive bilingual performance for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers and their families. It’s filled with rhythms and multicultural sounds, along with with the rich traditions of our Bay Area. For the past decade, Mariela has drawn upon her background in music and studies of Early Childhood Education to create a program that not only explores the music, but also addresses the kids’ curiosity by telling the history of the instruments and their cultures. She uses kinesthetic techniques in her bilingual storytelling to make foreign words understood. In no time, the kids are singing in another language as they dance and have fun!” – San Mateo County Libraries

Goals: Invite the new generation to learn and enjoy Latin American Culture. Experience social exposure in a fun and participative way through popular rounds, popular games, retahilas, folk songs with Latin-American roots.

Introducing children to music at an early age to encourages a life-long love of music as an art form. Encouraging them not just to sing, dance and play music, but also to understand some of the aspects of our multicultural traditions by exploring different instruments, rhythms, sounds and soul.

Teaching folk dance, interacting, and engaging with the act of making music is an important step in child development. It is a good early appropriated developmental way to unfold their physical abilities and coordination. It is also important for them to enjoy physical exercises. Folk dance teaches basic concepts of rhythm, repetition, sequencing, patterning, predictability, anticipation, musical cues, auditory discrimination, and counting.

Children will be exposed to a multicultural understanding of different historical and social time periods. They will to learn how to appreciate all cultures, nations, and how people are connected and interrelated .
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