Welcome to La Peña! Promoting social justice & intercultural understanding through the arts since 1975.
First BAILA of our Fall Season: dust off your dancing shoes for an epic night with live music & vibrant community energy! Join us for an evening featuring live music, not one but two dance floors, a gender-inclusive salsa and bachata dance class, a fundraising bar, delicious food from our partners at Los Cilantros, complimentary coat check, […]
Sundays, 11:30am – 1:00pm. Cost: Drop-in $35 Adults, all levels. This class includes basic skills, improvisation techniques, choreography, and developing skills to dance in a Batey or community jam. Teenagers with some dance experience welcomed (please email for info). Folks interested in practicing Bomba percussion during the class are welcome (some experience in playing Bomba is […]
Every third Sunday of the month from 2:30pm-5:00pm in our Lounge! Join us for this Cuban Rumba Community Jam that has been held at La Peña for many years. Led by percussionist and culture bearer Bruce Williams. Free / donations encouraged Family-friendly event Bring your instruments if you have them! More about the Afro-Cuban […]
Mondays, 4:00pm - 5:00pm $25 per class Drop-ins welcome Contact: Héctor Lugo 510-927-7984 hectorlugo65@yahoo.com This weekly workshop offers a fun, safe, creative and dynamic environment for children and youth to learn centuries-old music and dance traditions from Puerto Rico. Through drumming, singing, dancing, and storytelling students learn about Bomba, and Plena, and explore their connections […]
Interested in RUMBA and the Afro-Cuban Tradition? We have these 2 music classes back-to-back at La Peña that explore the musicality of Cuban Rumba and more! Note: classes are taught in spanish, but english speakers are welcome to join if you're comfortable with limited translation. CLASE 1: Lunes, 7:00pm – 8:15pm @La Peña LA RUMBA ME […]
BILINGUAL FAMILY MUSIC CLASSES with ANNA-MARIA FROM AGUACATE MUSIC KIDS For babies, toddlers, and kids to age 6 and their caregivers. Spanish not required! Make an impact on your child's growth...start young with music & second language learning! Click here to try a FREE class! CONCERNED YOUR CHILD IS TOO YOUNG, TOO SHY OR TOO ACTIVE FOR MUSIC CLASS? Aguacate Music Kids' […]
Join this fun class with instructor Momo Lebeau!! About Bodywerk Dance Classes: Bodywerk Dance offers a variety of different classes, all taught by award winning instructor, Momo LeBeau. We feature a fusion of Hip Hop, Afrobeats, Dancehall, jazz and many other dance styles. Bodywerk is a dynamic hip hop dance jam, good for all levels, […]
Come join The La Peña Old Guard* “Third Wednesday” Gatherings: each time a different discussion topic! Open to all. Please spread the word! If you're planning on coming, RSVP to oldguard@lapena.org TOPIC FOR NOVEMBER 20TH: The Election Happened... Now What? Community Conversation from the heart. With Guest Speaker: Lauren Matt, Bay Resistance. RSVP sending an email at oldguard@lapena.org […]
Remember the music jams? All ages, all instruments, all skill levels, all welcome, all fun! Mark your calendars for the return of these legendary music jams to La Peña, led by José Roberto Hernández! Las mermeladas musicales son un espacio donde la gente y sus instrumentos se juntan para hacer música, comunidad y compañerismo. It's […]
Capoeira Angola with Grupo de Capoeira Balanço de Angola Wednesdays, 7:00pm – 9:00pm In person at La Peña Cultural Center **FREE Community Class on the last Wednesday of every month!** Come experience the spirit, music, and movement of Capoeira Angola with Grupo de Capoeira Balanço de Angola! We begin our class with one hour of […]
Join us for the launching of our brand new "Conciertitos Series" in our La Peña lounge! Presented by La Peña's Membership Program and Los Cilantros Restaurant. This concert is FREE thanks to La Peña members and Los Cilantros restaurant. If you would like to make a donation, 100% of donations will go directly to @ibrahimforgazamutualaid. […]
SPANISH FAMILY MUSIC CLASSES IN BERKELEY, CA For babies, toddlers, and kids to age 6 and their caregivers. Make an impact on your child's growth...start young with music & second language learning! Click here to try a FREE class! CONCERNED YOUR CHILD IS TOO YOUNG, TOO SHY OR TOO ACTIVE FOR MUSIC CLASS? Aguacate Music Kids' teachers are EXPERTS at creating a FUN, NURTURING, and DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE class […]
BILINGUAL FAMILY MUSIC CLASSES with AGUACATE MUSIC KIDS For babies, toddlers, and kids to age 6 and their caregivers. Spanish not required! Make an impact on your child's growth...start young with music & second language learning! Click here to try a FREE class! CONCERNED YOUR CHILD IS TOO YOUNG, TOO SHY OR TOO ACTIVE FOR MUSIC CLASS? Aguacate Music Kids' teachers are EXPERTS at […]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-AJURuRwqgKALIFEÑA -An Evening of Live Flamenco Music and Dance with Melissa Cruz and special guests KALIFEÑA AT LA PEÑA NOVEMBER 22, 2024. 8:00pm-10:00pm (Doors at 7:30pm) ABOUT: This work emerged initially from an inspiration to unite voices of women who, despite their diverse backgrounds, have a thread of commonality between them - the study of flamenco, […]
Calling Indigenous Artists, Activists, and Accomplices! Join us and be in conversation with Indigenous advocates at La Peña. Come uplift and celebrate Indigenous resistance! November 24th, 2024 at 6:00pm. Our annual event challenges and reshapes the colonial “thanksgiving” narrative by celebrating native resistance through art, music, dance, ancestral knowledge, and oral storytelling. We will have a […]
Sundays, 11:30am – 1:00pm. Cost: Drop-in $35 Adults, all levels. This class includes basic skills, improvisation techniques, choreography, and developing skills to dance in a Batey or community jam. Teenagers with some dance experience welcomed (please email for info). Folks interested in practicing Bomba percussion during the class are welcome (some experience in playing Bomba is […]
Beginners Salsa, Bachata & Merengue Dance Class Series (4 sessions) Mondays: Nov 25, Dic 2, 9, 16 (2024) | 6:15pm - 7:15pm Register here! Join us and explore the possibilities of your body and learn how to communicate with others through dance, rhythm and flavor! This class is taught as "leaders" and "followers" and prioritizes creating […]
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED TO SPRING 2025 ----->CHECK OUT THE BEGINNERS SERIES HERE! <-----
Interested in RUMBA and the Afro-Cuban Tradition? We have these 2 music classes back-to-back at La Peña that explore the musicality of Cuban Rumba and more! Note: classes are taught in spanish, but english speakers are welcome to join if you're comfortable with limited translation. CLASE 1: Lunes, 7:00pm – 8:15pm @La Peña LA RUMBA ME […]
Join this fun class with instructor Momo Lebeau!! About Bodywerk Dance Classes: Bodywerk Dance offers a variety of different classes, all taught by award winning instructor, Momo LeBeau. We feature a fusion of Hip Hop, Afrobeats, Dancehall, jazz and many other dance styles. Bodywerk is a dynamic hip hop dance jam, good for all levels, […]
Founded in 1979 by Chilean refugees and community supporters, La Peña Community Chorus has been performing Latin American New Song — Nueva Canción — for many years. Accompanying themselves on guitars, flutes, drums, and a large assortment of Latin American instruments, the Chorus has sung for schools, churches, homeless shelters, retirement homes, drug rehab centers, […]