La Peña Cultural Center

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

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20TH ANNUAL YOUTH SPEAKS TEEN POETRY SLAM

2016 Preliminary Finals  is FREE and open to the public!

Celebrate the voices of 21st century America! Youth Speaks hosted the first Youth Speaks Teen Poetry Slam in 1997, the first poetry slam for teenagers in the country. The annual slam (an Olympic-style poetry competition) features hundreds of young writers, emcees, and performers from throughout the Bay Area and Northern California, and attracts almost 10,000 audience members during its month-long run. La Peña Cultural Center is happy to be a venue for the Preliminary!

The Youth Speaks Teen Poetry Slam is open to any youth 13-19 years old in the greater Bay Area. Join hundreds of young artists and leaders as they take the stage, speak truth to power, and perform for a chance to represent at the Grand Slam Finals.

More information at http://youthspeaks.org/

Free Film Festival: K2 and the Invisible Footmen

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*While this is a free event, space is limited.
RSVP here!

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Shot in stunning northern Pakistan, Iara Lee’s new film, K2 and the Invisible Footmen, documents the unsung efforts of the indigenous porters who for decades have facilitated the ascent of the Earth’s second-highest mountain. Shot over the summer of 2014, the feature film opened in festivals in April 2015.

SYNOPSIS:

Located on the border between Pakistan and China, K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth. For many climbers, it is an even greater prize than Everest, with limited routes, a steeper ascent, and a harder push to its summit. Nicknamed the ‘Savage Mountain,’ K2’s peak juts unprotected into the atmosphere, regularly exposing climbers and porters to life-threatening weather conditions.

Despite being paid at rates far below those received by international expedition leaders, such porters—whether they provide critical supplies to expedition base camps or take on higher-altitude tasks in support of ascending climbers—do some of the most difficult and dangerous work and these efforts make them worthy of recognition as the true heroes of mountaineering.

In K2 AND THE INVISIBLE FOOTMEN, filmmaker Iara Lee and team chronicle the lives of both Pakistani porters and Nepalese sherpas. The film also follows the first official all-Pakistani climbing team, made up of former porters, who successfully summited in 2014, in celebration of K2 60th anniversary. Amid breathtaking scenery, the film depicts the everyday sacrifices of porters and the courage of those indigenous climbers who choose to return to scale K2 in spite of past tragedies. In their striving to perfect their craft, these mountaineers provide a fresh look into the cultures and national traditions of Pakistan, a country typically portrayed in the foreign media as merely a land of conflict and sectarian strife.

Puerto Rican Music Ensemble – (Back in 2016!)

 

Puerto Rican Music Ensemble
Mondays 7-8:30pm | Contact instructor for pricing
Instructor: Hector Lugo | Location: Lounge

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@gmail.com

LP Board Meeting Minutes–June 29, 2015

LP Board Meeting Minutes–June 29, 2015

Present: Aaron, Carmen, Ellen, Francine, Gino, Nancy, Paul, Sarah, Tania, Victor

Community: Carol, Karen and Bessie

1. Minutes from previous meeting were approved unanimously online. Nancy and Tania were welcomed to their first board meeting.

2. Public Comment: Karen and Bessie from the Chorus proposed a new working arrangement which was discussed. A decision is expected within the week.

3. Financial report: Carol went over the financial report. Ellen moved and Paul seconded the motion to approve the financial statements for fiscal year 2013-2014 ending August 31, 2014. All approved. Once taxes are filed, Café La Peña can be closed. Aaron will consult Kristen for details as to closing.

Aaron will prepare a draft budget to be sent out with a special budget meeting scheduled by July 15 for interested Board members. Carol will be available for financial workshop(s) to educate Board.

4. Report from ED (document previously sent by Aaron): Aaron reviewed the Director’s Report. He went over anniversary events and discussed committee and Board participation. He is working with Jocie to hire a new programmer.

5. Facilities: Aaron reported on facilities plans to paint back classroom and create a meeting and food prep space with an outdoor patio. The front office renovation and staff move is planned for July.

6. Programming: We discussed developing plans for September 11 along with defining other important dates as part of our legacy.

7. Solar La Peña: Aaron discussed progress on Solar LP. Ellen will work with Kristen to support the project.

8. General discussion and agreements: All board members will use @lapena.org emails for official business and to list on our website; a special meeting/training will be upcoming to deepen our understanding about budget; we discussed how to increase audience for events and using our website and social media; we discussed using google docs to share documents.

 

Board Meeting Agenda for June 29, 2015

Board Meeting Agenda June 29, 2015

Open Session (7:00pm – 8:30pm)

  • Finance Committee report
  • ED report
  • Anniversary Events Report
  • June Individual Contributions letter
  • Program Manager hire
  • New website homepage
  • Sandwich Boards: South Berkeley footprint
  • Renovations update
    • Back Classroom (name?), storage facilities
  • Sports at La Peña/ audio-visual hookup

Closed Session (8:30pm – 9:00pm)