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If you’ve walked out on Shattuck on a Monday night you’ve probably heard the pumping bass of deep house and hip hop that the dj’s are spinning at La Peña. Every Monday night from 9-11 pm, La Peña holds an open session for street dancers of all styles to freestyle and build community.

Come by early and you’ll find some of the dancers practicing and teaching each other moves. It’s a supportive environment and just a cool place to hang out. So come on out and learn a new step or just have fun and move!

Los Cojolites performed to a packed house Friday night. On tour all the way from Veracruz, they brought the lively music and singing style, son jarocho. Many of their songs had the audience singing along or even dancing in the aisles. It was quite a thing to hear a chorus of heels hitting the hardwood floor to the music. The excitement kept building and then the audience erupted when Los Cojolites ripped into their version of “La Bamba”, perhaps one of the most famous son jarocho songs.

As soon as this show appeared on the calendar I was very intrigued. Celtic flamenco? How is this going to work out? Actually surprisingly well as I’m sure the packed room would agree! It was cool to see such an unexpected fusion come together.

The night saw many performers playing separately and together in various combinations. Fanny Ara brought on some fiery flamenco dancing accompanied by, yes, Celtic music. Daniel Torres was featured on flamenco guitar and the Puerto Rican cuatro.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Gabriela Shiroma, the artistic director of the program, said “We are all part of the African culture, the Diaspora. Not only has [it] enriched the Americas but their legacy has taught us to honor our ancestors, to sing without fear, to dance from our hearts, to connect with our internal rhythm, to have a sense of community and gathering, and to laugh about life, but most importantly it has made us aware about our connection and unity. We are all a part of humanity: learning from the struggle for freedom and equality”.

Last Saturday was the second of two performances which gathered an amazing collection of artists together. All of the performers were so talented and passionate and brought their own unique styles to the show.

Kicking the night off was Sandy Perez y su Lade demonstrating Afro-Cuban music and dance. Powerful drumming accompanied some absolutely fierce dancing. It was a sight to see the machete wielding dancer running down the aisle in the audience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More photos on the next page…

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I am a parent of one of the Guarangitos, the La
Peña Afro Peruvian La Peña Afro Peruvian Youth
ensemble. My daughter was born in the United
States but strongly identifies herself as a
Peruvian. At 8 years old she lives away from her
mother’s country so we as parents struggle to
find ways to keep her attached to her cultural
roots. She craves information about Peru and her
mother’s country, in fact she developed her own
saying, “How do you know who you are, if you
don’t know your before?”[Continue Reading]