EVENT CANCELED

Hello everyone! Unfortunately, several members of Spirology tested positive for Covid this week so we will have to cancel their concert at La Peña this Saturday! They are all OK and will take care of themselves with the surrounding love of their community. We are so sorry for the inconvenience and hopefully see you soon!

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Michael Spiro – Leader, Percussion, Vocals, Arranger. An internationally acclaimed percussionist, educator, and recording artist, Michael Spiro is a ten-time Grammy nominee known for his influential work in Latin music. He has collaborated with notable artists across various genres and continues to innovate with his new project “Spirology,” blending Cuban charanga with Afro-Cuban bata drumming.

As a performer Michael continues to co-lead and perform with Orquesta La Moderna Tradición, still holds the conga drum chair in the internationally acclaimed “Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet” (with Grammy nominations in 2011, 2014, and 2015), and co-leads “Conjunto Karabali” with long-time Santana percussionist Karl Perazzo. His new band “Spirology” is a ground-breaking project that fuses Cuban charanga with Afro-Cuban bata drumming, and features the entirely new genre that he has created—the “batanzón”.

• For more information about Michael, visit: Michael-Spiro.com.
• For information about Spirology’s band members, click HERE!

Join us on July 12th for an empowering night of music and dialogue with Holly Near, Tammy Hall, Jan Martinelli, Djérae Lucas, Mia Pixley, and Diana Gameros! We’ll be celebrating femme/gender fluid musicians in the Bay Area through the transformative power of music as artists come together to share their stories and talents. Friday, July 12th. 7pm-10pm. GET YOUR TICKETS HERE!! | SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER

Featured Musicians:

Holly Near (she-her): After 50 years of bold work, Holly Near is still one of the most consistent and well informed voices for change. Her work is loving, challenging, funny, thought-provoking, and remains rooted in the global community. As an outspoken singer and ambassador for peace, Holly brings a unique integration of world consciousness and self-evaluation, always growing and sharing experience humbly and boldly. A recipient of dozens of awards from organizations such as the ACLU and the National Organization of Women, Holly was one of Ms Magazine’s Women of the Year recipients and has been nominated for Grammys as well as the Legends of Women’s Music Award. Website: hollynear.com

Tammy Hall is one of the most in demand pianist in northern California. Ms. Hall holds leadership roles in major music organizations such as at SF Jazz, Stanford Jazz Workshop, Zellerbach Foundation, Yoshi’s and many more. She has traveled and performed extensively in Japan, Europe, Mexico, Uruguay, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan. She is a co-minister of Music at Heart and Soul Center of Light in Oakland. Tammy is an instructor/lecturer/mentor with several schools and non-profits arts organizations dedicated to making music and theater accessible to under-funded inner-city children. Tammy Hall received the award for Best Musical Direction from the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle for her work in Pamela Rose’s “Blues Is A Woman”. Her solo recording “Blue Soul” was remastered in 2023 and is available on her web site at tammyhall.com/music

Jan Martinelli: Jan Martinelli is a bass player and pianist who currently hails from Cotati, California. She was an original member of the early women’s band, Wild Mango. She works with acoustic and electric bass as well as fretless. Jan has recorded with a wide variety of musical artists including the Motown singer Chris Clark, Montclair Women’s Big Band, Adrienne Torf & June Jordan, Robin Flower & Libby McLaren, Emma’s Revolution and Holly Near. She is currently working in a French ensemble SonoMusette featuring Mimi Pirard as both pianist and bass player. Jan has worked with Holly Near for over a decade. She manages Holly’s charts, tours with her in the capacity of pianist and/or bass player and contributes to her recordings as a player and composer.

Diana Gameros (she-her): Diana is a singer, guitarist, pianist, composer, songwriter, music instructor and social justice activist, based in California. She was born and raised in Ciudad Juárez, México and immigrated to the United States as a teenager to study music in Michigan. Over the last decade in the Bay Area she has released two albums of original songs written in Spanish and English, and Mexican classic songs. In 2014 Diana received the Emerging Leader Award by the Chicana/Latina Foundation. In 2015 she was named one of YBCA’s 100: creative minds, makers, and pioneers that are asking the questions and making the provocations that will shape the future of American culture. NPR Music gave Diana an honorable mention to Arrullo in best Latin albums of the year in 2017. Diana was named one of SF Magazine’s 100 Artists: Artists Putting The East Bay On The Map, in 2018. Website: dianagameros.com

Djérae Lucas (he-him): DjeRae is a dynamic and insightful artist who uses his music, composition, lyricism, and creativity to explore themes of love, identity, grief, and healing. As a Black Gender Transcendent person, DjeRae believes it is his responsibility to use his work to create opportunities that support the holistic freedom of Black Queer People. He uses his organization the Underground Rainbow Group to help creatives reframe and embrace their creative processes. Watch Djérae’s performance at La Peña’s Empowering People of Color Open Mic (2023)

Mia Pixley (she-her): Mia Pixley is a clinical psychologist, mother, composer, and musical artist who uses her cello, voice, and performance to study and represent aspects of self and other, community, and the natural world. Mia has performed on GRAMMY award-winning albums (Fantastic Negrito), off-broadway musicals (Futurity), and in national tours (Windham Hill Winter Solstice), among many others. Mia’s discography includes a full length album (Margaret in the Wild, 2021) and two interdisciplinary EP projects (Spar Suite, 2020 and Passage, 2022), and her newest release, Sound of the Reef: Coral Enneagrams (2024) which was just co-released as a two sided vinyl with composer Sami Freeman. You can find all of her music on streaming platforms and bandcamp. Website: miapixley.com

Please join for a Fundraiser on June 9th at 6pm to support humanitarian efforts in Gaza! All donations are tax deductible and will go directly to MECA (Middle East Children’s Alliance) to support their crucial work on the ground in Gaza.

• Carlos Baron, MC, Chilean poet, actor and professor at SFSU
• From Meca (Middle East Children’s Alliance): director Zeiad Abbas and Deborah Agre
• Reporting from Gaza by Susan Abulhawa (video)
• Nora Narrows-Friedman reporter with Electronic Intifada
• Palestinian poets Deema Shehabi and Dina Omar
• Aliza Pere
• Duamuxa, Chilean duo
• Message from Holly Near
• Masarrah Shahin with the Children Chorus from the American Academy in Nablus (video)
• George Lammam, Palestinian violinist and Khaled Keileh
• Palestinian food by Reem and Zaynah

Get your tickets HERE. For those of you who cannot attend, you may donate on this link.

Event organized by The Artists/Activists Organizing Committee – Bay Area: Francine Kuipers, Gene St. Onge, Georges Lammam, Ken and Barbara Miles, Jeanette Cool, and Andrea Valverdes.

Following the success of our Beginners Dance Class Series, La Peña is excited to present the third round of our Intermediate Class Series: Mondays 7:30pm – 8:30pm. May 13 – June 10, 2024. REGISTER HERE.

You haven’t taken the Beginners class yet? Are you new to these dance rhythms or have no dance experience at all? Check out our Beginners class HERE!

DESCRIPTION

This is a 4-class series designed for beginner to intermediate students to expand their skills of three popular Latin dance styles: Salsa, Bachata and Merengue! Join us and explore the possibilities of your body and how to communicate with others through dance, rhythm and flavor! Partners are not necessary! This class is taught as “leaders” and “followers” and is and prioritizes creating a safe and inclusive space for everybody.

Classes are taught by Venezuelan dance instructor Juliana Mendonca (she/her). Juliana’s teaching style is not a traditional ballroom style latin dance class. She first teaches her students to connect to their body and to connect to the rhythms before getting to the steps and turns. This foundation will help you loosen up your hips, knees, shoulders and arms to allow you to get you own authentic feel for each genre and its unique rhythm!

ENROLLMENT DETAILS

SERIES SCHEDULE (4 sessions) 05/13/2024 – 06/10/2024
Mondays: May 13, May 20, June 3, June 10 | 7:30 – 8:30pm
***NO class on May 27***

Series Tuition Cost: $94 for entire series. REGISTER HERE.

BONUS PERK! Students get a FREE ticket to an upcoming BAILA! Community Dance Party. Promo code & details will be emailed after first day of class.

QUESTIONS? Contact us at: classes@lapena.org