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SERIES DESCRIPTION

Beginners Class Series (4 sessions) Mondays 6:15pm-7:15pm. May 13 – June 10, 2024. REGISTER HERE.

Already took this class or are familiar with the basics? Try the Intermediate one HERE!

This is a 4-class series designed for beginner students with little to no experience to learn and enjoy 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 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 | 6:15 – 7:15pm
***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 the first day of class.

QUESTIONS? Contact us at: classes@lapena.org

Come have dinner at Los Cilantros on Sunday, May 5th 2024 and celebrate their Grand Re-Re-Opening with Live Music!

PLUS: Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with the perfect Mexican Menu.

• Doors open at 5:30pm with special menu
• Performance by Rogelio Buenaventura 6pm-8pm

A bit about Los Cilantros’ journey:

Los Cilantros reopened in the La Peña Cultural Center in September, and the restaurant previously occupied the space from 2014 to 2020. When COVID-19 shutdowns began, the restaurant closed but Lugo kept cooking to feed the unsheltered community, nurses and doctors and others in need. (…) Now, with the purchase of new equipment and upgrades to the kitchen at La Peña Cultural Center, Lugo is combining her family’s food traditions with her training from La Cocina and more than 15 years in the food industry to realize her vision for Los Cilantros fully. —Oaklandside (Oct. 27, 2023)

Celebrate summer at La Peña’s Frida Kahlo’s Birthday Tianguis & Community Block Party! Music, food, art – free admission! RSVP now!

Get ready to celebrate the vibrant spirit of summer at La Peña’s Frida Kahlo’s Birthday Tianguis & Community Block Party! Join us outdoors on Saturday, June 29th, 2024, from 12pm to 6pm, as we transform our street into a lively marketplace bursting with color, culture, and creativity!

• Family-Friendly & Free Admission: This event is open to all, so bring your loved ones along for an unforgettable day of fun in the sun!
• What to expect: Live Music, Delicious Food Stands, Handmade Crafts & Art, Fun Activities for All Ages
• Community Block Party and Vendor Market: Connect with your neighbors and celebrate the rich diversity of our community, embracing individuals from all walks of life, including BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, multiracial, and migrant communities! Let’s come together to uplift and empower one another!

Get Involved:

• Interested in Vendoring? Sign up HERE!
• Volunteer and help us make this event incredible!
• RSVP for free 
• Questions? info@lapena.org

Remember to RSVP for free and consider making a donation to La Peña to support future events like this! Don’t forget your hats and sunscreen for a sun-soaked celebration under the clear skies!

Mark your calendars, spread the word, and join us for a day filled with laughter, love, and community vibes! ¡Nos vemos familia!

“Cuban Fusion: The Transnational Cuban Alternative Music Scene” by Dr. Eva Silot Bravo. Published by Palgrave Macmillan.

Join Dr. Eva Silot Bravo, discussant Dr. Umi Vaughan, and surprise guest musicians for a lively afternoon celebrating Eva’s latest book, “Cuban Fusion: The Transnational Cuban Alternative Music Scene.” Explore Cuba’s musical diaspora, enjoy delicious food from Los Cilantros, and immerse yourself in a cultural experience like no other!

• About Dr. Eva Silot Bravo (more info)

A 14 years experienced educator, Afro-Cuban author, interdisciplinary scholar,  former diplomat and international negotiator in the United Nations, New York, representing Cuba and developing countries. Currently the Ethnic Studies Teacher at Oakland School for the Arts, in Oakland, CA, she is a PhD. in Cultural Studies, Spanish and Literatures from the University of Miami since 2016, an M.A. in International Studies from Florida International University and a B.A. in International Relations from Instituto Superior de Relaciones Internacionales, in Havana, Cuba. She recently published her first non fiction academic book: Cuban Fusion: the Transnational Cuban Alternative Music Scene, on Cuban music and transnationalism with Palgrave MacMillan editorial. She has published 20+ articles, art reviews and interviews on Cuban music, literature, film, and other cultural topics. Her sustained commitment for documenting voices of migrant, Afro-descendent and female creatives led her to create the blog Cubanidadinbetween, and two bilingual podcasts “Miami Alternativo” and “Word Culture.” She produced concerts and collaborated with local cultural institutions in Miami, promoting Cuban alternative music and arts.

• About the book (more info)

Surveying the impact of Cuba’s economic crisis after the demise of the eastern socialist block, this book documents a relatively unexplored transnational network of collaborations among Cuban musicians that migrated to many different countries from the 1990s forward. The book’s main argument is that in light of the 1990s crisis in Cuba, new transnational and alternative narratives emerged, resulting in creative “in-between” spaces that reflect a post- socialist aesthetic condition. The manuscript also documents important developments in the Cuban jazz and fusion scenes outside the island in the last 20+ years.

• About discussant Dr. Umi Vaughan (book “Silencing the drum”)

Umi Vaughan is an independent scholar/artist who conducts research, creates photographs and performances, and publishes work that examines the evolution and meaning of music/dance traditions across the African Diaspora. He holds a Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Michigan and is formerly Professor of Africana Studies at California State University Monterey Bay. Dr. Vaughan is the author of Carlos Aldama’s Life in Batá: Cuba, Diaspora, and the Drum (Indiana University Press) and Rebel Dance, Renegade Stance: Timba Music and Black Identity in Cuba (University of Michigan Press) as well as co-author of Silencing the Drum: Religious Racism and Afro-Brazilian Sacred Music (Amherst College Press).