Dance
“We are family, I’ve got all my sisters with me,” blasted out the speakers in the multipurpose room of Lovonya DeJean Middle School Saturday. The popular ‘70s song by Sister Sledge got a crowd of more than 200 women up on their feet, a few dancing and others clapping and singing to the popular party tune at the 5th Annual International Women’s Day event titled “Sisters in Solidarity: Walking for our Beloved Community.” Councilwoman and co-emcee for the day Jovanka…
Sculpting our bedroom lives. Turning gas tanks into robots. Finding beauty in roadkill. Four artists open their homes to Richmond Confidential.
What’s the party like when an anniversary and Halloween are tied together? RYSE Center, a community-based development and educational center for youth, had its third anniversary event Saturday, with plenty of spooky elements – a haunted house, face painting and a costume contest – as well as a bouncy house, musical chairs and a pie-eating contest. The free event attracted dozens of people, who played games and danced. Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia and Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin spoke….
Industry recognized choreographers who got their start here, 14-year-old b-boys and a pulsing Cuban DJ filled East Bay Center for Performing Arts with style and swag Friday night as part of a month long celebration of the studio’s grand re-opening.
Music, applause and hundreds of community members filled the newly renovated East Bay Center for the Performing Arts Thursday night at the center’s Community Launch Party. The center raised nearly $16 million under director Jordan Simmons to rebuild the worn Winters Building on the corner of 11th Street and Macdonald Avenue. Home to after-school performing arts programs for more than 350 Richmond youths from the Iron Triangle neighborhood, EBCPA’s reach extends throughout the Bay Area. For a full list of…
The West Contra Costa County School Board recognized Hispanic Heritage Month at its Tuesday meeting with lively music and dance performances that were a stark contrast to the usually formal board proceedings. The month is celebrated nationally as a time to recognize the contributions and culture of Hispanic and Latino Americans. Each year the board signs a resolution recognizing the month. This year they signed so close to the start of the school year that the celebration was postponed until…
A Mexican folk dance, an African-American gospel song, a restored World War II era school building, and a happy principal. “There are two things you can give to children, in general: roots and wings,” said Peppina Chang, the principal of the Richmond College Prep Schools. And today her preschoolers are getting their wings in a building whose roots dig deep into the heart of modern American history — although those roots had almost crumbled. After years of fundraising and planning,…
Through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, Monday night passersby on Macdonald Avenue peer in curiously at a whirl of dance. Fingers snap. Feet slide. Hands swoosh a horsehair prop through the air, slapping the knees at intervals. The bright pastels of Victoria Secret sweatpants flash across the room in a blur of pink, yellow and turquoise. The dancers chant a call and response in a West African language: “Wadapo!” Drums pound in a…
Last Saturday, local music fans strutted down the red carpet at Richmond’s Craneway Pavilion for a star-studded concert. The show, called The Red Carpet Experience, featured Robin Thicke, El Debarge, Faith Evans, Ginuwine, Sydney Nicole and Jermaine Dupri. But the artists weren’t the only stars for the night. Young men and women from several East Bay community organizations, including Richmond’s Police Activities League, participated in a fashion show, working the catwalk in between music sets. Oakland clothiers K&G Fashion Superstore…