Save the date! October is National Arts & Humanities Month, and to get it started in high style, the City of El Cerrito Arts & Culture Commission is sponsoring a free Arts Month Kick-Off Celebration on Saturday October 1st from 2 to 5 pm at the El Cerrito Community Center, 7007 Moeser Lane.
ACT ONE …. Cast members of the Contra Costa Civic Theatre’s fall production of “My Fair Lady” sing a medley of beloved songs from the classic Lerner and Loewe musical.
ACT TWO … Chinese Traditional Dance and Folk Dance – Ah-Lan Dance Studio presents an exciting dance and arts performance by students of Ah-Lan, who has been teaching Chinese dance, ballet, and modern dance in El Cerrito and Albany for over 15 years. Students will perform a wide variety of cultural forms, including Tibetan, Mongolian, Uighur, and traditional Tai-Chi dance and Han dance.
And (drum roll please) … ACT THREE … guaranteed to get you out of your chair onto the dance floor, Guarandinga plays original, high energy music propelled by Afro-Caribbean beats from the central coast of Venezuela.
Perfectly blended with gritty East Bay funk that runs deep from Oakland to Richmond, Guarandinga’s unique take on Latin Afro Pop makes this band’s original music provocative and infectious!
But wait, there’s more! El Cerrito’s first Poet Laureate Maw Shein Win reads from her new chapbook on Nomadic Press, Score and Bone, accompanied by El Cerrito musicians Dan Plonsey and Thomas Scandura.
Throughout the Celebration “Recycling Queen” origami artist Nga Trinh will teach kids and adults how to fold a Samurai Hat, a Glider, a fan, and more, using recycled paper.
And actor George McRae will get us in the mood for Halloween with a staged reading of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart.
Local arts and cultural groups will have information about their ongoing programs. All performances and activities are free, and local gourmet bakery EncoreCake will provide their delicious and artistically decorated cupcakes!
Check out the list of arts and cultural events, film showings, performances and exhibits in October in El Cerrito on the City of El Cerrito Arts & Culture Commission’s Arts Month web page.
Do you have an arts event that’ll take place in El Cerrito during October? Or do you want to get involved with or volunteer to help out at the Kick-Off Celebration? Call City staff liaison Suzanne Iarla at 510.215-4318.