May 4, 2012 Vieux Farka Touré 7:30 PM at the Annenberg Center

Billboard and iTunes® World Music Charts-topper, Vieux Farka Touré blends his African roots and contemporary guitar with what The New York Times describes as a “rocker’s joyful audacity,” to create his signature desert blues/world trance sound. Featuring a hypnotic infusion of Afro-grooves, guitar riffs and contemporary rock, Vieux Farka Touré’s music thrills and captivates but simultaneously soothes, aptly earning him the nickname, “the Hendrix of the Sahara.” Don’t miss this African rock powerhouse in this one-night-only performance.
Tickets $20-$40.

May 2, 2012 9:00 PM "The Mambo Syndicate" at Milk Boy

The Mambo Syndicate

Starting March 7th, 2012: from 9p.m. to 1a.m. each and EVERY Wednesday night, MilkBoy Philadelphia's upstairs bar/venue will feature a 6-piece unit called THE MAMBO SYNDICATE. This band is THE elite squad of Salseros in the Tri-state area.

Aaron Luis Levinson AKA The Kosherican
Overseeing the evening and assembling the event is DJ/producer Aaron Luis Levinson AKA The Kosherican. Levinson is a veteran record label owner and Grammy-winning producer with a praiseworthy background as a musician/
composer. In 2005, Levinson won the Grammy for Salsa Album of the Year.
Venue Information:
MilkBoy Philly
1100 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
$5.

April 28, 2012 Brazilian Samba Dance Class with Angelica Cassimiro at the Performance Garage 1;00-4:00 PM

Saturday, April 28, 2012
1:00pm until 4:00pm


Want to learn how to dance Brazilian Samba? Want to improve your Samba? WANT TO HAVE FUN??..COME TO SAMBA DANCE CLASS W/ ANGELICA CASSIMIRO
SATURDAY APRIL 21st...............

*SAMBA NO PE (Solo Samba) ALL Levels- 1:15pm-2:35pm
80min class-$15
*The class starts with a 25-minute warm up that exercises basic
isolation of the body, following by stretching and strengthening
exercises. After the warm up, Angelica introduces the students samba
no pé (basic samba step) and passo marcado (simple choreographies)
typical of the Rio Carnaval. The whole class happens in the sound of
the upbeat and irresistible Brazilian music.

*BRAZILIAN AXE DANCE: (Stylized Samba) ALL Levels -2:45-3:45pm
60mins class-$12

* SAMBA AXE: A highly energetic type of dance that combines elements of samba no pe and aerobics. It usually follows the lyrics of Samba Axe music, one of the most popular styles in the North East of Brazil. The lyrics of axe music are very playful, making it a fun, worry free dance. There is no set formal steps to Samba Axe Dance, it is ever changing which allows each dancer to add their own flavor.

SPECIAL: Take both classes @ $25 (savings of $2) cash only pls.

Hope to see you soon and SAMBA SAMBA SAMBA!!!

*Come with comfortable clothes and be prepared to be barefoot

****Classes don't happen weekly at the time because this young dance artist is always on the go. However, Samba is so fun that there is always some time to share! Be sure to spread the word and experience these classes while you can.

Questions?
*Angelica Cassimiro*
Freelance Dance Artist, Instructor, Choreographer
cell: (973) 220.7784

April 27-June 16, 2012 "De Pueblo a Pueblo" A Celebration of Mexican Culture In Venues Throughout Philly

Click on the title of this post to go to the website listing all events and activities. Some include music, as on Saturday, April 28, 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, will kick off their Music and Mosaics concert series with Del Pasado al Presente (Past to Present), featuring Ollin Yoliztli Calmecac, Tonantzin Coatlicue, and Grupa Cuestion Nortena.

April 27, 2012 Tertulia at Raices Culturales Latinoamericanas " I ♥ Salsa"

This Month's Tertulia: I ♥ Salsa

A Tribute to the Origins & History of Salsa & Much More...
Our April Tertulia will focus on the origins and history of the rhythmic dance genre that has heavily influenced the popular Zumba movement and has been replicated on television shows like Dancing With The Stars...SALSA! Felix Romero will present an insightful lecture on Salsa, it's origins, rhythmically and musically, and the most prominent creators of the genre. Following this lecture, Felix will give us all an exclusive Salsa workshop accompanied by the musical stylings of the Johnny Cruz Latin Jazz Band!

Moreover, we will feature an exhibition of Luz Selenia Salas photography from LuzSelenia Salas, which will be displayed for two months in our exhibit area. In addition, we will be treated to the experience of "PHOETRY," an enriching merger of Photography and Poetry from LuzSelenia and artists, Santos Vargas and Iris Violeta Colon Torres. Lastly, we will celebrate the voice of our younger generation through a special presentation from the Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale. As always upon admission you will be able to eat from our host of light, healthy fare and soft drinks & wine. This event is open to the public -- we do suggest a donation of $10 for all who attend.
On the last Friday of the month, Raíces presents a Tertulia. This event - for adults- is one of Raíces' most popular programs and presents monthly lectures and discussions on cultural topics. During each Tertulia, after the invited guests' presentation and open public discussions, the microphone is opened to any individual or group who would like to share their talents in music, poetry, dance, etc. Raíces calls this cultural encounter in the café atmosphere "a retreat for the soul."
Raices Culturales Latinoamericanas
1417 N. 2nd Street
Philadelphia Pa 19133

April 29, 2012 Sharon Katz and the Peace Train Fundraiser at World Cafe Live PHL 12 :00 Noon SOLD OUT

The Grammy-nominated South African band of Sharon Katz & The Peace Train always sell-out, so get your tickets early and put on your dancing shoes for the Afro-Rock-Folk-Jazz-Fusion concert party and luncheon – and help HIV/AIDS orphans get an education, too. They are the band that worked for Nelson Mandela to end apartheid, and they’ve been using their concerts and CD sales ever since to promote human rights, end poverty, build schools and feed the children. This year’s all-star band will feature a few surprises, too.

Sunday, April 29, 2012
Show 12pm | Downstairs Live


Advance Tickets:
$50 for lunch and concert + processing fees

April 28, 2012 9:00 AM-April 29 1:00 AM First CEC Community Festival

A Day Dedicated to African Dance, Drumming & Community Building

ALL FUNDS RAISED WILL BENEFIT THE CEC
A few months ago community leader and master drummer, Kwasi Daryl Burgee initiated a conversation with the CEC concerning the value of African dance and drumming as a tool for community building. Together with the 1st CEC Community Festival Committee: Kwasi, CEC Executive Director Terri Shockley, Jeannine Osayande, Brother Robert Dickerson, and Victor Silver, the daylong event was created. It is part fundraiser for CEC and, more importantly, an entry into what we hope will be an annual community-raising event. The day begins with a drum call and meet and greet. It is followed by film screenings of Scribe's Sacred Places films; Renaissance on Sacred Ground (the story of visionary dancer Arthur Hall and the Ile Ife Cultural Center) and Making Homeplace (the story of the historically Black community of Swarthmore). The day will have 2 dance classes and a drumming class open to all ages and levels, youth through elders. There will be a panel discussion - Developing a Cultural Agenda Through the Practice of African Dance and Drumming Traditions. The evening will bring a Dance Party Fundraiser, music provided by DJ Orville Peters of Xanadu Productions.
Saturday April 28th, 2012

9am-1am

SCHEDULE FOR THE DAY:

9-10am Drum Call- Registration & Check in – Meet & Greet – free coffee and Danish

10-11am Film Screenings: “Renaissance on Sacred Ground” and “Making Homeplace” followed by a discussion with the filmmakers and Scribe Video

11:15am- 12:45pm Djembe Drum Class with M’Bemba Bangoura

11:15am- 12:45pm Women’s Enrichment Workshop with Alia Sutton-Bey

1-2:30pm Dance Class, Afro-Cuban with Ama Schley

3-4:30pm DanceClass, Ivory Coast with Atito Gohi

5-6:30pm Panel Discussion: “Developing a Cultural Agenda Through the Practice of African Dance and Drum”

9pm-1am *Dance Party Fundraiser! Included in full day ticket or $15 party only. Music by DJ Orville Peters of Xanadu Productions.*To register for the event go to http://cec-community-festival-auto.eventbrite.com

*Full Day Ticket – $40 / Single Class – $20 / Suggested Donation for Film Screenings & Panel Discussion

* Vendors Welcome (arts, crafts, clothing etc.) – Please contact the CEC to register.

*For More Info: www.cecarts.org (215) 387-1911 or Kwasi – (215) 715-5521

April 27, 2012 6:30-8:00 PM AMLA Presents the ABC's of Timbale Solos Workshop by "El Toro" Ted Panama, Jr.

$5.00 General Admission
FREE FREE FREE for AMLA Students


*Workshop Topics:*
... Finger/Stick Control
Stick Dribbling
Single stroke rudiments, flams, ruffs, triplets, double stroke rudiments, etc.

Also included will be the demonstration of implementing trap/drum examples to timbales rhythms and solos incorporating the hi-hats. snare, and bass drums.

*Student Learning Gains:*
The “beginning” student will discover the basic workings of the essential rudiments
The “intermediate” student will apply the rudiments to more complex ways
The “advanced” students will take the rudiments to higher levels of understanding, composition, and performance


“There’s something for everyone!”
- “El Toro Del Timbal” Ted Panama, Jr.

April 25, 2012 6:00-8:00 PM "African Dance!" at Penn Museum

African Dance!

Come and enjoy an extraordinary evening of African and African-influenced dance featuring local artists from around Philadelphia as curated by Terri Shockley, Executive Director of the Community Education Center. One performance only, Wednesday, April 25, 6-8pm.



African Dance! is a part of the Penn Museum Imagine Africa yearlong exhibit and offers, the original music and tap dance of Germaine Ingram and Bobby Zankel featuring Khalil Munir, Breakdance by Rennie Harris RHAW, West African Dance by CEC's own Cachet Ivey Performing Arts Collective, and the Umfundalai technique of Kariamu & Company: Traditions. For more information on the artists and their performance visit www.cecarts.org
"I'm so proud and excited about this program. You don't want to miss this. It is a rare and beautiful thing to see four great African dance artists take the stage." - Terri Shockley



Entry is free with a Museum admission donation. $12 adults, $10 seniors (65 and above), $8 children (6-17) and full-time students with ID, free for children under 6.



University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology is located at 3260 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (on Penn's campus, across from Franklin Field). For general information call 215 898-4000. For directions to the museum visit
http://www.penn.museum/directions-and-parking.html

Unidos da Filadelfia now has 2 classes weekly!

Learn to play addictive Brazilian rhythms in a relaxed group class. Instruments are provided. There is nothing like playing music in a high-energy large ensemble. Beginners need not have prior drumming experience; you will learn technique and percussion patterns in class. There is no deadline for starting; you may come to any class. The Sunday class is a good one to attend for your first lessons, but Thursdays are fine, too.
Thursdays: 6:30-8:00 PM NEW ADDRESS AS OF MARCH 2013
$15. per class (cash only)
Sundays: 12:30-2:00 PM Mount Airy) Beginners class
6819 Greene Street
Philadelphia Pa 19119
$15. per class ($10. if you attended the Thursday class that same week)
for info :e-mail Mike Stevens at sambafreak13@gmail.com

This coming Sunday marks the return of Sunday Samba class. Class will be from 12:30pm-2:00pm at Mama (Moving Arts of Mount Airy, 6819 Green Street,Philadelphia Pa 19119, and will cost $15
DISCOUNT: Anyone who comes to a given Thursday night class may attend the immediately following Sunday class for $10. 2015
January 2015: NEW WEBSITE! click here

April 21, 2012 Unidos da Filadelfia performance and Scribe Video Center Photography Exhibition

Unidos da Filadelfia to perform 12:00-12:30PM

Scribe Video Center
4212 Chestnut Street 3rd Floor
Philadelphia, PA, 19104
See map: Google Maps

Saturday, April 21, 3:30PM-5:00PM
Scribe Video Center
FREE & Open to the public!

Please join us for refreshments, Afro Cuban percussion, and images from Sam Zolten's Cuba Photo Series!

Scribe is excited to showcase over 25 photographs by award-winning photographer & filmmaker Sam Zolten, shot during six sanctioned trips to Cuba -- four of which were to provide humanitarian aid to the Jewish communities of Havana, Cienfuegos, and Santa Clara. Zolten's photographs portray a vibrant and resilient people and culture amidst aging colonial architecture and iconic symbols of the Cuban revolution.

We will also be featuring the 10th anniversary screening of Zolten's Sam and Squirrel, a 26-minute documentary honoring drum culture in Philadelphia and featuring Frank "Squirrel" Williams.

Renowned percussionists Robert Kenyatta and Jerome Williams and friends will supply the Afro-American-Cuban rhythms to get you out of your seat and moving to the beat!

April 20, 2012 9:00 PM PhillyBloco Dance Party at World Cafe Live PHL

PhillyBloco’s 20+ members bring their raucous mash-up of Samba, Funk and Reggae to World Café Live!
Earth Shaking Rhythms. Boundless Energy. Serious Fun.
PhillyBloco…Get ready to Dance!

Friday, April 20th, 2012
Doors 8pm | Show 9pm | Downstairs Live


Tickets:
$14 + processing fees

April 20, 2012 8:00 PM "Los Pleneros de la 21" Afro-Puerto Rican Music at Taller Puertorriqueño

Café under the Stars: Spotlighting Arts in the Barrio (Café), is a series of 6 monthly outdoor, live, innovative, performances (April to October, 2012) in the Heart of Latino Philadelphia at the site of Taller Puertorriqueño’s (Taller) future $10 million state of the art facility. The series provides a unique, charming, and alluring community setting to experience the richness of Latino art./Café bajo las estrellas es una serie de 6 eventos mensuales al aire libre (de abril a octubre) que proveen un ambiente encantador y único para el disfrute de la riqueza artística latina.

20 Café Under the Stars opens with Los Pleneros de la 21, an outstanding group of masters at their peak that infuse traditional bomba and plena, the heartbeat of Afro-Puerto Rican music, with contemporary influences such as jazz, salsa, and rap. With venerable drumming, singing, and dancing traditions Pleneros de la 21 blend a creative web of fresh arrangements, contemporary harmonies, and a message of pride in their musical ancestors./Café bajo las estrellas comienza con Los Pleneros de la 21. 2600-2624 Nth 5th Street 8:00 p.m.
FREE EVENT!

April 19, 2012 7:00 PM Cuban Revolutionary Film: Suite Habana at International House

Cuban Revolutionary Cinema: Suite Habana



Thursday, April 19 at 7pm



Co-presented by the University of Pennsylvania's Cinema Studies Program, Center for Africana Studies, Departments of English and Hispanic Studies, and Latin American and Latina/o Studies.



dir. Fernando Pérez, Cuba, 2003, 35mm, 80 mins, color, Spanish w/ English subtitles



A cinematic homage to the city of Havana and its inhabitants, Suite Habana resists the reading of Cuba as a place that is stuck in time. In the course of one day and one night, the documentary shows figures in constant if also conflictive motion. A film filled with sounds and cuts of spoken words, Suite Habana relays no audible dialogue. What does a film of no audible dialogue visually suggest? The mechanics of life at its most basic overdetermine all talk, or, at least, the filmic desire to relay that talk to the viewer. But one wonders, is this because the language of the documentary's subjects does not matter? Or instead, does this emphasis on the rituals of survival, rather than on audible voice, drive the point that the state and the staid narrative of the Revolution find themselves on one side of an interstice, and the nation on the other. Not a silence, but an intense incongruity of needs, concessions, foregone demands, and delimited hopes are activated and actively ignored between them.



This event is free to attend. Please RSVP by clicking the EventBrite link above.

April 18, 2012 7:30 PM "Sierra Maestra" Cuban Son music presented by Crossroads Music

At Calvary United Methodist Church
801 South 48th Street (48th St.and Baltimore Ave.)
Philadelphia, PA 19143
Tickets $10.-$30.
Sierra Maestra are the guardians of the Cuban son music tradition. They creatively preserved this infectious dance music and have gone on to be it’s finest performers. Always popular with dancers as well as listeners, they have played at clubs and festivals around the world to huge acclaim.

The band have played a hugely significant part in the recent global explosion in popularity of Cuban music. Indeed, their ex-leader, Juan De Marcos González was the man who created Buena Vista Social Club while still with the band. Sierra Maestra have been stars of Cuban music ever since the late 1970s. They were the first group, and remain the best, of the modern era to play in the old-style son line-up: tres, guitar, trumpet, bongo, güiro and vocals - as during the great days of the 1920s and ‘30s. They have been the pioneers in reviving, and now redefining this style for new generations and reintroducing it into the Cuban mainstream. They named themselves after the mountain range in the eastern part of Cuba as a tribute to the birthplace of son.

April 15, 2012 The Evolution of Tango with Argen-Tango Dancers

Sunday, April 15, 2012
6:00pm until 8:00pm
Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel
8339 Old York Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027

Latin Fiesta, the charitable arts organization dedicated to building cultural bridges through musical performances, presents The Evolution Series, a new educational interactive performing arts series featuring renowned artists who are experts on both the historical and technical areas of their craft. These informative, master class-style workshops are for all audiences to enjoy.

On Sunday, April 15 at 6PM, the series kicks off at the Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel in Elkins Park with The Evolution of Tango, featuring Argen-TangoTM Dancers, Vittoria Natale and Guillermo Elkouss. Ticket prices are $20 general admission, $10 for seniors and students, and free for children under 12.

Argen-TangoTM will take the audience on a tour through the exhilarating evolution of Tango Music and Dance, from its birth in 1880 through the present art form. They will also illustrate how these stages were directly related to the ever-changing social situation in Argentina. The program will combine recordings of the different orchestras and styles of music supported by live dance demonstrations of Tango, Vals, Milonga, Candombe and Canyengue. The audience will be invited to participate on the dance floor to experience the music and dance.
Admission $21.
Seniors and Students $10.50

April 13, 2012 and April 18, 2012 "Samba Sessâo" Exhibition at Arthur Ross Gallery

"Samba Sessão" Exhibition
Arthur Ross Gallery - University of Pennsylvania
220 S. 34th St., Philadelphia, PA

Friday, April 13, 2012 - Opening Reception
4:15-4:45pm - Whalasa Bateria performs
5:00-7:00pm - Alô Brasil performs

Wednesday, April 18, 2012
4:30-5:30pm - FICA Philadelphia Capoeira Angola Demo
5:30-6:30pm - Samba Dance Class w/ Angelica Cassimiro

All "Samba Sessão" Events are FREE

The exhibition Samba Sessão will introduce viewers to the visual culture of African-descended people living in Brazil, the world's fifth-largest country and a seldom exhibited and little studied area of Latin American art. Formerly home to the largest concentration of African slaves in the Americas and the longest lasting slave system in the Western Hemisphere, it has a rich artistic tradition. Collected in the late-1990s by John P. Axelrod and later acquired by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the fifteen paintings and four sculptures that form the core of the exhibition were all made during the twentieth century and draw on different aspects of Afro-Brazilian life, from working in the fields to religious rituals and syncretic belief systems born from the experience of New World enslavement. An examination of Brazilian film and television from the 1950s to the present will also be incorporated in this exhibition.

April 13, 2012 7:00 PM Film Screening "Found Memories/Historias que so existem quando lembradas" at International House

Co-presented by Philadelphia Latin American Film Festival

Please join the Philadelphia Latin American Film Festival for the launch of the 1st Annual Philadelphia Latin American Film Festival coming in 2013.

dir. Júlia Murat, Brasil/Argentina/France, 2011, 35mm, 98min, color, Portuguese w/ English Subtitles

A small Brazilian village nestling at the foot of a mountain harbors a lifetime of stories, but it is only with the arrival of Rita, a young photographer, that they will be remembered. The documentary feel of the first few minutes gives way to a sense of magic realism, with clear references to Juan Rulfo’s Pedro Páramo, the Mexican novel that best exemplifies the genre. Stories finds its equivalent in a ghost town populated by a group of elderly people for whom time seems to have come to a standstill. Director Julia Murat walks the enchanted line between fiction and reality in a film that boasts excellent photography and a soundtrack that transports us to the shaky ground of the past. Despite her tender years, it seems this young Brazilian director has picked up plenty of tricks of the trade from her mother, the acclaimed Lucía Murat.

7:00pm Reception
8:00pm Film Screening and Discussion
10:00-Midnight After Party with Food and Live Music
3701 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia Pa 19104
215-387-5125
Admission includes reception, screening, and after party

April 10, 2012 "Paco de Lucia" 8 PM in Verizon Hall

Kimmel Center presents
Paco de Lucia
Verizon Hall
Tuesday, April 10 8pm

Spanish guitarist Paco de Lucia has made a revolutionary impact on flamenco, infusing new life into a centuries-old tradition. His groundbreaking collaborations and participation in notable soundtracks have established de Lucia as the most innovative and influential flamenco artist of the past three decades.

April 8, 2012 8:00 PM Papo Gely Y Timbalona at the Legendary Dobb's

M is for MUSICA!

Philadelphia's own Latino Indie Artist Showcase is back in full effect!

Be there to witness Latin America's most whispered-about indie bands and artists of tomorrow...
UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL!

From the same people who brought you: Monareta. Mala Rodriguez. El Malito. TivaTiva. Sargent Garcia. Bomba Estereo. La Vida Boheme. and more.
STEP INTO OUR UNIVERSE ....... www.afrotaino.com

PERFORMING LIVE ON STAGE:
PAPO GELY & TIMBALONA!
(Puerto Rico)

The renowned singer/songwriter will be performing TWO SETS! His distinct sound of Tropical Rock & Soul steals the hearts of indie music lovers all over!
304 South Street
Philadelphia Pa

April 8th, 2012
$10 admission
Doors open at 8PM
21 and over/ID Required

April 7, 2012 3:00 PM Orlando and Patricia Haddad perform at Macy's Flower Show

Sat April 7, 3 pm - Orlando & Patricia will perform a free concert at Macy's, in Center City Philadelphia, closing the Brazilan themed 2-week flower show Gardens in Paradise. Anyone purchasing $25 or more at the store will received a signed copy of Minas' CD Bossa Nova Day.

April 5, 2012 8:30 PM Dancing to a live salsa band at The Ruba Club

RUBA Club Studios presents a bi-weekly Salsa event featuring a traditional live Latin band and complementary dance lessons!

Bring your dancin' shoes and prepare for a night of live salsa and rumba music in our second floor ballroom on Thursday, April 5th. Don't fret if you aren't quite so swift on your feet: we're offering a FREE dance lesson from 8:30 - 9:00 to help you get into the groove before the fun begins! Percussion, horns and vocals will heat up the dance floor from 9-12 as we supply traditional latin beverages to fuel the fire. The music is brought to you courtesy of Combo Melaza; an authentic ensemble featuring members of the West Philadelphia Orchestra, playing both well-beloved standards and spicy new originals. You're not going to want to miss this one.

Doors open at 8:00
Complimentary Dance Lessons begin at 8:30
Live Music and Salsa Dancing goes from 9 - Midnight
$5 Admission for the General Public
Members with ID Cards get in FREE!

RUBA Club is located at 416 Green St in Northern Liberties, right around the corner from Silk City.

Stick around and socialize after the event ends in our downstairs cabaret, open as usual until 3:30 am.

Hope to see you on the dance floor...

April 7, 2012 Institute of Puerto Rican Music open house and registration for Spring classes

Primavera 2012-IPM Casa Abierta/Matricula-Clases de música
Sábado, 7 de abril de 2012
10 AM a 6 PM
Instituto Puertorriqueño de Música
2661 N. 5th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19133
(267) 240 8111