The lion dance is in my blood so even though I’m on sabbatical from performing I’ve still got a lot of projects to keep me busy and involved in the community. Since I am a family man as well, building lions for my kids is the perfect way to combine…
Sonia Narang is ACTA’s first Digital Media Specialist, based in Los Angeles. She will be supporting ACTA’s media and communications efforts, including the website, social media, and the creation of new…
Cambodian Classical and Folk Dances
A private collector from Southern California expressed interest in the tail and he had a traditional Liu Bei head that it would match well with it so I met up with him and a friend one Sunday afternoon. As we unpacked the tail and spread it out…
On September 30, 2016 the 2016 NEA National Heritage Fellows were honored at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium in Washington, DC. The event was emcee’d by ACTA Board President and 2015 NEA National Heritage Fellow Dan Sheehy. The concert can be streamed in full at: https://www.arts.gov/lifetime-honors/nea-national-heritage-fellowships/2016-nea-national-heritage-fellowships-concert. This year’s recipients…
Menelike Turner, Apprentice (right) and Reynaldo Atesiano Matos (left) playing Batá drums for Afro-Cuban dance class taught by Juan Carlos Blanco, master artist Menelike & Juan Carlos have been deeply involved in their studies of Afro-Cuban Yoruba Batá drumming throughout this apprenticeship process. I’ve had the opportunity to observe…
This video is about my first apprenticeship class by the master artist Florencia Pierre. In this class she is teaching me “Ti gason piga’w pile sobo” a popular dance game from Pointe a Raquette LaGonave…
Friends of ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program: As you know, our economy puts increased stress on our ability to support traditional art forms, often the last to be considered in private and public arts funding. In the past 5 years, ACTA has been forced to reduce the number of awards for the…
In 1997, I saw the band Quetzal for the first time at the Herbst Theater in San Francisco. I was playing in a band that opened for this group. My impression of the members of Quetzal when I met them was, “Hmm, a bunch of mocosos that play rock but…