Bay Area Archives - Page 20 of 44 - Alliance for California Traditional Arts

The Croatian bagpipe or gajde is a common instrument in Croatian traditional music in Hungary. It is an ancient instrument with a large repertoire and several distinctive styles of playing, determined largely by the geographical/regional location of the musician. The instrument is constructed by various parts, the bag, which is…

Katsuko Teruya began studying kutuu (Okinawan koto) at the age of 18 under Nae Kochi the Senior Headmaster of the Naha Koyokai in Japan. After earning a junior teaching certificate in 1954, Katsuko moved Hawai’i but continued to study with Nae Kochi until earning the Senior Teaching Certificate in 1965. …

David Chen is a former choreographer and dance instructor of the Shanghai Opera and Dance Theatre. In his forty-year dance career, he performed numerous dances, as well as choreographed over thirty dances including such notable pieces as “Pantheon of Chinese Gods”, “Heroine Hua Mulan”, “Armor of the King” and “Peach-Flower…

Mohammad Nejad, a Persian-born master multi-instrumentalist, was born to a musical family in Tehran, Iran. As a young child, Persian classical music was passed down to him from his father. In Tehran he attended a special high school for musicians, later graduating from Fine Arts Academy in 1976, and in…

The West African Dunun and Djembe drumming tradition is an old performance art form of the Susu and Mandinka peoples of the region. Versions of these forms can be found throughout West African nations such as Mali, Guinea, Senegal, Gambia, and the Ivory Coast. Dunun, Sangbani, and the Kinkini are…

Kathak

Food is always central to any gathering of significance, and the preparation of regional celebratory food for special occasions such as a wedding, a patron saint day, or other religious holidays, is assigned to those invested in keeping vibrant the regional flavors. In Juxtlahuaca district located within the Mixteca region…

The California East Bay has become a host for many incredible West African artists and cultural expressions. Drumming and dance Senegal and Guinea, for example, have captured the heart of many communities in this region. There are a variety of musical expressions, forms, and instruments that have been transplanted from…

Bay Area Youth Arts is a nonprofit program with a mission to help at-risk, inner-city youth develop discipline and self-confidence necessary to lead positive and productive lives. Offering African and jazz percussion, as well as classical and jazz violin, students learn listening and learning skills that…