Bay Area Archives - Page 24 of 45 - Alliance for California Traditional Arts

Orgilsaikhan Chimeddorj, Ulziisaikhan Lkhagadorjv, and Otgonbaya Chunsraikhachin — members of the Mongolian traditional music ensemble Nutgiin Alyaguu — graduated from the Music Conservatory of Mongolia, the country’s most prestigious music school. Ulziisaikhan Lkhagvadorjv is a particularly well-known and respected performer; he is proficient in five Mongolian instruments and the rare…

Fua Dia Congo, founded in 1977, is guided by a Kikongo proverb, Wa Dia Fua Yika Dio, meaning “What you inherit, you must add value to.” For forty years the organization has been resolute in its dedication to preserving and presenting the music, dance, cultural arts…

San Francisco’s Community Music Center’s mission is to make music accessible to people of all ages, musical levels, and financial backgrounds. Their students range in age from one to 90+ years old and enjoy classes in everything from Western classical to Chinese to Latin Music. Community…

Founded by dancer and teacher LaKiesha Golden, Cultural Arts of Gold’s mission is to preserve the arts and culture of Congo. The annual Congolese Dance and Drum Festival, also known as Biamvu Bia Kongo (Bridges of Congo), aims to preserve the history of the cultural traditions of the people Congolese…

Based in Mountain View, Jun Daiko practices and teaches the art of kumidaiko, or Japanese group drumming. In 2014, Jun Daiko received a grant from ACTA’s Living Cultures Grants Program to support a mentorship with master artist Kyosuke Suzuki. He will instruct…

Master artist Juana Alicia Araiza founded the True Colors Mural Project in 2008. She directs this public mural program based in the East San Francisco Bay Area. TCMP preserves and revives the legacy of Mexican and Chican@ Mural Movements through the teaching of its philosophy and…

The batá is a sacred drum tradition originating among the Yoruba people of West Africa and brought to the New World during the slave trade era. Female in nature, the three two-headed drums played by three men activate a sacred language that communicates with the spirit world of the Orisha (or…

Congolese Ngoma, Drumming

The art of kumidaiko—ensemble drumming with the taiko, a traditional Japanese drum—was developed in post-World War II Japan in the 1950’s. Kumidaiko came to America in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, entering through the Japanese American communities of San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Jose. Hiroyuki “Jimi” Nakagawa has…

Carnatic music is an ancient tradition of South Indian classical music that dates back for centuries. It is a complex system of music that requires both artistic and technical improvisation. The genre is comprised of raga, the melodic formulae, and tala, the rhythmic cycle. The violin is an integral part…