ALAFIA DANCE ENSEMBLE

Description

SAN JOSE, CA -- December 2, 2016 -- On Friday, December 2, the free South First Friday series at MACLA brings to you the beauty of African Haitian dance by Alafia Dance Ensemble. The majority of ADE dancers are students or former students of City College of San Francisco.

The notable First Friday Fiesta Series at MACLA brings several of the Bay Area's most prominent Latin American music and dance companies to MACLA's Castellano Playhouse in the heart of Downtown San José for an evening of free, educational, and engaging performances. The series is presented by MACLA during the monthly SoFA District Art Walk.


About Alafia Dance Ensemble

Alafia Dance Ensemble (ADE) founded in 1980 by Valerie Watson in order to showcase the beauty of African Haitian dance. The majority of ADE dancers are students or former students of City College of San Francisco. Some recent performances include: San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, CubaCaribe Festival, Konbit 2nd Annual Haitian Dance, Music and Arts Festival, World’s Culture Concert of San Francisco State University, Haitian Flay Day Celebration at Ashkenaz, La Pena Cultural Center, Great

American Music Hall, Laguna Honda Hospital, Presidio’s Golden Gate Club, and City College Dance Concert.


About Valeria Watson

Valerie Watson founded Alafia Dance Ensemble in 1995 in order to showcase the intricate beauty of Afro-Haitian dance and music. Professor of dance at the City College of San Francisco (CCSF) since 1980 and 3rd-generation Dunham dancer and teacher, Watson began the company with students in Afro-Haitian classes, a process that continues. For over 25 years Alafia Dance Ensemble has performed in many venues including The S.F. Ethnic Dance Festival, Haitian Flag Day Celebration, Great American Music Hall, Maitri’s Annual Fundraising Event, Konbit 2nd Annual Haitian Dance, Music and Arts Festival, CubaCaribe Festival of Dance and Music, Spring Inspiration, and CCSF Dance Concerts.


About MACLA/ Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana

Founded in 1989 as the result of a broad community mobilization in the City of San José and nationwide on behalf of multicultural arts, MACLA has promoted, since its inception, a vision of arts programming as a vehicle for civic dialogue and social equity.

A hybrid urban arts space located in downtown San Jose and rooted in the Chicano/Latino experience, MACLA intersects many communities, cultures, and aesthetic approaches. The participation of Latino and non-Latino audiences has been a distinctive feature of MACLA since its inception.

More than 30,000 children, youth, young adults, families and community residents participate in the 50 programs MACLA produces each year in four core program tracts: visual arts; performance and literary arts; youth arts education; and community development through the arts.

MACLA is committed to emerging Latino artists and audiences.

More Info

Link

http://maclaarte.org/calendar/sff

Call

4089982783 (Box Office)

Email

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