Dear Friends of East Bay Center,
July was a busy and rewarding month! On July 3, Center resident ensembles
Richmond Jazz Collective
and
Son de la Tierra
performed at the Craneway Pavilion under the fireworks for the 10th Annual Independence Eve Celebration.
A few weeks later, many of our students and faculty took to the streets of Richmond in a New Orleans-style Second Line procession, raising a joyful noise to honor those lives lost to gun violence in the community. To read more about the procession, check out
this East Bay Times article
!
As July drew to a close, so did our 5-week Summer Intensive series, during which 108 Young Artist Diploma Program students received multi-cultural performing arts training in dance, theater, and music for 5 days each week at the Center's downtown Richmond headquarters. In addition, nine Diploma alumni assisted as summer interns. On July 24, 25, and 26, the students performed their new skills in front of packed audiences of friends and family, highlighting their progress and closing out a month of rigorous training and camaraderie.
|
|
UPCOMING EVENTS + HIGHLIGHTS
August 7: Center artists performing @ National Night Out @ Barrett Terrace Apartments
August 7: Center artists @ Night Out for Safety and Liberation @ RYSE Youth Center
August 18: Last Day of Summer Saturday Series Classes at the Center
August 20-24: Dark Week, Center Closed
September 17: Fall Classes Begin (check our website for details)
|
|
|
|
SATURDAY AUGUST 11, 2018
11am-4pm
CRANEWAY PAVILION, 1414 HARBOUR WAY SOUTH, RICHMOND
Don’t miss this year’s Rosie Rally Home Front Festival! Once again, on August 11th, we will gather to celebrate the legacy of Rosie the Riveter, an icon for women across the world. Join us at this free and family-friendly event for fun, festivities, great food, costume contests, dancing, and entertainment, organized by East Bay Center, will include the following Center artists:
Tiffany Austin
Joe Orrach
Artemio Posadas
Valerie Troutt
Mitch Butler
|
|
SAVE THE DATE:
OCTOBER 20, 2018
50TH ANNIVERSARY GALA
On the evening of Saturday, October 20th, East Bay Center will celebrate its 50th Anniversary at the Annual Fall Gala!
Please mark your calendars to join us for what will most certainly be a very special evening, bringing together the experience of Center students, alumni, renowned faculty artists, and our family of supporters. The evening will begin with a cocktail reception at 6pm followed by a multi-course Chez Panisse style dinner, both of which will feature exceptional performances.
|
|
|
DIPLOMA GRADUATE PABLO PUENTE PERFORMS
WITH CIRCUS BELLA
We are very proud of our recent Young Artist Diploma Program graduate, Pablo Puente, as he makes his debut with Circus Bella this summer! In addition to performing his solo aerial rope routine, Pablo helped construct the stage and set for each of the Circus's 12 Bay Area productions.
Pablo began his journey at East Bay Center with private lessons in singing and capoeira, and after two years was accepted into the Young Artist Diploma Program. As a Diploma student, Pablo was a member of the Center's steel drum ensemble,
Richmond Bloco
, and he says that he first learned how to mindfully connect with himself and others while a student in the Center’s stage combat class. Most recently, Pablo has explored new ways of expressing himself through his newfound passion for aerial arts, which he also learned at the Center. Performance has now become an integral part of Pablo’s identity. "Music will stay with me for the rest of my life,” he says. “I am constantly tapping the steel drum notes, and capoeira has become a part of me now, since I came here." This fall, Pablo will be attending Wesleyan University, where he plans on majoring in Music, while also studyng French, psychology, theater, and dance.
|
|
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT:
Rihanna Figueroa
1st Year Young Artist Diploma Student
“
I think the Center is phenomenal.”
Rihanna, 12 years old, started taking ballet at the Center two years ago. She joined the Young Artist Diploma Program in order to explore the various art forms offered at the Center, as well as to keep her mind and body engaged after school and during the summer months. Rihanna is currently working on improving her ballet skills in order to build a foundation for more intensive training as she gets older. She is also looking forward to improving her flute technique to help her play with more confidence in her school's band.
|
|
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT:
NIKITA JEW
Nikita Jew started attending the Berkeley City Ballet at the age of eight. She has spent many summers there, and has participated in multiple summer intensives at the Marin Ballet Theater and Dance Theatre of Harlem under full scholarships. After graduating high school, she moved to New York City to dance with the Dance Theatre of Harlem full-time for five years. Since September of 2008, Nikita has danced with the Urban Jazz Dance Company, directed by Center alum Antoine Hunter. She is a certified Pilates instructor, and is active in her community as a dancer, teaching ballet at the Downtown Berkeley YMCA and East Bay Center. Nikita has a deep love for teaching and helping young dancers grow and fulfill their dreams.
|
|
|
If you love our work, then tell the world! You have an opportunity to help us make even more of a difference in our community. GreatNonprofits, a review site like TripAdvisor, is honoring highly reviewed nonprofits with their 2018 Top-Rated Awards. Won't you help us raise visibility for our work by
posting a review
of your experience with us? All reviews will be visible to potential donors and volunteers. It’s easy and only takes 3 minutes!
|
|
|
|
FREE PIANOS!
We currently have 2 upright pianos at the Center which are in need of homes.
If you are interested or know someone who might be, please
email Mac Layne
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
