Calpulli Mexican Dance Company to Perform at Tribeca PAC, 12/8

Calpulli Mexican Dance Company celebrates another year of amazing community programming with a holiday performance at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center. Students- 5 years of age to adults- from community programs in Queens and Staten Island will perform regional dances and songs learned throughout 2013. Under the direction of Calpulli co-founder Alberto Lopez, community programs serve youth and adults with high-quality dance and music programming in a donation-based/ low-cost setting assuring access to Calpulli's target audience of Mexican immigrant families while remaining open to all who want to explore Mexican and Mexican-American culture.

Tribeca Performing Arts Center, Theater #2
Borough of Manhattan Community College
199 Chambers St. (b/t Greenwich and West Sts.) in Manhattan
Information: www.calpullidance.org
Tickets/ Box office: 212.220.1460
Adults $20, Children $15
Performance: Sunday, December 8th, 2013 @ 1:00pm

"Audiences will enjoy the performance of living traditions, " says Mr. Lopez. "Young students connect with their culture and show great pride in performing these songs and dances. Adults in our classes have met the challenge also- many of them are parents- of learning and performing. It's going to be a great show with great spirit."

Youth dance classes from Queens and Staten Island will perform regional dances from the Mexican states of Nayarit, Sinaloa, Jalisco, and Guerrero. One dance from teen students explores the agricultural lifecycle in an Aztec dance. Pre-teen students will perform songs from northern Mexico that were created in the last century and influenced current, popular Mexican and southwestern USA music.

Adult students will perform dances from the la Huasteca in Mexico and from northern Mexico.

Two music classes will perform together for the first time. Calpulli's guitar and accordion classes combine youth and adults exploring Mexican and world music with their respective instruments. This year, classes will perform together a song from northern Mexico well known in the southwestern USA. Calpulli's goal is to form its own norteño community group in the coming years.

Calpulli Mexican Dance Company marks 7 years of community programming in Queens and 3 years of community programming in Staten Island. Music classes are now completing their second year. Calpulli founded its community programming in response to demand from immigrant families and also its experience with educational programs in the schools. There are simply very few high-quality performing arts experiences in New York City focused on Mexican culture. In 2006, Calpulli initiated the donation-based program with the goals of providing year-round arts enrichment through dance and later music. We are very proud to continue these wonderful classes which enhance quality of life, bring together immigrant families, give young students confidence, new abilities, and, as with adult students, active, cheerful lifestyles.

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