Aldergrove venue hosts dance performances and cultural presentations until March
The Langley Arts Council kicked off a month-long cultural festival on Saturday, March 2, with a performance of traditional Chinese dance at the Aldergrove Kinsmen Community Center.
Members of the Lolita Leong Dance Academy, including the Little Panda Children’s Theater Group and Lolita Leung Dance Company, presented a showcase featuring five different Chinese dances.
Jessica Joan, principal and artistic director of the Richmond-based dance school, said this was a “particularly important opportunity” for the dancers to share their heritage.
“It’s really important that they stay connected to their heritage, because a lot of our kids are Chinese-Canadian and they themselves haven’t necessarily even been to China,” Joan he explained. It’s not just about learning about the culture, it’s about staying in touch with the language, the music, and the history behind it. ”
“It’s great. It’s fun. It’s a movement and a culture,” Joan smiled.
The event, which aims to celebrate diversity through experiential cultural programming every Saturday in March, is in its second year.
Related article: Music, dance and art celebrate Aldergrove culture for second year
Next Saturday, March 9, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., a dance workshop will be held by the popular Wild Moccasin Dancers, an intertribal dance troupe.
From 12:25pm to 1pm, dancer and choreographer Kartik Nath will be holding a workshop on Indian Kuthu dance.
A swing dance workshop will also be held by the Lockstep Swing Dance Association from 1 to 2:30 p.m.
On Saturday, March 16, from 11 a.m. to noon, activist Ted Lightfoot will present a sculpture of a bald eagle carved from juniper, a very slow-growing tree found in interior British Columbia. Presentations will be made to raise awareness about protecting wetlands and salmon habitat. .
Indigenous beading workshops will be held from 1:30-2:30 or 3-4 p.m. What you need will be provided.
The fourth Saturday, March 23, will feature a Latin dance performance by the Group America team from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., followed by a workshop with henna artist Baljeet Kaur from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. It is done.
Rounding out the month of cultural festivals, another henna art workshop will be held on March 30th from 12:30pm to 2:30pm.
All events are free, but advance registration is required online at langleyarts.ca.
All will be held in the main hall of the Aldergrove Kinsmen Community Center, located at 26770 29th Ave.
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