At La Peña, in the Café Valparaíso, the subtext is entirely political, the wine and beer is mixed with peace and justice. The spirit of the campesinos is always present. As it should be, you could say. And after all this is Berkeley. Meanwhile, on the surface, inside this quintessential community cultural center, there is always performance and music, and this weekend the Lounge Rumba, a community participatory event. What is that? We asked the development director, Manuel Alonso. “Open and free,” he began. “Improvisation, jamming sessions. Drums, dance, Afro-Cuban rhythms. This is what “Rumba” means, People from all over the communit come and participate.” He added, that you are free to bring your own instruments and join the jam. No lessons will be given, but perhaps casual instruction. Among the performers are artists in residence, including Afro Peruvian dancers. Inside the center there are two sections, one includes a smaller stage and that’s where you want to go. And yes, this is definitely for kids and family.
“It’s open to all ages,” Manuel told us. “And that’s the precisely the point. It’s an intergenerational mix-up. I think for kids it’s also cool to see their parents dancing and then everybody dancing together. It creates something that’s very nice.” The Café Valparaíso is adjacent to the theater, featuring the best in Chilean cuisine, along with wine and beer, and as we said, peace, justice, and diversity. Incidentally, La Peña offers, and is well known for, Latin American music and dance classes. Click here for more information.
La Peña Community Center, Berkeley
Sunday, September 2, 2012
3:30 p.m.-6 p.m.
Free, although the hope is that you’ll leave a donation.