Viva Vallenato
Caribbean Festival Day
WheatonArts, September 17, 2016 (Saturday)
This is a one-day celebration bringing together music, dance and visual arts that represent the many faces of the Caribbean cultural heritage as maintained and transformed by the Caribbean communities residing in our region and abroad.
Artists, storytellers, musicians and dancers will provide visitors a vivid introduction to the unique Caribbean traditions showcasing both similarities and differences between the various Caribbean communities while simultaneously placing them in the multicultural context of the American society.
10:30 a.m. Carnival procession! Bring your costume and join us for the carnival procession to begin the festivities for the day. Musicians and dancers will turn it into an unforgettable experience for participants.
Kulu Mele featuring Edward Smallwood
The narrated music and dance presentations will feature Puerto Rican Jbaro, Bomba and Plena music and dance, Jamaican Nyabingi and Reggae, Haitian Vodou drumming and dancing as well as Rara and Twoubadou music, Trinidadian Calypso, Soca and Steel Pan performances, Dominican Bachata, Merengue, Palo and Dem-bow(Dominican Reggaeton), Cuban Bata drumming, Afro-Caribbean stilt walkers, Djembe drummers and dancers as well as Garifuna music and dance. All visitors will be invited to join the dancers for several rounds of Caribbean salsa.
Special demonstrations in folk and traditional arts will be offered to introduce audiences to the unique experiences of old imagery and present-day creativity. Visitors will be able to observe art displays and demonstrations as well as engage in a dialogue with the artists. Featured art forms will include: Puerto Rican, Dominican and Trinidadian mask making, Bahamian, Trinidadian and Puerto Rican carnival and dance costumes, Puerto Rican and Jamaican coconut and wood and bamboo carving (santos and figurines, decorative carving), Jamaican and Puerto Rican domino tables, Jamaican doll making, dreadlocks or rasta locs, Haitian jewelry making, palm weaving, papier-mâché, leather sculpture, Vodou bottles and beaded/sequins flags, Cuban Lace, Puerto Rican weaving, Garifuna cooking demonstration, and more…
Contemporary art displays and artist market will present the paintings and sculpture of contemporary artists showcasing their works and delivering yet another layer of artistry and creativity through the lens of the Caribbean heritage.
Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center is proud to present Shades of the Past, Colors of the Present: Preserving Caribbean Cultural Heritage in New Jersey. This exciting six-month project will celebrate Caribbean visual arts, music and dance through exhibitions at numerous South Jersey locations, educational programs, a conference and a Festival at WheatonArts. Program partners include the Cumberland County Cultural and Heritage Commission, Cumberland County College and Rowan College of Gloucester County.
Segunda Quimbama
PROGRAM SCHEDULE*
10:30am – 11am Procession (lead by Segunda Quimbamba Percussion and Dance Ensemble) and a Paso Fino Horse Show
11:00am – 11:45pm Segunda Quimbamba (Puerto Rico Bomba and Plena)
12:00pm – 12:30pm Viva Vallenato! (Colombian Cumbia)
12:45pm – 1:15pm DJ Dave Watkis
La Troupe Makandal
1:30pm – 2:00pm La Troupe Makandal and Pat Hall Dancers (Haitian Vodou Drumming and Dancing)
2:15pm – 3:00pm Tropic Topic (Trinidad Calypso, Kaisa, Soca)
3:15pm – 4:00pm Braata Folk Singers (Jamaican Folk Songs)
4:15pm – 4:45pm GAMAE Garifuna Performing Arts Company (Garifuna Music and Dance)
5:00pm – 5:30pm The Dubway Reggae Band (Jamaican Reggae)
5:45pm – 6:15pm Conjunto Criollo (Puerto Rican jibaro, merengue, bachata, and bolero) and Raise Boriqua Dance Group
6:30pm – 7pm Wisdom Child (Haitian Folk and Twoubadou Music)
7:15pm – 8:00pm Kulu Mele (Afro-Cuban Music and Dance)
Steel Horizons Steel Drum Band
Steel Horizons Steel Pan Group
1:15pm – 1:30pm; 2pm – 2:15pm; 3pm – 3:15; 4pm – 4:15pm
Mask Making Demonstrations
12:00pm – 2:00pm Felipe Rangel
2pm – 4pm Francisco Jimenez
Stilt Walkers
10am – 6pm
Artist Market
10am – 6pm
Felipe Rangel, Puerto Rican masks
Francisco Jimenez, Dominican Masks
Olga Ayala, Polymer clay sculptures and 2D artworks
Marta Rodriguez – Olmeda and Bárbara M. Díaz-López, Wood sculptures
Mercedes Molina, Spiritual dolls
Carline Aurelus, Vodou flags, Paintings and CDs
Luis Cordero, Digital prints with Taino & original designs on T-shirts; linocut prints, digital photos on canvas
Mikala Allen, Natural soaps, lotions, shea butters and oils; dashiki clothing.
Lance Radcliffe, Wood sculptures (contemporary)
Carmen Ayala, Paintings
Matina, Beaded sculptures
Frito Bastien, Paintings
Ronald Cadet, Paintings
Nadine LaFond, Paintings, Hand-made prints
Klode(Michele Garoute Michel), Paintings
Fausto Sevila, Digital print on watercolor paper
Hair Braiders, Charlene Boone; Briza Solomon; Vera Taswell; Keyonna Sample; Kenyetta Sabree
Garifuna Artefacts Display, Eleanor Bullock-Castillo (GAMAE)
Rada Lwa Altar, Kesler Pierre and Lina Mitchel
* Program Schedule is subject to change without notice.
