Benefit for MADRE
with Nava Dance Collective, Bomba y Plena Workshop, Ya Elah, Shamma Ensemble
Doors at 7:00 pm; Show at 7:30 pm
Tickets are $20 Day of Show / $15 Advance / Kids $10 Day of Show / Kids $5 Advance
Ashkenaz and Women Drummers International celebrate Women’s History Month with our March series of special concerts and workshops, the Maestra Series, featuring women musicians, dancers and poets from around the world. The nights are filled with inspired culture, singing, dancing, drumming, performers in new groupings, once-only collaborations, and reunions of pioneering women musicians.
In honor of International Women’s Day, local artists come together to celebrate the powerful, creative voices of women and mothers worldwide. The concert is a benefit in support of Syrian women refugees. All proceeds will go directly to the organization MADRE, which supports programs for women in need worldwide.
Performers include Nava Dance Collective, directed by Miriam Peretz; Bay Area Bomba y Plena Workshop, performing dance and drumming from Puerto Rico; women’s vocal ensemble Ya Elah; and Shamma Ensemble, featuring members of internationally acclaimed world music group Stellamara – Sonja Drakulich, Briana Di Mara, Gari Hegedus, Dan Cantrell, and many more special guests!
Nava Dance Collective joins in this benefit just before launching tours of Spain and Canada. Nava is a group of dancers devoted to cross-cultural dialogue and artistic collaboration through traditional, sacred, and ethno-contemporary dance forms. The dancers are immersed in the unique movement language developed by Peretz, a style that draws mainly on dances from the Silk Road, but is also heavily infused with contemporary aesthetics and devotional themes. The group’s name is symbolic of its mission. Nava is a word shared by the Hebrew, Farsi, and Turkish languages. In Farsi and Turkish Nava means sound or tune. It is also the name of one the main Dastgah (musical modes) in the Persian and Turkish Classical music traditions. In the Hebrew language, Nava means pleasant, graceful, beautiful and is a common girls’ name. Also, in Hindi, Nava means young or new.
Ya Elah illuminates the beauty, mystery, and power of the world’s many spiritual paths. Their music combines the sacred texts of many traditions to reveal the deep knowing that all life is one. the. The ensemble of vocalists, harp, and percussion performs mostly the original compositions of artistic director Bon Singer, with growing contributions by the other band members, featuring the influence of Bulgarian village songs, Middle Eastern melodies, and beyond. They hope to bring healing and a sense of wonder that all are connected to the Divine.
The beneficiary of tonight’s event, international women’s human rights organization MADRE partners with community-based women’s groups facing war and disaster and their aftermath. Together they meet urgent needs and build women’s capacity to create positive social change.
For tickets and more information go to: www.ashkenaz.com