Four energetic boys as they train for and take the stage in a community dance performance celebrating classic kids’ books.
All posts filed under: Arts & Culture
¡Ole! flamenco
It’s singing, it’s dancing, it’s guitar playing! It’s an exciting, expressive art form that has evolved over hundreds of years.
Capoeira: Dance, Game, Martial Art
It’s a game! It’s a dance! It’s a martial art! It’s a way of expressing yourself through acrobatic movements and pounding, rhythmic music!
Self Portrait
Photographs of the author/photographer invite the reader to visit the author at his home and studio in Santa Fe, New Mexico. There he describes the process of writing and putting together the photographs for a children’s book.
SOMOS LATINOS: Mis Bailes / My Dances
There is a saying that Latinos are born dancing. Cuauhtémoc dances with an Aztec dancing group. Little Evelyn dances the jarana from Yucatan. Shanty and Junior dance the Peruvian marinera. Kane and his whole family dance Mexican Folk dances.
SOMOS LATINOS: Mis Juegos / My Games
Two children, Belinda from Mexico and Federico from Argentina play with their friends at home, at school, in the streets, in gyms and on teams. Some games are from the countries they came from.
SOMOS LATINOS: Mis Música / My Music
Three children follow their heritages through the music they play. Janira dances and her brother plays flamenco, Jovita sings and plays with a mariachi band, and Juan Julian follows in the footsteps of his father and older brother playing percussion with Salsa.
SOMOS LATINOS: Mis Fiestas / My Celebrations
There are many holidays in Latin America and each country has their own way of celebrating them. Jose’s parents came from Puerto Rico and they celebrate Three Kings Day. Valeria takes part in Bolivia’s Carnival. Cristobal from Ecuador celebrates the Day of the Dead. Zofía’s family were early Spanish settlers in the Southwest and they celebrate Las Posadas.
Murals: Walls That Sing
A book of murals from the cave paintings; to colonial church murals; to the masterpieces of Diego Rivera, Orozco and other Mexican masters; to the singing walls in American cities; and graffiti. Communities express their cultures, issues, and histories on their neighborhood walls.
VIVA MEXICO: The Folk Arts
Craftsman use a variety of materials to create images and forms that express the artistry of a people. Stone carvings have decorated the ancient pyramids and the baroque cathedrals. Wood has been carved into utilitarian utensils, carvings, masks and furniture. Metal has been shaped into statues and filigree jewelry. Weaving has produced fabric, hammocks, and rugs. Embroidery decorates clothing. Clay become tiles, pottery and figurines. Straw is woven into utilitarian baskets and toys. And paper becomes skeletons, puppets, and piñatas.
VIVA MEXICO: The Fiestas
Regional celebrations take various forms. Music, dance, fireworks, bullfights, parades, rodeos, contests, the bird-men, folk plays, historic battles are recreated with costumes and masks. Each town and region proclaims their own Saint’s Days which are celebrated with reenactments of events. Some are somber, others comical and wild, but all are very Mexican.
Carnaval
The people in the small Colonial town of Olinda, Brazil, prepare for the annual five day festivities of carnival. Then music, dancing, and merrymaking burst out to fill the narrow streets with visitors and townsfolk, young and old alike.
George Ancona | Children's Books 