Doors at 6:30PM ~ Music at 7:00PM
Doors @ 6:30PM | Music @7:00PM
Ashkenaz begins its historic 50th year anniversary with the Golden 50th Kickoff on Saturday, January 14—declared David Nadel Week in 1997 by the City of Berkeley in honor of Ashkenaz’s Founder. The Golden 50th Kickoff will feature Nakarat (Balkan), Karamo Susso (West African), SambaDá (Afro-Brazilian), with dance demonstrations by Kathy Reyes (Bachata) and Nonstop Bhangra (Indian), highlighting some of the many live world and roots music genres that Ashkenaz has presented over the years.
Seating is first come, first serve
Run of Show:
Dholrhythms -- 7:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Nakarat -- 7:30 PM - 8:15 PM
Kathy Reyes -- 8:15 PM - 8:45 PM
Karamo Susso -- 8:45 PM - 9:45 PM
SambaDa -- 10:00 PM - 11:30 PM
Nakarat is a San Francisco-based duo featuring Duygu Gun on guitars and vocals and Jonathan Kipp on accordion. Our music is a vibrant, emotional melange of folk songs in Turkish, Ladino, Greek, Griko, and Italian. A Mediterranean breeze with spicy nomadic tunes from the region.
Karamo Susso is a kora player from Gambia West Africa. Growing up in a griot compound in Mali, he started playing kora as a tiny child and was performing for large crowds before he was even big enough to hold the instrument up by himself. Fully immersed in the tradition, he learned from world-renowned players like his uncles Ballake Sissoko and Toumani Diabate. Karamo then began touring throughout West Africa, playing with such greats musicians as Ballake sissoko, Toumani Diabate, Vieux Farka Toure (son of Ali Farka Toure), and Sambou Susso the Queen of Afro-Manding. He performed for national stadiums in Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Senegal as a featured soloist with UNESCO’s Fescuao Mali, and for the President’s personal events in The Gambia. He made frequent appearances on national TV and radio. In Gambia, he was Composition Director, advisor and lead kora player for the Female Artists’ Association in Gambia. A natural engineer, he rapidly boosted Gambian music with his production work at The Gambia YMCA, and went on to open his own studio, Kapamis Production
For over ten years, SambaDá has been mixing contemporary sounds with the roots of brazilian culture. Papiba Godinho is a master of Capoeira, an Afro Brazilian martial art form created by Brazilian slaves, which draws on music and acrobatic movements. Dandha da Hora was born into the rich Afro Brazilian traditions of Salvador, Bahia and the Carnival Group Ile Aiye, and started her dancing career at age 6. Ile Aiye has been in the forefront of Civil Rights in Brazil, promoting equality and justice, and is widely recognized as the first Afro Brazilian BLOCO or group to perform in Brazil’s notorious Carnival celebrations. The other members of SambaDá come from a wide range of styles, generations and sensibilities. What unites this band from such diverse backgrounds is a magic that can be felt by both the band and the audience. SambaDá brings joy to each performance, and keeps their fans asking for more!!
Kathy Reyes is an award-winning dance teacher, fitness instructor and performer known for her unique style and interpretation of music. She discovered her talent and passion for Latin dancing in college in Los Angeles, and over the past 10 years has taken various prizes individually and in dance troupes. She hosts "BACHATA Nightz" and "RICO Fridays" and teaches Latin dance styles -- such as Bachata and Salsa -- regularly at Ashkenaz. Teaching allows her to share her philosophy of dance: “Dancing with the feet is one thing, but dancing with the heart takes one to a whole different level.”
Non Stop Bhangra is a unique experience that celebrates the beautiful and vibrant spirit of Bhangra, a traditional Punjabi folk music and dance. Featuring dance lessons and dance performances with Dholrhythms Dance Company, an eclectic mix of DJs, live drummers, and guest musicians, it's a treat for the eyes and ears. It has consistently been voted "Best Dance Party" in the San Francisco Bay Area and has become one of the major platforms in North America for Punjabi music and artists. Non Stop Bhangra was founded in 2004 when Dholrhythms Dance Company founders Vicki Virk and Suman Raj teamed up with DJ Jimmy Love with the goal of bringing Bhangra to a wider audience. The first Non Stop Bhangra was hosted to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Dholrhythms by providing a dance space for students of Dholrhythms Bhangra classes. Since its inception, Non Stop Bhangra has made this traditional style a serious dance floor craze in San Francisco and grown into a boundless and unique platform for people of diverse backgrounds to come together, express themselves, and dance in a non-competitive and positive environment.