11 Cultural Events in Westchester This Month
As summer begins to wane, cultural offerings abound in Westchester. Before the fall festivals kick in, August is filled with programs that explore artistic traditions from Jamaica, Tanzania, Japan, Mexico, Ecuador, Brazil and more. Here are just 10 of the many family-friendly cultural events taking place this month:
August 5: Taste of Tanzania
Presented by Luangisa African Gallery
This event, which will benefit the Luangisa African Museum and Cultural Arts Center, showcases traditions from Tanzanian culture, including handmade artifacts, music, jewelry and fashion and more than 15 Tanzanian cuisines to be sampled. At ArtsWestchester (31 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains)
August 5: Afro-Peruvian Ensemble
Presented by Hudson River Museum
As Hudson River Museum (HRM)’s summer amphitheater season continues, Afro-Peruvian Ensemble brings contemporary sounds from the Peruvian coast that are heavily influenced by the culture’s tradition. According to HRM, the ensemble’s repertoire includes classics of the Afro-Peruvian folklore rarely seen in the U.S., including festejos, zamacuecas, landos, and contrapuntos de Cajones. At Hudson River Museum’s amphitheater (511 Warburton Avenue, Yonkers)
August 6: Jamaican Emancipendence Day
Presented by Jamaican Emancipendence Committee and the City of Mount Vernon
This event celebrates the 189th year of Jamaican Emancipation and the 61st anniversary of Independence. It includes a keynote talk by Jamaican Olympic bobsledder Devon Harris, face painting, Jamaican food vendors, and performances by Youth Theater Interactions and the
Denzel Washington School of the Arts Marching Band. Also featured, as part of ArtsWestchester’s Westchester Roots series, is a performance by Noel “Dancemaster” Stevens, the foremost Jamaican ambassador of soca, a popular music
blending West African, Calypso and East Indian rhythms. At Hartley Park (125 Gramatan Avenue, Mount Vernon)
August 6: Japanese Dance by Sachiyo Ito & Company
Presented by Hudson River Museum
In a performance in Hudson River Museum’s mid-level galleries, dancer Sachiyo Ito and her company will demonstrate classical Japanese dance forms and gestures in her contemporary works, “To the Water” and “Memories,” which were choreographed as an ode to nature. The performance, which will be accompanied by a
poetry reading and will precede a Q&A with the performers, was inspired by the museum’s current Kengo Kito: Unity on the Hudson, Sachiyo Ito & Company exhibition. At Hudson River Museum (511 Warburton Avenue, Yonkers)
August 8: Jonathan Scales Fourchestra
Presented by ArtsWestchester and the City of Mount Vernon
As part of both the Mount Vernon Summer Breeze series and the Westchester Roots series, the Jonathan Scales Fourchestra will take over Mount Vernon’s City Hall Plaza with genre-blending music that combines elements of jazz, rock classical and funk. Scales is known for redefining the steel pan and showcasing the instrument’s versatility. Click here to read more about Johnathan Scales. (1 Roosevelt Square North, Mount Vernon)
August 8: The Japanese Folk Dance Institute of NY
Presented by New Rochelle Public Library
This International Music & Dance performance by Japanese Folk Dance Institute of NY brings audiences though the seasons of Japan through the storytelling of Japanese folk dance. The event takes place during the Japanese Bon season, which commemorates and remembers deceased ancestors. At the library’s Ossie Davis Theater (1 Library Plaza, New Rochelle)
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August 11: Film Screening: The Taste of Tea
Presented by KinoSaito
KinoSaito Art Center will present a screening of Katsuhito Ishii’s 2004 comedy-drama The Taste of Tea. The film follows the Haruno family, who live in a rural town north of Tokyo. Dr. Joel Neville Anderson, Professor of Cinema Studies and Film at Purchase College, SUNY, will present “a historical introduction and lead a post-screening discussion.” Japanese cultural food and beverages will also be served. (115 7th St, Verplanck)
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August 12: EastRiver Ensemble
Presented by Untermyer Performing Arts Council
The EastRiver Ensemble is a collective of musicians from north China, which draws from the folk repertoire of the Hebei and Donbei regions of China. A unique quality of the ensemble is that is it led by the yangqin, a Chinese version of the hammered dulcimer. The performance is part of Untermyer Performing Arts
Council’s Worldfest 2023 summer series. At Samuel Untermyer Memorial Park (945 North Broadway, Yonkers)
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August 15: Calpulli Mexican Dance
Presented by New Rochelle Public Library
The final event of New Rochelle Public Library’s annual International Music & Dance series will be a performance by participants in the library’s Calpulli Mexican Dance workshop class. Clad in colorful costumes, dancers will celebrate the rich, regional dance traditions of Mexico’s diverse cultural history. At the library’s Ossie Davis Theater (1 Library Plaza, New Rochelle)
August 20: Day of Ecuadorian Culture
Presented ArtsWestchester and the Village of Sleepy Hollow
Dia de la cultura ecuatoriana (Day of Ecuadorian Culture) offers an afternoon of Ecuadorian music, dance, food and craft, along with family-friendly presentations that feature traditional Ecuadorian costumes and the indigenous Kichwa language. Click here to read more about this event.
At Barnhart Park (25 Andrews Ln, Sleepy Hollow)
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August 26: Silvana Magda
Presented by Untermyer Performing Arts Council
Silvana Magda with her Katendê band and the Viva Brazil dancers get a full dose of Brazilian culture fused with African, Caribbean, Latin and American funk. This Brazilian music and dance performance is part of Untermyer Performing Arts Council’s Worldfest 2023 summer series. At Samuel Untermyer Memorial Park (945 North Broadway, Yonkers)
Mary Alice Franklin is ArtsWestchester’s Communications Manager and Editor of ArtsNews. She has a Bachelors in English and Masters in Publishing, and has been published in Paste Magazine, HuffPost, Art Zealous, Art Times, and more.
