Event highlights for the week of June 14, 2017.
Green Fix
Desserts in the Raw
Having a sweet tooth can be a real challenge—really, it’s a sugar addiction, and that’s a real thing, folks! Luckily for those of us who daydream about cookies and cakes, there’s a healthy alternative. Learn how to make yummy, nourishing, raw food vegan desserts from scratch, and sample the results. Practice various methods for replacing refined sugars, carbohydrates and cholesterol-laden high fat foods with whole, healthy, natural alternatives. Ingredients and equipment are provided.
Info: 6-10 p.m. Friday, June 16. Location provided with registration. eventbrite.com. $75.
Art Seen
Capitola By the Sea Summer
Grab a beach blanket, some snacks, and the family to celebrate the summer with the Capitola by the Sea Summer Music series. Every Wednesday between June 7 and August 30, local bands will play on Capitola Beach. On Wednesday, June 14, Todd Morgan & the Emblems will take to the stage, and on June 21, Big City Revue will lead the grooves. Visit the website for a full lineup.
Info: 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, June 14. Esplanade Park, Capitola Beach, Capitola. seecalifornia.com. Free.
Thursday 6/15 – Sunday 6/18
A Touch of Africa in Santa Cruz
With four days of classes, performances, workshops, educational lectures, panel discussions and an African fashion show, the annual “A Touch of Africa in Santa Cruz” returns for its second year. With the mission of building a “bridge of togetherness” through arts and culture, the event honors the vibrant community of artists and teachers from Africa and the Diaspora living in Santa Cruz. Teachers from Senegal, Guinea, Congo, Nigeria, Brazil, Ivory Coast and more will share their heritage with the community through classes in dance and percussion.
Info: 2 p.m. Louden Nelson Community Center, 301 Center St., Santa Cruz. 345-9299. daafricanvillage.org. $17.
Friday 6/16
Swan Lake
The timeless tale of Odette, the tragically cursed princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer, comes to life in this timeless ballet. Originally premiered by the Bolshoi Ballet in 1877, and still the most technically challenging ballet in the dance world, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake is a story about love conquering all. Under the guidance of renowned dancer Anton Pankevich, Agape Dance Academy dancers and choreographers will take on their fifth spring performance. “Every year, we choose music that moves our dancers and our audience,” says owner Melanie
Useldinger. “Our ballets are professional quality because the students are highly skilled and they also learn to dance from their hearts, which adds depth to their performance.”
Info: 7 p.m. Aptos High School Performing Arts Center, 100 Mariner Way, Aptos. Agapedance.com. $10.
Sunday 6/18
Janet Hamill Poetry Reading
Janet Hamill has authored seven books of poetry and short fiction, and was nominated for the Poetry Society of America’s William Carlos Williams Prize. She is a strong advocate for the spoken word and has read at the Bumbershoot Festival, the Andy Warhol Museum, and many other national and international venues. In addition to teaching a two-weekend workshop at Cabrillo College Extension, Hamill will also be reading her work at the Felix Kulpa on Sunday, June 18.
Info: 2-4 p.m. Felix Kulpa Gallery, 107 Elm St., Santa Cruz. Free.
