COURTYARD STAGE

Xipe Totec Danzantes Aztecas
11:00–11:45 a.m. & 3:15–4:00 p.m.

Come and join this Aztec dance group from Mexico City as they perform and teach these beautiful dances from antiquity. Learn the traditional “friendship dance," expose yourself to classical Aztec dress and jewelry, and hear the ancient stories that have inspired this culture for thousands of years.

Xipe Totec brings the splendor of indigenous Mexico to life through their Aztec ritual danzas. With the blessings and recognition of Mexican elders, this group preserves and passes down ancient Aztec culture through storytelling, traditional dress, and danzas that predate the Spanish conquest of Mexico. Xipe Totec has performed throughout North America, and its leader, Lazaro Arvizu, has been teaching and performing Aztec Dance for over 40 years.

arlos Barrionuevo & Mayte Valdes
12:30–1:15 p.m. & 4:30–5:15 p.m.Watch these world-renowned dancers and experience the art of tango. Carlos and Mayte teach audience members “social tango," an informal, improvisational form of tango practiced in milongas, or traditional Argentinean dance circles.Carlos Barrionueves and Mayte Valdes are two of the world’s premiere tango dancers. They have taught and performed this traditional Argentinean art for audiences across the world, dancing from Sweden to Egypt. Carlos and Mayte have also starred in award-winning documentaries, films, and television shows about tango, as part of their mission to spread this art to the rest of the world.

Viver Brasil – Cooking Samba
1:45 p.m. Procession from the Arrival Plaza to the Courtyard
2:00–2:45 p.m. Performance on the Courtyard StageExperience the richness of Brazilian culture from the region of Bahia. Watch royal orixa dances, riveting capoeira, and joyful samba, join a carnival with live music, and take a spirited dance workshop.Viver Brasil takes audiences on a cultural journey to Salvador, Bahia, one of Brazil’s most vibrant cities. Through electrifying Afro-Brazilian dance and music, audiences can experience the joyful color, thrilling rhythms, and communal celebration that characterize the culture of this historic city. The company, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, has been raising awareness of this culture through dialogue with the artists, choreographers, and musicians of Bahia, creating live performances that address issues of art, humanity, memory, and race.

LECTURE HALL

Creation Myths and Folk tales from Latin America with Olga Loya
Noon–12:45 p.m. and 3:00–3:45 p.m.

Listen to the beating sounds of drums and hear Aztec myths about the creation of the world, which entail the sun and moon, death and life, music and food. Then listen to the Mayan creation story, as well as folk tales from Latin America. Children and adults alike can participate, playing the part of the “hungry goddess," and help the gods bring the sun and moon to the world.

WORKSHOPS
10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. with last seating at 5:30 p.m.Make an Arpillera de America Latina with Marianne Sadowski 
Join in the creation of a large communal arpillera* representing the map of Latin America. Participants will use fabric and yarn to collage their silhouettes onto this map.*An arpillera is a colorful form of patchwork quilt using everyday materials. It was popularized by Chilean women living under the military dictatorship of Auguste Pinochet as a way to generate income while also protesting injustice. Over the years, and since the end of Pinochet’s reign (1990), these beautiful quilts have grown less political, becoming more representative of Latin American culture in general.

Luxurious Legacies with Marcus Kuiland Nazario
Create a luxurious breast plate, necklace, earrings, or diadem (crown) based on works from the exhibition, Golden Kingdoms: Luxury and Legacy in the Ancient Americas, using beads, string, vinyl, and other fun materials.

Geometric Pins
Artists in mid-century Argentina and Brazil experimented with geometric abstraction, often using unusual, synthetic materials. They hoped these innovative forms would have an increased role in everyday life.Guests can bring geometric abstraction into their everyday lives by creating a wearable pin using synthetic shrinking paper.

DEMONSTRATIONS

Mesoamerican Cultural Demonstration with Lazaro Arvisu Jr.
Explore the material culture of the Mexica, an indigenous people from central Mexico, who were once the rulers of the majestic Aztec Empire. Join Lazaro Arvisu Jr., an expert of ancient Aztec culture, as he demonstrates their use of tools and clothing, and discusses trade and the creation of these objects in pre-Columbian times.