Peninsula International Dance Festival
Over 200 dancers representing 13 nationalities will take to the stage at this year’s second Peninsula International Dance Festival. The two-day festival is set to highlight a diverse array of local dance and music artists and ensembles, including Amor do Samba, Bolivia Corazón de Am<0x00E9>rica, Chitresh Das Institute, Eddie Madril, Feng Ye Dance, Peru Expressions, Theatre Flamenco and more. Organized by the Peninsula Ballet Theater and designed by the company’s Artistic Director Gregory Amato, the festival’s lineup has also been hand-picked with the consultation of local dancers Zenon Barron, Carlos Carvajal and Charlotte Moraga. This festival promises to bring a colorful display of sacred, social and secular dances to the San Mateo Performing Arts Center.
July 15 at 7 p.m. and July 16 at 3 p.m. at the San Mateo Performing Arts Center, 600 N. Delaware St., San Mateo. Tickets are $35-$60. pidfca.org. (AJ)
Bravemaker Film Festival
The Bravemaker Film Festival celebrates films that share stories of justice, diversity and inclusion. Now marking its fifth anniversary, the Redwood City-based festival has, in just a handful of years, greatly expanded — while navigating a pandemic for a significant chunk of its existence. Bravemaker will present 62 films over four days at several Redwood City venues, highlighting feature films and shorts, as well as thoughtful panel discussions after screenings, and workshops, conversations and parties with film industry professionals. Though the festival is fully in -person this year, it also offers some select films that audiences can watch at home.
July 13-16 at various venues in downtown Redwood City. Most events are $10-$25; festival passes start at $125. bravemaker.com.(HZ)
Music@Menlo
What makes the music of Beethoven so great? Music@Menlo offers a chance to find out, taking a deep dive into his music through three weeks of up-close concerts, master classes, workshops and conversations. The composer inspired the theme for the 21st annual chamber music festival, “Beethoven Unfolding,” which runs July 14-Aug. 5 at Menlo School in Atherton and features top musical talents, as well as up-and-coming young musicians who receive an intensive training over the summer at Music@Menlo’s Chamber Music Institute. Audiences will have a chance to enjoy the festival’s full roster of seasoned musicians and young artists alike in programs celebrating Beethoven’s music, as well as that of the composers who influenced him, and those he influenced. Music@Menlo offers both in-person and streaming options for enjoying a number of the concerts and events.
July 14-Aug. 5 at Menlo School, 50 Valparaiso Ave., Atherton. Some programs are already sold out. For ticket availability and more informaiton, visit musicatmenlo.org. (HZ)
Scary Goldings
Their name may invoke shades of Halloween, but Scary Goldings’ sound pops with irrepressible summer grooves. The group gets its unique name from teaming up two powerhouses: the rotating funk band Scary Pockets, led by guitarist Ryan Lerman and multi-instrumentalist Jack Conte, with Grammy-nominated organist Larry Goldings. The ensemble brings its ’60s retro jazz and funk to The Guild on July 14. Goldings’ fleet-fingered way with a Hammond B3 melds seamlessly with the Pockets’ bluesy, rock-edged guitar and dynamic percussion, smoothed at the edges by further keyboard instruments. Scary Goldings has released four albums since they joined forces in 2018, and they released their new single “Louis Cole Sucks” last week. The single features legendary guitarist John Scofield, with whom the group has previously collaborated, and who will be in the lineup at The Guild.
July 14, 8 p.m. at The Guild Theatre, 949 El Camino Real, Menlo Park. Tickets are $31 ($59 mezzanine seating has a waitlist). guildtheatre.com (HZ).
Mountain View Obon Festival
For the first time since 2019, the Mountain View Buddhist Temple hosts a public Obon festival. The festival remembers loved ones who have passed on with a joyous celebration that includes Taiko drumming and other music, Japanese folk dancing, as well as food and games. This popular Mountain View festival also includes cultural exhibits, tours of the temple, bingo and children’s activities. With Obon usually well-attended and on-site parking limited, the temple will run a shuttle from a parking lot at the Google campus several miles away.
July 15, 4-10 p.m. and July 16, noon-8 p.m. at Mountain View Buddhist Temple, 575 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View. obon.mvbuddhisttemple.org. (HZ)
Briefs by Akhil Joondpeph and Heather Zimmerman
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