Festival Brings the Arts to the Community
Isabella Barone never dreamed that she’d possess more physical and mental vitality at 75 than she did at 50. But then she didn’t realize when she signed up for a tai chi chuan class on a whim that eventually she would master the martial art form and become an instructor.
“They say tai chi promotes longevity,” said Barone, a resident of Sunland. “I guess they’re right.”
Perfected by Chinese monks more than 1,000 years ago, tai chi is a series of 108 detailed movements learned in three sets, each progressively more difficult, she said. The stylized exercise, practiced daily throughout China, is graceful and almost dancelike. Some historians speculate that tai chi is related to another martial art, kung fu, but without the self-defense applications.
“It’s about bringing the body, the mind and the spirit together in fluid motion. It’s about balancing the ying-yang energies,” said Barone, who has taught several classes a week at the McGroarty Arts Center in Tujunga for the past 12 years. “Because of its gentle quality, almost anyone can learn the movements.”
Barone and some of her students will present a tai chi demonstration Saturday and Sunday at the McGroarty Arts Center Festival and Open House.
Also featured is the Majikina Honryu Dance Company, a Whittier-based troupe that performs the traditional dances of Okinawa.
“Okinawan culture, language, music and dance is relatively unknown,” said Heather Matsunaga, 45, who founded the company in 1977 along with Aiko Tengan Majikina. “Before Okinawa was taken over by Japan in the late 1800s, it was a separate nation. Because of its distinct location as a trading center, the culture actually has more Chinese and Korean elements than Japanese.”
There are 10 members in the professional company, which is named after the Okinawan dance master Majikina.
“After a dancer passes the five stages or certificates, which takes about 15 years of intense practice, they use his name professionally as a tribute. My partner has obtained this honor. I have only passed three certificates,” said Matsunaga, who began her dance training in junior high school.
“Most non-Okinawans find us unique. The classical styles are slow, while our newer dances rely heavily on drums and rhythms,” she said.
Other performances at the festival, which runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, will include the Los Angeles Chinese Music Ensemble, the Rainbow Riders, and a puppet and clown act. There will also be arts and crafts booths, storytelling, a group mural painting project and refreshments.
“This is the first year we’ve had a festival to go along with the open house,” said Joan de Bruin, who became director of the McGroarty center this month. “We’d like to make it an annual event since the center is all about reaching out into the community.”
Built in 1923, the McGroarty Arts Center is sponsored by the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department. Originally the home of poet-congressman John Steven McGroarty, it was declared a historical monument by the city in 1970.
“Our purpose is to bridge the gap between the community and the arts,” said de Bruin, an artist who works in acrylic and bronze, and previously administered the city’s Hollywood center for 11 years. “We’re trying to touch as many people as possible because art is about people. It’s everywhere and every day.”
The McGroarty Arts Center Festival and Annual Open House will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the center, 7570 McGroarty Center Terrace, Tujunga. Admission is free. Free parking is available at the center’s upper lot. A free bus shuttle is also available at the K mart parking lot. Call (818) 352-5285.