The 4th Annual International Mother Language Celebration

Cultural Performances featuring:

• 1 pm – 1:20 pm: Abhinaya Dance Company: The Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose was founded by its Artistic Director, Mythili Kumar in 1980, to present innovative and professional quality performances of South Indian classical dance forms.
• 1:20 pm – 1:40 pm: Chinese Performing Arts of America (CPPA): Founded in Silicon Valley as a nonprofit organization since 1991, CPAA is chartered to introduce Chinese culture as an integral part of the American society through performing arts. CPAA presents these arts of exceptional beauty and richness so that these cultural treasures can be shared by the world.
• 1:40 pm – 2 pm: Persian Dancing with Shadan: Shadan Mirabedi enjoys sharing her Iranian cultural heritage through teaching and performing classical and contemporary Persian and Central Asian dance in the San Francisco Bay Area.
• 2 pm – 2:20 pm: Grupo Folklorico Los Laureles: Los Laureles Academy is a leading dance school based in San Jose and Gilroy tasked with bringing the artistic creations of Mexico to life. Since 2007, Los Laureles has offered classes to all ages representing Mexico in the United States.
• 2:20 pm – 2:40 pm: Tezkatlipoka Aztek Dance and Drum: Tezkatlipoka Aztec Dance and Drum (Tezkatlipoka) is a traditional school of learning of Aztec dancing, drumming, and culture and is a traditional Aztec dance circle based in San Jose. Tezkatlipoka is also well-known in Silicon Valley as a community-based performing arts dance group that promotes an appreciation and understanding of pre-Colombian art forms through traditional Aztec dance and music.
• 2:40 pm – 3:00 pm: Vovinam: Vietnamese land echoes thousands of lives, including flag dancing, martial arts, and silk dancing

Mother Tongue: Youth Artists Explore Language & Cultural Identity

CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS ART EXHIBITION at MACLA

For the fourth year in a row, we invited young artists to submit their artwork about Mother Language for a showcase at a museum. This year we are showcasing artists' creations at MACLA, in downtown San Jose.

• 12 pm – 4 pm: Art Exhibit is open to public (free and open to all)
• 3 pm – 4 pm: Students are presented with certificates. We will announce winners in each category.

A special thanks to the Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose for showcasing the artworks for the Mother Language Contest, virtually!

As you travel through this exhibit, we invite you to click on the artwork for each artist’s statement and audio (when available) to learn more about what inspired each artist’s work.