Oakland Tayo Project with Herna Cruz-Louie & Jonathan Mercado

Join us for the Oakland Tayo Project (works in progress) with FilAm artists, Herna Cruz-Louie & Jonathan Mercado, at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center!
Herna ("Er-Na") Cruz-Louie (she/siya) and Jonathan Mercado (he/him) have partnered to develop and create dance and music pieces that encompasses both their cultural arts work and their own experiences navigating their American-born and raised experiences as Pilipinx artists living in the city of Oakland. The pieces are in development, and will consist of music and movement to explore themes of “tayo”. Tayo is a Tagalog root word with multiple meanings. When used as a pronoun, it is pronounced “tayo” and is inclusive of “we” or “us.” When used as a noun, it is pronounced “tayô” and means “to stand up.” The Oakland Tayo Project seeks to explore how our Pilipinx American identity has been shaped by the history and activism of Oakland, our relationships with other marginalized Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities within the city, and leaning into our cultural practices to explore healing and how their art has evolved within the Pilipino/a/x cultural arts diaspora.

This is an interactive workshop and performance event to support the ongoing development of this project. Participants will be invited to engage in workshops with Pilipinx cultural arts practitioners, preview the works in progress, as well as interact in a Q&A discussion. Please join us!

2:00pm: Doors Open
2:30pm: Interactive Pilipinx Dance, Music & Martial Arts Workshops
3:30pm: Oakland Tayo Project Performance Preview
3:45pm: Interactive Dialogue and Q&A
Tickets:
Presale General: $20.00
Presale Youth (17 and under) & Seniors (65+): $15.00
At the Door General: $25.00
At the Door Presale Youth (17 and under) & Seniors (65+): $20.00

Host or Publisher Oakland Tayo Project