Rhythmix Cultural Works to Hold Two-Day Art Festival

Rhythmix Cultural Works to Hold Two-Day Art Festival
Rhythmix Cultural Works (RCW) in partnership with the City of Alameda will present Island City Waterways: Uprooted. The two-day event takes place at Alameda Point’s West Mall on Saturday, May 21 and Sunday, May 22.
Island City Waterways: Uprooted will celebrate the history of Alameda’s unique waterfront with a new work of site-specific music, dance, and theater that tells the story of Alameda Point.
Alameda Point became a naval air station that staged four wars, and is now being repurposed, fulfilling the promise of a community’s future. A cast of 35 performers will lead audiences on a 75-minute, outdoor performance art walk that takes them on a journey from the wings of peace to the wings of war and from boot camp to World War II internment camp.
The event will feature four performances each day at 10 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 3:15 p.m. Performances range from music, dance, and theater. Performers include ODC/Dance, 13thFloor, Akira Tana Trio, and Maze Daiko.
Island City Waterways: Uprooted is the third in the Island City Waterways series that celebrates the history of Alameda’s unique waterfront. The first performance took place in 2016 along Alameda’s historic Waterfront Trail. The second took place in 2018 at Crab Cove. Island City Waterways was developed and is directed by Rhythmix Cultural Works founder and Artistic Director, Janet Koike.
“The theme for this new production has multiple meanings that find a lot of resonance out at Alameda Point,” said Koike. “Uprooted refers to humankind’s fascination with flight as a way to escape our earthbound troubles. Uprooted also refers to the countless people affected by wars: young draftees, itinerant military families, workers who pulled up roots to follow the war industry, and those who are displaced by the fallout of war, fear, and political targeting.”
Island City Waterways: Uprooted is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts — Our Town, California Arts Council — Creative California Communities, the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Fleishhacker Foundation, the City of Alameda’s Economic and Community Development Department and Public Art Commission, and RCW sponsors.
The event is a part of RCW’s yearlong 15th anniversary celebration. The event is free for all ages. RSVP for the event at www.islandcitywaterways.org. To learn more about RCW, visit www.rhythmix.org.