Betsayda Machado brings the party
Betsayda Machado Y La Parranda El Clavo are performing at Holyoke’s Gateway City Arts, 92 Race St., Sunday, March 1, at 6 p.m., in a show that promises to bring the party for adults and kids.
Betsayda’s Parranda had their first area show in Williamsburg two years ago, but this is a first Holyoke visit for the global guests, bringing their exceptional party-spirit from the small Afro-Venezuelan village of El Clavo; La Parranda el Clavo literally means “the party in El Clavo.”
Machado, also known as The Voice of Venezuela, is a rare singer who can rivet a room with a few notes. And her band La Parranda is that very rare thing: lifelong friends who played together, not as a profession but as a way of life, for 30 years before being discovered by a booking agent. The group combines Betsayda’s clarion lead vocals, miraculous harmony singing by the entire ensemble, and deep, immensely danceable polyrhythms.
Laudable Productions and World Music Collider are presenting Betsayda’s debut event at Gateway in Holyoke, and inviting families to come, children and all. Doors open early at 5 p.m.
Food is available from Race Street Tacos, and The Peace & Rhythm DJs on the turntables with essential Pan-Latin vinyl before, between, and after the live music.
The Parranda will play two sets of music, starting at 6 p.m. The first set will incorporate a dance workshop and is intended for any and all dancers, ages 2-102. Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door; $10 student tickets available at the door with ID; children under 12 free.
A story of stolen children
and cultural survival
“Dawnland” is an Emmy-award winning documentary, created by the Upstander Project, that tells the story of the forced removal of Native American children from their homes, and the first official U.S. Truth and Reconciliation Commission formed in response. A free screening of the movie on Tuesday, March 3, at 4 p.m., will be followed by a brief panel discussion. It will be shown at Weinstein Auditorium, Wright Hall, Smith College, 23 Elm St., Northampton, and the public may register to watch the movie and attend follow up events at truthschool.corsizio.com.
Opportunities to deepen your understanding will continue on Wednesday, March 4, with a conversation about movements for Indigenous Cultural Survival, and on Sunday, March 8, with a workshop for educators and community leaders. Participants may attend any or all of the classes.
The panel for discussion includes Mishy Lesser, Ed.D., learning director for Upstander Project and education fellow at the Dodd Research Center at UConn; and Anthony Melting Tallow, (Blackfoot Nation of Siksika, Alberta, Canada), visual artist, public speaker, and indigenous social justice advocate; and Christen Mucher, assistant professor of American Studies, Smith College, and director, Smith College Internship Program at the Smithsonian Institution.
The Dawnland screening and related classes are co-sponsored by the Smith Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, Smith Indigenous Students and Allies Association, and the Smith Office for Equity and Inclusion.
– Brenda Nelson