Travels inspire local artist

Artist Patricia Aaron has recently returned from a trip to Japan and Hawaii and feels inspired to make new paintings and prints. She will have work in “Oh, Honey,” an invitational show of encaustic art opening July 27 at PACE Center Gallery, 20000 Pikes Peak Ave. in Parker. See parkerarts.org.

Animal inspiration

Abend Gallery, 1261 Delaware St., Suite 2, Denver, will host an exhibit “Wild at Art: A Four Person AnimalInspired Exhibition,” through June 27. I hope the entire show will have the tongue-in-cheek air of Claudia Griesbach-Martucci’s “Lust for Life.” Others included in this show: Morgan Cameron, Marina Dieul and Lucia He ernen. Visitors to this show will have fun making up stories about the paintings. Runs through June 27. Hours: noon to 4 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays. 303-355-0950, abendgallery.com.

Contemporary art

MCA-Museum of Contemporary Art, 1485 Delgany St., Denver, has new exhibits by Anna T. Souhlarakis, “Indigenous Absurdities,” and by Tomashi Jackson, “Across the Universe.” Rooftop party on June 30, with R&B music. 303-298-7554, mcadenver.org.

Ice cream social

Mark the calendar for the Highlands Ranch Metro District Ice Cream Social on Aug. 2 in Civic Green Park, 9370 Ridgeline Blvd. Music provided by the Highlands Ranch Concert Band and Swing Shift. Enjoy $2 prepackaged ice cream treats, cash only, as well as a variety of food truck o erings. See highlandsranch.org.

Guild aids dance e Denver Ballet Guild held its annual Le Bal de Ballet on June 10, honoring high school students from Colorado and their families: 2023 Debutantes and Young Men of Distinction at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House and Sheraton Denver Hotel. e guild honored a number of young people from our south suburbs. Members award funds to area dance companies and sponsor a young dancer’s competition during the year.

Call for entries

Call to artists: Entries are being accepted via callforentry.org for the summer Best of Colorado Show that opens Aug. 8 at the Depot Art Gallery in Littleton. Juror is Christian Dore. Open to all Colorado artists. Cash awards for winners.

Lone Tree

Lone Tree Arts Center is selling tickets for its next season now and you can pick and choose from a great variety of performances, getting a 10% discount when you pick three or four shows and 15% with ve or more. See the website for choices. Starts with Lannie Counts: the Greatest R&B Songs Ever Written on Sept. 9. Box o ce is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday. 720-509-1000, lonetreeartscenter. org.

Festival Park e Castle Rock Band will celebrate Independence Day with a free outdoor concert of patriotic music on July 1 in Festival Park, Castle Rock at 7 p.m. Included: Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever” and the Gershwins’ “Strike Up the Band!”

Town Hall

Littleton’s Town Hall Arts Center is selling tickets for the next season, 2023-2024. Included:

“All Shook Up” on Sept. 23-Oct. 22. “The Last Session,” Matilda,” Urinetown,” “raisin,” “Rd,” “Prom.”

The Annual Ovation Gala will be of Fame at Red Rocks in Morrison — o er free admission all the time. held on June 24. 303-794-2787, townhallartscenter.org. e Studio is an all-inclusive space for people young and old to feel the music and express themselves. For dancers who want to break out of the traditional dance studio format, the international company based in Denver could be a dream come

Other organizations are able to o er experiences and events that are free and open to the general public because of the SCFD’s support. Remember the old Elitch Gardens when it was located in northwest Denver? Today, the original location at 4550 W. 38th Ave. is home to the Historic Elitch eatre, and it is hosting free movie nights — with family-friendly (PG and PG-13) blockbuster lms — throughout the summer.

So, if you are still unsure what your summer will entail, do some exploring through the SCFD. I guarantee it will help you plan an unforgettable, fun- lled local summer.

Greenwood Village Reminder: The International Pastel Exhibit continues until July 1 at Curtis Center for the Arts, 2349 E. Orchard Road, Greenwood Village.

Striving to bring the magic of global movement to people in Colorado, Caitlin BroznaSmith founded the dance studio that brings a piece of global culture along with self-expression and con dence with each class.

“It was so important to include people from where these cultures are sourced,” said Brozna-Smith. “I found people from Polynesia to teach Polynesian dance… teachers from Iran. We really have this beautiful, electric group of dancers from all over the

Among a multitude of dance styles, students can learn the soft style of Hula ‘Auana, Tahitian dance, Bollywood, Belly Dancing, adult ballet and Ginga Vibe, which draws on styles from the African Diaspora including Funk, Afro-Caribe, Dance Hall, Soca, Lambada and Samba. e studio also o ers Taiji Fit, a halfhour mind and low-impact body workout that combines traditional T’ai Chi with mindfulness and modern Western tness. Inspired by the Bollywood style of dance, BollyX Fitness is a 50-minute cardio workout and GROOV3 Hip Hop Dance Fitness.

Within the Bella Diva studio, both the

Students learn worldwide dance styles at Bella Diva World Dance Studio

BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

teaching sta and students are multinational. e dance teachers come from ve di erent countries and teach a range of students from 29 di erent countries.

teach countries.

To bring as much authentic culture into Denver, many teachers have gone abroad to study di erent styles of dance.

“ e people (teachers) who are not native from the cultures that we’re teaching travel and learn from the source because it’s really important that we do cultural appreciation and cultural exchange,” Brozna-Smith said.

Samba styles (teachers) the from source appreciation exchange,” Brozna-Smith abso-

Samba, the high energy and fast footwork style is not just a dance form, it is a lifestyle. ose who teach Samba at Bella Diva make sure they are staying true to the culture and teach the students the history of where the dance originated.

“I am very careful when I am teaching my students because I am not Brazilian, it is not my culture, but it is something that I am absolutely fascinated with and love,” said instructor Chelsi Vecchiavelli. “I spend a lot of time outside of class researching, asking experts, listening to podcasts, consulting my mentors who are Brazilian and who are my teachers.”

Born out of the slave trade when it was down in Brazil, Samba was a means of hope and joy and is a dance of resistance and raises up against oppression.

Samba schools have often been located in a favela, which is the poor neighborhoods within Rio De Janeiro. Vecchiavelli said there