Lively Arts Series
Culture Speaks a Global Language
25th Anniversary Celebration
This season marks the Lively Arts Series 25th Anniversary! Some of the most exciting, passionate, legendary, and creative artists in dance, music, theater, and literature in the United States and nationally have appeared on our intimate stage in Blue Bell. Imagine having this great resource right next door close to home close to the world! It has been our mission to make the campus of Montgomery County Community College a “cultural destination.” But our vision reaches even further by offering a window to world, through diverse cultural performances and genre, providing an opportunity for our audiences to get to know the world and each other better, sharing heritage, traditions, and contemporary creative expression. Our performances, workshops, meet-the-artist receptions, pre-concert lectures, and Young Arts Explorers program with area schools build community and are a valuable amenity for Montgomery County residents. Culture Speaks a Global Language is an extension of this vision to be a template for greater communication, understanding, and joy in sharing the infinite variety of human expression. Among the performances this season is a series called Africa: The Call and Response which features contemporary African artists, Baaba Maal, Dobet Gnahore, and Angelique Kidjo, who have taken the world music scene by storm, in addition to, a Seminole Jazz artist, Randy Weston, who has used Africa as a major inspiration. Other voices include: a return engagement for Mexican-American artist Lila Downs; Folk-singer Kathy Mattea; and Jazz vocalist Kurt Elling. Ragamala Dance returns with a passage to India through Sacred Earth; and the legendary Dance Theater of Harlem makes their Blue Bell debut. Celebrate with us this rich tradition and cultural treasures close to home … close to the world!
Helen Haynes, Director of Cultural Affairs
