Free Move Mix Festival block party set for Sept. 12

The Center for the Performing Arts Move Mix Festival, featuring Red Baraat, will explore the joy in rhythmic percussive beats and movements from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12, at the Eisenhower Auditorium rear loading dock.

The free community event will feature contemporary Latinx dance by Penn State ensemble Caliente Dance Company; bhangra fusion by Brooklyn-based ensemble Red Baraat; and Latin folk favorites by Ady Martinez Dance Party.

The general-admission event is free, but registration is required.

Lawn chairs are welcome to the informal block party-style event, and the Penn State Rolling Lion Food Truck will be on site.

“People will be able to dance and be in more of an informal setting,” center Director Sita Frederick said. “We’re excited to use our back loading dock behind the auditorium, which is an unusual space for us.”

For more information about the event, visit Move Mix Festival online.

Red Baraat

Called “a Big Band for the world” (The Wall Street Journal) and “the best party band in years” (NPR), Red Baraat melds brass-band jazz, northern Indian bhangra, hip-hop beats, and jam-band ethos for a bold, East-meets-West musical fusion.

Dohl musician Sunny Jain founded Red Baraat (“red wedding procession”) in 2008 while looking for musicians to play his own ceremony. The band has performed for the music web series “Live on KEXP” and NPR Music’s “Tiny Desk Concert”; and at the 2023 Three Rivers Arts Festival in Pittsburgh.

Read a Center for the Performing Arts interview with Jain.

Watch a preview of Red Baraat.

Ady Martínez Dance Party

State College-based cuatro player and singer-songwriter Ady Martínez performs Latin folk and dance classics, including nueva canción, guajira and salsa.

Caliente Dance Company

Penn State’s Latinx student dance team practices traditional and native dances with a focus on beats and rhythms from diverse areas of Latin America.

Acknowledgements

McQuaide Blasko Endowment provides support.

Support for accessibility services is provided by William E. McTurk Endowment for Program Support and Gerald B. M. Stein Memorial Endowment.

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