Donigian Park in the Olneyville section Providence was filled with the sounds of drumming and the excitement of summer as Mayor David N. Cicilline kicked off the Celebrate Providence: 2005 Neighborhood Performing Arts Initiative. The program, which is in its second year, was recently recognized with the prestigious Livability Award by the United States Conference of Mayors at its 73rd annual conference in Chicago.

“The neighborhoods of our city will be alive with arts and culture this summer,” said Mayor Cicilline. “For the second year in a row, the residents of this city will be able to experience theater, drumming, opera, dance and much more in their neighborhoods.

"Presenting our great Providence artists to the neighborhoods of our vibrant city is some of the most fun we have all year and we are very excited about our award-winning second season,” said Cliff Wood, director of Art, Culture and Tourism.

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The Celebrate Providence: 2005 Neighborhood Performing Arts initiative gets underway on July 3 when the dancers of JUMP! kick off a series of outdoor dance concerts drawing on the fusion from music legends Tito Puente and Dave Brubeck. The July 3rd performance will be held at Nathanael Greene Middle School in the Elmhurst/Smith Hill neighborhood.

The Celebrate Providence: 2005 Neighborhood Performing Arts Initiative also includes the following live performances:

• Alebreke, a seven-piece band led by Robertico Arias, will perform a concert of Latin jazz and salsa music, hosted by the Rhode Island Philharmonic.

• Jewish Community Center of Rhode Island will host “The Lower East Side to Providence East Side”, an exciting exploration into Jewish and Israeli culture experienced through dance, music, authentic cuisine and storytelling performances.

• The Lukumi Center of the Orishas will present a concert of traditional Afro-Cuban dance and music from the Orisha tradition.

• The NewGate Theatre’s Classic Comedy Project will present a modern version of Aristophenes’ classic Greek comedy The Frogs. Opera Providence will present OPERA on the Hill, an evening series of informal performances of classic opera repetoire in DePasquale Square on Federal Hill.

• The contemporary Celtic band Pendragon will perform a series of summer concerts.

• Professional actor, poet and playwright Nehassaiu deGannes, in collaboration with Perishable Theatre, will perform excerpts from her one-woman show, The Door of No Return.

• The Providence Black Repertory Company will present Sound Session’s Billy Taylor Day Community Stage in Mount Hope featuring music, arts, and storytelling.

• The Providence Public Library will present a series of youth workshops in spoken word, focusing on performance aspects such as reading out loud and poetry slams.

• Students from the !City Arts! program’s Afro-Caribbean drumming class, led by Nisha Purushotham, have created a unique art experience combining traditional polyphonic drumming with creative dance and spoken word.

• The West Broadway Neighborhood Association is partnering with the Department of Art, Culture and Tourism to produce “West Side Wednesdays”, a four week series of performances that includes Lukumi Center for Orishas, Marc Joel Levitt’s “Triple Decker” in collaboration with the Rhode Island Committee on Humanities, the Somaly Hay Cambodian Dance Troupe and a concert by Rose Weaver.

“Providence has a thriving arts scene and some of the most talented artists in America,” said the Mayor. “Through this great partnership with local artists, community organizations and Providence city government, we are able to bring high-quality performing arts directly to our residents’ backyards.”

The Celebrate Providence: 2005 Neighborhood Performing Arts Initiative is a collaboration between the Department of Art, Culture and Tourism, Parks Department, Recreation Department and local arts organizations. For more information on the Neighborhood Performing Arts initiative visit the Providence City website, www.providenceri.com, or contact the Department of Art, Culture & Tourism at 421-2489.

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