Here they are, nine necessary know-abouts for the week ahead. It\u2019s the turkey-time B9:<\/p>\n
\u27a4 There are, of course, indigenous and native folk dance forms emanating from every continent on the planet (OK, maybe except Antarctica). But in terms of influence and power, Africa might very well rank at the top of that pyramid. No weekend festival, however lavish and ambitious, is a match for the breadth and depth of African dance. But that\u2019s not stopping the Tannery World Dance & Cultural Center from devoting its weekend to the magic of the African diaspora in art. The Deep Roots Dance Fest<\/strong> comes to the Colligan Theater in Santa Cruz on Friday and Saturday<\/a>, presenting performances with roots in the Congo, Senegal and Nigeria, as well as Haiti and other parts of the Caribbean. But this is more than a dance show. It also embraces poetry, visual art, storytelling, live music and fashion design from Santa Cruz\u2019s most astounding textile artist, I.B. Bayo. Variety, color, passion, it\u2019s all there at the Colligan this weekend.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u27a4 We\u2019re hip-deep in November, which means that midsummer is but a dream. But Mountain Community Theater is counting on audiences responding to the magic of William Shakespeare\u2019s \u201cA Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream,\u201d<\/strong> no matter the season. One of the most durable stage fantasies in the English language opens this weekend<\/a> at Park Hall in Ben Lomond.<\/p>\n \u27a4 Bay Area fans of Americana are already fully aware of the luminous Nicki Bluhm<\/strong>, the East Bay-born singer-songwriter who has been producing soulful country folk for more than a decade. The news now is that she\u2019s got a new album out titled \u201cRancho Deluxe,\u201d which might be her best work yet. She comes to Felton Music Hall on Friday<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u27a4 You don\u2019t really need an excuse to spend an evening with the wonderfully Jerry Garcia-adjacent quartet Painted Mandolin<\/strong>. But the group\u2019s Saturday night<\/a> performance \u2014 alongside the Mojo Navigators<\/strong> \u2014 at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center is all about support for the community radio stalwarts at KSQD<\/strong> in Santa Cruz. Seeing a memorable live show is a pretty sweet way to help K-Squid, I\u2019d say.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u27a4 How do you get audiences to come out to support the fine community work of Housing Matters? A benefit show featuring the music of Bob Dylan<\/strong> might do the trick. An impressive roster of Santa Cruz musicians will gather at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center on Friday<\/a> to run through songs from Dylan\u2019s immortal albums \u201cBlood On the Tracks\u201d and \u201cDesire\u201d with proceeds going to HM\u2019s efforts to forge pathways out of homelessness. Win-win.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u27a4 About a month before \u201cThe Nutcracker\u201d comes to town, the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium will host another a big colorful ballet based on a beloved children\u2019s story. This one is \u201cCinderella\u201d<\/strong> (you know the story), a production of the Los Angeles-based World Ballet Company, with 40 performers wearing more than 150 costumes among gorgeous sets. A nice little pre-holidays bon mot for the romantics among us. It all goes down Friday<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"YouTube](\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/kMCVWNZ5NgM\/hqdefault.jpg\")
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