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Hello Kitty took time out of her busy Holiday schedule to visit the Naperville Cultural Center at our recent Open House. She posed for pictures with our Open House guests and even took a stroll around the neighborhood to visit with holiday shoppers. Excited fans eagerly used their camera phones to snap pics with their favorite feline.
When will Hello Kitty visit again? Mmmmmm, you never know so keep checking here for more info and updates.
Grazina Asakeniene, award winning dance instructor, will be featured in an interview that will be broadcast on Studija R (WNWI 1080 AM).
Grazina teaches the Lithuanian Folk Dancing class that begins here at the Cultural Center on Saturday, January 14th. Her students will learn the basics of folk dances, games and Lithuanian traditions and customs. Response to our Lithuanian language, movement and culture programs has been phenomenal because they welcome the Lithuanian population in our area to share their stories and history with their children, thus passing on their rich heritage to the next generation.
Lithuanian Folk Dancing for ages 6 to 10 year olds will be held on Saturdays starting January 14th from 2:00 to 3:00pm. To register for the class, call us at 630.696.4177.
Studija R may be heard at station 1080 AM or online at www.laikas.com. Special thanks to Raymond Lapas for his support.
from "Kim Steele on Being an Asian American Composer"
Published in the Korean magazine GUITARLAB December 2005
Featured Artist – Kimberly Steele
from "Kim Steele on Being an Asian American Composer"
Published in the Korean magazine GUITARLAB December 2005
I am half-Japanese, German and Irish. I am "hapa." The word hapa comes from Hawaiian slang, referring to a person of mixed descent. I started piano lessons at about age six, went on to play the Classical gitar, and have built a career as a piano teacher. The one thread that has run throughout my entire life is the will to create music. When I was a little girl, my sole desire for learning the piano was to express the melodies that were constantly crashing around my head.
Growing up in Chicago, I was heavily exposed to three style of music: American country-western, Chicago blues and Classical pieces that came from my training. From the beginning, I craved something I could not find in the styles of music I was exposed to. I found that the only way to make myself happy when composing was to combine, combine, combine. If making music was a recipe, I took one part popular song form and blended it with my favorite melodic shapes from Japanese and Chinese folk songs. I folded in the harmonies that dominate my mind and sprinkled is all with Classical orchestration borrowed from my training.
Songwriting with Kim Steele available Wednesday Evenings Beginning in January!!
