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Last updateFri, 13 Mar 2015 5pm

Ribera Arts Review - February 21, 2015

ECA in Chapala

A display, sale and demonstration of regional crafts, art and candies will be held on the Chapala malecon from Friday, February 20 through Sunday, February 22. Vendors will be selling clothing and fashion accessories, textiles, leather and decorative items, as well as original artwork. 

The exhibitors will be in place near the landmark ficus tree just outside the Beer Garden Restaurant from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. each day. 

Painting Guild

“Love is in the Air,” an exhibit by the members of the Lake Chapala Painting Guild, opened to an appreciative group of viewers on Saturday, February 14 in the Ajijic Cultural Center on the Ajijic Plaza. 

The paintings will remain on display in the gallery through Wednesday, February 25.

Naked Stage

The Naked Stage show “Baggage,” written by Sam Bobrick and directed by Russell Mack, runs from Friday, February 28 through Sunday, March 1 at the theater at Rio Bravo, 10A in Ajijic.  

Despite a disagreeable first encounter following a luggage mix up, two un-centered singles discover that their difficult personalities mesh together well. The cast features Bob Stupple, Neal Checkoway, Lynn Phelan and Patteye Simpson. 

The box office opens at 3:15 p.m. each day, with the show at 4 p.m. For reservations call This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Folk Dance Legend

The final of three performances of “Chicomoztoc: The Untold Legend” by the Ballet Son de Mexico will be held Sunday, February 22, noon at the Auditorio de la Ribera. Luis Guzman, founder and trainer of the San Juan Cosala folkloric dance troupe, has created a 40-minute recreation of the legend of the Aztecs. After the intermission, the Son de Mexico dancers will be back with the colorful dances of the states of Nayarit, Veracruz and Jalisco.

Tickets are available at Diane Pearl Colecciones, Yoly’s Unisex Salon and at the auditorium box office for 150 pesos. 

Next, the San Juan Cosala troupe heads for South America where they will participate in the Eighth Annual International Folklore Festival Mi Peru 2015. Events are scheduled from March 2 to 9 in Andahuaylas Pukllay, Peru, and then dancers from Mexico will perform with those from 12 other countries in Lima on March 11 to 15.

Carol Lopez

“Seen in La Manzanilla,” an exhibit featuring the work of Carol Lopez, a Canadian painter based in Vancouver and the Mexican coastal village of La Manzanilla, will open in the Ajijic studio of Efren Gonzalez on Saturday, February 21 and remain up until Friday, March 6. 

The Saskatchewan-born artist lived in other parts of Canada and the West Indies. Her extensive travels have led to art residencies in Hawaii, Bulgaria, Virginia, and Mexico, where she now spends the winters. 

To see more of the artist’s work, visit carollopez.com. Questions can be answered by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Sacred Art 

Commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Guadalajara and the 60th anniversary of the Virgin of Zapopan’s first visit to Lake Chapala, a dual exhibit of ancient and contemporary sacred art continues at Chapala’s Centro Cultural González Gallo through March 12. 

The center is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and until 2 p.m. on Sundays. 

ASA Presentation

Rick Present won Best of Show in the 2014 Annual Ajijic Society of the Arts Juried Show with his encaustic painting. 

Present left his job as a professor at the St. Cloud State University in 2003 so he could paint full time. He has exhibited locally in the Centro Cultural de Ajijic and Galeria Quattro. 

He will demonstrate encaustic painting during the Monday, March 2 ASA meeting at Restaurant La Bodega. The business meeting begins at 10 a.m. and Present’s program will start at 10:30 a.m. 

Encaustic painting is an ancient process which uses bees wax as the primary medium. Present began working with the medium about 10 years ago. Recently he began applying metallic pigments to the wax. “Mexico has a complex culture and history that is full of suffering, joy and mystery, says Present. “The wax medium that I use, like the culture in which I live, has magical surprises.

Ixtlahuacan Dancers

Award-winning folkloric dance troupe Folclorico Ixtlahuacan will take the stage of the Auditorio de la Ribera on Sunday, March 8, noon with a new program. Tickets at 150 pesos for the side seats and 200 pesos for the center section of the auditorium are available at the auditorium box office or at SuperLake. 

Provincia Flamenca

“Entre Cielo y el Suelo,” the flamenco show which debuted during Guanajuato’s 2014 Cervantino Festival, will be presented as part of La Provincia Flamenca on Friday, March 6, 7 p.m. at the Auditorio de la Ribera. 

The program will present the traditional music of Paco de Lucia and the movements of a renowned group of one Spanish and seven Mexican flamenco artists, hosted in Jalisco by Ale Gria and Gilberto Rios. 

Performing in the extravaganza will be singers Natalia Oñate and Manolo Martínez, flamenco guitarist Fernando Soto, dancers Carlos Ramírez and Ana Ilvi Rodríguez, electric bass player Ríos, drummer Laloc Vallejo and percussionist Álvaro Rubio. The event will conclude with a special number, “La Provincia Flamenca.”

Mexican literature

Zaida Cristina has announced a series of workshops (in Spanish) in the Cultural Collective El Quijote in Chapala.  Leading off the sessions is an introduction to literature and a literary workshop in which participants will share the joy and unlock the secrets of the art of the written word. No previous experience is required. The free course meets Mondays from 7 to 9 p.m.

The Mexican Literature sessions will review the authors and the styles of Mexican writing that are a large part of the country’s history. It is recommended that attendees know the basics of literature. Classes will meet on Wednesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. 

All classes are held at Morelos 171A in Chapala. For information and to sign up, call Cristina at (33) 1273-1110.

Poetry reception

Espiral Viajero, an anthology of poetry complied by Berónica Palacios Rojas and Dante A. Velázquez, will be feted during a cocktail reception in Jocotepec on Friday, February 27 at the Casa De Cultura. 

The book includes 20 travel tales penned by local, national and international authors. The first printing of the book was released in 2013 and it has been positively reviewed and well received. 

Poet and writer Palacios Rojas is the founder and director of the magazine, “Papalotzi.” She has compiled anthologies, seen her poetry books published and co-produced a 2013 poetic CD, “Bosque de silencios.” Velázquez, an architect and editor of “Papalotzi”, authored four books and compiled another poetry book before working joining Palacios Rojas on the “Espiral Viaje” and poetic CD. His work is in a number of poetry anthologies.