The Grand Rapids Public Library is kicking off the Summer Reading Challenge with a World Dance Party on Saturday, June 18, 2016 from 11 am to 1 pm at Rosa Parks Circle.
Taught by volunteer instructors, kids will learn a new multicultural dances every 15 minutes. Dance styles will include Zumba, Salsa, Bollywood, Hip Hop and Flamenco. Families can sign up for the Summer Reading Challenge, enjoy great music, food and meet new friends. The event is free and attendees can park in the Main Library’s parking lot for free and walk to the event.
The Grand Rapids Public Library will also host New York-based children’s musicians Sonia De Los Santos and Elena Moon Park for a series of concerts June 21 and 22. The duo performs folk and children’s songs in English, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin, Japanese, Tibetan and Taiwanese, exploring the stories and traditions behind the songs and discovering the common themes that tie us all together.
Sonia De Los Santos tours the world singing in English and Spanish, playing guitar, mandolin and jarana, and lighting up the stage with Grammy Award winning group Dan Zanes and Friends. In 2015 she released her first solo album “Mi Viaje: De Nuevo León to the New York Island” a collection of songs that reflect her experiences growing up in Mexico, moving to another country, learning about other cultures, and in the process, feeling closer to her own heritage.
Elena Moon Park is a musician and educator living in Brooklyn, NY. She manages programs for Bang on a Con’s Found Sound Nation and actively engages in outreach with youth arts groups across the United States. In 2012, Elena released “Rabbit Days and Dumplings,” an album for families featuring folk and children’s music from East Asia. She plays the fiddle, trumpet, mandolin and sings with Dan Zanes and Friends on stages worldwide.
The library hosts the Summer Reading Challenge to help stop summer reading loss. Studies show that children who read at least 900 minutes during the summer, or 20 minutes a day, maintain or grow their reading skills when they return to school in the fall. For a complete schedule of all Summer Reading Challenge events, visit www.grpl.org/summerreading or stop by any Grand Rapids Public Library location.
The World Dance Party will take place at Rosa Parks Circle on Saturday, June 18 from 11 am – 1 pm. Elena & Sonia: Songs from Latin America and East Asia will be held at five GRPL locations on Tuesday, June 21 and Wednesday, June 22. The events are free and open to the public. The Summer Reading Challenge runs through Labor Day, and challengers who complete the program win t-shirts and other prizes. For more information, call 616-988-5400 or visit our website at www.grpl.org/summerreading. The Summer Reading Challenge is funded by a grant from the Grand Rapids Public Library Foundation Meijer Endowment Fund. The Grand Rapids Public Library connects people to the transforming power of knowledge.
