Experience the magic of Michoacan during the three-day Fiesta Purépecha going on this weekend at the Ajijic plaza. Holiday shoppers will find visiting vendors offering a great selection of fine crafts from 13 communities.
The event will also showcase “The Spirit of Michoacan,” a display of stunning large-format photographs by Jesus Alejandre.
Sample typical cuisine and catch presentations of traditional songs and folk dances while you’re there. Activities will be underway Friday, December 13 through Sunday, December 15, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Auditorium agenda
The Auditorio de la Ribera has a variety of great entertainment events to enjoy before it closes down for the holidays. Dates and programs scheduled for the coming week are:
• Sunday, December 15: Big Band Jazz GDL concert, noon, 150 pesos. Performance highlights will include hits popularized by Glenn Miller, Johnny Mercer, Shirley Bassey, Rodgers and Hart, Steve Pery, Yoko Kano and Alfred James Ellis.
• Wednesday, December 18: Orquesta Axixic Winter Concert, 7 p.m., 60 pesos for adults, children 30 pesos. Classical and Christmas music, including “Concerto No. 5 in A Major” by W.A. Mozart for violin and orchestra, with soloist Juan Pablo Medeles and songs by the newly formed Orquesta Axixic Choir, directed and accompanied by Rodrigo Leal Murillo.
• Thursday, December 19: Centro Regional de Estudios Musicales (CREM) Christmas concert, 7 p.m., 100 pesos, music students free. Program features CREM’s Victor Manuel Medeles Orchestra performing Grieg’s “Holbert Suite,” along with a variety of classical and holiday tunes by the school’s Children’s String Quartet, Children’s Orchestra and Chorus, and a special appearance by the University of Guadalajara student choir.
• Friday, December 20: Instituto Loyola’s “The Nutcracker,” shows at 5 and 6:30 p.m., 50 pesos. This colorful children’s theater version of the classic E.T.A. Hoffmann tale set to music from the Tchaikovsky ballet.
Christmas gifts
Art Gallery Studio 18 (Colon 18, Ajijic) hosts its “Great Christmas Gifts” exhibit on Saturday December 14, from 2-6 p.m. Buyers can browse and purchase seasonal items at outstanding prices, the gallery owners say. As well as beautiful paintings, photographs and sculptures, you will also find greeting cards, calendars and more.
Artists exhibiting in this show are Linda Dunn, Shirley Thayer, Betty Petersen, Paul Hart, Inak Gyesztor, Anta Bullock, Emily Allen, Oscos, Dona R.Johnson, Don Williams, José Velázquez, Victor Alcazar, Wende Mather, Krista Andersen, Kathy Fallon, Kim Tolleson and Cynthia Dubois.
For more information call (376) 766-3745 or visit Studio 18 Photography Gallery at www.facebook.com.
Chapala Cultural Center
The Centro Cultural Gonzalez Gallo, housed in Chapala’s old railway station, celebrates the holidays with a Festival Navideño programmed for Wednesday, December 18, 5 p.m. and a Christmas recital by the Orquesta Cantus Celsus set for Thursday, December 18, 6:30 p.m. Admission to both events is free of charge.
Naked Stage
The reading at the Naked Stage Theater on Friday, December 27; Saturday, December 28, and Sunday, December 29 is “The Voice of the Turtle” by John van Druten, directed by Jim Lloyd.
A romantic comedy set in New York during World War II, this charming and intelligent play highlights people who have made young and foolish relationship decisions but learn how to right those wrongs.
The play opened on December 8, 1943, at the Morosco Theater in New York and ran for 1,557 performances, making it the 50th longest-running show and the ninth longest-running play in Broadway history.
The Naked Stage is located at Rio Bravo 10A in Ajijic, about two blocks behind Daniel’s Restaurant. Daniel’s is open for lunch and dinner with a no-host bar available at 3 p.m. The box office opens at 3:15 p.m. and the shows start at 4 p.m.
Reservations guarantee a seat; email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call Michelle: 765-6408.
Members of the audience are invited to stay for a complimentary drink after the show to celebrate the holiday season.
Art collective
As reported three months ago, local sculptor Rainer has opened a new art and design studio on the Ajijic plaza. The studio’s three artists – Rainer, Camille Boeckmans from Belgium and Carol Nimr from France – have been busy these last few months designing furniture prototypes, with no less than four original coffee table concepts now available, together with models for interior and exterior house doors, sculptures, paintings and drawings. These, and 15 original drawings by Rainer, will be exhibited on three consecutive weekends from December 13, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The studio is located on the first floor at Paroquia 1A, next to Caja Musical on the Ajijic plaza.
For private showings at other times, call Rainer at 331-283-3206 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..