18 STREET ART CENTER & LA COMMONS

HOWLING AT THE SUN

Howling at the Sun brought to life the Tongva/Gabrielino myth of the Sun and the Coyote gambling with each other to determine whether the Earth will remain in balance with the Sun. The Sun and the Coyote were present in the form of two large puppets; each lead a procession of musicians and dancers whose arrival at 7 PM at Ocean and Colorado signaled the official start of Glow.  Following the opening ceremony the two groups relocated to their site on the shore north of the Pier.  A series of actions followed at their ceremonial ring on the beach with the public invited to join in the sing-off, followed by a drum circle and the eventual balancing of the Earth and Sun.

Son of an Urhobo tribal chieftain, Najite Agindotan (the Sun) is a master percussionist who, from a young age, performed with the Urhobo cultural music troupe under his father’s direction. They traveled throughout West and performed at national festivals in their native Nigeria. A fervent participant, Najite devoted himself to theater performance, traditional dancing and drumming. After relocating to Los Angeles, Najite immersed himself in the arts of the African Diaspora. His talent and reputation grew as he worked with jazz luminaries such as Horace Tapscott’s Pan-African People’s Arkestra, Billy Higgins and Jimmy & Jeannie Cheatham. He has been recognized with a Congressional Award for Cultural Excellence by Representative Diane Watson. He also received a NAACP Image Award as Best Musical Director for the stage play “Omalingwo.” He lives in Los Angeles. www.najite.estnyboer.com

Angel Luís Figueroa (Coyote) plays an innovative brand of percussion music that spans genres and styles from classical to jazz and pop. Educated at Loyola University in Chicago, (English), Santa Monica College (Music) and USC (Jazz Studies), Figueroa is currently a student of Afro-Cuban master Lázaro Galarraga. Figueroa is also Ensemble Director, Adjunct Assistant Professor and Private Instructor at the Jazz Studies Department for the Thornton School of Music of the University of Southern California. He is Founder/Executive Director of the PAWS Music Institute located in Mid City Los Angeles. He is currently leader of the Afro-Caribbean Experiment (ACE) group as well as Director of FLACO (the Free Los Angeles Creative Orchestra). www.angelfigueroa.com

Michael McCarty (Shaman Guide/Moon) is a multicultural storyteller of African, African-American and international folk tales who has traveled to many countries, including South Africa, Zimbabwe, India, China, Jamaica, Russia, Egypt, Indonesia, England, Malaysia, Korea, etc. His travels have reaped a harvest of tales that testify to the unity within the diversity of the human spirit. Among the many venues at which he has performed are the Getty Museum, Hammer Museum, Skirball Cultural Center, Chicago’s African Festival of the Arts, National Storytelling Festival and New Zealand’s Glistening Waters Festival of Storytelling. www.havemouthwillrunit.com