Mahea Uchiyama Dance Center Celebrates 25th Anniversary Performance

One of the Bay Area's most respected and long-standing dance institutions--the Mahea Uchiyama Center for International Dance (MUCID)-will celebrate 25 years with world premiere performances of new hula, and ori Tahiti, as well as kathak, Zimbabwean, Middle Eastern and devotional whirling dance in a performance and open house this September. The evening will feature premieres of new dance works choreographed to original music from MUCID founder, artistic director and kumu hula Mahea Uchiyama's upcoming CD, Pasifika, a Tahitian dance suite performed by members of the MUCID halau and performances by guest artists.

Since Mahea Uchiyama founded MUCID in 1993, it has been known as the Center "where the world comes to dance." Her vision has provided a place where dancers of all abilities take part in multicultural dance experience through traditional training, lecture, demonstrations, performance opportunities and workshops with master teachers. The Center approaches dance as a manifestation of the human spirit, rather than merely a collection of movements, and artists are encouraged to explore and celebrate their cultural differences and common humanity.