NJPAC Hosting Kwanzaa Celebrations this Week

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark is celebrating Kwanzaa with The Spirit of Kwanzaa, a performance incorporating tap, hip-hop and ballet produced  by IllStyle & Peace Productions. There will also be a  Kwanzaa Children’s Festival. Both are on Dec. 22. 

A Kwanzaa Marketplace, where patrons can pick up last-minute gifts, is open in NJPAC’s Prudential Hall lobby Dec. 21 and 22 as well..
 
Philadelphia’s high-octane Illstyle & Peace Productions celebrate The Spirit of Kwanzaa in NJPAC’s Victoria Theater on Saturday, Dec. 22 and 2pm and 5pm.  Their performance is a blend hip hop dance styles with tap, ballet, DJing and beat boxing. Founded in 2002 by Brandon “Peace” Albright, this multicultural troupe has toured to critical acclaim, both nationally and internationally.   Tickets are $22 for adults and $13 for children.
 
On Dec. 21 from 6pm  to 10pm. and Dec. 22 from noon to 10pm,  a Kwanzaa Marketplace will transform the Prudential Hall lobby into ashopping village filled with local vendors selling handmade jewelry, art, books, bath and body products, designer clothing, kente cloths, home furnishings and much more.
 
The Kwanzaa Children’s Festival, taking place in NJPAC’s Center for Arts Education, is host to numerous free  family activities happening on Saturday, Dec.  22 from noon to 5pm.  Activities include historical and cultural pride workshops, African  dance classes for all ages, a capoeira class and story rooms. A complete schedule can be found at http://bit.ly/YOG2t4.
 
NJPAC’s annual Kwanzaa Festival is made possible through the generosity of Leon and Toby Cooperman and by Verizon, Panasonic Corporation of North America, Merck Company Foundation, Discover Jersey Arts, and New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
 
All tickets are available by telephone at 1-888-GO-NJPAC (1-888-466-5722), at the NJPAC Box Office at One Center Street in downtown Newark, or at www.njpac.org.