East Las Vegas cultural events to include films, music and drama

A variety of cultural offerings are on tap for east Las Vegas venues in the coming weeks, ranging from Mexican films to Bulgarian folk music.

Three films from the golden era of Mexican cinema are set for successive Thursdays at the East Las Vegas Community Senior Center, 250 N. Eastern Ave. Each will begin at 7 p.m. and will be followed by a discussion moderated by Javier Becerra of the Casa de La Cultura de Las Americas, or House of Culture of the Americas.

Thursday's film, "Cada Quien Su Vida," focuses on corruption and nightlife in a morality tale about women preying on men, corrupt policemen and a nightclub owner. As the seamy side of life is revealed, stars Ana Luisa Peluffo and Kitty de Hoyos begin to question their values.

"El Nino y el Muro" will be shown April 13. In the film, Dieter, a German boy in Berlin, becomes friends with Marta, a precocious neighbor child.

"Aventurera" concludes the series on April 20. One of the most popular movies in Mexican cinematic history, the story follows a dancer who reluctantly becomes a prostitute. When she falls in love with a man whose own past seems mysterious, her life changes.

The East Las Vegas Center also will screen after-school movies for younger viewers at 4 p.m. on the same Thursdays. This Thursday, the featured flick is "Young Black Stallion," which takes viewers on a ride through the North African desert. When a young and lost girl discovers a colt also wandering about, the two forge a bond that culminates in a race.

"James and the Giant Peach" will be screened on April 13, and the end of the series on April 20 will be marked by Dr. Seuss' "The Cat in the Hat."

From noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, the community/senior center will host the Easter Cultural Festival. The program, co-sponsored by the city's Leisure Services Department and Univision Radio, will include family activities, live entertainment, bilingual information booths and an appearance by the Easter Bunny.

From Friday through April 16, the Rainbow Company Youth Theatre's production of "I Never saw Another Butterfly" will be staged at the Reed Whipple Cultural Center, 821 Las Vegas Blvd. North.

Drawn from the writings of children who were Nazi prisoners at the Terezin ghetto in Czechoslovakia, the play is described as a testament to the human spirit. The set design is meant to involve the audience, said designer Kris Van Riper.

"The concept of the set design is an exhibit that the audience is encouraged to walk through prior to the show, and it then becomes the setting for the play," Van Riper said. "We have been very fortunate to have the aid of the kind members of Temple Beth Shalom and the Sperling Mack Kronberg Holocaust Library and Resource Center."

Show times are set for 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and April 13-15; and 2 p.m. Sunday and April 15-16. Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for teenagers and seniors, and $3 for children. They may be purchased at Reed Whipple or at the Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 S. Brush St. They also can be obtained by calling 229-6383.

Also, the World Music Concerts at the Winchester Cultural Center, 3130 S. McLeod Drive, will continue with a production of Bulgarian folk music at 2 p.m. April 15. Fiddle player Angel Gadzhev and his band of five musicians and a vocalist will bring music from their Balkan homeland to the valley. Tickets are $10 for adults, $7 for children and seniors.

Gadzhev, from Rakovski, Bulgaria, began his musical career as a child and joined the country's National Ensemble for Music and Dance in 1988.

Kay Tuma of KUNV-FM radio, who hosts the concert series, said she has been playing world music over the air for years.

"But hearing the music live is even better, and we certainly have the musicians to make that happen," she said.

A Spring Fling Teen Dance for students in grades 6-8 is set for 6:30 p.m. on April 28 at the Hollywood Recreation Center, 1650 S. Hollywood Blvd. Admission is $4. Entertainment will be provided by Pure Energy Productions with DJ Tony.