Friday Nights at OMCA with Esotérica Tropical
September 29, 2023 from 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Friday Nights at OMCA is the place to be for celebratory and meaningful things to see and be part of, with plenty of signature features including two streets packed with Off the Grid food trucks and the OMCA campus alive with music, dancing, late-night access to OMCA’s award-winning galleries of art, history, and science, special exhibitions with a Museum ticket, and more.
Friday Nights at OMCA with Esotérica Tropical Program
Joyful Sounds and Magical Movement!
Get your body going with a Cuban salsa class taught by Bay Area dancer mover and shaker Diana Aburto Vega. Cuban Salsa style is based in the original form of Salsa rooted in Cuba. It is characterized by Afro Cuban style body movement which includes body isolation and hip movement. In this class we briefly go through the basic movements and steps to apply these influences. Esotérica Tropical casts healing spells with a luminous and healing voice blending folk harp, Afro-Puerto Rican bomba rhythms, and electronics. Get your pulse pumping to DJ Father Taj in the 10th Street Amphitheater.
6—7 pm – Cuban Salsa Class with Diana Aburto Vega, Oak Street Plaza
6—8 pm – Into the Brightness Gallery Activation Hours, Great Hall
6:30—7:30 pm – Esotérica Tropical, OMCA Garden
6:30—8:30 pm – DJ Father Taj, 10th Street Amphitheater
About The Performers
Esotérica Tropical casts spells with a luminous voice and songs that invoke full-spectrum healing. Blending folk harp, Afro-Puerto Rican bomba rhythms, and electronics, her music is rooted in a continuous process of discovery and care where trauma is transformed into art. Esotérica Tropical’s songs are a soundtrack for liberatory practices and joyous moods– a space for ritual and ceremony through song and dance.
Boricua bruja Esotérica Tropical draws inspiration from over 20 years of experience as a healer including studying bodywork, and practicing traditional medicine and acupuncture.
“My songs come from a deep state of listening and meditation—a communion with nature, while at the river, the beach, or staring at a tree or the sky; or from a very emotive disposition, like the grief over my paternal grandmother’s death and the rage I feel from being a colonial subject. They help me remember my essence, the love and care that is available, the strength of my ancestors, and my own agency.”
Traveling from Santa Cruz California, DJ Father Taj is a disciple of the groove. His eclectic style evokes New York City Café’s as well as major all night parties. Beats for days this raver turned DJ is at home on any dancefloor. Father Taj spins music for your mind, your body, and your soul!
Accessibility
Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) is committed to providing programs that are accessible, welcoming, and inclusive of our community. Wheelchairs, sensory inclusive devices, and additional amenities are available for checkout on a first come, first served basis at the Ticketing Desk. To request other accommodations, like American Sign Language (ASL), Cantonese, Spanish or another language interpreter, please email [email protected] at least three weeks before the event. Learn more about our accessibility options.
About Friday Nights at OMCA with Off The Grid
Reconnect with family, friends, and community at OMCA every Friday night between April and October. These free events provide a gathering place to come together each week, including live music, hands-on activities, and Off the Grid food trucks. Take advantage of late-night access to our galleries and special exhibitions with a Museum ticket. Limited flat rate parking for Friday Nights is available in the OMCA Garage for $10.
As we enter the holiday season, Friday Nights at OMCA with Off the Grid will begin its seasonal break. The final Friday Nights at OMCA with OTG of 2023 will be October 27, 2023. Oakland’s favorite weekly block party will resume in April 2024.
Friday Nights at OMCA with Off the Grid is proudly supported by Bank of America.
