THROWING A PARTY; FESTIVAL HELPS BRING DIVERSE L.A. COMMUNITIES TOGETHER.Byline: Leilani Albano Daily News Staff Writer Yoga masters, drum performances and Flamenco flamenco, Spanish music and dance typical of the Gypsy, or gitano. Flamenco dancing is characterized by colorful costumes, intense and erotic movements, stamping of the feet (zapateado), and clapping of the hands (palmada dancers shared the stage with the likes of blues artist Phoebe Phoebe, in astronomy Phoebe (fē`bē), in astronomy, one of the named moons, or natural satellites, of Saturn. Also known as Saturn IX (or S9), Phoebe is 137 mi (220 km) in diameter, orbits Saturn at a mean distance of 8,047,985 mi Snow and Motown singer Martha Reeves Martha Rose Reeves (born July 18, 1941) is an African-American Grammy Award winning R&B and soul singer and was the lead singer of the legendary Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas. of Martha and the Vandellas Martha and the Vandellas (known from 1967 to 1972 as Martha Reeves and the Vandellas) were one of the most successful groups in the Motown roster during the 1960s and was one of the label's most signature acts. over the weekend at one of the West Coast's most diverse community festivals. Thousands of people, from San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. to the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. , converged on the 18th annual Sunset Junction Festival for the only-in-L.A. gathering. ``I love it here,'' said Gary Lee Logan of West Hills, who participated in an afternoon dance contest. One of the organizers, John Brown, said the Sunset Junction Festival grew out of the eclectic mix of his neighborhood's burgeoning communities. With the idea of preserving good relations, Brown helped form the Sunset Junction Neighborhood Alliance to offset tensions among gang youth and Latino residents and gays and lesbians moving into Silver Lake, Echo Park and Los Feliz and setting up businesses in the area. ``At that time we felt we had to do something to prevent any misunderstandings about the gay community,'' Brown said. ``So we decided to throw a party,'' said Brown, who with gay and lesbian organizations put together the first Sunset Junction Festival in 1979. The neighborhood committee hoped relations would improve if everyone worked together and benefited from a common event. Since then, the festival, which ran throughout the weekend, has featured an all-night carnival in addition to an array of musical talents, home cooking and ethnic art displays. Proceeds from Sunset Junction will go toward a youth services program established by the alliance. As part of festival tradition, participants spontaneously danced to hip-hop and techno music, filling the makeshift dance floor with a mix of hipsters, children and their parents, as well as gay couples. The fair has continued throughout the years without major incidents. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos PHOTO (1) A member of the dance group Raks Majnoun practices before her performance Sunday at the Sunset Junction Festival held in Silver Lake. (2) The festival midway bustles with the Hollywood sign The Hollywood Sign is a famous landmark in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, spelling out the name of the area in 15.2 m (50 ft)[1] high white letters. in the distance. John McCoy/Daily News |
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