Cultural Group – Third Monday of the Month – Vista room,Hillside
Monday, Nov. 21, 2022 - 1:00 PM
Walnut Creek,
If we can fix the technical problems, at around 2 PM, we will show the documentary The Heartbeat of Life followed by a Zoom meeting with cinematographer Giuseppe Malpasso.
The Heartbeat of Life
- Francesco, a Sicilian artisan drum maker, is following his dreams by making goatskin tambourines. The goat feeds on the earth, Francesco says, and returns to the earth in a new form; the drum. When Francesco creates an instrument, a true ritual is taking place, because he is giving back a voice to something that lived, died and then returns to life. He looks at the drums as children, all with different personalities. They must scatter. They need to go far away because they must learn to be on their own. Our lives vibrate to a primordial rhythm even before we have ears in the mother’s womb, that’s how we all are connected with the drum. Peppe, a percussionist and traditional music researcher, was first introduced to drums at age 10. His grandmother had drums hanging on the walls in her house. She would regularly take them down and start banging them with a technique all her own. Today, he teaches the Sicilian tambourine because he believes it to truly be an identity factor of Sicily, particularly Southern Italy . According to methods of the Sicilian Greek philosopher Empedocles, Peppe continues that method playing onomatopoeic sounds taking his cues from the ancient Sicilian dialect. His mission is to keep alive the link between these almost lost worlds.
The Italian Cultural Group is envisioned as a place where participants
can share their love of Italy and the Italian culture, Si parla
italiano, and English is spoken too!
This bilingual group encourages lively, informal conversations in
either language about anything Italian: food, music, travel, movies,
etc. Discussions will reflect the interests of attendees. Activities
could include games like Scrabble in Italian or Italian card games
like Scopa and Briscola.
Traditional Italian holidays will be celebrated. Bilingual newspapers
and magazines will be on hand to stimulate conversation. There could
even be a sing-along of favorite Italian songs. Since the Vista room
has a kitchen there is a possibility of a few cooking demonstrations.
This group is free and open to all residents and guests. It is not
necessary to be a member of the Italian-American Club to participate
in the Italian Cultural Group. The only requirement is an interest in
all things Italian. For more information about this group and all the
events of the Italian-American Club of Rossmoor, check out the website
www.ItalianAmericanClub.org or call Joe Casalaina at 1-925-482-0919.