Saratoga Village Certified Farmers Market: Local farmers with fresh fruit and produce, fresh fish, food specialties and handmade crafts from local artisans. Wednesdays, 2:30-7 p.m. Blaney Plaza, Saratoga Village. saratogachamber.org or 408-867-0753. The Book-Go-Round: The Friends of the Saratoga Libraries are looking for volunteers for their used bookstore, the Book-Go-Round, in downtown Saratoga. Easy work with a scheduled monthly commitment of 2½-3½ hours. Adults only. For more information, call Bobbi Stek, store manager, 408-868-0376.
No facet of belly dance is uncomplicated, and it’s entirely consonant with the style’s contested history that Jamila Salimpour created her school after she was forced to retire from the stage by her husband, “My father forbad my mother to dance after they were married and threatened to break both her legs if she ever stepped on stage again,” Suhaila says, “My father’s side of the family disowned me when I became a dancer.”, A quick recap of Jamila’s life offers a fascinating window into belly dance’s evolution in the United States, from orientalist tableaux to its manifold status as exotic immigrant art form, tribal fusion dance practice and self-actualizing body-positive pursuit, Born in New York to Sicilian immigrants, Jamila first experienced Arab culture secondhand from her father’s sequin - crystal iridescent iris white ballet flat slipper custom shoes tales of Egypt, Syria and Tunisia, lands he visited while serving in the Italian navy, Returning with records of classical Arab music, he often gave the family impromptu renditions of dance routines he saw during his travels..
After joining the Polish Resistance, Stallman was able to reach American forces in Western Germany and then find her way to the U.S. where she eventually found her way to the San Francisco Peninsula. She has worked and lived here ever since, first in Menlo Park, then Redwood City, and now Portola Valley. Professionally, Stallman started teaching physical education in Bay Area schools, eventually concentrating on gymnastics, and founding Menlo Park Gymnastics, which she led from 1962 to 1979. Free van service to the program is available for Menlo Park seniors and people with disabilities. For more information or to schedule transportation, call 650-330-2512 or email John Weaver, outreach coordinator, at: weaver@plsinfo.org.
Pear Avenue Theatre, “Quality of Life.” By Jane Anderson, Through Feb, 23, Directed by Ann Kuchins, Featuring Carolyn Ford Compton, Mary Price Moore, Gary Mosher and Ray Renati, 8 p.m, Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m, Sundays, Pear Avenue Theatre, 1220 Pear Ave., Mountain View, $10-$35 (discounts available), 650-254-1148 or gwww.thepear.org, TheatreWorks, ”Silent Sky.” By Lauren Gunderson, Through Feb, 9, Directed by Meredith McDonough, “The story of Henrietta Leavitt, an early 20th-century astronomer struggling for recognition in a man’s industry.” 7:30 p.m, Tuesdays, Wednesdays; 8 p.m, Thursdays-Saturdays; 2 p.m, Saturdays, Sundays; 7 p.m, Sundays, Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St., Mountain View, $19 (30 sequin - crystal iridescent iris white ballet flat slipper custom shoes and under)-$73 (savings available for educators and seniors), theatreworks.org or 650-463-1960..
“We’ve talked directly to the students about the racist proposals,” Principal Kristi Grasty said. “They cannot happen again.”. That message was reinforced throughout the school year, including prior to last fall’s homecoming and at a recent senior class meeting, Grasty said. Seniors who engage in inappropriate behavior could be banned from school activities, such as dances, beach day and even graduation. But Grasty stressed, “We want it clear; this is for everybody.”.