Community members did the samba just steps away from Oakland City Hall on Thursday during a recent dance class by MasFX Carnival Dance Experience.
MasFX Dance began in 2020 to cultivate spaces and performances that embrace cultural arts in the African Diaspora through the performance and celebration of Carnival. Founder Ezra Myles created an emphasis on the celebration and representation of Caribbean culture in the Bay Area community, and also aimed to empower and inspire individuals who don’t have formal dance training to find joy and passion in their movement.
Summer on the Plaza presented the free community dance workshop featuring the most iconic soca and samba steps from Trinidad and Brazil. Towering stilt dancers wandered the grounds and danced along with participants. After the workshop, there was a performance by MasFX, showcasing a portion of their 2024 Carnival Performance.
Oakland Central, an initiative of the Uptown Downtown Oakland Community Benefit Districts, was one of the sponsors of the event.
MasFX Carnival Dance Experience’s Ezra Bristow participates in a dance workshop at Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, August 29, 2024. Summer on the Plaza presented the free community event. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) MasFX Carnival Dance Experience instructor Nalah Love, right, leads a dance workshop at Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, August 29, 2024. Summer on the Plaza presented the free community event. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Daring Arts Movement stilt walkers Amy Rose, left, and Polly Bates perform at Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, August 29, 2024. Summer on the Plaza presented the free community event which included dance workshops by MasFX Carnival Dance Experience. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) MasFX Carnival Dance Experience instructor Nalah Love, right, leads a dance workshop at Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, August 29, 2024. Summer on the Plaza presented the free community event. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) MasFX Carnival Dance Experience instructor Nalah Love leads a dance workshop at Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, August 29, 2024. Summer on the Plaza presented the free community event. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) MasFX Carnival Dance Experience instructor Nalah Love, right, leads a dance workshop at Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, August 29, 2024. Summer on the Plaza presented the free community event. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Daring Arts Movement stilt walker Polly Bates performs at Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, August 29, 2024. Summer on the Plaza presented the free community event which included dance workshops by MasFX Carnival Dance Experience. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) MasFX Carnival Dance Experience’s Ezra Bristow, center, participates in a dance workshop at Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, August 29, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) MasFX Carnival Dance Experience instructor Nalah Love leads a dance workshop at Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, August 29, 2024. Summer on the Plaza presented the free community event. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Community members participate in a workshop lead by members of the MasFX Carnival Dance Experience at Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, August 29, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
