Microsoft Community Stage Show Biz Dance All Star Kung Fu Silly Ricky Jack Tuttle's Bluegrass Kids Marzieh Studio Kicks Qyeendom

Marzieh fell in love with belly dancing in her native country of Iran, where as a child she was fascinated by the famous dancer Jemileh. After moving to the United States in 1997 as a political refugee, Marzieh found a career as a pre-school teacher, but never lost her love of dancing. She now teaches belly dancing to children between the ages of 4 to 15 at schools located in the cities of Santa Clara, Mountain View, and Menlo Park. Don’t miss a performance of this exotic dance form with Marzieh, both alone and accompanied by her students, at this year’s festival. Richard Branden, owner and head coach of Studio Kicks Palo Alto is a six-time world champion in Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to as Kung Fu or Wushu. Training since 1976, Branden has a profound respect for martial arts and how it can significantly influence a person, especially children, in a positive way through focus, discipline, confidence and overall mental and physical fitness. He offers students a unique opportunity to learn this art in an encouraging and supportive environment which also challenges at all levels. Several of his students, ranging in age from 4 to 12, will be on hand to demonstrate their Kung Fu, and there will also be traditional Chinese lion dance, always a big hit. Qyeendom is a young lady on the move. At the tender age of 12 years old, she is exploding onto the music scene with her big voice, strong attitude and confident beat. She fell in love with rapping and writing her own lyrics at the age of 10 and would amaze friends and family by effortlessly reciting “Rapper’s Delight,” a full seven minutes long, without missing a beat. Now, two years later, Qyeendom has just finished recording her debut album and her first single, “I’m a Star,” is on the rise on the Clear Channel music charts. This talented musician is an inspiration for all, young and old.

Hip Hop 360 Master Kim's Demo Team Music Within Us Halau Na Wai Ola Il Teatro Calamari

The Little Gym’s non-competitive classes are designed to help kids develop motor skills while having a whole lot of fun. They offer a wide assortment of classes for kids aged four-months to 12 years, each with proven, age appropriate curriculum that builds coordination, rhythm, balance and flexibility. At the festival, the Little Gym will give parents and children a sample of their offering, including gymnastics, dance, sport skills, karate and cheerleading. Come see the kids from Hip Hop 360 put on their moves. This after-school program gives elementary and middle school students the opportunity to express themselves through various artistic avenues in hip hop, like urban art, dance, deejay-ing, and lyricism. The instructors bring the kids’ passion for hip hop and apply it to skills learned in school, like the importance of metaphor, similes and other writing techniques in both good rap and good writing. By connecting academic standards to the passion of hip hop, the program hopes to make kids see the relevance of what they are learning in school and encourage them to stick with their studies. Taekwondo is now an Olympic Sport and the national sport of the Korea, as well as being the most popular martial art in the world with more than 70,000,000 participants world wide. Master Kim’s Taekwondo demo team will be showing off this popular martial art at the Mountain View festival.  Grand Master Kim is a certified 9th degree black belt who has dedicated 50 years of his life to training and expanding the art and sport of Taekwondo. Over 2000 black belts have graduated under Grand Master Kim’s tutelage. The demo team is made up of 25 students ranging from 6 years to 18 years old, all extremely talented, disciplined and dedicated to the art of Taekwondo.

Dr. Lisa Chu, founder and executive director of Palo Alto’s Music Within Us, believes that all children have high potential for learning to play a musical instrument if exposed to the proper guidance and environment at an early age, and her young students are living proof of her ideals. This innovative music school teaches violin to students starting in preschool, using the program developed by Dr. Chu’s childhood teacher, Betty Haag-Kuhnke, in Chicago. This is no drop-in music class, but a long-term commitment of both child and parents to a musical learning program. The benefits are seen not only in musical ability and appreciation, but in life and learning skills. Experience the spirit of Aloha with the beautiful Hawaiian dancing of Cupertino’s Halau Na Wai Ola. The halau is under the direction of Kau`i Isa-Kahaku and has been in existence for more than 11 years. Halau Na Wai Ola participates in several competitions, festivals and community events throughout the year and has traveled as far as Italy to perform. Isa-Kahaku teaches both Ka Hula Kahiko (traditional hula) and Ka Hula ‘Auana (modern hula) to students, both male and female, ranging in age from three years to the kupuna (elders), as well as Tahitian dancing and drumming. Founded in 1995 as an international touring company by Emmy award winning puppeteer Tim Giugni, Il Teatro Calamari pursues theatrical excellence on the stage with productions that weave puppetry, mask and physical theater into whimsical and innovative theatre experiences for the entire family.

For the viewing pleasure and comfort of festivalgoers, the Microsoft Community Stage offers plentiful seating and the cool, shaded oasis of the tree-lined parking lot next to Wells Fargo Bank at Church and Castro Streets

Complete schedule below: