Dance the night away
Get your dancing shoes on and foxtrot over to Santa Maria Dance Days. The event is a series of dances to be held Nov. 14 to 16 at the Santa Maria Inn.
Dancers can sign up for a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday pass—or for all three days. Workshops include waltz, bolero, foxtrot, cha-cha, rumba, and more. Two dances will be held on Saturday night. The first will be a dinner and dance at the Santa Maria Inn, where both amateur and professional dancers will perform. The second dance will be held from 7:30 until 11:30 p.m. at the Kings Ballroom Dance Studio.
The Santa Maria Inn is offering special room rates for the event. Costs for the workshops and dances vary.
For a complete list of workshops, call 928-7015 or visit www.kingsdancestudio.com.
Photo exhibit shows heart
A traveling photo exhibit is putting a face to the many children in foster care—usually thought of in terms of numbers in a system.
Santa Barbara County Child Welfare Services is bringing the Heart Gallery—a traveling exhibition of portraits of foster children and foster/adoptive families from Santa Barbara County—to Santa Maria. The exhibit captures the spirit and personality of the children.
Taken by alumni of the Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara, the photos in the exhibition were created to help eliminate negative stigmas associated with foster care. The exhibition is also intended to raise awareness of the needs of Santa Barbara County foster children. A Heart Gallery reception will take place from 5 to 8:30 p.m. at the Santa Maria Juvenile Court House, 4585-B California Blvd., on Nov. 7. An open forum on foster care and adoption will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
The exhibit will then move to the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum at 705 S. McClelland St. in Santa Maria.
Organizers hope the portraits will ultimately assist in recruiting more foster and adoptive homes for children in foster care. The reception will feature appetizers, refreshments, and live music from guitarist Derroy.
Visit the Heart Gallery online at www.sbheartgallery.org.
Arts Briefs is compiled by Arts Editor Shelly Cone. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, e-mail, or mail.
