ASL Cabaret Brings Inspiration to the Vanguard Art Gallery

The Moreno Valley Cultural Arts Foundation brought and hosted another special event to the community: the American Sign Language (ASL) Cabaret. The Cabaret is a “huge hit” throughout the Los Angeles areas and this weekend they came all the way to Moreno Valley to perform at the Vanguard Art Gallery. This month’s theme for the performance is the “Little Shop of Horrors”. On Sunday, Oct. 18, all of the ASL performance artists showcased their talents in front of a myriad of community members at the Gallery located in the Stoneridge Towne Centre in Moreno Valley. “This is an incredible cast of talented deaf and ASL performers,” President of MVCAF Richard Archer shared. There were various performances which included singing, dancing, poetry, comedy, storytelling and more, in which incorporated ASL within the acts. “We are very excited to have brought the ASL Cabaret to the Vanguard," he added. "This is a great turn out, expecially since we only had about a week's notice." The inspirational show was separated into two different acts. The first act was put on by the professional cast in which they displayed a medley of inspirations from the Little Shop of Horrors. Act two was basically treated as an “Open Mic” session in which anyone was welcome to take the stage to perform anything of their choice as long as it incorporated “ASL” into the performance. Mona Jean Cedar took the stage to perform her poems that left the crowd in awe. Norman Gallapin was also an obvious crowd favorite as he performed "Dirty Diana" and "Beat It" by Michael Jackson. The talented Megg Rose performed "Girl on Fire" by Alicia Keys. Many other talented cast members and attendees took the stage, which made it a successful night for the ASL Cabaret and the Vanguard Art Gallery. Archer shared that this is the start of MVCAF program to bring communities together while putting an emphasis on deaf/hard-of-hearing, blind/visually impaired, physically disabled and mentally challenged. He added, “Moreno Valley is dedicated to making certain that our Vanguard Art Gallery welcomes everyone through visual, performance and literary arts. We want to celebrate the rich talents of our community and find common ground that unify rather than divide.” [END] The Moreno Valley Cultural Arts Foundation (MVCAF) plays host the ASL (American Sign Language) Cabaret showcasing the wonderful talents of ASL performance artists. ASL Cabaret will do their homage to “Little Shop of Horrors”. The performance is in two acts. Act One features the ASL Cabaret’s Legends/Professionals. Act Two is an open microphone format where anyone attending may provide a performance through any medium as long as it incorporates ASL; dance, poetry, music, video, and story‐telling. The event will be broadcast over the internet through live‐streaming. The introduction of ASL Cabaret is MVCAF’s debut of its Awareness Campaign at its Vanguard Art Gallery, located at the Stoneridge Towne Centre. MVCAF is committed towards nurturing a stronger community through the utilization of the arts to foster a greater appreciation and understanding. Richard Archer, President of MVCAF is working with Mona‐Jean Cedar, Art Director and Jo‐Ann Dean, Executive Director of ASL Cabaret, and Norman Galapin, ASL interpreter in developing a series of performances, events, workshops and classes featuring ASL. “MVCAF is dedicated to making certain that our Vanguard Art Gallery welcomes everyone through visual, performance and literary arts. We want to celebrate the rich talents of our community and find common ground that unify rather than divide.” Archer stated. “We are very excited to be able to bring the ASL Cabaret to the Vanguard. Anyone attending will be treated to an incredible event.” Door open at 4 PM and the performance begins at 5 PM. There is a nominal three dollar donation requested. Advance tickets can be purchased online at http://mvcaf.org/events.html. The Vanguard Art Gallery is located at the Main Street Plaza, 27120 Eucalyptus Avenue, Suite A, Moreno Valley, CA 92555. I have attached a press release from MVCAF regarding our ASL (American Sign Language) Cabaret this coming Sunday evening, October 18. This in an incredible cast of talented deaf and ASL performers. Act One is a medley of inspirations from the Little Shop of Horrors. Act One features the professional cast. Act Two is an open microphone where anyone can perform as long as it incorporates ASL into the performance. This is the start of MVCAF program to bring communities together with an emphasis on deaf/hard of hearing, blind/visually impaired, physically disabled and mentally challenged. The Vanguard Art Gallery welcomes everyone from all walks of life to showcase their various talents and to partake in our various events. In short, we want to be totally inclusive and bridge social gaps where they exist using the arts as a universal language to facilitate dialogues and understanding. The Cabaret on Sunday is the first in a number of events we are planning including ASL classes, social events and activities. We are also waiting on a grant opportunity that will subsidize low income and low-income disabled people so that they can participate in our various workshops in the future. As I told you, we have a lot of exciting things in the works! Please call me. I am hoping you can attend our event on Sunday. I also attached a photo for your use - it is from one of their performances in Los Angeles. --------------------- MVCAF Newsletter description: ASL Cabaret comes to the Vanguard for a very spirited performance using Little Shop of Horrors as its theme this month. The Cabaret is a huge hit in the Los Angeles/Ventura area and we are most fortunate to have these immensely talented performers come to our gallery in Moreno Valley. The First Act will be the ASL Cabaret troupe and the Second Act will be an open microphone format where anyone from the audience may perform as long as they incorporate ASL into their performance.