Great Leap will give a free outdoor performance of “Cycles of Change,” a play celebrating the joys and challenges of bike riding, during CicLAvia on Sunday, Oct. 7, at MacArthur Park on the northeast corner of Seventh and Park View in Los Angeles, a short walk or even shorter bike ride from the Metro station.
Shows are at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m.
The piece was created in Great Leap’s “Collaboratory” workshops, which use theater exercises to draw oral histories from emerging artists and community members. Due to the success of performances at CicLAvia last spring, Great Leap was invited back to do this reprise. Cast members include Great Leap’s founder and artistic director, Nobuko Miyamoto, Associate Artistic Director Dan Kwong, Claire Day, Charlie McClung and Gabriel Tenorio.
In addition to the play, Great Leap will present live music by Quetzal at 12 p.m. Founded by rock guitarist Quetzal Flores, the group is an ensemble of highly talented musicians joined for the goal of creating good music that tells the social, cultural, political, and musical stories of people in struggle. Martha Gonzalez (lead singer, percussionist, and songwriter) calls it an “East L.A. Chicano rock group,” summing up its rootedness in the complex cultural currents of life in the barrio, its social activism, its strong feminist stance, and its rock-and-roll musical beginnings.
Watch Great Leap’s music video “Cycles of Change,” a collaboration between Miyamoto and Quetzal encouraging viewers to hop on a bicycle for a change toward healthy living and caring for the Earth. This funny video with a serious message stars Miyamoto as the heroine on two wheels and Martha Gonzalez as the busy urban professional mom who learns the virtues and joys of bike riding.
Throughout the day, Great Leap will be collecting videotaped “Bike Stories.” Visit the Great Leap table to record your own.
To view the video and for more information, visit www.greatleap.org.