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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 4, 2008
Experience Hawaii with a twist at UF Cultural Plaza party Aug. 29
GAINESVILLE, Fla -- Celebrate the opening of Florida football season with hula lessons, a musical performance by legendary Hawaiian group Hapa and a night of dancing at the UF Cultural Plaza on Friday, Aug. 29. The Harn Museum of Art, University of Florida Performing Arts and the Florida Museum of Natural History will showcase Hawaiian culture in Florida style the night before the Gators take on the Warriors from the University of Hawaii.
The evening begins with “Hula at the Harn” at the Harn Museum of Art. Guests can dress in their Hawaiian attire and hula to the sounds of rhythmic island music. Enjoy light appetizers and fun photo opportunities while viewing the Harn’s exhibitions and collections from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The Camellia Court Café also will be open during this time and taking reservations for those planning to dine before the Hapa concert. For more information, call the Harn Museum, (352) 392-9826.
University of Florida Performing Arts presents Hapa at 7:30 p.m at the Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
“Often encapsulated as the ‘Sound of Maui,’ Hapa’s music evokes a place that many people at different times have referred to as heavenly,” said Barry Rivers, president of the Maui Film Festival.
Hapa’s music evokes the beauty and serenity of the islands through ‘oli’ (chant), ‘mele’ (song), the elegance of hula dance and the exciting sounds of virtuoso slack key guitar. The group’s self-titled debut CD, released in 1993, swept the 1994 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards (Hawaii’s equivalent of the Grammys), and has sold the most copies in the history of recorded Hawaiian music by a group or duo.
“Their performance in Gainesville promises to be just as exhilarating,” said Michael Blachly, director of the University of Florida Performing Arts.
The fun continues during “Club Aloha” after the concert from 9 p.m. to midnight at the Florida Museum of Natural History. Guests can enjoy cocktails and appetizers provided by Gators Dockside while dancing to the popular rhythms of a DJ. A cash bar will be open until 11:30 p.m. For more information call the Florida Museum, (352) 846-2000.
Tickets to “Hula at the Harn” and “Club Aloha” at the Florida Museum are $10 each at the door. Tickets for Hapa are $15-30 and may be purchased in advance or the night of the performance at the Phillips Center Box Office. To purchase tickets for Hapa call (352) 392-ARTS (2787) or within Florida, (800) 905-ARTS (2787). Tickets to Hapa are also available through Ticketmaster toll free, (800) 277-1700. TDD users can call the Florida Relay Service, (800) 955-8771. More information on all Florida Aloha events is available online, www.plazaparty.uff.ufl.edu.
Schedule
Friday, Aug. 29
5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
“Hula at the Harn” at the Harn Museum of Art
7:30 p.m.
Hapa at the Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
9 p.m. to midnight
“Club Aloha” at the Florida Museum of Natural History
Directions
The UF Cultural Plaza consists of three institutions, the Harn Museum of Art, Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, and Florida Museum of Natural History, and is located on the University of Florida campus near the intersection of Southwest 34th Street and Hull Road.
Driving Directions
>From I-75, take exit 384 and travel one mile east on State Road 24 (Archer Road). Turn north (left) on State Road 121 (SW 34th Street). Travel three-fourths of a mile to the third traffic signal. Turn east (right) on Hull Road. The entrance to the UF Cultural Plaza is on the south (right) side of Hull Road across from the Southwest Recreation Center.
>From U.S. 441, travel two miles west on State Road 24 (Archer Road). Turn north (right) on State Road 121 (SW 34th Street). Travel three-fourths of a mile to the third traffic signal. Turn east (right) on Hull Road. The entrance to the UF Cultural Plaza is on the south (right) side of Hull Road across from the Southwest Recreation Center.
Parking
UF Cultural Plaza parking during this event is free of charge. Parking is available in the main lot and garage.
Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art
The Harn Museum of Art at SW 34th St. and Hull Rd. is one of the largest university art museums in the country with nearly 7,000 works in its collection focusing on African, Asian, modern and contemporary art and photography. The museum enhances the activities of the University of Florida and serves a culturally diverse audience through educational programming. Admission is free. Museum hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Parking is free on weekends. The Camellia Court Café is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The museum and café are open until 9 p.m. Thursdays for Museum Nights during the UF Academic calendar due to the generous support of UF Student Government. For more information call 352-392-9826 or visit www.harn.ufl.edu
.Florida Museum of Natural History
The Florida Museum of Natural History is Florida’s state natural history museum, dedicated to understanding, preserving and interpreting biological diversity and cultural heritage. It is located near the intersection of Southwest 34th Street and Hull Road in the University of Florida Cultural Plaza in Gainesville. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Butterfly Rainforest admission is $8.50 for adults ($7.50 Fla. residents) and $4.50 for children ages 3-12. Prices are subject to change. For more information, including directions and parking, call 352-846-2000, or visit www.flmnh.ufl.edu.
University of Florida Performing Arts
University of Florida Performing Arts does more than entertain. It breaks down walls. It breaks down the walls between people by increasing cultural awareness through programming that attracts artists and audiences from around the globe. It breaks down the wall between patron and performer with educational programs such as master classes, artist residencies and pre- and post-performance discussions. It breaks down the wall between health and illness with AIM Together, a collaborative program between UFPA and Shands HealthCare that brings world-class performing artists to those who are hospitalized. It breaks down the wall between idea and realization by commissioning and nurturing new work. Art doesn’t have walls. But sometimes life does. UFPA breaks down the walls, enriching the lives of the citizens in the Heart of Florida, helping to make Gainesville “the No. 1 place to live.”
Media
contact:
Tami Wroath, Interim Director of Marketing and Public Relations
352.392.9826 x116
twroath@harn.ufl.edu
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