Museum of Performance + Design

Mission

The mission of the Museum of Performance + Design is to keep alive the unfolding history of the performing arts in the San Francisco Bay Area. We collect, preserve, and interpret materials on performance and theater design to support learning, appreciation, and creativity within a worldwide community of artists, researchers, and the general public

Featured Fun

THE AFRICAN AMERICAN PERFORMER ON THE SAN FRANCISCO STAGE

As part of San Francisco History Days 2020, MP+D is pleased to launch our new online exhibit, The African American Performer on the San Francisco Stage.

 

THE LATIN QUARTER: MACLOVIA RUIZ AND THE MISSING BEAT

On May 2, 2019 at the Brava Cabaret in San Francisco, the Museum of Performance + Design presented “The Latin Quarter: Maclovia Ruiz and the Missing Beat,” a one-act play written and directed by San Francisco Poet Laureate Emeritus Alejandro Murguía. Based on the Latino history of North Beach and the life of dancer Maclovia Ruiz, the play starred Caleb Cabrera as the tour guide and Claudia Deveze as Maclovia Ruiz. Originally created as part of MP+D’s Archive Live series, “The Latin Quarter” was inspired by the personal papers of Maclovia Ruiz and her Legacy Oral History archived at MP+D.

This production was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and Grants for the Arts.

SAN FRANCISCO ETHNIC DANCE FESTIVAL

Started in 1978, the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival is the first multicultural, city-sponsored ethnic dance festival in America. MP+D’s collection contains Festival recordings from 1985-2006. This recording is from the 1985 Festival and features folk dances from China, Mexico, and the Philippines.

June 13, 1985

Neva Dance ensemble (Russian/Moldavian) ;  Cruz Luna (Spanish) ; J’Ouvay Folk Performing Company (Afro-Caribbean) ; performed by Meomoea Polynesia Dance Theatre (Polynesian) ; Ballé-Saba Traditional West Afrikan Dance Company. For more detailed information on the performances featured on this recording, go here.

June 14, 1985

Red Thistle Dancers (Scottish) ; Lila Cai (Chinese).  Aztlan Dance Company of Sacramento (Mexican-American/Chicano) ; soloists, Rita Herandez, Juanita San Miguel ; Fua Dia congo (Congolese) ; Kalilang Kulintang Ensemble (Filipino) ; Theatre Flamenco of San Francisco (Spanish) For more detailed information on the performances featured on this recording, go here.