Celebrating the arts, the Earth and diversity

LONG BRANCH - - Zeybrah's 14th annual Oceans of Rhythm Festival will be held at Jerry Morgan Park and the Great Lawn in Long Branch Saturday, Sept. 8, as part of Long Branch Day.

This year's theme, "Bring to Earth a Little Bit of Heaven in 2007," uses music, drumming and dance to uplift the spirit. There will be a host of talent, local and international, young and old, with entertainment on two stages and a carnival procession.

The free festival will take place in two parts: Part I will begin at 3:30 p.m. with the first show at Jerry Morgan Park, Liberty Street between Broadway and Joline Avenue; Part II starting at 5 p.m. with a procession and second show at the Great Lawn at the beach near Cooper Avenue.

As the finale of Long Branch Day, the world beat music group Oceans of Rhythm Ensemble will feature Ileana Santamaria, daughter of the late Mongo Santamaria, internationally acclaimed Afro-Cuban jazz pioneer, who will dazzle the audience with a variety of musical styles, Afro-Cuban, jazz, hip hop and more.

Also on stage, the children's ensemble Grupo Iwa Dada, a long-time participant in the festival, will present "Swanita and Stories 07," a musical and theatrical sequel in the series "The Legend of Troutman's Creek," set in a mythological ancient Long Branch.

Following Yakar Roots and Rhythms, African Drummers and Dancers will perform dances from West Africa, their homeland. They will then lead a carnival-like procession of African masqueraders, stilt walkers and dancers that will culminate at the ocean.

Audience participation is encouraged and all are invited to join in or meet at the beach. The carnival-like procession will begin at Jerry Morgan Park and parade down Broadway to the Great Lawn and amphitheatre located a block from Cooper Avenue at Greeley Terrace and McKinley Street for more drumming and dancing.

Long Branch Day starts at 8:30 a.m. and will offer a variety of activities for the whole family, including bocce, horseshoe contests and a family walk. In case of rain, the festival will be held at the Bucky James Community Center on Wilbur Ray Blvd. a block from Jerry Morgan Park.

The city of Long Branch, through its Office of Community and Economic Development and its Department of Recreation, teams up with ZEYBRAH to sponsor this tribute to the community and ocean environment. Funding is also provided by the Monmouth County Arts Council.

This African/ Caribbean based festival is a celebration of the arts, the people and the environment, and aims to enrich the community through cultural expressions reflecting its diversity. ZEYBRAH is a nonprofit cultural organization that creates community arts projects and festivals and trains young artists. For more information, contact Basha Alperin @ (732) 290-0927.