![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1771766406_137_JCWK-Dance-Lab-Regeneration-pic3-by-Brain-Mengini.jpg\")
The JCWK Dance Lab will present the Greater Reading Area Dance Exchange Festival. (Courtesy of JCWK Dance Lab)<\/p>\n
Led by Berks-County native Jessica Warchal-King, JCWK Dance Lab creates joy, connection, and wellness through story sharing and dance. The GRADE Festival showcases Berks County\u2019s diversity of styles \u2014 from ballet to bachata \u2014 and ages, with dancers from 18 to 88. The three-day experience coincides with America\u2019s 250 anniversary, utilizing dance to build community and support mental and physical health.<\/p>\n
Amanda Pena is a Flamenco dancer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am excited to be a part of an event that\u2019s going to showcase the talent, artistry, and passion for dance that exists in our community,\u201d Pena said. \u201cI hope that these performances will give the audience the opportunity to witness the healing power of dance and music, and inspire them to get involved in the dance community in Berks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Participating artists and organizations are all based in the Greater Reading area. In addition to Pena, they include Adam Kissinger, Albright College Dance Team; Alvernia University Dance Company; Alvernia University Dance Team; Barrio Alegria\/Grupo Airhani; Go Getter Movement Studioz; Helena Zahra; The Heritage Hotties (from The Heritage of Green Hills); Hooley School of Irish Dance; JCWK Dance Lab; Klassic Contemporary Ballet Company; Latin AF; Que Rico Latin Dance Company; Reading Rebelettes; Reading Royals Ice Angels; WH Dance Academy; and Xion Step and Dance Team.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m thrilled to see GRADE come to life because I know what dance means to this community,\u201d said Anthony Orozco, director of operations and communications for Barrio Alegria. \u201cMovement is healing, expression, and joy for our people. When we see dance, we see tradition or maybe something completely new. This festival and its art form connects us to each other but more importantly, it connects us to ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe GRADE Festival brings the community together through culture, music, and movement,\u201d said Crystal Carper, founder and director of Hooley School of Irish Dance. \u201cWe hope audiences walk away inspired, energized, and reminded of how powerful the arts can be in connecting people of all ages.\u201d<\/p>\n
Exhibits<\/p>\n
The Reading Public Museum, 500 Museum Road, presents Re-Discovering Native America: Stories in Motion with The Red Road Project, a compelling photo-docuseries on view through May 3.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1771766406_373_1_Sage-in-the-Colorado-River_High-res.jpg\")
The Red Road Project, \u201cSage in the Colorado River,\u201d 2014, a photograph on fine art giclee paper. (Courtesy of Bedford Gallery)<\/p>\n
This exhibition highlights inspiring stories of present-day Native American individuals and communities, providing a platform for them to share their past, present, and future in their own voices \u2014 a perspective too often excluded from the historical record.<\/p>\n
Featuring more than 90 color photographs and a video, Re-Discovering Native America explores contemporary narratives of Indigenous communities across the United States.<\/p>\n
This is a nationally traveling exhibition organized by Bedford Gallery at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, Calif.<\/p>\n
The exhibition is the result of more than a decade of work by multicultural artist duo\u00a0Danielle SeeWalker (Hunkpapa and Oglala Lakota)\u00a0and\u00a0Carlotta Cardana, founders of\u00a0The Red Road Project. Since 2013, the artists have documented Native stories that speak to themes of Language, Land Connection, Reservation Life, Urban Natives, Two Worlds, Activism, and Seventh Generation.<\/p>\n
Their intention is to redirect the narrative toward an accurate and insightful representation of contemporary Native America, while reclaiming language and stories lost to stereotypes and erasure.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis exhibition powerfully challenges longstanding stereotypes by centering the lived experiences of Indigenous people today.\u201d said curator Scott Schweigert. \u201cBy featuring over a decade of work by The Red Road Project, the museum invites our visitors to move beyond the historical lens and engage with the vibrant, evolving, and resilient voices of contemporary Indigenous communities.\u201d<\/p>\n
In February 2024,\u00a0The Red Road Project\u00a0conducted a residency in the Bay Area, gathering new photographs and stories of Indigenous communities based in Northern California. These works, alongside national stories collected since 2013, are featured in this installation at RPM.<\/p>\n
Through this ongoing series,\u00a0The Red Road Project\u00a0illustrates how Native American tribes and nations have endured and resisted centuries of cultural suppression, while powerfully expressing the resilience, revitalization, and continuity of Indigenous life today.<\/p>\n
Museum admission per day is $14 adults, 18-64; $8 children\/seniors\/college students (w\/ID); and free to members and children 3 years old and under. Currently enrolled Reading School District students and up to five accompanying guests receive free regular museum admission and free admission to public Neag Planetarium shows with proof of enrollment. The museum is open daily 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit online at www.readingpublicmuseum.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n About The Red Road Project:\u00a0Founded in 2013 by Danielle SeeWalker (Hunkpapa and Oglala Lakota) and Italian photographer Carlotta Cardana,\u00a0The Red Road Project\u00a0is an ongoing photo-documentary series dedicated to amplifying the voices of Native American individuals and communities who are enacting positive change and carrying cultural traditions forward for future generations.<\/p>\n Theater<\/p>\n