The eighth season of the El Paso Community Foundation Jewel Box Series at the Philanthropy Theatre concludes with a special Mother’s Day performance that brings together two local legacies from the world of belly dance.

Arabica, a timeless romance between music and dance, will be performed at 2:30 pm Sunday, May 12 in the Philanthropy Theatre in the Plaza Theatre Performing Arts Centre. General admission tickets are $15 at the Plaza Theatre Box Office, and $15 plus service charges at Ticketmaster.

Arabica features music by guitarist-violinist Doug Adamz and his band Light Rain and belly dance by Sisters of the Moon. Adamz was a vital part of El Paso’s thriving belly dance scene in the 1970s before he moved to the San Francisco area (he now lives in Las Cruces). Sisters of the Moon was a belly dance troupe in the 1970s, recently reformed by Leilainia Marcus and Kareesha Willow, whose mothers were part of the original group.

“Music transports us through timeless memories,” Leilainia said. “Although most audiences will not know the connection of Sisters of the Moon, Light Rain, and the city, the heart of the art impacted so many people in El Paso. Culture comes from the expression each member of a community collectively and unconsciously creates. By keeping the art of the community alive you keep the culture alive in true expression.”

The Jewel Box Series was created in partnership with El Paso Live in 2014 to host local performing artists and groups in that jewel box of a venue, the Philanthropy Theatre in the Plaza Theatre Performing Arts Centre. Applications for the 2024-2025 season open May 13 at epcf.org/jewelbox. The deadline to apply is July 26, 2024.