For the 40th anniversary of the Ethnic Dance Festival, 21 companies, all based in the Bay Area, will be presenting music and dance from Alaska, Bolivia, Cambodia, China, Cuba, India, Korea, Liberia, Mexico, Peru, the Philippines, Spain, Tahiti, the continental U.S., and Zimbabwe. Eight of those troupes are offering world premieres of work created especially for this milestone season. Julie Mushet, executive director of the event run by the nonprofit World Arts West, is thrilled that opening weekend will highlight Chuna McIntyre and the Nunamta Yup’ik Eskimo Singers and Dancers troupe he founded and directs. The artist, choreographer and performer, a native of Eek, Alaska, has long worked to preserve the art and culture of the Yup’ik people.

Penny Warner: ballet shoes m n w Code Busters! 6-7 p.m, Oct, 27, Children’s mystery writer Penny Warner, winner of the Agatha and Anthony awards for Best Juvenile Mystery, will teach children how to create and decipher a variety of secret codes, For kids ages 7-12, and registration is recommended by end of day Oct, 26, Movie Monday: 7-8:30 p.m, Nov, 24, Kids ages 5-11 are invited to watch a G- or PG-rated movie at the library, Free Homework Help: 4-6 p.m, Mondays and Wednesdays, Kids and teens can get homework help from teen volunteers, To become a tutor, call Lynne Noone at 925-646-5455..

Family and friends of the awardees and members of the community are invited to attend the free admission presentation and celebration of these two outstanding Pacificans. After the festivities, refreshments will be served. Pacificans Care, Pacifica’s community foundation, was created in 1982 to provide supplemental support to Pacifica Child Care and Senior Services; Pacifica Resource Center; and Pacifica Youth Services Bureau. Over the years, the foundation has contributed more than $716,000 to support specific needs of these core agencies including senior transportation services, meals-on-wheels programs, child safety programs, counseling services in schools, summer field trips for youngsters, and emergency funds for families in need. All contributions to Pacificans Care are tax-deductible.

Whose advice will Ellen DeGeneres take — her wife’s or her brother’s?, The comedian might be considering retirement from her wildly popular daytime talk show, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” but she is receiving conflicting advice from family, Her wife, Portia de Rossi, says it soon may be time to dance away into the sunset and pursue other interests, But her brother and fellow comedian Vance DeGeneres has been telling her to continue on with ballet shoes m n w the show, which Ellen has hosted since 2003..

“I will never forget it. … I wanted to cry,” she said. “It was one of those moments where I was like, ‘This is what I want.’ “. Madelyne would love to sing and dance on Broadway or perform with a national touring company, but she would be equally happy teaching theater or performing at the community theater level. “She’s one of those ‘it’ kids. You only come across a couple of those, maybe two or three, in your career, and she’s one of them,” choir teacher William Burkhead said. “She’s got the talent, she’s got the brains, she’s got the full package. On top of that, she’s not a raging diva about it.”.