AN AMAZING 2025 FOR TIA POWER STORY HOUR WITH LOS MENTIROSOS
Tia Power Bilingual Story Hour - Dancing Reading Arte y GANAS!!!
Nacho Marx reads to the nibblings of Tia Power Story Hour
2025 was a year of transformation for Drag King Bilingual Storytime. In an effort to protect our DKBST nibblings during this very difficult time, Centro por la Justicia and Los MENtiroso decided to change their name to Tia Power Story Hour. They will still be highlighting their Dancing Reading Arte y Ganas, but now they have invited the Tias of Zombie Bazaar to join in the fun.
Tia Brenda reading to the audience, while Gustavo (Tia Emma) plays violin.
Tia Power kicked off their year during the YLO Summer Program where SirGio introduced the participants to artivism through movement, music and Drag. The YLO crew worked together to create a short theater piece that centered on Palestine and Gentrification. They worked on their own backdrop, props and collaborated with local singer/ songwriter, Alyson Alonzo, on composing a theme song. The week of writing exercises, dance breaks and drag really helped the YLO Crew bond and grow together to create really special art.
YLO at Jump-Start Performance Co.
On September 27th, Tia Power had it’s first installment at a Circulo de Las Abuelas Mercado. They hosted 2 free sessions where they had Swag Bags, Joyful Movement, and read books ‘A is for Activist’ and ‘Together’. Both are favorites among social justice parents and inspire them to teach children about speaking up and being in community. We saw many new faces and returning DKBST alumni. It was also fun to get the Abuelas, Abuelos and Abueles in on the fun and joyful movement!
The October 25th show, scheduled to feature the book Gustavo the Shy Ghost, was postponed due to rain. The rescheduling allowed the cast and crew to host the event at Jump-Start Performance Co and expand to a theatrical based reading including story reenactment, costuming and dance numbers. The Jump-Start is an amazing ally that always creates an inviting space for our youth programming like Drag King Bilingual Storytime, our SWU Kid’s Rave and the YLO theater artivism week, afore mentioned.
On December 13th, the Tia Power folks finally got the opportunity to share their bilingual theatrical version of Gustavo the Shy Ghost. The theater was filled with joy complete with a rainbow backdrop and tortilla moon! The nibblings were excited to unpack their swag bags and put on their monster masks. Together with the help of SirGio, everyone learned to cumbia! Tia Brenda and Nacho Marx narrated Gustavo’s (Played by Tia Emma) story. All the nibblings learned that it was ok to feel shy and what to do to help with those feelings. The show culminated with a dance party and meet and greet with the cast. The event and Tia Power season was successful in creating a space for youth of all ages to express themselves through movement and community storytelling.
The Tia Power Crew is excited and thankful to the community for their continued trust and support of this program. We look forward to making next year's season just as special as this one. Keep an eye on our website for information on next year's Tia Power Story Hour, with Dancing Reading Arte y Ganas!!!!
Tia Power Story Hour Logo by Emma Hernandez
