NEWSLETTER: somersaults

Oh my! How are You?

The longest day and shortest night is upon us! What a perfect time to throw a party. School is out and nights are hot in most parts of the city, perfect for getting out and walking around a bit. But since this is SO. Cal, of course, we drive there first, then we get out and walk around! Take the bus if you can and enjoy some of the City's delicious free events. This weekend I'm back at Shakti's, so come party with me!


West African Dance with Anna Scott, 1:30- 3:30
Shakti's Elements, 717 Broadway @ Lincoln, Santa Monica.
$12 cash love offering; $10 if you ride the bus. children welcomed!

Best place to park is in the 7th ST public lot. 1st Two hours free!

Afrologic. Afrological. Afrologica. How big is your 'fro?
Multiple, fractal, improvisational, polemical but always moving with spirit and in the service of lifting it/us all up. That's the logic of the Afro.

The summer solstice is BLOWIN BACK THE 'FRO this weekend. A few events to marvel at the stars also caught my attention.


GRAND PERFORMANCES
If you like your groove thick, long and honeybuttah sweeet, you do not want to miss this FREE concert downtown tomorrow night! Fela Kuti's youngest son brings it like daddy, but knows he is his own man. Me and kiddies will be there, gettin our afrofunk on. Text WATA to 41411 on Friday night to find out where we are sitting and join us. Right now, if you are reading this on Thursday, you are missing Garth trinidad rippin up the 1s & 2s (turntables).

06/20 - 8:00 PM: Seun Kuti & Egypt 80


BRAUDE CENTER PLAZA
6262 Van Nuys Blvd. Van Nuys 91401
DanceCamera West: Videodanza
Saturday, June 21, 8 pm, 10 films, 70:00
FREE - bring blanket or lawn chairs
The Plaza is behind the Van Nuys City Hall street parking or underground
parking is located off of Sylvan St.

This lineup looks so interesting. Dancefilm from across Latin America--with a very strong Brazilian presences--are presented in this 70 minute show. Too bad I have a gig at the same time...


SANTA MONICA ART STUDIOS
3026 Airport AVE, Santa Monica, CA 90405; 310-397-7449

Kong Pao Carnival : Deliciously Uncivilized
June 21 - June 28, 2008 a series of completely invigorating unstable art makers and works!

Saturday, June 21 6 - 10 PM
Opening Reception Performance ART by Jeremy Hahn at 8:45 PM; followed by Lucent Dossier Circus Art
Jeremy has invited a boat load of us fellow crazy-makers to join in him creating an event. Please come and check us out! I'll be howling at the moon...

FARM LAB
is hosting a very interesting artist next week, and Meg Wolf would likely say "you should go."
Visiting from Berlin, Yuko Kaseki, is doing a 2-day workshop.
Participation in the workshop is limited, so make a reservation right away.
June 23,24 7:00-10 pm.
Butoh Dance Improvisation Workshop taught by: Yuko Kaseki
at Farmlab + Studio for Social Sculpture
1745 N. Spring Street #4, LA, CA 90012
$50 for both days 323-226-1158 or email: studioforsocialsculpture.ignite@gmail.com




REMINDERS:
SKIRBALL
2701 N. Sepulveda BLVD, LA, CA 90049
"Rammed Earth," Tere O'Connor Dance
Thu- Fri, June 26th & 27, 8PM; Sat June 28th 7 & 9 PM; Sun June 29th, 7 PM
$20, general; $18 members; $15 full time students
enter 99522 at on-line purchase and get %15 discount

THE UNKNOWN THEATER
Eleven Missing Days
Meg Wolfe/Show Box
with Faye Driscoll & Arianne Hoffman July 3 - 6; with Sam Kim and casebolt & smith July 10 -13th

JOHN ANSON FORD AMPHITHEATER
"The Gift on the Water"
Viver Brasil, July 5th

SANTA MONICA PIER
GLOW, dusk to dawn festival
July 19th



ONGOING CLASSES
Viver Brasil
The Water Series continues through September with an extravagant line up of guest teachers! Class packages are available. Dance Arts Academy, 8 PM. $15/class

Modern Roots with Sarita Moore @ Shakti's Elements a fusion of Modern,Yoga and Afridance!
Saturdays, 11-12:30, Shakti's Elements, 717 Broadway in Santa Monica (btw Lincoln & 7th)$12 or 4 classes for $40

Kimberly Mullen throws down at Electric Lodge at 10:30 AM every Saturday, don't sleep! Afro-Caribbean..

Shelby Williams and 27Juncture Dance has class at 8PM @ THE DANCER'S STUDIO
5772 W. PICO BLVD @ OGDEN!!! Afro-Brazilian and release technique

DANCEbank, Thursdays 7:00 - 9:00 at The Open Space, $10 for Bankers, $12 drop in
209 S. Garey St., 2nd Floor. LA, CA 90012
(3 blocks east of Alameda off 2nd St. Ample street parking is available!)
Mira Kingsley up this week! (Her class merges release-based phrase work with structured improvisations to create a wildly physical forum where an imaginative body can engage rigorous, personal investigation within a consciously communal setting.)Go to Meg Wolf's MySpace page to get on the list...

Christophe is offering a Roots Dance Class@ the Pacific Arts Center in Westwood. Tues @7:30-9:00.
pacificartscenter.com for address and info on other classes offered there.

And don't miss...
Anna Scott and my Afrologic West African Dance @ 1:30- 3:00 PM on Saturdays @ Shakti's Elements. Come get elevated and free, really. Sometimes a little structure is liberating.
717 Broadway in Santa Monica$12 drop in; $10 bus rider; $40 4 class series


PERFORMANCE OPP (this does not pay in money, but is flush with good vibes!)
Viver Brasil invites you to become a pre-show procession for Its 6th season at the Ford Amphitheatre on Saturday, July 5. This same processional will join them again on July 20 at 7am (yes a.m.) at the Glow Festival in Santa Monica to march down to Mama's hemline and dance on the beach! The final event in the Water Series will be the World Festival of Sacred Music on September 28 with "Honoring the Sea" preparation workshops prior to the event. Dates and location to be announced. Viver Brasil thanks Swing Brazil for the collaborative vibrations!! Let it FLOW!!!



AFROLOGICA
Thanks to those of you who have signed up! Look soon for a BEATIN" THE BUSH podcast with Pat Payne! We just went to the African American Museum, and found ourselves wondering, "what for?" You'll be able to listen to our discussion on Afrologica sometime on Friday. Become a member of my free on-line community, AFROLOGICA, to hear this and other madcap adventures. I love the 'net, but nothing beats hanging out at a show, or even making one! It is housed at www.ning.com, so you will need to sign up and sign in. Reviews, podcasts, YouTube recommendations, live calendar with eventual push to hand held device written by YOU and me...working smarter, not harder to connect artists and their audience.



LOVELY!

So normally, I sign off right here, but below you will find the beginning of my African Dance class Inventory. please help me out and tell me all about your favorite class! Best place to do that is either by friending me on Face Book, or joining up to Afrologica. Soak up the sun, but remember to kiss and thank the moon.

in love,
-Anna






African Dance Classes, an ongoing project

Why am I doing this? Well, I would love to be able to dance much more in the idiom of my first love, Senegalese/Mali dance. There has lately been a surge in Guinea classes around the US, driven mainly by drum masters coming to stage drum camps with very loyal students across the US. Here in LA, we have a gathering of drummers from all over the Songhai Empire, who drum for classes from just about any heritage. In addition to this, there is a group of very loyal African-American drummers and dancers who came into African Dance and Music through Olatunnji and early tours of Les Ballets Africain from Senegal. Needless to say, this makes for a very INTENSE 'community' of meaning makers. As someone who was trained in Oakland during the 1990s by a former Ballets Africain drummer and dancer, I am often intrigued by the shifts in emphasis in the body and rhythm as time marches on. So it is my goal to get to EVERYBODY"S dance class that I find, to learn more about how "African" dance resonates in Southern California. It is also my goal to get more of you to more of OUR classes. To receive, you have to give.

Lula Washington Studio
Lula employs Roshada to teach a teen class on Saturdays 3:30-4:30 . Lula also hosts on Tuesdays from 6:30 - 8 and Saturdays 4:30 Marieme Faye; live drumming can get a wee chaotic due to sheer number of drummers and breaks are not played for the students. LOTS of folks, highly competitive, very advanced. Not for beginners.

Your Neighborhood Studio
Niancho gives a class Wednesdays 7:30 - 9:00. I've never made this class because of my teaching schedule in Riverside. If you have been and are a regular, please let us know what the class is like. I do know that he is recently back form a visit home and has a big fan in the African Beat moderator.

Long Beach
I KNOW there are classes jumping off in Long Beach, but I am not finding a schedule. People to look for: Khaleah London (OMG can sustah DANCE!); Jeffrey (he goes to Senegal regularly); Nzinga Camara is on the faculty of CSULB as a lecturer. Cabrillo College hosts special workshops all the time--who is teaching there regularly?

Debbie Allen Dance Academy
So...their website is not the friendliest, but the studios are lovely. Currently Titus Fotso is no longer at DADA, but Nzinga Camara continues on Thursdays 7:45 - 9:15 PM. On Wednesdays a person by last name Mack is teaching 7:45 - 8:45. Mama Camara's class is very intense and advanced. I do not know much about the other class.

Dance Arts Academy
On Sundays 1 - 2:30 PM you can find a sauna-of-a-class taught by Aziz Faye. This is a Sabar class and is full of very loyal students, many who began dancing with Aziz. It's a party! But an advanced one at this point.


Shakti's Elements
This studio hosts my class, Saturday 1:30 - 3:30. I would have to say that the level of the class is open and it varies depending on who shows up as the class is more focused on instruction and learning. The goal is to learn and respect the dance-rhythms, express joy, and enjoy one another. Sarita Moore teaches a African dace fusion class earlier in the day at 11:0-12:30 that leans more towards a Caribbean style of movement.

SO, if you have info, especially on Pasadena and Long Beach, please let me know ASAP. Next installment I'll look in Fontana, San Bernadino and Riverside.