NEWSLETTER: breathing through the release

ALOHA!!

OK. I'll admit it, as have just about 60, 000 other people: the gLOW Festival was barely a flicker! That said, I just want to give thanks for the City of Santa Monica having the courage to offer an over night art festival to Southern California. They heard the message form the universe and responded. It is rare that an individual, let alone a civic entity, hears the universe and answers. So many thanks to them showing us just how high we have to take it when we invite everybody to our house!

I'm headed out of town back to Mississippi! I hope to post up some reports of dance and music Dirty South stylee while I'm gone, so send me those notices.

Afrologic. Afrological. Afrologica. How big is you '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--sign up, podcasts are dropping like gum drops out of small child's hand.

BLOWIN' BACK THE FRO this week is a local underground staple, a dance crew from up north, art from Down Under, and part two of the Redcat's New Original Festival. Thankfully, you won't need a pup tent to survive any of these.

OPENING TONIGHT
UNKNOWN THEATER
Lean To Productions San Francisco, "An Attic, An Exit"
Final weekend: Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm; Sunday at 6pm
"In this theatrical tour-de-force, Looney-tunes comedy meets magical realist mystery in a single room crammed full with riddles, levitation, baking supplies, and two meticulously explorative characters you will never forget."
$18 online at www.unknowntheater.com
$24 at the door or by phone (323) 466-7781
I am heading out to see this show tonight! I absolutely have fallen in love with this production collective and urge you to apply for their upcoming dance season. I think they are still taking applications.

I saw this show on Thursday and was VERY pleased. Usually, I spend a great deal of time thinking about how much I am paying per hour for the sitter when I go and see a show. I completely forgot that had kids. Go see this show. I actually would not call it looney-tunes as thy have above, it is somehow very French Butoh with feminist analysis of travel and situatedness, but it is superbly crafted, well honed, intricate, meticulous, and full of surprises.

ZANZIBAR
Afro Funké w/ Solsis Fashions!
1301 5th Street @ Arizona, Santa Monica, CA 90401
310.451.2221 / 21+ / $7; doors at 9 PM, fashion show at 10
www.zanzibarlive.com
www.myspace.com/afrofunke
www.rockydawuni.com/afrofunke.html
Time to shake that thang and get on the good foot. A weekly offering, Afro Funké has been around a number of years and tonight, one of us Afrologica members will present her work! Miss thang can certainly move, and her clothes are designed for maximum movement. Check out Stephanie Engel's fashions on MySpace.

REDCAT
Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater
631 W. 2nd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
NEW ORIGINAL WORKS FESTIVAL 2008
JULY 24-26: PROGRAM TWO
Week two of this home-grown festival kicks off tonight. Next Tuesday, another dubset hits the lobby of the REDCAT. Could they make you want to move downtown any more?

Tonight through Saturday features:

Lionel Popkin's "Your Hand/My Mouth"

Holly Johnston's "Politics of Intimacy"

Poor Dog Group's "Hey. hey, Man. Hey."

redcat.org/season/0708/dan/now2.php


HIGHWAYS
at the 18th Street Arts Center, 1651 18th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404
Dandelion Dance Theatre, "Testiculish"
Final weekend, Thursday - Saturday 8:30 PM; $20/$15 students
SO, um, I really thought about not even mentioning this work at all, but, and it is a BIG but, maybe a rump, this particular attempt at deconstructing male identity deserves an audience, because finally, a bunch of guys are publicly putting their mess out on the table, sifting through it and hoping to come up with more than, "cause my dick is bigger than yours." MOSTLY NUDITY.

and then hot on their tails...

GRAND PERFORMANCES
Delfos Danza Contemporánea
July 25 & July 26 2008, 8:00 PM
Lovely, aggressive, and athletic dance out of Mexico, for FREE. Get there EARLY because standing up to see a dance show just feels wrong. Unless of course, you are being spontaneously choreographed. Plus, the sight lines are horrific if you don't get the fold-out seats.

BARKER HANGAR
Santa Monica Art Studios
3026 Airport AVE, Santa Monica, 90405
Regina Wilson, contemporary Aboriginal Artist, one woman show
After my fabulous experience dancing for Jeremy Hahn for the art exhibit, "Kung Pao Carnival," I eagerly signed up for the mailing list. The invite for the opening to this event last week came too late to let you all know about it, but the show is still up and it looks to be rather spectacular. Only up until August 3rd, so hustle. This is the FIRST show EVER of aboriginal art in Southern California.

AFRICAN DANCE FESTIVALS
This weekend, Congolese Drum & Dance Workshop gets going in Pike, CA on July 25th while Le Bagatae in Chicago closes its early registration. Classes begin in Chi-town on August 7th and American just announced a mega fare sale, so go! Denver hosts Camp Merveilles with a decidedly Guinea line up, also starting on August 7th. A hot weekend getaway is planned in upstate New York by the Magbana Dance ensemble of NYC for September 12- 14, 2008. Another steamy line up of instructors! Early registration ends on August 15th. here in LA, Alumata is winding down, but you would not know it! Moustapha Bangoura (who runs Le Bagatae in Chi, btw) teaches Friday night at the Debbie Allen Dance Studios, note the change in location; plus there has been a delay on the final finale, as three professors will arrive later. This could be bad, but it is GOOD. There is so much happening this Friday, this gives you a chance to go and take class!

SUMMER INTENSIVES
DANCEBank is a GO! The schedule long and enticing, so go check it out on Meg Wolfe's MySpace Page.

Today is the deadline to get your applications into Regina Klenjoski to apply for her annual dance festival, SOLA. Hustle! Details on her website.

Show Box presents:
Saturdays in July - visiting guest artist series
July 26th: Modern Garage Movement (NYC) 10:30am-1:30pm
class costs $12, and will be held at Farmlab + Under Spring
1745 N. Spring Street #4, LA, CA 90012


You can map it!
ONGOING CLASSES
Guest teachers continue to light up the back studio at the Dance Arts Academy for Viver Brasil. Every Tuesday at 8 PM

Just added!
Viver has a new class at the Dance Garden in Atwater Village, Fridyas 6:30 - 7:30PM . This is one of the funkiest studios I have been in. Should be groovalicious! 3407 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039 (323) 660-4556 $15./single class

Sarita Moore is back in Ozone Park this week. The park is between 7th Avenue in Venice and Ozone ST in Santa Monica. Yeah, confusing. Do you know the Coffee joint on Rose at 7th?, well it is "behind" it by one block of alleys.

Rae Shaolan Blum is at Katnap with her intermediate/advanced modern (she got certificates y'all. don't sleep!)

All of these classes are mapped!

LOVELY!
GLOW festival's biggest disappointment was the lack of roving street performers. There are so many of you who could have shown up and blown people's hair back, I was actually saddened by your absence. The other big error was leaving the sideshow rides open. Who knew that parents would actually allow their tweens out until 2 AM?! Oh yeah, and not having enough art. It must have been tough to get the idea through the legal department. I wish I could write a more cogent review, but I could see most of what I went to see do to the crowds.

Everyday while I'm away, I hope to offer a moving meditation class at the church where I grew up. I"m really looking forward to it. So next issue, I'll post up on the 5 Rhythms work and the Dance as Prayer team, plus a few others that have caught my attention.


in love,
-Anna

if you would like to get this newsletter directly in your inbox, drop me a line to subscribe! otherwise, you will see this usually on Friday evening on the blog. it is delivered on Thursdays.

The "Yoga" effect

Lately, I've noticed an explosion of one hour dance classes.

One hour? What can you possibly do in one hour, other than warm up?

Well, if it were an audition, you could conceivably show the routine twice and cut over half the people in the room.

But if it were a yoga class, you could actually do an entire 21 poses. Well, an hour and 15 minutes.

But why model a dance class on a yoga class? They are rather distinct things.

It seems that the answer lies not in kinetic research, or physiology, or even some sort of wild psychological take on action and time. No, the answer can be found in the phrase, "market rate."

Here in LA, especially on the West Side, the explosion of Yoga studios and wellness spas has lead to a paradigm shift in the concept of time/space/place/body. It used to be understood that the body needed time to get warm, to get ready, to then move, and then to calm itself, or at least acknowledge the other bodies in the space. With Yoga classes designed more to maximize space to profit, classes of any movement genre have had to follow suit, or loose out all together.

Do I have a lot of research to back this up? Nope, I just have a hunch. And this is only part of the hunch. But it's a big part of it.

The spaces solely dedicated to Yoga would have been multi-use spaces 10 years back, giving the clientele an opportunity to get out of their comfort zone and try someone else's moves; or they would've been spaces held by a dance company, used primarily for their company classes, and rented out on occasion at rock bottom prices to fledgling companies or extremely interesting teachers/choreographers.

These days, there is a plethora of Yoga "techniques," leaving little room for dance classes, but additionally, these spaces are retrofitted to accommodate a movement practice that has no leaps, turns, or pivots: the floors suck, in dancer terms.

But we try to use these spaces, and find ourselves in pain, but still getting by so we think, because we are a bit safer ensconced in a yoga studio than trying to tough it out in a gorgeous, light-filled dance studio with a sprung wooden floor and, gasp, a shower...and a client base of production companies, movie studios, and TV choreographers.

This is the other part of the big hunch.

So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing with the Stars, Dance Wars, The Freshest Crew (or whatever inane name it has) have begun to exert a centrifugal force on dance space in the city. My brother used to dance for a cruise line, Royal Caribbean. To give you some idea of the type of money we are talking about here, they would fly in ALL cast members for ALL ships docking on West Coast, put them up at The Plaza near Park/LaBrea, and rehearse them for 2 - 3 weeks each cast, before shipping them off. When DWTS went mega, all of a sudden, the studio near their swank, but shared housing, became unavailable, opting to host the show.

Now if Royal Caribbean would rather give their dancers a bus pass and make them show up almost near Universal City Walk to rehearse, what are the chances that a dancer/choreographer trying to stay in the game and eat at the same time can get a studio space that reflects what she or he feels and represents through her/his dance?

This is a VERY big problem.

McYoga on one side, and wannabe stardom on the other, and then underneath, the Industrial market (commercials, infomercials, rehearsals for film musicals, music video shoot and rehearsals) and soon, there is very little space for dance that does not generate capital as its reason for being.

I propose that studios go back to charging a flat fee for monthly classes, rather than an hourly extraction of rent. Our labor attracts people to their space, and most of the time, our students become patrons of the yoga, Pilates, tai chi, or whatever. Moreover, since we carry all financial responsibility for advertising the class, it seems maniacal to pay an hourly rent.

Yes, this idea needs some more thought and some numbers, but with the current upswing of fantastic dance companies and choreographers in the Los Angeles area right now, a new paradigm is due: one that includes dancing in all its forms and styles.

Part two will examine DANCEBank and SHOWBOX a start points for the dance space revolution.

NEWSLETTER: swirl

Peace & Time Y'all,

It's a full moon full of energy to get on the One, if you so choose, or at least go out and enjoy yourself IMMENSELY. There is a vertiable SWIRL of activity in the City of Lost Angels, defying demographics, grant makers and rush hours alike. Get your hover crafts ready because there is a Ben and Jerry's-esque palette of artistic offerings this weekend and the next. Time to call the sitter, get in a car pool, and hit the city with eyes and hearts wide open.


Afrologics...afroism, afronaut, afrolicious, Afrologica...how big is your 'fro?


BLOWING BACK THE 'FRO
Well, the FESTIVAL of course! The Republic of Santa Monica brings an overnight festival to the US this weekend and the REDCAT brings back artist from its local season for a two weekend extravaganza, and most likely, a neighborhood near you is throwing their own shindig; go investigate!

TONIGHT:
REDCAT
Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater
631 W. 2nd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
http://www.redcat.org
NOW Festival 2008, Series One
BUY TWO TICKETS, GET THE THIRD FREE (deal available through the box office only - not the web).
213-237-2800 and this is with purchase of either series , into a mix n match

The bill is nicely streamlined, while still covering a lot of LA artsoup. This festival will remind why it is so important to go and see each other's work: it takes momentum to propel an object, and the same is true for art of any ilk. In addition to being your duty, attending this festival is just going to be fun. It's the REDCAT, darn it! They can produce an event! Go Hassan, Edgar and George!
Of Afrological interest: Baker & Tarpanga Dance Project is up TONIGHT with "Sira Kan/ON the Road." They are also appearing at the Ford in a bit.

Free beer tonight, if that appeals to you.
Baker & Tarpaga Dance Project: Sira Kan / On the Road
Performed by three captivating male dancer-musicians and directed by Olivier Tarpaga, Wilfried Souly and Esther Baker-Tarpaga, On the Road layers movement, music, and personal and oral histories as it journeys through the physical dangers and political realities of West African men seeking new opportunities across borders.
Cloud Eye Control: Final Space and Subterranean Heart
With an ingenious blend of projected animation, live theater and upbeat music, Cloud Eye Control generates hyper-live performances of technological fancy.
Theatre Movement Bazaar: Model Behavior
In Model Behavior, the acclaimed team of Tina Kronis and Richard Alger shred the story of Jekyll and Hyde into a collage of movement, theater and song that careens through cultural obsessions with mesmerism, CSI, the modeling industry, and more.


THE UNKNOWN THEATRE
1110 North Seward Street, LA, CA 90038
"An Attic, An Exit" Lean to Productions San Francisco
July 17 - 27, 2008 Thursday, Friday, Saturday @ 8 PM; Sunday @ 6PM
Free parking at Lexington and Seward
$18 online at www.unknowntheater.com
$24 at the door or by phone (323) 466-7781

I just went for the first time ever last weekend to see Meg's show, and I am LOVING the vibe of this production collective. The stage is a wee wacky in its relationship to the audience, but make no mistake, these folks LOVE them some dance. Street parking was easy on that Sunday, but I wonder how it is on Fridays: there are three other theatre spots within a one block radius. Definitely a part of town to watch.
Lean to Productions San Francisco slams into Hollywood like a meteor. Check out the press here. If I survive the GLOW Festival, I will go to this show on Sunday.

FORD AMPHITHEATRE
2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood, CA 90068
26th Los Angles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival: OUTFEST!
Started on Wednesday, but they go through July 20th
$18 each day at 8:30 PM, but the 20th, which includes award ceremony, is $30 and starts at 7:30 PM

Under the stars and a full moon, this should be a pretty amazing night of film for those celluloid junkies out there. Come early and picnic...and avoid the traffic trying to get to the Hollywood Bowl. Tickets here.

GRAND PERFORMANCES
300-350 S. Grand Avenue in the California Plaza
Parking $7.50, and precious...
Friday, July 18th, 8 PM
TCHEKA
My fav free concert series has an afrolicious afternoon of Cape Verdean music for you! This music verges on the easy-listening, but in classic Cabo Verde style, is infused with deep soul and will instill a longing for more tropical climes without all the hustle--yeah we got to hustle a bit too hard here to remember to enjoy the beauty of where we live, but we are letting that go, right? Bring your lunch.

TEMPLE BAR - SANTA MONICA, CA
July 18th, 10 PM; $12 in advance, $15 at the door which open at 9 PM
AFRO-FUNK FESTIVAL 2008!!
1026 Wilshire Blvd. 323-391-6611
SAMBADA with SILA & The Afrofunk Experience
Plus DJ Jeremiah & The Afrobeat Nation
http://www.templebarlive.com
Not much to say other than, SHAKE IT!

SANTA MONICA PIER
GLOW Festival
Perhaps the public event of the summer, the GLOW Festival runs from 7 pm Saturday July 19 to 7 AM July 20th and boasts an international exhibition of art and performance. It launches by a performance by SHINE at Palisades park. Then during the night, you want to make sure to check out TAGTOOL and Sasas with DUBLAB. Sunday morning the festival is closed by a procession by Viver Brasil, leaving from Palisades Park down to the ocean. You just can't miss this. Pack your white clothing in your day pack so you can help gift the event to Mother Sea and get your groove on with the fabulous Viver Brasil.

THE MUSIC CENTER
135 North Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-972-7211
Fly to the Sky
July 25th, 8 PM
OMIGAWD!! if you know me well, you know that I have this goal of going to Seoul and dancing for 48 hours traight through various funk, soul, and hip hop clubs. So here comes a duet almost to my door. This is one of those scooby-head double takes, but don't sleep! The Soul is alive and well in Korea, and has been since 5th Century BC, yup, BC suckas! This particular crew used to come harder back in 2006, but lately, they have been crooning like lovesick puppies. Not sure what to expect, but it is worth checking out.

THE JAZZ BAKERY
Talita, Jazz Vocalist with special guest Maia, hosted by Nia Long
3233 Helms Ave, Los Angeles, CA
July 27th, 4 PM; $25/$15 for students
A sultry afternoon of avant-garde black 'oman music. Maia is a MUST SEE. You can check out a video I posted on Afrologica of a composition of hers. You must call to reserve your spot. 310-291-9039. Goodness, I'm gonna need me a press pass soon, lol!


Mercy!!! That's a lot in the next two weeks! I have not even included all the visiting artists and dance camps...


AFRICAN DANCE CAMPS
Fareta is a wrap, but the season has just begun with Alumuta here in LA launched and ready to take us through the rest of the month; Brazilian Dance on the platter this weekend. The Nate Holden hosts Yassinanga right now, literally, for $7 at 7 PM. Congolese Drum and Dance Workshop starts next weekend in Pike, CA July 25 - Aug 3rd. I think you can still pay online. And Chicago is home to Le Bagatae's dance camp in August 7 - 10, a very intense line up of master dancers. If you were unable to get it together to join Viver Brail's tour to Bahia, here is some late-breaking news for you:

Afro-Brazilian Dance workshop with Dandha of SambaDa!!! Friday July 18th, 4:30 - 6:00 hosted by
The Blankinship Ballet in Venice, at the corner of Brooks and Main, 132 Brooks AVe, Venice, 90291. $15 gets you in the door, and then you need to rinse off and head to SambaDa's show at the Temple Bar. Dandha throw down Ilê Aiyê stylee, so the funk will definitely be in da house. Bring a towel to wipe your sweat...

Oakland just launched Its 2nd Annual African Diaspora Arts & Culture Day last night, Wednesday July 16! Events will continue through the 20th. Covering everything from dance to film, to theatre and performance art, programmers show why Oakland continues to be a Chocolate City. For more info, contact organizers: [a Caribelinq intiative...510-451-6100]

ONGOING CLASSES
Even while traveling, classes will continue on Tuesday night for Viver Brasil at the Dance Arts Academy at 8th & Wilshire in LA. The line up:
July 22 Gracy Ferreguetti- from San Diego, combining Afro-Brazilian dance and capoeira.
July 29 Vida Vierra spirited orixa movement and samba
August 5 Badaró!! Back by popular demand with his brand of orixa dance movement and samba reggae.
August 12 Samantha Goodman- elements of Silvestre and orixa dance movement.
August 19 Badaró
August 26 Dani Lunn- back from Bahia full of energy and new movement
Live music by Viver Brasil drummers, Badaró, Mario and Sandie and guests.
Dance Arts Academy, 731 S. La Brea Ave,. Los Angeles, CA 90036
8-9:30pm

Sarita Louise Moore has also moved on from Shakti's Elements and is offering her class in Ozone Park, donation based. Class begins on July 20th.

Shelby Williams is on a much deserved vacation.

Rae Shaolan Blum is holding it down on Mondays at Katnap with an intermediate/advanced Modern class.
7:30 - 9:30 PM, 12932 Venice BLVD (between Walgroove and Beethoven)
She danced beautifully in 11 Missing Days and her class has been recommended to me by Ilaan Mazzini. This one we need to get to. She is also offering a special workshop FIELD: Improvisation Workshop:
Where: Farmlab and Under Spring
1745 N. Spring Street #4 LA, CA 90012
near the chinatown stop on the goldline
When: 8/2 & 8/3 11am-2pm
Cost: $40- both days (encouraged); $25- single day
registration and payments are appreciated in advanced. Please send checks (payable to Meg Wolfe) to
1631 Barry Ave., #10 LA, CA 90025

LA Contemporary Dance is offering the following:
PILATES FOR DANCERS!!! Wednesday, July 16th at 5:45pm- 7:00pm
Diavalo Dance Space, 618 B Moulton Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90031
Are you interested in improving your core strength, flexibility, balance, turn out, leg extensions, foot/ankle strength and much more? Taught by LACDC company member and BASI certified Pilates instructor, Nichol Mason.
Come July 16th and take the class for only $8! Each additional class will be $15.
Please bring a mat if you have one or a towel. Therabands will be provided.
Please respond to Nichol Mason at nikida1163@yahoo.com to let us know if you will be attending.


The DANCEbank and SHOWBOX summer session courses are in full swing. The dance NInja, Meg Wolfe, continues to move us onward to our highest high. Go check out the schedule on her MySpace Page.

LOVELY!
The Watermelon Relay Race part one was very revealing! Just short of a full team, we managed to pull off a very amusing one hour of antics on Wilshire. Plans are in the work to do the full ethnic slur food olympics sometime in August on Hollywood BLVD. Video of our antics with the "time travel device" aka the watermelon, will be posted soon on YouTube. The NEST hosted by Pat Payne last Saturday was a real hoot. Please sign up at VISCERA on FaceBook to get details on how you can become a part of Pat Payne's NEST and work with me on future performance instigations through VISCERA. Meg Wolfe's show, "11 MIssing Days" was full, very very full. Unlike early work of hers which tends towards sparse staging and dense soundscapes, "11 Missing Days" was epic, and ultimately too large for the stage at The Unknown Theatre, which was shocking. It felt simultaneously too crowded and missing people! The themes were immense, and so was Rae Shaolan Blum's dancing. Jeremy Hahn needed some space to cut loose with his innate loveliness (I think he should play the femme fatale in the dress next time to see what happens). Mikki Delmonico surprised with her lust for performance, and her incredible abs (yikes!). The soundscape took up a lot of space, adding to the whir of images--both live and projected. Meg's solo was rapid and full of data, buzzing like those missing bees and already-dead divas. Perhaps in heels, it will take a different turn (Yes, I LOVE seeing Meg Wolfe in heels). All the makings of a masterwork are there. So Meg, can't wait to see the full, big blowout that this piece portends! Also on the bill, Caseboldt and Smith turned in a smoking, intense performance, though I was wondering what was gonna happen to the men on the floor. Meg's other guest punk rocked, leaving the 'fro stiff and a wee bored. A more complete review of these events and others will post at Afrologica just as soon as I manage to stop "relaxing" so hard. All in all, 11 Missing Days should be put up for a MAP grant so that our dear Dance Ninja can stop hustling so hard and deliver her masterpiece.

It's been great running into folks at shows! Let's stay connected. Send me your upcoming events! Missing you all dearly.

in love,
-Anna

NEWSLETTER: peanut butter jelly time!

HEY!!!

I wish the rain would just go ahead and come. The ultra gray mornings are making it hard to get up and get out. Luckily, there is much to do just around the house. Living almost in a kibbutz, as I do, it is esp. important during the summer to stay on top of the home front--the kids are just eating us alive. I can't front. We call to the trees in agony, "please help us! the small people are running amok, and it's 11:30 PM." Just whispering laughter from their leaves, and later, stillness as we groggily go for that 6:30 AM run/walk. Beautiful.

My dance class is still on hiatus, but I hear your pleas and I am not letting it go! Just resting and organizing some other things, as well as my abdominal muscles...


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.


How are you lovelies? Did you go swimming last weekend? If you missed the Big Blow Out Comb last Saturday at the Ford--yes, I am speaking of Viver Brasil's Gift on the Water--then you can read all about it in a raving review by Victoria Looseleaf in the LA Times. The fro was blown out, little afrosheen spritzed for good measure. The final piece made me cry. Co-choreographed by the whole team, the future is in the end. Shelby WIlliams kicked butt, as to be expected, but Rosalie Tucker turned in a beautiful surprise of a performance. The lighting made me forget I was outside. It is time for a Best of Viver Brasil soundtrack album. Seriously. Talk about some watershed moments. But that was not enough water, even though they took us through lagoons, oceans, estuaries, ponds, lakes and rivers; I had to go run around in one myself. TASKFORCE worked it, and the audience, as we visited 5 sites along the LA River on Sunday July 6th. My daughter and I followed the bus, getting to drive all the way back home for the first stop--dang it--but the looping was well worth it. Stephen Kolpowitz took it to the streets, the plazas, the parks, the rivers, and even the sewers that should be rivers to help the Friends of Los Angeles River show us where its really at. Alexandria Yalje was especially interesting to watch as the dancers traversed the ravines and slick surfaces of the concrete riverbed. There is likely a documentary in the works for this piece, so we'll look forward to seeing it in a year or so. What's up this weekend? Gotta get to Meg Wolf's show, 11 Missing Days fronted by local team, Caseboldt and Smith.

BLOWIN BACK THE 'FRO
11 Missing Days for sho nuff, but there is a new dance class in town that you should check out...at the Nate Holden Center! Perhaps there is a new venue in town for classes? Hmmmmm. Also, summer stages and dances under the stars heat up, the Glow Festival gets closer and a summer African Dance camp in LA, finally.


THE UNKNOWN THEATRE
1110 Seward Street Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 466-7781
11 Missing Days last weekend! $18 advance, $25 at the door
Thursday - Sat, 8 PM, Sunday 6 PM
This has been selling out, so hopefully you have your tickets; don't miss it. Film noir and dance collide as a woman seeks the last 11 days, finding...you in the audience we hope!


WILSHIRE BLVD, BETWEEN CLOVERDALE & LABREA
VISCERA instigates a
Watermelon Relay Race
12 noon July 11th, Friday
Come cheer the runners on and maybe get a slice of the good stuff. The first in a series of ethnic typed food olympics.

THE NEST
3025 Exposition PL, #2 LA, 90018
"bad as you wanna be, a salon"
Saturday July 12th, 8 PM - 1 AM
Drop by and tell Ms. Pat you love her. $10
This is a practically closed event, but I just got the go ahead to invite you all. Ms. Pat has curated a lovely evening of performance art and I am looking forward to participating. But she has one rule: the 2 degrees of separation: if you don't know 'em, don't bring 'em. So this invite is just for us afronauts, deal? It is her live/workspace, after all!
10 Fwy to CRENSHAW exit, SOUTH to RODEO, 1st LEFT (North) to DEGNAN, immediate LEFT into alley.
Ample street parking.

ACTORS' WORKOUT STUDIO
4735 Lankersheim BLVD, North Hollywood 91602
Cornucopia presents "STar of the Grab Bag"
Sunday July 13th 3:30 PM

An adult afternoon of storytelling and poetry, this session allows audience members who show at 3:!5 and put their name in the bag a shot at 5 minutes on stage. Ellen Switkes hosts this long-running event. Something to see!


REDCAT
NOW Festival July 17th - August 2, 3 programs, plus a dub event on Tuesdays
Whew wee! This will be a 9 act series full of mayhem and delight. Get your tickets! Edgar Miramontes sends this little gift of love:
"I am excited to announce a special offer to our exciting NOW FESTIVAL 2008 program: BUY TWO TIX, GET THE THIRD FREE - deal available through the box office only not the web. Call our box office at 213-237-2800.
Feel free to pass this along to all of your friends.
I look forward to seeing everyone at the NOW Festival 2008!"

Of special interest is The Baker/Tarpanga Project and Christina Wong. if you are looking for complete, "what the__?!" then you must check out the Poor Dog Group.

NATE HOLDEN CENTER
Friday, July 11th; Thursday July 17th, 7 - 8:30 PM
Kongo dance class for $7! Sounds very hot!
Yassinanga, DJ and dancer for Zap Mama, is doing LA. It appears that he will set up shop in Culver City. More details as I get them.

SUMMER INTENSIVES
Here comes the DanceBank summer intensive, accompanied by a workshop from the SHOWBOX, both Dance Ninja (aka Meg Wolfe) inventions. Please go to her MySpace page for many more details, esp. pricing as it varies by the number of classes purchased.

DANCE BANK
Sat/Sun 11am-2pm*:
8/2 & 8/3 - Rae Shao-Lan Blum (at Farmlab)
8/9 & 8/10 - Mira Kingsley (at Farmlab)
8/16 & 8/17 - Sara Wookey
8/23 & 8/24 - Olivier Tarpaga *(5-8pm on 8/24)
8/30 & 8/31 - Liz Casebolt & Joel Smith
Tuesday/Thursdays 11am-1pm:
8/5 & 8/7 - Simone Forti (at Farmlab)
8/12 & 8/14 – Liz Maxwell
8/19 & 8/21 - Rebecca Alson-Milkman
8/26 & 8/28 - Taisha Paggett

Thursday nights, 7-9pm:
8/14 - Hana van der Kolk
8/21 - Hana van der Kolk
8/28 - Meg Wolfe

SHOW BOX presents the July Guest Artist Series
July 5th: Faye Driscoll (NYC)
July 12th: Sam Kim (NYC)
July 19th: lean to productions - Leslie Seiters (San Diego) and Rachael Lincoln
July 26th: Modern Garage Movement (NYC)
These classes will be held from 11am-1pm, at
Farmlab and Under Spring
1745 N. Spring Street #4, LA, CA 90012
Phone: 323.226.1158

Handicapped Accessible
Free & plentiful street parking


AFRICAN DANCE FESTIVALS/CAMPS/WORKSHOPS

Fareta has closed early registration, but you can still get in on the action and even pay with Pay Pal. This camp is hosted by Youssef Koumbassa July 6 - 13 at Camp Hye Sierra, Dunlap CA and features an All-Star line up of dancers from Mali & Guinea, with a few reps from Senegal. Yousseff has such good energy, if you can, check this out.

OPENS TOMORROW!!!
Alamuta at the Lacy Studio Lofts (OMG, they look so beautiful) in LA, July 11 - Aug 3, is set to kick off coming soon to LA in July, tickets still available. The line up includes not just dances from West Africa, but throughout the African Diaspora. let's thank them for organizing this by turning up and paying in full in advance...

Travel north to the Congolese Dance and Drum Workshop hosted by the Kongo dance community of Oakland, CA. Not to be missed! Held in Pike, CA near Nevada City, this camp truly transports you to the essence of the musidance. Their children's camp is worth its weight in gold. July 25 - August 3rd, but you can purchase by the day!

Le Bagatae in Chicago has announced a summer dance festival, Won Na Won Malan, by the lake in beautiful South South Shore district. August 7 - 10; Pay before July 24th $195 buys all 12 classes, concert and camp t-shirt. THE LINE UP IS HOT!!!! I will upload the registration form in Afrologica as it came as a PDF file. Youssouf Koumbassa, Djenaba Sako, Biza Sompa--just to give you an idea. This will be fierce.

ROADTRIP!
RASANBLE! A Hatian dance camp in Oakland!!
July 11- 14th, in two locations so check out Rara Tou Limen's MySpace page for complete line-ups, fee schedules and events. You can also request info at raratoulimen@gmail.com

You can still travel to Salvador- Bahia, Brasil with Viver Brasil Aug 1 - 16! Just a few spots left. This is one of those relaxing, yet intense dance workshops. Linda Yudin and her staff have quite a time planned for you. $3395 includes double occupancy, all classes and airfare. This is a great way to go the Land of Magic if you have never been.


ONGOING CLASSES
section will be back next week after a foraging round. who is teaching what and where?! A lot of us are on summer break, but Viver Brasil is not!

Tuesday Nights @ Dance Arts Academy, on LaBrea between 8th and Wilshire, continue with a collaboration between Viver Brasil and the community! Make the series and you can participate in the GLOW festival on July 20th 6:30 AM...

And Mama Camara is back and holding it down at Debbie Allen Dance Academy. Her Thursday Night class is only 1 hour, but you'll likely need open heart surgery afterwards. Thursdays, 8 PM. Good, subtle drumming. Don't miss.



Lovely!
I hope to see some of you at the relay tomorrow. I will be running. Keep looking for my class to return. I miss you all!

in love,
-Anna

NEWSLETTER: zippity do dah day

ALAFIA!!! Ola!!! Hello and how do?

Bless that ocean, will ya? Not too hot, just enough breeze coming on shore, beautiful waves. This is why we lived so jammed packed out here on the West Side. But we often miss the adventure and thoroughly jagged edges of art in the City. So here's to the time disruption torn map known as "El Lay." This weekend there is no class as I get ready to hit the road and embark on a series of local projects. AFROLOGICS West African Dance Class will return, but in a different location and time.


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.


BLOWIN' BACK THE FRO
My goodness, there is a A LOT happening in these next 73 hours, so this edition of the newsletter will feel more like a dispatch, cause I'm tryin' to get one of the events tonight, so that I can make the rest over the weekend!

OPENING TONIGHT:
Task FORCE
11 Missing Days


Actually TaskForce has been dancing on/in water for a few days now, but they go on tonight in San Pedro. Last night they were at the OPEN SPACE. They continue through the weekend.

Meg Wolfe's "11 Missing Days" starts its first weekend at the Unknown Theatre. I think you can still book tickets right now to get the $18 price. It is $25 at the door.

THE BIG BLOW OUT COMB
Viver Brasil takes the stage on Saturday, July 5th at 8:30 PM. There are still tickets. So get some asap. I'll be there. Shall we meet?

So my recommendations:

STEPHAN KOPLOWITZ: TASKFORCE tonight
11 Missing Days on Friday
"Omi Odara/The Gift on the Water" Viver Brasil on Saturday
TASK FORCE Sunday Afternoon
11 Missing Days Sunday night

There is still the Hawai'ian Fourth of July right now at the Santa Monica Pier. It is free. They are planning on breaking a world Hula record. Show is underway.

You can do this!

UPCOMING:
July 11th on Wilshire BLVD, there will be watermelons...
July 12th at the NEST, Pat Payne hosts a salon, myspace.com/spunkyxipe


OKAY my dears, I must away. I've just been told that I must go take a master dance class, so no Task Force for me tonight.

There will be a dispatch with further show info...there are so many splendid things happening for children and families this weekend, too!

Look to the Dark for all the light you need...

in love,
-Anna