NEWSLETTER: extend the leg

Peace & Love!

The Olympics are upon us and already they are in trouble. Gone are the days where safe passage is offered to contestants in the Games during a world wide truce. We have seen protesters launching themselves at the torch bearers, locals shoved out of their dwellings and trained how not to have a conversation with visitors, athletes denied visas at the last moment because of their political activity--where is the love of the human spirit? So very complicated, playing games. To be truthful, I could not believe that China was even allowed to host, but they are, so the Games should go on, in their true spirit. No, I"m not saying forget Tibet, forget about all the valleys that government has flooded with their hydraulic dam systems, forget the exceptionally polluted air, the persecution of Falun Gong members, the aiding and abetting of genocide in North Korea and Darfur--no, I am asking that we utilize the amazing energy generated when we humans congregate and use our ENTIRE bodies to think and experience the world to create the process and determination to end systems of domination, whether they be in China or stamped in the Patriot Act. The Olympics are the ultimate body-based performance. If you ever doubted that we are sacred creatures capable of acts of boundless determination, just tune in and git lifted.

Here at home, I am staging an olympics of sort on the sidewalks of Hollywood. Want to be a contestant? Write me back.

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, get your community on.

I must issue a mea culpa about last week's newsletter: I forgot the links for the mapped dance classes and the new Afrologics blog -- an archive of these newsletters. My bad. The heat got to me. BLOWIN' BACK THE FRO this weekend are late summer festivals and staple performers, think well stocked pantry!


TONIGHT!
SANTA MONICA PIER
Twilight Dance Series (which does not present dance shows) presents
Oliver Mtukudzi and Rocky Dawuni, AfroPop from Zimbabwe and Ghana
FREE, 7 - 10 PM
Finally there is something of afrological interest at the Santa Monica Pier. Actually, the Spanish Harlem Orchestra was of interest, but that was on a weekend where I just needed to get bodies to dance concerts! SO...free, beach, picnic, free, dance, beach crazy parking. Take the bus or park on the east side of town and ride a bike across. I am so serious. After being stranded after the Glow Festival, I do not have great trust in the transit system when it comes to crowds, that said, if you plan it right, you should be able to take a Wilshire bus across or take the Venice express bus 3/33 which will drop you right in front of the pier. That way, your contact high will not interfere with your driving. SPeaking of contact high, Toots & The Maytals close out the series on August 28th--it will be monster!

BARNSDAL PARK
4800 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90027
(between Edgemont and Vermont - free parking is first come, first serve)

Invertigo Dance Company, "Revelries & Reveries"
Thursday Aug 7th, Friday August 8th; Saturday August 16th, Wednesday August 20th
All dates are at 6:30 PM
Sarita Louise Moore sent me the heads up for this free event to "raise the curtain" on the Independent Shakespeare Company performance of Twelfth Night. She's in it! The Pre-show dance event that is. Go Sarita!

The event is FREE but you must MAKE RESERVATIONS with the Independent Shakespeare Company.
www.independentshakespeare.com
Outdoors next to the beautiful Hollyhock House
Bring a blanket and a picnic!


HIGHWAYS
1651 18th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404
SWEAT! A New Summer Dance Festival; $20/$15
Aug 8th - 9th, 8:30 PM PLEIADES
Aug 15 - 16th, 8:30 PM SPILL, SPLASH, and SPLENDOR
There is a dance festival on over on 18th Street! It's a small house, so tonight may already be sold out out, but it runs through the weekend.
Pleiades takes a spin on Hassan Christopher's Combustion: instead of 24 hours, these seven women dancer-choreographers had 7 days to put together a performance for you. Flora Weigman at curator-controls with Carol McDowell, Rae Shaolan Blum, Sarah White and some un-named astrids.

The second weekend is curated by a UCR MFA, Sue Roginski--yay!!!! New choreography by Alison Bory, Cynthia Lee, Rosie Trump and Sadie Weinberg. Not just solos!


ORANGE COUNTY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Segerstrom Hall, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
American Ballet Theatre "Rabbit & Rogues"
$105 - $25, August 6 - 10, 2008; 7:30 PM Wednesday -Friday; Saturday 2:00 & 7:30; Sunday 2:00
Last week I wrote about this one, well ABT is here in the OC with the West Coast Premiere of Twyla Tharpe's lastest piece. There may be some tickets left for tonight, but the run is quick, so who knows.


and coming up...

GRAND PERFORMANCES
August 8, 12 PM, FREE!
Jaipur Kawa Brass Band is gonna bring the funk for you, subcontinent stylee. I had my doubts from the description, but I listened to some tracks and found it very compelling. Too bad they are gigging at noon on a Friday. I'll need to leave Thursday night to make sure I get there on time.

but never fear, you can go shake it that night at

THE MUSIC CENTER
Friday, August 8th
directions to the Plaza
Dance Downtown presents ZYDECO! Featuring TLou and his Superhot Zydeco Band
Dance lessons begin at 6:30; the band takes the stage at 7:15 PM. Everything is FREE, limited space.


WORLD STAGE JAZZ FESTIVAL & BBQ
Leimert Park at the Fountain
4395 Leimert BLVD, Los Angeles, CA 90008
Sunday, August 10th, 10 AM; $20 in advance--includes tour and lunch
Now what tour you may wonder? LA Commons is doing a food tour of the city! This weekend they head to Leimert Park to taste authentic barbque. If I had not just come back from Mississippi, this would not be so funny to me, but let's just say, that my olympics dovetails nicely with this. The lovely and talented Maia brings out her vibraphone to gig with Jesse Sharpe around 2:30 PM as part of the actual Jazz festival. I think that the music & parking are free and the food is not. On the bill:
The Roy McCurdy Quartet, The Gathering with Jesse Sharps, Bobby Matos & his Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble, The George Harper Quartet featuring vocalist Karen Evans and Nate Morgan's Swingin 'N Exile. SHINE Mawusi, an all-female drum and dance ensemble,, under the direction of Rene Fisher, will share this star-studded bill. Gifted artists from the World Stage workshops will perform.


UNKNOWN THEATER
Fables du Theatre, a collaboration with Immanence Artists
August 15 - September 27th; Thursday - Saturdays @ 8 PM; Sundays @ 6 PM
"Sex. Death. Clown." this is how the event is described. This will be the season finale for the unknown, and I think we should turn out as thanks for their stellar dance season this year, and also to learn a thing or two;->


JAPAN AMERICA COMMUNITY CULTURAL CENTER PLAZA
244 S. San Pedro St., LA
Nisei Festival
Next Generation Remix Concert, FREE 6-7 PM "cultural", 7 - 10 PM "contemporary"
Here is one of those events that you just know will surprise you, so you best show up. Boasting everything from team hip hop dance crews to folksy alternative rock and some traditional dancetheater pieces, the Remix Concert has something for everyone, even if the premise is to become a viable market for transglobal entertainment industries--I'm not making that up. You can watch their promo video here and see for yourselves. Still, the show looks VERY interesting.

coming in September: Baker/Tarpanga Project at the Ford!!

AFRICAN DANCE WORKSHOPS
Okay! Le Bagatae is turning on more heat in Chicago, IL. Congo Camp is a wrap and so is the Denver, La Merveille. But don't hang up your lapa just yet. Still to come, a camp in Upstate New York in September--ahhhh foliage--and then Mama Nzinga Camara will host the annual African Dance Conference at Debbie Allen Dance Studio sometime in the fall as well, so be ready. Just to make you cry, I have posted the list of classes for Le Bagatae at the bottom of this e-mail...United just announced a sale. FYI.

SUMMER DANCE INTENSIVES
On deck next week for DANCEbank is Mira Kingsley, August 9th & 10th, 11 am - 2 pm
These classes will be held at Farmlab + Under Spring
1745 N. Spring Street #4, LA, CA 90012
directions on their website:
http://farmlab.org/2006/12/more-information-coming-soon.html



ONGOING CLASSES
Again, here is a link to a map I made. If you know of classes that are active and cool, let me know and I'll send you an invite to collaborate on the map. Likely, I'll make one for national African Dance Camps/Festivals.

LOVELY!
WOW! Ever get that feeling that something itsy bitsy in your life is about to become slightly unmanageable? Well I have that sensation more and more each week as I work to figure out the best way to bring this information together and out to you. I want to thank all of you for reading the newsletter and dropping me a line form time to time! If you have any suggestions about where it should migrate, let me know. For now, ning is the place, so join up on Afrologica because I am getting close to being evicted from my .mac account, lol!

Class will resume s o o n.

in love,
-Anna

Conference Schedule www.lebagatae.com

Dance

Thursday August 7, 2008

Youssouf Koumbassa (Guinea) 5:00 - 6:30pm

Djenaba Sako (Mali) 6:30 - 8:00pm

Idy Ciss (Senegal) 8:00 - 9:30pm

Friday August 8, 2008

Djenaba Sako (Mali) 5:00 - 6:30pm

Biza Sompa (Congo) 6:30 - 8:00pm

Marietou Camara (Guinea) 8:00 - 9:30pm

Saturday August 9, 2008

Youssouf Koumbassa (Guinea) 10:00 - 11:30am

Mariama Basse (Senegal) 11:30am - 1:00pm

Marietou Camara (Guinea) 2:00 - 3:30pm

Moustapha Bangoura (Guinea) 3:30 - 5:00pm

Sunday August 10, 2008

Biza Sompa (Congo) 10:00 - 11:30am

Mariama Basse (Senegal) 11:30am - 1:00pm

Idy Ciss (Senegal) 2:00 - 3:30pm

Moustapha Bangoura (Guinea) 3:30 - 5:00pm



Drum

Thursday August 7, 2008

Abdoul Doumbia (Mali) 5:00 - 6:30pm

Alysco Diabate (Dununs * Guinea) 6:30 - 8:00pm

Fode Moussa Camara (Guinea) 8:00 - 9:30pm

Friday August 8, 2008

Talla Faye (Senegal) 5:00 - 6:30pm

Marietou Camara (Women Dununs) 6:30 - 8:00pm

Fode Moussa Camara (Guinea) 8:00 - 9:30pm

Saturday August 9, 2008

Titos Sompa (Congo) 10:00 - 11:30am

Marietou Camara (Women Dununs) 11:30am - 1:00pm

Madou Dembele (Ivory Coast) 2:00 - 3:30pm

Bolokada Conde (Guinea) 3:30 - 5:00pm

Sunday August 10, 2008

Bolokada Conde (Guinea) 10:00 - 11:30am

Alysco Diabate (Dununs * Guinea) 11:30am - 1:00pm

Madou Dembele (Ivory Coast) 2:00 - 3:30pm