NEWSLETTER: "brake"dancing

How do?

Sometimes, I feel like a fish out of water, flopping on a very unforgiving surface, seeking fluidity. Right about now, I'm guessing that we are each having that sensation, off and on, as this month seems to drag us to the Fall. I mean a literal physical fall. Old ideas, old systems, markets, relationships, industries, art practices, social networks... just one BOOM after the other. Flop flop flop. As Sponge Bob says, "Air is not good, Patrick! Air is not good!" But hold on, yes it is says our inner contact improviser. It's all about displacement, a shifting that reveals how the body is staying aloft. I can mix me some metaphors! Yes, there has been a man behind a curtain, actually several of them. And they all thought that they were the Wiz. We know we did not elect ourselves a Wiz and when we sit down and go to our quiet places to find balance, we ain't lookin for no Wiz neither. Rather than go all tense, flopping around between one fiscal revelation and the next, let's just get in our center and find how we have to position our feet to hold our ground and be in our truth: we would rather spend 700 billion dollars for food, art making/production/touring, housing, education, 2 years paid home leave for each new mom, senior services, longer library hours, health care, green retrofits, improving our food supply by removing pesticides and unwanted genetically altered crops, having international cultural exchanges, paying off every one's credit card debt and shutting down the evil ones, buying back foreclosed homes and giving them back to the owners, making sure every curb has wheel chair access, every intersection a crosswalk, and having a big party once a season just to say "we love us!" I think there would still be money left. Maybe we're not flopping after all. Maybe we are using our fins to scuttle over a ridge, to a fairer, clearer source of sustenance.


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.


As is customary in times like these, artists have jumped up and decided to take, make and break microphones, stages, platforms, and anthems. Lot's to see, do, experience, and co-create! BLOWIN BACK DA 'FRO this week are festivals that shake your assumptions, gatherings that make you the artist, and rituals that focus intent.

OPENING TODAY
CALIFORNIA AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM
Black Chrome
September 25th 6-9 pm Opening Reception
Black people and motorcycles get a night of contemplation this evening. Choppers, drag bikes and side burns with lollipop afros abound this evening as this strip of the black underground gets some play. Stop by and greet new curator, Michele Elizabeth Lee. She is fabulous and an artist in her own right.


FORD AMPHITHEATRE, map
This place is AWESOME. Three events to just make you say, "Hey, give these folks reign over the budget crisis! They can stretch a dollar!"
Pacha Massive & Federico Aubele
Friday, September 26, 8 PM, tickets $30/20 and $12 for kids
might be sold out since KCRW is co-sponsor. Follow the link to more info and links to their music.
Fiesta Mexicana VI
Saturday, September 27, 2008, 7 PM; tickets $48/40, no discounts for kids
I happen to be teaching a course on the skirt and can't seem to find any articles on these incredible costumes. Can anybody help? Meanwhile, we'll just have to go to this annual extravanganza.
JUiCE HIP HOP FESTIVAL
Saturday Oct 4, 2008, 8 PM; tickets $25/$5 for kids and students
Hip Hop collegiate competition dance hits the main stage. I'll have some new cash by then, so maybe I'll go. Lots of tricks, stunts and synchronism, so if you old skool, you won't be feelin this at all. However, if you get moved watching the culture undulate like a shimmering river serpent, bumpin up against banks that you thought it could not possibly reach, then you MUST check this show out. one night only featuring Antics Performance, The Get Down Dolls, Lux Aeterna, Outer Circle and guests. Buy now! it will be packed with their crews who can all get in for $5...


18th STREET ARTS COMPLEX
1639 18th St., Santa Monica, CA 90404 | Phone 310.453.3711
ArtNight
Saturday September 27th, 6 - 9 PM; FREE
I will be here celebrating my birthday! September 30th, if you anna know. Yes, I should likely go to the Viva Mexico, but crazy artists are MY people! This evening is absolutely full of amazing and challenging work in various media, so check it out. Who knows where you can park though?

24th ANNUAL ABBOT KINNEY FESTIVAL
Abbot Kinney between Main and Venice
Sunday, September 28th, 10 AM - 6:30 PM; FREE, but food will cost a lot...
Yikes! Every year this is bigger. And I have to say, better. This year is no different with the festival going green, and they ain't just greenwashin either. There will be a bicycle valet station, instruction on how to make simple meaningful changes around your home to make your carbon footprint smaller, and a gourmet green chef station (although we could do without the "gourmet" part). 3 stages of music, one with Chris Pierce, lovely lovely music. Lots for the kids to do, and great crafts to take home. I live VERY close, so if you are coming, drop me a line. TAKE THE BUS, #33 or 333 up Venice. You will thank me later.


GRAND AVENUE FESTIVAL
Between Temple and Fifth Street
Sunday September 28th, 11 AM - 5 PM
If I did not live on the opposite side of the universe, I would be here. This festival takes up several square blocks in downtown LA, offering not just stages with music, but street performances, open galleries and music hall and several do-it-yourself art stations. To get into the Disney Hall and other venues (REDCAT, MOCHA, Colburn School, Music Center, Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion) you will need a ticket, but they are free on a first come, first served basis, so arrive early! Of special interest @ 2 & 3:30 in the Walt Disney Concert Hall, daKAH Hip Hop Orchestra will play. This is a HUGE festival; wear your walking shoes. And please, take the bus or subway to the event.


Please check out the picks for the Sacred Music Festival, String Theory and ANATTA. You can also go to their website to see what they are pushing.

And as if there is not enough happening on Sunday...
SANTA MONICA BEACH @ THE END OF OCEAN PARK BLVD
Honoring the Sea: Closing Ceremony for The Festival of Sacred Music
3 PM - Sundown (6:41PM), FREE
Three HUNDRED artists will descend upon the beach with their admirers and friends to say good bye to the wondrous Festival of Sacred Music, but they will do it by providing an awakening of the spirit. If you feel called to help heal the waters--in the ocean but also encased within your skin--please come down to the beach after a bit of festival frolicking. I will be there with Viver Brasil and Swing Brasil, lifting up the vibration of Yemanjá, the Candomblé goddess of motherhood, peace & the sea. If you love all things Brazilian, please wear white and come to our tent to chill with us. You will not be able to make the presentation, but we would love people holding the space. Bring white flowers to say thank you to Big Momma. Many other traditions will be there as well, including DAFRA and the Agape International Choir and the First Nation.


Looking for something mentioned last week? Check the archives.


HIGHWAYS
1651 18th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404
Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema
Friday October 3rd & Saturday October 4th 8 PM @ 8:30
This looks like a blow out of an evening! If you love dance films, screen dance, and projections WITH live performance, can't miss this. Since no place seems to be listing the names and Cari Ann Shim SHam sent them to me, here goes. I hope you get as excited as I was!
Maria Gillespie, Kristy Tully, Cari Ann Shim Sham, Kyle Ruddick, Christine Suarez, Mary Kite, Caren McCaleb, Mariel Louise Mc Ewan, Jia Jia Wu, Dani Beauchamp, David Rousseve, Roberta Shaw, Kim Olson, Michelle Ellsworth, Hamel Bloom, Nicole Seiler, Gideon Obarzanek, Edwina Throsby, Jessica Damon, Carrie Noel, Rachael Lincoln, Robert Prowse, Andrea Pass, Ana Baer

DIAVOLO DANCE SPACE
616 Moulton Ave, Los Angeles, CA
Peep Hole|People by LACDC
Friday October 17th-18th, 8 PM, 19th @ 5 PM; 24th, 25th @ 8 PM, 26th @ 5 pm
An evening of repertory work and new choreographies. I'll have more as we get closer.

THE RED MERMADE
2814 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291
Asphalt Sea
Saturday, October 18th 8 PM to midnight-ish
VISCERA presents a night of performance lurking, motel crashing and urban partying. Our invited guests are preparing site specific pieces for dry docked boat, parking lot, alley and stairwell. You won't want to miss our Granny Off. Save the date and some money to put in our hat. More details to follow...


WONG FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST continues and is a HIT! Don't miss it. Get tickets here.


ONGOING CLASSES AND SPECIAL WORKSHOPS
Well, I need to put Diavolo on the class map for AFROLOGICS. But don't miss out on Meg Wolfe's map of ALL studio spaces in the city. She put that together herself and now finally has some interns rockin the casbah with her.

RIGHT NOW: LA Contemporary Dance Company has a master class at Diavalo until 9 PM featuring Paulo Alcedo, a former student of the inimitable Rosangela Silvestre.

Also, Hannah Vander Kolk offers Hippy Hip Hop for everyone right now at the Open Space, 7 - 9 PM

On Sunday Sept. 28th from Noon - 2 PM, LADC hosts Mecca Vazie Andrews as guest instructor at Diavolo

Then just limp on over to the Open Space for Liquid Pop Open Dance Jam led by Alexandra Yalje. This edition is offered by Bulletyme while Ms. Yalje performs in NYC! 2:30 - 4 PM, $11 You will get your sweat on

Kinky Stretch with Gregory Barnett, described as "an all-level performance/movement class based in conviction and universal acceptance (rather than traditional techniques or years of practice). It should be fun, if you're willing to commit yourself to the understanding that when it comes down to it we're all gods and idiots simultaneously." begins 7:30 - 9 PM, THURSDAYS, The Open Space beginning OCT 9th. $10

DADA's African Dance Conference is nearly upon us. Get your tickets on-line. October 1st - 5th, it jumps off!

There's a big Haitian event with workshop coming to Occidental College in November, courtesy of Elizabeth Chin! Save the first week of November for some hot, contemporary Haitian dance. Concert on the 7th. more details to come.


LOVELY!
Well, it's earlier than last week. Improvement! Other than boosting local artists (and myself occasionally) I have not run any ads in this newsletter. I did want to mention not a product, or event, or restaurant, but, a process. Not one of those cult-inducing ones either, so don't worry. So you've tried, tried, and tried again, and things are not moving/changing/clarifying the way you want: stop and check in with your mini-false-mantras. You know, "i'm so broke," or "i can't stand that, " or "i just don't have time," or "i'm just not ever gonna get any better than this, " or... Yes, right now, we are kinda in a group false mantra that seems to switch up on us everyday, "Obama can never win because he's black, " or "i don't understand what's going on on Wall Street, " or "Sara Pallin is ___" Where attention goes energy flows and if you'd like to develop skills to harness your inner power and drive your attention towards the world you want, check out Huna with Kala. I have to say, I'm not a fan of how the website looks, and sometimes, her voice can get to me, but the work is really great and she is living it with great love. I've done it, and I was VERY pleased with the results. Here is a link to tonight's free session, so you can learn one of the skill sets! And no, it's not about materialism. It's about being the change in a focused and loving way. And that's something we all need of each other right now.

Don't forget: make a monthly donation to your favorite arts organization and/or public school. Every little bit helps.

in love,
-Anna

NEWSLETTER: twists, spirals, & pivots oh my!

ALAFAIA!

Sending you all calming love and light as we weather some serious storms! Goodness! I just want to know: where did "they" get 86 BILLION dollars and the arts can't even get a serious national fund from which to beg money? And how will the clean up of Ike be covered with that money floating off into bankrupt financial companies? What agency will fund dispossessed homeowners who now likely will not even be able to vote in November? Yes, we make and consume art in this economic reality. It is the material condition within which we work. It determines so much, that we often miss it. Like, for example, the rise of hour long dance classes and 3 hour long anti-classes. In one hour, a consumer can feel like they have done something without getting bogged down in the complicated details of how the class will probably not bail them out of their fat bodies, but rather a systematic approach to shifting eating, sleeping and working habits in addition to that precious one hour (multiplying it by 3 times) would do the trick; in effect they need to regulate. On the other end of the spectrum, classes that can best be described as "Gatherings" endure for 2, sometimes 3 hours without so much as one correction on alignment, one tasty tidbit about finding your center (although often the metaphorical center will be invoked). "Students" roam free, dance with abandonment and likely hurt in unimaginable places once the ecstacy, I mean joy, has drained from their system. Hmmm. Me thinks that this financial market thing is not unusual or out of the blue. It seems like we have been living this moment for some time, completely denying and accepting our predicament simultaneously: we desire the stability that an inhumane work ethic brings but want to live in the moment, at specific times. Yikes. Last week I felt the need to tell you to hold to the credits, this week I feel compelled to say the wheel of history has rolled back around, but this time, it is not a repeat. However, it will likely be by the seat of our pants.

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.

BLOWIN BACK DA FRO this week are the facts: everybody is trying to get their house in order, cleaned up, cleared out and ready to go for the soul-stix, I mean equinox. Y'all missed a lovely end/beginning with itch on Tuesday--get your subscription--and dancer types gathered last Sunday to chart a course. Other facts that actually got my ears a wee singed is the collapse of goodwill in the name of international cooperation. As you know, I work with Viver Brasil on their board and they just had a horrific time trying to get a visa application read, just read, even after expedition, to bring the lovely Dona Cici here for the Festival of Sacred Music. Yes, sacred. The facts are, that art and politics have long ago collided, but now you REALLY know, and will ACT accordingly. SO get out there and bring the big bag of love with ya (yeah, i'm preachin)


Lots of openings and one time gigs tomorrow/today! Start it off with a trip to the park.
PARK(ING) DAYLA
Friday, Sept. 19th
Yes! It is here! I plan to go and have tea in a number of these sites. Likely, I will make it after school gets out to downtown, but I will start in the AM in Santa Monica. Join me, e-mail afrologic@gmail.com if you plan to go to either of those spots or text WATA to 41411 for updates on my location. Check Park(ing) DayLA's live map for possible impromptu parks near you!


FORD AMPHITHEATRE
Backhausdance
Friday Sept 19th, 8:30 PM; $25/$5
I did not mention this group last week...but they will dance on grass! What a perfect way to end a day of strolling through park(ing)s. Tickets almost gone, allegedly.


MUSIC CENTER
Dance Downtown
September 19th, 7 PM FREE
Now if you end up downtown for the tea party, likely we will go dance disco at 7 PM, for FREE. Kiddies welcomed, so this might be where I end up. DISCO! Last one of the season, first come first served.

MILES MEMORIAL PLAYHOUSE
1130 Lincoln Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90403
Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
September 19-October 5, 2008
Fri-Sat at 8:30pm / Sun at 3pm; $30 for opening night/ $20 general, discount for groups of 5+

Finally, I have ticket info! Good grief, good thing I delayed sending this as ticket info has changed. Well, the show is about craziness, so this is the pre-quel. She got a "go see" from Flava PIll, so watch out now! It opens tonight to sparkling cider fanfare! I am waiting for their Obama Fundraiser on the 21st--all proceeds to the O.


DIAVOLO LAB
6188 Moulton, Los Angeles
LA Contemporary Dance presents an Open Rehearsal
Friday, Sept 19th, 8 - 11 PM
It's a showing, wait it's a cocktail party. Don't you love that word? Cocktail, hmm, goes good with dance. Not sure, but a $20 donation is requested and you can do your best LA chic/slouch fashion statement, or bust out a vintage cocktail gown or smoking jacket. That'll teach them! Show up and help them get the Fall season off to a solid financial start.
Take a sneak peek at a rehearsal for our upcoming October repertory concert with original choreography by Kate Hutter and Kevin Williamson, while of course while enjoying an open bar courtesy of LACDC!

$20 suggested donation, reservations required, 323-883-1948. Free parking!



Looking for something mentioned last week? Check over in the archives.



PHYLLIS STEIN GALLERY
207 W. 5th Avenue @ Spring ST
Saturday, Sept 20th, 7 - 10 PM, FREE?
Artist in Residence Performance/Happy Hour
Come meet Mecca Vazzie Andrews and Sara Paul Occampo as thy host with Phyllis Movement Movement, VUM and Big Swell. Music, performance, drinks, art, a fine evening.

18th STREET ARTS COMPLEX
SOMA FEST is just about over. Classes are a wee pricey, but with anywhere from 3 -5 years for certification in these intricate techniques, we understand the price schedule. Tonight, check out...
HIGHWAYS PERFORMANCE SPACE
1651 18th Street, Santa MOnica, CA
Friday, Sept. 19th - Sunday 21st, $20 gen/$15 student DRC discount
"conscious embodiment in performance" (um, i hope you don't phone it in when on stage, but maybe they mean, nothing repetitive without thinking), a show featuring: Christie Svane, Kirk Andrews, Lionel Popkin (go Lionel, cause he uses his name), Jamie McHugh, Stefanie Cohen, Craig Ng, and Teri Carter, the hostess with the mostess. Show repeats with different cast on Saturday night, both at 8 PM; then Sunday at 3 pm.

THE OPEN SPACE
209 S. Garey ST, Los Angeles, 90012
One Step Ahead Fundraiser
Saturday, doors at 7:30, show at 9 PM,; $15 suggested donation
Marissa Labog wants you to come out and shake it! She just launched One Step Ahead, a hip hop nation exploration and has invited Rodney Mason of Rome & Jewels fame to come and share the space as the raise the roof and the company. Check it out.


ELECTRIC LODGE
1416 Electric Avenue, Venice
MAX 10, featuring Simone Forti and Rae Shaolan Blum performing "icebergs"
September 28th, Saturday, $20 at the door as this is a fundraiser for the full season

If you've ever been to an Anatomy Riot and wondered, "whose grandma is that?" you should go see her dance! Simone Forti is grandma to all of us; and the coolest type: the one who knows just how foolish and crazy you really are so she eggs you on, knowing you will stumble across something wonderful that she can't wait to see. Forget candy in a purse! Every time I see her, I am just filled with gratitude. This past Tuesday at the itch launch party, she blew us away with her writing as well. There are so few true Elders willing to walk among us, don't miss the opportunity to see one do her thang. And Rae can D A N C E, so you don't want to miss the young thang work it! bonus: there are two slots which will be raffled off to audience members to perform...


ONGOING CLASSES/WORKSHOPS
A new stripper-inspired class has just joined the Tuesday line up at The Open Space. Gregory Barnett presents dancing with your pole, I mean pole dancing as you likely often have seen it and thought , "i love to swing!" Just kidding. Check out the dance map for directions. Class begins October. Follow this link to the Open Space for more info.

Please, don't forget Viver Brasil's sponsored workshop for the Festival of Sacred Music at the 18th Street Arts Complex, Sat Sept 20th at 1 PM. $10 gets you choreography, song instruction and a SHOW. If you feel so moved, please leave double after the event. This one will be awesome.


LOVELY!
So this is sooo bloody late, that I have to apologize. Mil desculpas! I've had quite the week--likely I should've danced more! But the writing task that got in the way our/my weekly love offering to you is almost complete, and hopefully, I'll see you soon in a new studio space. I do have a show coming up that I am curating with Pat Payne in October; part of our VISCERA thang. So if you are not on Face Book, get on there and join our group! While you're at it, look around for groups that strike your fancy. Hot ones I recommend: Viver Brasil, Lula Washington, itch, LA Contemporary Dance, The Open Space, R.A.I.D. (Random Acts of Irreverent Dance), House of Wong and Phyllis Stein Art. SInce you are already in the business of donating your money to industry(86 billion from where?!), why don't you actually do it on purpose and "tithe" to your favorite group? $19.99/mo, every month. Just do it. At least you know you'll get a good return on your money.


in love and wishing you an abundant and expansive Autumn Equinox,
-Anna

NEWSLETTER: lifting the arches

Ola, Aloha, and hello!
Ok. I need to catch my breath. September is no joke! The weather shows us how the month is moving: extremities balanced by a small, almost pivotal transition well past midday. Yikes! So lift your soles in order to get your soul grounded with a good inhalation and a superb exhalation. Truly, those who seek to thrive rather than simply survive this month will really need to become mindful of that exhalation. As is customary in market driven mayhem, the art scene is flourishing because, as we artist types really know, i mean KNOW in our bones, when there is nothing to loose other than the moment to do IT, we go and do. There is lots of doing, aside from the Festival of Sacred Music, some of it just to be out there, others in obvious response to the Call from the Universe to be brilliant and brave no matter what. In this upcoming week, make sure you are tuned to the right frequency and be brilliant and brave in all that you do.


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.

Now that we are falling back into it, I will likely get the class back up and running, with a twist. Stay tuned!

Right now BLOWIN BACK DA 'FRO is time itself: September is half over! But that means that the stage dance season is about to hit full stride, but will likely feel a wee empty if you made it out to half of the dance stages produced this summer. Three cheers for local dance and savvy producers!!


THE ELECTRIC LODGE
1416 Electric Ave, Venice CA
September 12 - 13, 8:30 PM; Sept. 14th @ 2:30 PM; $13/$10
Mix Match Dance Festival, hosted by Hart Pulse Dance Company alights at the Lodge.
Alexandria Yalj strikes again! I hope to check out a bit, but the image is too small for me to tell you who is on the line up in addition to Alexandria, who sent me the notice. Hart Pulse Dance has the links for the tickets, which are best purchased on-line.


UNKNOWN THEATRE
1110 N. Seward ST, Hollywood, CA 90038
Thurs - Sat 8 PM; Sunday 6 PM: $18 on-line, $24 at the door or by phone 323-466-7781
Fables du Theatre Sex. Death. Clown
"Yeah, yeah , Anna you want us to go see this show," Yes I do. The reviews alone should make you want to shake a leg and get over there right now. It is running until the 24th and LAPD has tried to shut it down--twice in one night. Yowsa. Go to study up.


REDCAT LOUNGE
631 W. 2nd ST, Los Angeles, CA; directions
Tuesday September 16th, 6 - 9 PM; readings begin at 7 PM
itch#8: PORNOCRACY launch Party
So last week I gave the wrong address for this space. It is in the Redcat, so hopefully you figured that out and will show up to Hassan's house and try to break in. Itch is really a fantastic thing: a dance writers' collective (go Taisha Paggett, Sara Wolf and Meg Wolfe!), this collection of pages has now gotten a website going, has an easy way for you to subscribe (even institutions for those of you who work in the college circuit) and makes you think about the act of thinking about dance as something larger than muscles firing in patterns. I'm chatty! Come to this launch party and you'll get to hear my voice and see me. A number of us will be reading a snippet from one of our submissions to itch and there may be a little bit of a performance stashed in there as well. This is great networking moment, hint hint. $3 drinks.



PARK(ING) DAY LA
Friday, September 19th, all day, check live map for specific times and locations
all over the City; Free
I WANT TO DO THIS!!! But it might be too late to pull this off; check out the video, you'll see why I am hesitating. So I am going to have tea in as many of these places as I possibly can. Parking Day is this fantastic event where citizens take over parking spots and make mini-parks for two hours. This is a GLOBAL event, created to draw attention to the amount of space allocated cars, and the lack of open spaces in the urban environment. If you have ever heavily sighed when a house or building finally went up on a vacant lot that you had come to cherish, this event is for you. On Park(ing) DayLA's website, if you have been inspired, you can find instructions for setting up your own park--there is still time! Everything you need paperwork related is there as well as the 10 steps towards a successful park. Happy Parking!


MILES MEMORIAL PLAYHOUSE
1130 Lincoln BLVD, Santa Monica 90403; 310-998-8765
September 19th through Oct 3; Fridays & Saturdays 8:30PM; Sundays 3 PM, 420 - $30
Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Kristina Wong takes the stage all by herself in her nationally acclaimed one-woman show, finally having its premiere here at home. Wong is crazy stuff. The kind of humor that makes milk spurt out of your nose, even if you're not drinking any. Check her out. Opening night should be a blast but I have no idea where you can get tickets. The playhouse website is still under construction. If you helped with a half-knitted sweater, you should go to make sure it is not being hurt.


REDCAT
631 W. 2nd ST, Los Angeles, CA; directions
September 19 - 20, different bills each night; 8:30 PM; $20/$16/$10
Creative Music Festival
This event inaugurates the Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts. If you are not attending events at the Festival of Sacred Music, then you must go see Wadada Leo Smith hold court with his trumpet. Also on the bill: Music and the Voice: Thomas Buckner and the Silver Orchestra; Anthony Davis and Episteme; Amina Claudine Myers Trio and the CalArts Choir. Music and Video: Lian Ensemble and The Golden Quintet.


ARMORY CENTER FOR THE ARTS
145 N. Raymond Ave, Pasadena CA 91103
Saturday September 20, 7 - 9 PM Opening reception
TAPESTRIES, a video installation by Marsia Alexander-Clarke
A fixture on the art scene in the Inland Empire, Marsia brings her hypnotic video work to Pasadena. This is a rare treat, so go see it. I love how she continues to go at it, no matter what. And work is inspiring in surprising ways given its formalism. Check her out through November 16th.


AVENUE 50 STUDIO, Inc.
131 No. Avenue 50, Highland Park, CA 90042 (323) 258-1435
Avenue 50 Gallery's Fundraiser
Sunday, September 26, Noon to Midnight, $10
Imagine a 12 hour poetry jam and you've got this evening in Highland Park. Avenue 50 is a mainstay in the city, and this is an interesting way to get the funds to their projects. The fee covers all day--you can come and go--and there will be food for sale. The line up is stellar. It includes my fav, Ms. Pat Payne so I'll have to figure out how to sneak away to get to see her throw it down.

Looking for something mentioned last week? Check out the archives.


ONGOING CLASSES & SPECIAL WORKSHOPS
+There's an upcoming workshop based in Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed work led by Hector Aristizibal on Sept. 27 - 28. The price is $200, and any money the organizers make above their costs will be donated to Sojurn, a safe house for victims of domestic abuse. Call Fred Kahane at 310-396-1325 for further info, and also make checks out to him. $50 saves your spot. Mail to 1122 Marco PL, Venice CA 90291. If you have been looking for a way to push your art making passion into the possibilities of wider social engagement, this will be a significant experience for you.

+SOMA Fest LA is back again! Sept. 16 - 21 at the 18th ST. Art Complex in Santa Monica. The schedule has been announced so you should make your way over to their website to peruse the offerings and buy your packages now.

+Mama Camara has asked me to tell you to hold the following dates for the Debbie Allen Dance Academy African Dance Conference: October 1- 5, 2008. There will be an on-line registration process as well as an updates page. So save the date!

+Kinky Stretch!!! I forgot to put this into the newsletter, but I really really really want you guys to check out this class. Greg is a HOOT and will get you workin'! Class will begin on October 9th, Thursdays 7:30 - 9 PM for only $10. Check it at the Open Space.

The Class Map is getting rather interesting! Viver Brasil is BACK! And they are bringing the heat of Bahia with them for the upcoming Festival of Sacred Music. Check out the DISPATCH on the festival for specifics about their participation, but until then, head over to their regular classes because some FANTASTIC visitors are coming into town for the Dance Arts Academy Tuesday night offerings. Don't miss it!!!!



quickie reviews...
If you checked out Sans Detour at the Ford, you likely left smiling after Catch Me Bird's exquisite and smart piece Silk. If only everyone had that much fun doing a confessional! From the opening scene unfurling the seeming never-ending lengths of red silk from the tops of the amphitheatre, through the wrapping of the audience space with same, Silk was a delight, even as it ran head on into the difficulties of cross-cultural communication and gendered communication. Verging on the silly and circus-inflected, Silk still made a clear statement about the centrality of the personal in the political through often radical athleticism and lyrical articulation. Conversely, I was a bit astonished by the unquestioned, almost ignored, role of racialized, gendered bodies in Baker & Tarpanga Project's piece, Disorder Inside Order. While there was some hot dancing (loved the newspaper dance), amazing music, clear topic (journalistic freedom, almost pedantically hammered home), ultimately, the relationship between Wilfred Souly's character and Ester Baker's character was so brutal and unclear that it really, for me, destroyed the piece. A large black man folding up the body of a lithe white woman like she was a folding chair while she struggles to get away really drags the US mind very far from journalistic freedom. I think the piece would do well to be revisited after a thorough rethinking of the role of race and gender in the company, given the topics that seem to interest this husband and wife team. Their ambitions deserve nothing less.

This past Monday I made it to Anatomy Riot #26 as a lucky audience member who also got to perform! Actually, I was on the bill. I was really glad to be there and have to give it up to Meg Wolfe for humpin' like a camel and Hassan Christopher for his generosity. The night was nicely curated with a great mix of talking dances and performance art tendencies and video dance. UCR was extremely well represented--in downtown LA! It was also great to get to try out something with a willing and rather informed audience; I was grateful for the opportunity. Thank you to those of you who came out and supported us and thank you to the other performers who brought their work selflessly. Though the format is short form, the pieces were for the most part, densely layered and rather profound and still, believe it or not, entertaining. So take yourself to the next one, they happen almost every month. I'll write a bit more about it in...Afrologica! I tend to take a bit more time to think about these events, rather than just dump ideas (unless of course I"m hoping to get a bigger audience for the next night) so I'll have more to say about both evenings, even about myself (Sara Wolfe asked me, "So how is that book going, Anna?" Damn. So busted) on Afrologica. Please feel free to comment! And don't hold those last few sentences against me...


LOVELY!
Writing this newsletter on the anniversary of the collapse of the Twin Towers has made me rather chagrined, but also simply amazed. I could wallow in the fact that we have manipulated those 3000 deaths as a rational for any ridiculous thing that passes for foreign policy these days. Or I could float to the stars in the vibration of a underground that is so large, that it is likely the new Silent Majority, and this group of folks wants to hug you with their cyber hearts and minds; they want to see your face even if they don't know your name. They want to be the change and enjoy the peace...they/we are the love. Now, we become the shift, the much needed exhalation, the eruption for an emptying out, that always makes room for more life. Lift it up y'all.

in love,
-Anna

DISPATCH: World Festival of Sacred Music

The catalogs are all over town and postcards litter every gallery, studio and loft. The World Sacred Festival is lifting up LA once again in September. As promised, here are some events that I would not want to miss, though it is likely that I will miss half, wah!

OPENING NIGHT
Saturday 13th
$55/$45/$35/$20
Well, it is the Gala opener. However, my gut tells me the show will be very long and not the best choice if you have kids. It is actually not on my list of shows to see, even thought Waldemar Bastos from Angola will be singing! There's just something wonderful about setting your intention at these big fêtes that I love.


SONGS FOR THE FALL EQUINOX
Sat 13th @ 10 AM & Sunday14th @ 11 AM
Haramokgna American Indian Center; $5 donation/ $10 - $20 for workshops
Maybe because I like symmetry, some times, I am drawn to this event to close out my river meanderings. Opening with blessings at teh headwaters of the Arroyo Seco, this Flute Circle is open to all who come.


CANCIONES DEL ALMA (SONGS OF THE SOUL)
Sunday 14th @ 1 pm
MOLA, Long Beach; FREE
bata, djembe, taiko, gamelan, atabacque, cajones--sacred drumming and estatic dancing. a sumptuous feast. carpool!
Felipe García Villamil, DAFRA, Taiko center of LA, Viver Brasil, Oscar Reynolds. Oh, there's even gospel music sung by Samoans y'all!!! Gotta see this one for sure.


SALAM YATRA
Tuesday, 16th 8 PM
Nate Holden Center
$40 reserved is probably your best bet since this is a small house; $25 gen/$20 student
Go to see what is known as a "living treasure," Mythili Prakash will set your senses on fire as she improvises within the 2000 year old tradition of Bharatanatyam.

SOUNDS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN AND BEYOND
Thursday 18th, 8 PM
Murphy Recital Hall, Loyola Marymount U.
The roots of Sephardic music get a lovely unearthing through the voice of Stefani Valadez with special presentation by dancer Melanie Karem. Also on the bill is 1st-West Ensemble, and Ava Nahas Percussion Trio. Of course, there will be a l'il bit of flamenco.


MARE SERENITATIS (Sea of Serenity)
Friday, Sept. 19th @ 8 PM; $25/$20
Aranti/Japan America Theatre
Zen archer Hirokazu Kosaku is joined by butoh dancer Oguri to present an evening of purification, expansion, and emptying. I've wanted to see Oguri for a while now but did not want to brave the desert, where a significant part of his work was once based.

SACRED WATERS. WATERS OF LIFE.
Saturday, 20th @ 1 pm; $10 NOTE: this event is delayed due to visa logistics
18th Street Arts Center Gallery
Viver Brasil leads a workshop to prepare you to greet and salute the Sea, which will be the closing ceremony of the Festival once again this year. Songs, dances and instructions on making an appropriate offering. IF YOU CAN: please go to their website and make a donation to help offset the $1000 visa expedition fee that has been levied against Dona Cici's application to come and teach the songs. This is extremely urgent and every bit helps. The application was simply not even opened until two days ago, and then not read. $1000. Who can make that gift to bring the beauty and knowledge embodied by elder priestess Dona Cici?

THE RHYTHM OF AX´E
Saturday 20th @ 8:30 PM; $25 in advance; $35 at the door
Blenkenship Ballet of Venice
Axé! The concept of life force and good vibes is put to you via an evening of ritual-inflected performances. where white and cover your head!!! Just a precaution. Shaman's Dream World Ensemble, Djelia Kadi, Malaika, Mestre Amen & The Batuqueiros;Swing brazil; Hoopnotica with art installation and hopefully some food, as the night sounds long.\

VOICES OF THE WAY
Saturday 20th; $15/ $10
Sacred Heart Chapel at LMU
Yes, I know this conflicts with Rhythm of Axé, but these works will be truly breathtaking and contemplative, soooooo, if you don't want to jump around and sweat in your seat, with DJ breaks to let you stretch your legs, then this show is for you. Sri Susilowati will mesmerize you. Really. A multimediated collaboration, Susilowati is joined by composer Paul Humpreys and documentarian Luis Proença (he documents diasporic Portuguese speakers of So. Cal, East Timor and Mozambique). This will be a surprising night.

GLOBAL MALA
Sunday Sept 21 1 PM; $29
Sunken Garden at LMU
I have always wanted to go to this. I do not think I could do 108 sun salutations let alone 108 poses, but I could likely walk around something 108 times! Part of not only the festival but the International Peace Day, Global Mala seeks to make a ring of peace & love around the world through 108 acts of yoga-inspired action. This is a 6 hour participatory event.


EMERGING VOICES dance and music from Hawai'i and India
Sunday 21st 6 PM; $25/$15
James Armstrong Theater Torrance Cultural center
Halau Keali'i O Nalani and Shakti Dance Company share a bill designed to reveal how dance is a sacred text and historical record, always and forever more, no matter how many times you drop it like it's hot.

SOULULAR MEMORY...THE RECONNECT
Monday 22nd 8 PM; $10
Temple Bar, Santa Monica
d. Sabela Grimes. I said, d. Sabela Grimes. If you don't know, then act like you do and show up to this night of Ovasoul love in collaboration with Essential MC and Gina Rene. The mystikal side of Hip Hop, explored.

INTERSECTIONS OF SOUND AND SPACE
String Theory at the Fowler Museum
Friday 26th 6:45 PM; FREE
GOTTA GO!!! It's a sculpture piece, wait it's a set for dancers, wait, it's an instrument! NO, silly it's all three and you can be there for free.


ANATTA
Saturday 27th 8:30 PM; $20 & $15
Highways
Rather elusive description, but this collection of collaborative works will challenge your sense of reality. SO come get shifted by Michael Sakamoto, Waewdao Sirisook, Amy Knowles and Bob Bellerue. Buddhism, movement, sound, improvisation...existence.

HONORING THE SEA
Sunday 28th, 3 PM until sundown 6:41 PM
Santa Monica Beach, where Ocean Park BLVD meets the sand
Get your reconnecting ritual on, in many languages. Check the website to see which traditions will be present. But please, just come and get lifted.


well, that's it! there will be a map up for these things in the newsletter tomorrow--I must be nuts!---and I was. you'll just have to wait a wee bit longer.

Also, there were two events that were of interest, but involved no dancing--my main criteria--Guardians of the Sound and Spirit-Lesa Terry and the Women's Jazz Orchestra on Friday 26th @ 7:30 PM and One World Many Voices on SUnday 20th @ 2 PM (mostly for the Bulgarian folk singing, which I adore)

Reach out ad let me know where you might be headed and when during this magnificent event!

in love,
-Anna

NEWSLETTER: engage your core

Hi there (with a big hug)!

Kiddies are back in school and the beach is once again returning to the creatures that live there year round--marine, plant and human. In six days, scientists buried deep beneath CERN will turn on a machine to help them see beneath the Mother's Veil, or more commonly known as Dark Matter. The Republican Party is wrapping up its convention and the Democrats exploded from Denver last week feverish to get back into the White House. Hurricanes return to the same location like they were on an exact time table while old Cold War rivalries do the same. Fall. And recover. Finding the subtle shift in our core to keep the whole thing upright and perambulating. This seasonal change will have all the intrigue and excitement of a great spy movie, so stay tuned till the credits for the big surprise.

Closer to home, we enter the season of Grand Visitors, but don't let those season ticket holders fool you: there is plenty to see locally and I hope to keep bringing you info at least info on the bit I know. I had a fantastic time going to shows and events this summer and look forward to doing the same this fall. If you have pieces that work the skirt in particular, let me know, as I am teaching a course on the skirt and looking for people to match my students with! Onwards...


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. New reviews are up! Go check 'em out and get into the conversation.


BLOWIN' BACK DA FRO' this week is the official start of Fall in underground LA: ANATOMY RIOT, the wrap of a GREAT summer dance series at the Ford, and a new find.

FORD AMPHITHEATER
2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood CA 90068
Friday, 8:30 PM; $32/$5
Sans Detour
Catch Me Bird and Baker & Tarpanga Dance Project team up to bring you an evening of dance rarely presented on one bill: aerialist work and African experimental dance. This dance series at the Ford has been simply inspiring. Grab your fiends and get their early to have a couple of bottles of vino before you head in to be , well, inspired. One more brilliant show to go after this one. Car pooling highly recommended.


THE ELECTRIC LODGE
1416 Electric Ave, Venice, CA 90291
Intersection Dance Project presents Interfacings
Friday, September 5th, 8:00 PM; $25
This appeared to be an open jam at first glance, but I think that it is an actual dance event with collaborators coming in from all over. From their Face Book listing:
"Intersection Dance Project seeks to bring artists of all disciplines together for the collaboration and the production of dance. The Southern California premier will unite dancers and musicians from cities across the country including Seattle, Chicago, New York, the Bay Area and Los Angeles. Among them the intersection Dance Ensemble, Penny Hutchinson, Double Vision, Alexandria Yalj, Dena Bermann, Eathwalk Dance Company and Jennifer Bondy. Collaborations are artistic, energetic and intellectual in order to promote the common vision among dance in the art world." Tickets are available on-line. Alexandria Yalj has recently been working hard to make the LA Dance scene memorable. If you are looking for something much smaller and visceral for Friday, this would be worth checking out. But I'm gonna have to check out the people dancing on ropes. It looks as if this might go on for a while, so...who knows, I'll likely pop up at the end since it's in my neighborhood.

ECHOPLEX
1154 Glendale BLVD
Bootie: La's Monthly Mashup Bootleg Party
Sept 6, 9 PM - 2 AM; $10, 21 and over ONLY
Why list? I want you to arrive for the midnight stage mayhem of R.A.I.D. aka Random Acts of Irreverent Dance. Check out their MySpace Page, and learn how to Command the Dance!

THE OPEN SPACE
209 S. Garey St., Los Angeles Ca 90012
ANATOMY RIOT #26
Monday, Sept 8, 8 PM; $10 suggested donation
Meg Wolfe & Show Box bring you another fantastic, mind-bending segment in this DIY performance adventure. I'm on the bill this evening as is Ms. Wolfe herself so come on out and watch us dance smarter, not harder, LOL (that was an age euphemism in case you didn't catch it). Also on the bill, several excellent dance deployers and movement machinationists (i just made that word up, quote me): Melina Bielefelt, Won-sun Choi, Sarah Leddy, Hannah Schwadron, Anna B. Scott, Rosie Trump, and Meg Wolfe. I'm presenting a Work in Progress: Stream. Looking forward to seeing you!



UCLA ACKERMAN GRAND BALLROOM
308 Westwood PLaza, LA
Celebration of Life: A Fundraise for Esalen Institute
Sunday, September 7, 2008, 6- 10 PM
$25 suggested donation, more if you've got it like that and feel it that way
If you've ever been to a 5 Rhythms class, you know that this event is likely going to lift you right off the ground. Come out and help steady a place of respite for many of us soul-workers. Donna De Lory. Eyedentity, Suzanne Teng &gilbert Levy,Bob Bayobey Wisdom, Christo Pellani, Bolonatha & Russell Feingold, and Caroline Harvey. This is an open dance jam of sorts. Come and be moved.

Looking for something mentioned last week? Click over on the left for the archives.



LOUNGE @ REDCAT
631 W. 2nd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
itch # 8: PORNOCRACY Launch Party
Tuesday, September 16, 6 - 9 PM; readings begin at 7 PM
I will be reading a selection from my piece in itch #7, and there will be many other folks doing the same thing from their entries over the last two years. It should be a blast. I hope to see you there. And please, subscribe already!


And what else? Your inboxes and mailboxes are likely littered with mailings about the companies coming to town. As we get closer, I'll post up, but a lot of those tickets are l o n g gone. But you never know!

Stay tuned for a special edition of AFROLOGICS to make sense of the upcoming Festival of Sacred Music, opening on Sept. 12th at UCLA....



ONGOING CLASSES & SPECIAL WORKSHOPS
+There's an upcoming workshop based in Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed work led by Hector Aristizibal on Sept. 27 - 28. The price is $200, and any money the organizers make above their costs will be donated to Sojurn, a safe house for victims of domestic abuse. Call Fred Kahane at 310-396-1325 for further info, and also make checks out to him. $50 saves your spot. Mail to 1122 Marco PL, Venice CA 90291. If you have been looking for a way to push your art making passion into the possibilities of wider social engagement, this will be a significant experience for you.

+SOMA Fest LA is back again! Sept. 16 - 21 at the 18th ST. Art Complex in Santa Monica. The schedule has been announced so you should make your way over to their website to peruse the offerings and buy your packages now.

+Mama Camara has asked me to tell you to hold the following dates for the Debbie Allen Dance Academy African Dance Conference: October 1- 5, 2008. There will be an on-line registration process as well as an updates page. So save the date!

The Class Map is getting rather interesting! Viver Brasil is BACK! And they are bringing the heat of Bahia with them for the upcoming Sacred Music Festival. I will need to do a supplemental for that, but until then, head over to their regular classes because some FANTASTIC visitors are coming into town for the Dance Arts Academy Tuesday night offerings. Don't miss it!!!!

Now, go check out that dance map and find your new favorite thing to do! "I command you!" That's what my daughter says. She just turned 3. Help.



GIG FOR YOU
This comes via Face Book, so if you are interested look for Emma Kayee on there:
"I'm looking for about 20 jazz or street dancers to take part in a TV show we are making for a major UK channel. The show is a celebration of the TV show and film 'Fame'. We are going to be filming in L.A on the 19th September in and around a dance studio in Hollywood." She did not mention pay, but it is likely not union, so if you know folks, let them know. Get on Face Book!!


LOVELY!
I cannot lie: I am very hungry right now, and it is impairing my writing skills! There is much to say about any number of things, but I'll leave you with a kiss on the forehead and a pat on the shoulder, with a deep look in the eyes, full of gratitude. As always, it is so wonderful to share this with you!.

in Love,
-Anna