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Friday, November 21, 2008

NEWSLETTER: focused reps

Hey hey hey!

Things are toning up and taking shape all over the place. Our once flabby electorate stepped out and found some new muscle, now we got the O. Then our wobbly-kneed civil rights movement figured out how to stand tall and walk the talk. Now we are watching the incoming administration take shape, slack-jawed. It's all a bit surreal, but I think the O is one fancy dancer (have you checked out the Obama Hustle or the Obama Slide, don't sleep), and we will soon come to know him in a way we have always wanted to know a president. (Watch those empty senate seats fill up with Obama supporters and the Hilraisers in the administration tow their new bosses party line, heh heh heh). Or will we? You know, this newsletter is all about the intersection of arts and politics, and though he is bringing much light, the arts, and their cost-saving, job-creating impact are not quite up on the O's list. Like initiating a green economy, this could be a missed opportunity. Any historian of the US Great Depression will tell you all about the WPA Project which not only built infrastructure, but employed hundreds of artists of all types to do a vast array of applied, civic art making. The google-enabled prez-elect is already defragging his netroots to figure out what to do with his private social network of one million. If you used my.barak.com, please respond to the questionnaire and put the arts up there as a human right and economic opportunity. For now, let me advise you to get ALL your car repairs done NOW, cause parts is gonna get scarce in a month or two. It is a great time to finally join that car pool or get that monthly transit pass.


Afrolicious. Afrologia. Afrodelic. Afropoesia. Afrologica. How big is your 'fro?
Fractal, improvisational, polemical, but always moving with spirit and in service to lifting us all up!
That's the Logic of the Afro--sign up, read up, be up--you can move mountains, now make it beautiful



BLOWIN' BACK DA FRO right now is a gentle breeze, thankfully, a welcome respite from the soot-filled gusts of last week. Last week was also action packed, and though I looked for stuff to pad the newsletter with (hence this hour), I'm very excited, with afro pick in hand, to recommend these choice events for this weekend.


DIAVOLO DANCE SPACE, directions
616 Moulton, Los Angeles, CA 90031
California Touring Project
Friday and Saturday, November 21 – 22 at 8pm Sunday, November 23 at 6pm
$20 general; $16 student/seniors/dance professionals, advance purchase here. Cash at door
WOOO! This one is stirring up the precious remnants of the dance critics: LA WEEKLY & LA TIMES & FLAVOR PILL all say GO! This is definitely a show that you must see. Casebolt & Smith have put together an intense evening of works that you don't want to miss, especially rare in its generational sweep. Get your tickets and I'll see you there on Saturday night.



GLORIA KAUFMAN DANCE THEATER, directions
120 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA
Sheetal Gandhi and Krenly Guzman in Concert
Friday & Saturday, November 21 & 22, 8:00 - 9:30 PM;$15/$8; Parking is $9 in Structure 4
This will be a memorable evening as well. Furious refashionings of contemporary and heritage, this program will challenge you to see movement for the luxurious, cross-cultural language it is. I'll see you there tomorrow.


FREUD PLAYHOUSE, UCLA, directions
The Blue Dragon, presented by Robert Lepage/Ex Machina
Wed-Sat, Nov 12-15 at 8pm; Sun, Nov 16 at 7pm; Tue-Fri, Nov 18-21 at 8pm; Sat, Nov 22 at 2 & 8pm; $60/$40/$15 UCLA students
Okay, so for most of this week, I have not felt the urge to put this on the afrologics list, but the work sounds intriguing. Unfortunately, that means I have to figure out how to get there for the matinee on Saturday. From the website:
One of the true visionaries of modern theater, Québécois director, actor and storyteller Robert Lepage creates emotionally vivid and visually enthralling works that ponder the mystery and wonder of life. The Blue Dragon follows the lives of three characters in modern China, including the ambitious young artist Pierre Lamontagne, a character first introduced in Lepage’s 1985 masterpiece The Dragons’ Trilogy. The resulting intersection of their lives and the underlying collision of Eastern and Western, modern and ancient, and establishment and subversive values brings about fundamental changes for each.


SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL/LA
1238 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90026 (between Glendale Blvd and the 110 fwy)
For All Time
Oct 30 - Nov 23, 2008, Thursdays - Saturdays at 8PM, Sundays at 3PM; come early and pay what you can, order on line for $20
The fearless Pat Payne joins Cornerstone Theater on a community production as a thespian--watch out now--to present this highly charged play about violence, incarceration and forgiveness. The play is about to close and has gotten a decent review in the LA Times. Worth the freeway time to go and see how art is a tool for policy change.



CENTER FOR PERFORMANCE STUDIES, UCLA, directions
Royce Hall and The Broad Center, campus map
Actions of Transfer: Women's Performance in the Americas
Thursday - Sunday November 20-23
This conference kicked off on Thursday and will go through Sunday. Packed with some of the more edgy female artists from South and Central America, the conference will also present a number of US scholar-practitioners. Tonight, Friday, go check out "Open_borders: Improvisation Across Networks, Distance, Timezones," coordinated by Adriene Jenik and Charley Ten, this performance is actually a collection of presenters who are waaay off-site. Should be interesting to see! I'm going to scoot over to this in a bit! Bumming that I could not respond to this call for papers when it circulated...But this means that if you are headed up to see Krenly & Sheetal, you should go early enough to see this performance as well, because parking will be awful, not to mention traffic.


"Now, where was that other thingamabob I wanted to see last week?" Check the Archives, search by location or artist, or just re-live the bright moments by reading older entries!


ECHOPLEX
1154 Glendale BLVD, Los Angeles CA 90026
Underground Dance Masters: Final History of a Forgotten Era, film by GS Media Group
November 22, Doors @ 8 PM, all ages; $15
This film will likely shake you up if you think you know hip hop. I've seen a few versions, and Thomas Gùzman-Sanchez is adamant about undoing our reliance on easy, sloppy terms and quickly shifting memory. The last bit has gotten him into a whole bunch of trouble. People have the right to forget; does not necessarily make them liars. That said, his reliance on television variety shows to help set a time line for the evolution of "break dancing" is just sheer genius. The battle for truth still rages on though, so you can expect a lot more films on the topic from a number of "OGs" round the globe. Go check this one out and you will get to see many of the masters in the film, throw down live. Kenny Ortega hosts the jam after the film.

ACTION
Self Help Graphics, an amazing community arts centro in East LA, has been forced into a crisis by their landlord, no surprise there, but it is SHOCKING because their landlord was...the Archdiocese of Los Angeles of the Catholic Church. This is literally insult to injury as the church sold off the building to cover legal expenses from sexual abuse cases that could have been avoided had they not tried to hide unstable and mentally ill priests among the pobre and brown (read, "folks who don't count but who's money we'll take anyway"). BASTA! Here's the link to Self Help Graphics, which houses Home Boys T's among other things. They were not notified of the sale, have been in the spot for 35 years, and now..well aren't we tired of hearing this story in LA? So, donate some funds, go to the holiday sale, and make your voice heard: projects that work, we want to protect. www.myspace.com/selfhelpgraphics



ONGOING CLASSES & WORKSHOPS
I hope to drop a dispatch a bit later to invite you out to dance with me in a studio! YAY!
DANCEBank is going on a super short break for Turkey Day as is Kinky Stretch at The Open Space. I am still working to have the masterminds behind Funkamentals and Groundcore bring you some classes. Ahem, fellas, done called you out!




LOVELY!
I hope you made it out to LACMA for the Machine Project takeover. We had a blast for the first four hours of the day. Check out their photo feed on Flickr. Also, we made it to the Against H8te rally and protest: yeah! I'm happy to hear the supreme court of California taking up the case so quickly, but please continue to bring the love on this issue. The Holy Daze is upon us right when massive layoffs are predicted and food banks are already running out of food. If you've got a yard, donate the space to a garden effort. If you know someone sitting on an empty lot waiting for the value to go up, convince them to allow a community garden to go in. We must keep ahead of the collapse with open hearts, active minds, and engaged hands. There is precious little city governments will be able to do for us--they are laying off too--so let's put our efforts to good use. Time to meet up. Stay tuned...

in love,
-Anna

ps: today i am transferring the e-mail newsletter to gmail. if you get the newsletter twice, many apologies, but i beleive that only a portion of the list actually gets the newsletter regularly. the new address is afrologic@gmail.com. look out for more reviews and pictures in afrologica.

Friday, November 14, 2008

NEWSLETTER: full stop

A glorious good evening to you!

I should be in Roanoke right now. But I am home, in Venice, marveling at how the universe can make the tough decisions for you. In the midst of a grand mamma week-long scramble for childcare to cover a trip to a conference, I have been having lively conversations about art making, politics and making plans around all of it. Not to mention, I have been performing as well. My ass is right where it should be: preparing, playing and making reality out of dreams. I got word yesterday that flights were turned back, and many who tried to attend the conference could not. I would have been among them. This week we should give thanks for those odd obstacles, the ones that should not be there or are "never an issue," because these events/moments/laws are calling us to really be about what/who/when we are. One such obstacle is Prop 8. I will be at City Hall on Saturday, staking a claim for civil rights, joining in with a NATIONWIDE call to end the legislation of hate. This obstacle is choreographing some amazing netroots and grassroots power. But let's not forget, that such an amendment is really about false faces, about pretending to be about one thing when really feeling another. It is personal. Though boycotts appear to be vindictive, they are the correct response in the absence of dialogue. But truly, we should seize this "missed flight" as it were and get down to having those conversations that make us all uncomfortable. There is only so much an Obama can do, and if his administration picks thus far are any indication, there is only so much he is being allowed to do by his party. The battle to repeal Prop 8 is not about fighting "the power," this is about revealing your heart, choosing love and respecting yourself--even if you are not gay, especially if you are not. We are all being called to confront our beliefs that we hide from our "Others:" our words that we speak when "they" aren't around; actions we take mistakenly thinking we are protecting ourselves when we are just abusing someone else; our desire to avoid confrontation by foreclosing debate through inhumane rules, regulations, ordinances, laws, and propositions. We are the light and the change that we thought we had elected. We gots ta BE it at all times. So mobilize your smile and open your heart and stand for love.

Afrolicious. Afrologia. Afrodelic. Afropoesia. Afrologica. How big is your 'fro?
Fractal, improvisational, polemical, but always moving with spirit and in service to lifting us all up!
That's the Logic of the Afro--sign up, read up, be up--you can move mountains, now make it beautiful



BLOWIN BACK THE 'FRO this week are some items on the East Coast, Repeal Prop 8 Protest, and business as usual. Really. The fact that most of are behaving as if the dollar has not become a relic is blowin back my 'fro. This is a great time to be an artist and a fantastic time to watch what they come up with.


TONIGHT
VELASLAVASAY PANORAMA (at the Japan American Museum)
1122 W. 24th St. Los Angeles, CA 90007
Vaudeville Night
Friday, November 14, 2008; FREE
Some of the amazing local artists that you know and love will be on this bill or worked on the project: Scoli Acosta, John Fleck, Todd Gray, Harry Dodge and Stanya Kahn, and Michael Sakamoto. Curated by Kris Kuramitsu and Rita Gonzalez, produced by Meg Wolfe. And its all free! Hope you made your reservation because seating is limited. I will see you there!
reservations: events@panoramaonview.org
http://www.janm.org/django/exhibits/20years/programs/
www.panoramaonview.org


HIGHWAYS
1651 18th St, Santa Monica, CA
Farid Mercury
Friday, November 14th - Saturday 15th; 8:30- 10:30PM $20
This is a must see show as well. The set up is such a confabulation that I want to go just to witness this actor work this all out in under 2 hours. Don't miss this show.


UC RIVERSIDE, UNIVERSITY THEATRE
Friday, November 14th; 8:00, $34/$17
Urban Bush Women & Jant Bi perform The Scales of Memory
If you don't have tickets, this ship has sailed...but it's next port of call is UC San Diego, tomorrow.


"Now, where was that other thingamabob I wanted to see last week?" Check the Archives, search by location or artist, or just re-live the bright moments by reading older entries!



LACMA, directions
Wilshire, between Fairfax a& Curson
Machine Project
Saturday, November 15, 12 noon - 10 PM; $12/$8/FREE under 17
Echo Park-based gallery collective takes over Los Angeles County Museum of Art for the entire day! This is your post-protest destination. There are over 60 projects in the house, including in the elevators. The price for admission is the same as regular. TIP: if you go with kids, you get in free and so do the kids! Here's a lot more info on the day, including participating artists. Highly recommended that you take public transportation. Like FREEWAVES Festival last month, folks will talk about this for years to come. Be among them.


and out in NYC, cause I know some of y'all bicoastal and all

WILMER JENNINGS GALLERY @ KENKELEBA
214 East 2nd St, New York, NY 10009
SquareRoots: A Quilted Manifesto, a John Sims Project
Opening Reception, November 16th, 3 - 6 PM
If you are ANYWHERE within 100 miles of this gallery, you MUST go see this show. I'm thinkin of trying to get a plane ticket to head out and check this before it closes. A black mathartist who works with Amish quilters in Sarasota, Florida based on visualizations of Pi, John Sims' exhibit will be accompanied by his video doppleganger, Johannes-Curtis Scharwazenstein presenting "SquareRootPoetics." Mr. Sims has also concocted a sound installation (he wants to get you in just about every orifice on your head) "Pi Notes: Sonic Mathematics." He will be in NYC with the exhibit through Turkey Day. Artist talk on November 20th. Show closes on Feb 14, 2009. Next big project: linching the Confederate flag in Tampa, FL. NO, I'm not making this up. One to watch...


UNKNOWN THEATRE
1110 Seward Street, Los Angeles, CA
2009 Dance Series Benefit Party and Performance
Wednesday, November 19, 2008, 8:00pm - 11:00 PM; $15 gen/$12 in advance; $20 CASH at the door
One of my fav places to hang out with the dance scene is having a party to launch its upcoming Dance Season! Go and mingle and support this years recipients of their seed grant: Heidi Duckler of Collage Dance Theatre; Kitty McNamee and Ryan Heffington of Hysterica Dance Company, Samantha Giron Dance Project, and Kingsley Irons. DJ, mini-performances, dancing, community.


DIAVOLO DANCE SPACE
616 Moulton Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90031.
California Touring Project
Friday and Saturday, November 21 – 22 at 8pm Sunday, November 23 at 6pm; $20/$16 in advance, cash at door
This evening promises a night of thought provoking choreography, texts et al. My colleague Susan Rose will have you on the edge of your seat as she pushes an entirely improvised duet. Take class with her when she's in the DANCEbox. Caseboldt & Smith, the evenings hosts, continue to show why attention to detail always pays off, in ways you least expect it. The bill is fleshed out with Cid Pearlman and Yolande Snaith. From the looks of the press release, you should come prepared to dance... GO SEE on Friday.



UCLA's GLORIA KAUFMAN DANCE THEATER, directions
120 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA
Sheetal Gandhi and Krenly Guzman in Concert
Friday and Saturday November 21st and 22nd, 2008; $15/$8 or call 310-825-2101
You just have to give thanks for the fantastic artists that come into LA via the World Arts & Culture Program. In fact, all the MFA programs in the area really sustain the dance community here. Caseboldt&SMith are UCR MFAs and hold it down. But this is the time of year I look forward to, when the MFA concerts @ WAC begin sprout all over the place. This double bill will delve into the contemporary reality of so-called traditional cultures. Two fantastic artists, breaking into their own kinestic banks and making off like bandits. GO SEE on Saturday.




ONGOING CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS
A birdie told me that Rae Shaolin Blum is starting up her contemporary dance class on Jan 9th at the Dance Arts Academy! Dance mapping....

I also have word that a six week course called Rising Star is about to kick off here on the West Side. This project includes, yoga, meditation and dance as well as a look at your finances! Whaat?! Better not sleep, everything is choreography. And that's on the Real. Check out their web page, Rise2Manifest, and sign up.


i'ma call it...

LOVELY!
This edition is conference-style late, many apologies. I want to let you know how you can hook up with the repeal Prop 8 work. Here is a national, yes NATIONAL movement to not only address Prop 8 here, but the anti-gay laws that passed in Florida, Arizona, and Arkansas. The site is called jointheimpact.wetpaint.com, and is a clearing house for all planned actions. This is everyone's fight. Like I said last week, I want my Obamaforia free and clear. I want to be jumping up and down, having a good time, being moved deep in my soul without wanting to throw up from grief because only some of us are free now. Please join in and move this mountain. Now we know that we can do that. Right? How to move this one? Love love love. Can't just blame "unenlightened colored folks" for this one. If you were not personally having heart-felt conversations with people about Prop 8, you dropped the ball. So, now that we've got the blame thing out of the way, let's forgive ourselves for assuming that we all have the same puzzle-pieces that spell p r o g r e s s i v e when you put them together. We don't. Let's get busy with that necessary coalition building.

in love,
-Anna

Friday, November 7, 2008

NEWSLETTER: ride on a fantastic voyage

YES WE DID!
Greetings from Riverside, CA. I am out here at work for the UC Institute for Research in the Arts annual conference, State of the Arts. This year's theme is Demonstration. Last night Buck World 1 opened the proceedings. It was a moving and visceral reminder that now is the time to get to work on those depressing statistics that seem to swarm around poor Black men, or any one poor for that matter. While they got buck to a remix of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a Dream Speech," I kept hearing Obama's acceptance speech about getting to work swirling with the radio news reports about the spontaneous protest by gay rights activists in LA yesterday that I listened to for over an hour as I made my way out here. Demonstrations on this fantastic voyage. But we want to go for synergy and not collisions of consciousness. Time to talk this one out, get the church separated from the state once and for all, get the citizenry educated about EVERY ONE's civil rights, not just their own. Last night in the Sweeney Art Gallery my son stood puzzling over a sledge hammer in a glass box. "Mom, what's up with this hammer?" "'Art is a hammer,' Baker," I replied, "That's an old phrase meant to show how it smashes things up." I know it is time to get out the hammers: demolish, demonstrate, drive it on home.


Afrolicious. Afrologia. Afrodelic. Afropoesia. Afrologica. How big is your 'fro?
Fractal, improvisational, polemical, but always moving with spirit and in service to lifting us all up!
That's the Logic of the Afro--sign up, read up, be up--you can move mountains, now make it beautiful



BLOWIN BACK DA 'FRO this week is the realization that "Now is the Time!" No more excuses, time to get focused, learn some new communication skills and get to work making the country a safe place again. I can't think of anything more adept at doing "D, all of the above," than fantastic art. "People get ready, there's a train a'comin. You don't need no ticket, just get on board." Well, actually, you better get your tickets now for a lot of these shows!


TODAY
LIFE ARTS CENTER
University & Lime Avenues, Riverside, CA
Demonstration: UCIRA STATE OF THE ARTS ANNUAL CONFERENCE
There are several performances and papers lined up for today to get us started out here on the edge of the desert. Tonight there are several multimedia events happening, but tomorrow, Pat Payne takes to the streets in an art action at noon. Right after her, on campus, I become a digital deity, taking confessions from Bucknell while I dance in Pittsburgh. Great opportunity to network and find your new favorite hammer-wielder. If you can get out here and get a room, come check us out.

REDCAT, directions
Friday & Saturday, November 7 & 8; 8:30 PM; ticket prices vary per day
Jordi Cortés and Damián Muñoz: Ölelés
Co-presented with FITLA (Int'l Latino Theatre Festival of LA), Ölelés is a dance adaptation of a 1942 novel, Embers, that tries to figure out how two men fall out and try to put their friendship back together again 40 years later. The dancing should be riveting.




HERRICK INTERFAITH CHAPEL
Occidental College,1600 Campus Road,Los Angeles, CA 90041
N'Ap Kenbe/We're Holding on: Hope in the Eye of the Hurricane
Saturday, November 8, 8 PM $10
Marshall Dance Company and the Occidental College Department of Critical Theory and Social Justice present an evening of performances to benefit Haitians affected by hurricanes Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike with Special Guests, Troupe Jaka, straight from Haiti. Here is a great opportunity to get "glocalized": take action locally to bring change globally.


JAMES ARMSTRONG THEATRE, directions
3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance, CA
SOLA 2008
Saturday, November 2008, 8 PM; $18/$16
Regina Kleinjoski has put together an inspiring evening of dance for this annual festival. This festival pairs young dancers with established choreographers. This year, there is a distinct emphasis on technology and meaning. Regina Kleinjoski set "Captured" on dancers from CSLB; Lorin Johnson & So. Cal Ballet Lab present "Study for Common Ground;" Chad Michael Hall presents "Doublespeak" on dancers from Loyola Marymount; Caryn heilman, Karen Safrit & Chris Liu set works on highly accomplished high school performers. Sounds like a good way to fish for dancers...


THE OPEN SPACE
209 S. Garey Street, 2nd floor, LA, CA 90012
Anatomy Riot #28, guest curator: d. Sabela Grimes
Monday, November 10th, 8pm; $10 suggested donation at the door, no reservations.
This installment of Anatomy Riot will be likely riotuous. With d. Sabela at the helm and the recent Obama win, participants in this night of the cipher will rock the bells, drop science, raise da roof, take it all the way out, and free your mind so your ass will follow. Low tech as always but high spirit, Anatomy Riot has hosted over 200 artists since its inception, helping to incubate new projects and audiences through the simple vision of the dance ninja, Meg Wolfe. Come and get you some this Monday.


(right now i am hearing an inspirational report about a free, degreeless program of study that centers art research and economic practices together. this woman is talking about informal exchanges,bartering or even a black market for studio art making, peddling consecration, can we become "hawkers of pedagogy" in our art practice? i'll take this up through viscera. alternative economies are becoming crucial as "disposable cash" becomes the oxymoron that it is.)

"Now, where was that other thingamabob I wanted to see last week?" Check the Archives, search by location or artist, or just re-live the bright moments by reading older entries!



LOST SOULS GALLERY
124 W. 4th Street, Los Angeles (cross street is Main)
Styles Upon Styles, opening night fundraiser
Thursday, November 13, 2008; 6:00pm - 10:00pm
The proceeds from this slamma jamma will benefit Break The Cycle, a non-profit that helps people suffering with domestic violence. Alfie Numeric is a Face Book buddy of mine and she is just wild-ass crazee fresh (that was old school for "scintillating"). Come on out and share your change to bring that mystic change into formal reality. Get your party on, too!
New art work by: Alfie "Numeric" Ebojo, Gina Doran,Tawni Marie Lucero, Mia C. Villanueva
music maestra: DJ Lady Sha


THE VELASLAVASAY PANORAMA
1122 West 24th Street (at Hoover), Los Angeles, CA 90007
Vaudeville Night
Friday, Nov. 14th, 8 PM FREE!
reservations: events@panoramaonview.org
A night of performances and videos by a selection of California Community Foundation fellowship recipients, in conjunction with the "20 Years Ago Today" exhibition (currently on view at the Japanese American National Museum). Curated by Rita Gonzalez and Kris Kuramitsu, this event will take place at the Velaslavasay Panorama, a charming historic theater. Performances, video works, etc by John Fleck, Stanya Kahn, Michael Sakamoto and more. MUST GO.
http://www.janm.org/django/exhibits/20years/programs/
www.panoramaonview.org


UNIVERSITY THEATRE
UC Riverside, Riverside CA 92521
The Scales of Memory/Les écailles de la mémoire, Urban Bushwomen + Jant Bi
Friday, November 14, 8:00 PM: $34 gen/$32 fac & staff/$17 students
Iconic mono-gendered companies team up to create a night of explosive dance that travels through memories of Senegal and the Deep South in the US. if you like your dancing fierce, you MUST go to this, but tickets are likely just about gone. Call, don't book on-line at this point. I tried people, I really did, to bring you a master class, but because they are on a tight touring schedule, I was unable to get them to teach. They head down to San Diego same night, so if you miss this one, look for their dates down there, 15th & 16th.


HIGHWAYS
1651 18th St, Santa Monica, CA
Farid Mercury
Friday & Saturday November 14 & 15, 8:30 - 10:30; $20
And mentioning glocalizing forces...Robert Farid Karimi's one-man show shall take you through a world-win tour of what we call in academia "the extremities of power." At once a tribute to gay rock god Freddy Mercury, a face down of the shame of the Iranian Hostage Crisis, Patriot Act and Iran-Iraq War, and a search for a wrestling champion, Farid Mercury promises to provide a gut busting experience of the New Global South. Take notes. Cause it will be on the post-Market economy final exam. This is a must go. Hit it on Saturday so you can make it to the Free Vaudville night on Friday. I will be performing in Roanoke, VA, alas...


UNKNOWN THEATRE
1110 Seward Street, Los Angeles, CA
2009 Dance Series Benefit Party and Performance
Wednesday, November 19, 2008, 8:00pm - 11:00 PM; $15 gen/$12 in advance; $20 CASH at the door
One of my fav places to hang out with the dance scene is having a party to launch its upcoming Dance Season! Go and mingle and support this years recipients of their seed grant: Heidi Duckler of Collage Dance Theatre; Kitty McNamee and Ryan Heffington of Hysterica Dance Company, Samantha Giron Dance Project, and Kingsley Irons. DJ, mini-performances, dancing, community.


coming up: sheetal ghandi & krenly guzman at ucla and the california touring project at diavolo...




ONGOING CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS
hmmmmmm. I must away back to the conference! Not to mention that I need to run my show for tomorrow afternoon. So remember that DANCEbox courses with Neil Greenberg are half done and meet on Saturdays @ Farm Lab Under Spring. The Haitian Show at Occidental is preceded by an afternoon of workshops. F I E L D with Rae Shaolin Blum is wrapping up and Oguri is launching, also at the Farm Lab, Nov. 7th & 8th. Dance mapping....



LOVELY!
Before I came back to the room to send this off, I heard another talk about the impact of the "creative market" on the environment and Global South. We've got to close our production cycles! The statistics were staggering, but they got me thinking about the fact that very very soon, we will all need to think much more creatively about how we "get the word out" not just about performances, but even fundraisers, or newsletters. "Reduce reuse recycle" is not an option but your new mantra. Just as "Civil rights for all" is your other one. Prop 8 was/is a mistake with the possibility to become an infestation. Rather than sit back and watch the battle drain the state of much needed resources, get active with micro-investment: have a conversation with someone you know voted for it. Try to understand their position while making your own. And when it feels like it is going no where, remind them of the great joy we have in this country because we keep church and state separate. Let them marinate on that. Make this effort with 10 people. Let us know how it goes. We cannot Be the Change, love the O, and let hate get written into our state constitution. I want to enjoy my Obamaforia to the fullest, which means I have to work very hard to repeal Prop 8. Love is boundless and does not discriminate; true creativity makes no trash; true change leaves no one behind.

in love,
-Anna