NEWSLETTER: back that thing up

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! or as my son has been saying "NAPPY WHO HEAR?"

Okay, so I had such a good time in Mississippi with family I had not seen for years that I completely let slide my 100 things I would switch up. I also ate everything I saw, and so it was likely I was in a food coma when I was not laughing really hard with one of my brothers. But I did have the eye open and ear to the ground. In spite of my good time, and a general sense that folks were very happy to see each other, no matter who, there was not all that much "holiday cheer." Fewer lights, shorter lines in the grocery store. it seemed that folks opted instead for the right to trample greeters at Wal-Mart for flat screens rather than spend their money on extraneous stuff like food and electricity. Cheers! I kinda thought that maybe the restraint was not so much a monetary result as it was people were saving up to party hard at the Inauguration. I mean, HanukaChrisKwanza comes every year, but swearing in a black man to be president of the world, that's likely not gonna happen again for a while. Did you see that Russians are betting on the dissolution of the USA by 2010? Did you notice the intensification of crazed retrograde behavior? If you are ignoring the Gaza dilemma, you should not. This battle will be the thing that distracts and takes money away from initiatives we have going here in the US for a Department of Peace and a Minister of Arts. These are important ideas that need to happen to begin to spread this almost-forgotten thing called "good will." To ignore Gaza is to do so at your own artistic peril. You'll get no blame game out of me; no one has the right to shoot anyone, even when it seems like the most expedient option. On iPeace, a sister in Tel Aviv blogged about realizing with a Palestinian sister that neither one of them had any idea what they wanted to happen other than they did not want all the murder to continue. That's deep. In the absence of imagination the wrong thing can keep happening, over and over, just because we are used to it happening. We are used to the arts being ignored. We are used to peace getting called impossible. We are used to sitting quietly while our straight jacket gets buckled up nice and tight. We even smile and say thanks in our confusion. This is the year to step out of the fear, out of the "always like this," to let go of "forever and ever amen" and leap into "I don't know, let's see what happens if we get still and listen." Let go, back into Grace, and come out flying into possibilities: take action with 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


Jumping heart first into 2009, there is plenty BLOWIN' BACK DA 'FRO this week. Artists are on the move, alternative markets are burgeoning, and well, we'll all just have to work a little bit longer before retirement. Stop eating out so you can keep making it to these shows!


TONIGHT
UKNOWN THEATER
1110 Seward Street (cross street is Santa Monica Blvd.), LA
Rupture: An Evening of Dance Theatre
January 8-18, Thursdays - Saturdays @ 8 PM & Sundays @ 6 PM; $18 online, $25 @ door
Kingsley Irons takes to the stage in a few minutes with a crew of dancers ready to break open your head with her analysis of discipline and punishment. The fantastic production team of the Unknown awaits to make your night a memorable one. Go check this out. Parking lot located north of the theater on Lexington and Seward.


ELECTRIC LODGE
1416 Electric Ave, Venice, CA 90291
iDfest 2009: UK in LA
January 6 - 11 is the Workshop sign up here. January 10 @ 8:30 1st show; January 11 @ 4 pm, second show; $20 Gen, $15 Student / DRC, Friday Pay-What-You-Can UK in LA, well, almost. Venice is technically LA, but...Anyway, I am very excited that this festival is in my backyard. Shows every evening with a different bill each time, this festival of improvisation takes its theme seriously. Special guest artists Kirstie Simson, Caroline Waters and Simone Forti anchor the event.


HIGHWAYS
1651 18th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404
Street Cred 101
Saturday, January 10 & Sunday January 11th 8:30 PM; $15/$10
"Who you callin faggot!? I know how you like it when you at County!" Yes yes y'all Khalil Amani, S.A. asks: can a gay rapper earn his street credentials? This will likely be a RAW show, so if ya takin the kiddies to help them get an early start on loving everybody, be ready to answer LOTS of questions. With a roster of 7 hard hitting out rappers, the evening will burn in your memory for years to come. Stop H8TE. Brought to you in part by Outhiphop.com


USC FISHER MUSEUM OF ART

823 Exposition Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90007, map it

El Mexorcist 4:America's Most Wanted Inner Demon
Wednesday, January 28, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm, FREE
El Mexorcista is BACK!! If you've never been excoriated, I mean exorcised by Guillermo Gomez Peña, tonight is the night. Hopefully it's gotten an update to included the antics of the shrub (Bush). Hosted by El Centro Chicano @ USC.


ONGOING CLASSES
It would be great to get updates from folks if your class has moved or your studio has closed. I did get word via Face Book that a new studio has opened! Congrats to the brave Yossi Conde! Her epononymous studio is located at 1734 SOUTH VERMONT AVENUE and you can enjoy a free salsa class this Sunday, 11 JAN from 10 - 11 AM. Shake that thang!

DANCEBank is ON with Mira Kingsley as instructor Saturdays 11am-1pm, January 10, 17, 24 $12

Rae S. Blum is now at Dance Arts Academy on Thursdays 7:30 - 9:30! Offered by Donation, so go get lifted.

A good number of the Viver Brasil Crew is in Bahia getting their learn on, but while they are away, you can expect guest teachers in the Tuesday night class at Dance Arts.

All on the dance map!


ACTION
This just in from Chicago...

Quincy Jones has started a petition to ask President-Elect Obama to appoint a Secretary of the Arts. While many other countries have had Ministers of Art or Culture for centuries, The United States has never created such a position. We in the arts need this and the country needs the arts--now more than ever. Please take a moment to sign this important petition and then pass it on to your friends and colleagues.
http://www.petitiononline.com/esnyc/petition.html


LOVELY!
They say the New Year is all about out with the old and in with the new, but apparently the Blogjo did not get the memo and decided that divide and conquer race politics were still a good game plan. Why Mr. Burris thought he should accept the opportunity to become a black senator from Illinois from a corrupt, embattled governor is beyond me, but he did. Though we all count ourselves among the unlucky for the atrocity that is Gaza, Mr. Burris considers himself lucky for the cover. 2009 is all about implementation of the shifts we put into motion in 2008. Since that is the theme (cause I said so), it goes without saying that we have a year of work ahead of us, especially since not everyone wanted to come along on this fantastic voyage or they did, but did not realize how much old behavior that used to work, will no longer serve them. Scrape that gum off your soul and you'll discover a higher bounce. Looking forward to making anew world with you in 2009. Thanks for reading!

in love,
-Anna