NEWSLETTER: hit and run

Right now I am writing to you from the passenger side of a car between Hacienda Heights and Los Angeles. This past week has been a wild ride and a bit of a blur. Did I not say that Obama was gonna have some trouble getting his cabinet confirmed? I'm still waiting for the exodus of Rahm Emmanuel, simply because there is no way that all these tax-evading folks cleared without it being the case that he did not perceive it as being a problem. Ahem. So Obama has taken a few hits, mostly cause he is not surrounded with that shield of love that got him elected. Now that he's in office folks are kinda hangin' back and waiting for the miracle. Hello people. Now is not the time to stop wishing on a star. Focused group visualization has served us well so far, why stop now? Where are all those song writers and choreographers now? We need some "Obama Work That Confirmation" songs and maybe an Obama Hustle world record shattering gathering in the streets. Something. With the massive layoffs that have happened in the last few weeks and the news media pretending to dribble every agonizing detail your way, it's no wonder that folks are not dancing in the streets and making records with Garage Band. However, now is not the time to stop. We have not had enough. So I am putting up some playlists over on Afrologica, not to avoid the economic meltdown, but to focus your energy and vision, so that you may reach the sublime, find that unsuspecting sweet spot. California is bankrupt. National banks are hoarding bailout money. Art institutions of the bloated elitist type are going the way of the Dodo. Newspapers that have spent years ignoring local issues in favor of the bottom line are crumbling. Fill in the blanks! Localism with an eye for the global is where it's at right now. PUT ON YOUR RED SHOES AND DANCE THE BLUES.


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, aside from my students having no idea that their education is threatened by economic collapse (no really) is a dance in a highrise, black dance at Irvine, Afrosheen Appreciation Month (not really, I just made that up) and a slew of dance workshops.


KIRK DOUGLAS THEATRE
9820 Washington Blvd, Culver City
Got Gentrification? by Danny Hoch
Jan 21 - Feb 22; Tuesday - Friday 8 PM; Saturdays 2 & 8 PM; Sundays 6:30 PM. Price varies according to seat selection...
OBIE Award-winning solo artist Danny Hoch returns to Center Theatre Group with his riveting new work, TAKING OVER, a show that we all know too well, and can't seem to stop living in. Set in his 'hood of Williamsburg, if you just change the accents on a few of the characters, names of streets, back ground beats, you would sear that you were just about ANYWHERE in Venice, Echo Park Silverlake, Downtown LA, Leimert Park, Grand Lake district in Oakland...ANYWHERE. SO, um, he has hit an appropriate nerve, just in time for white folks and upwardly mobile folks of color to rethink what exactly are they looking for in a good ethnically mixed neighborhood...


SELF HELP GRAPHICS
3802 Cesar E. Chavez Ave., 90063
Handmade Love Just For You
Saturday, February 7th, 12 - 5 PM
If you were missing Pat Payne and her inimitable antics, she is back, working her badass intersectional self to death just for you. Go get your lovejones quenched with her "Unauthorized Use" line of custom housewares and delicious erotic chocolates by Reina Prado. Poets, love potions-wielding curandeiras, and some musica round out the mix. A delightful evening for those of you done with leaving your love life to chance...


JULIAN DIXON LIBRARY
4975 Overland Avenue, Culver City, CA
We Tell Stories presents, "The Spirit of Black Folklore"
This 45-minute performance includes three folktales to celebrate Black History Month. Geez, I almost forgot it was Black Artist Employment Month! If you have little ones, go check this crew out. In the meantime, don't forget to put up your personal shrine to all things Black and Proud this month.


CALIFORNIA AFRICAN-AMERICAN MUSEUM
600 State Drive, Exposition Park, Los Angeles CA 90037
Black History Month Events, general
As it is THE MONTH for this venue, there is a lot going on, so please go check out their website. The Black Motorcycle Culture exhibit is still up and so bizarre, that you just have to see it. If you are into bikes, then you don't want to miss this very rare exhibit. Also of interest is a 4-weekend long workshop called "African-Americans, Naturally." While you will not get to learn how to get your hair to kink up and love it, you will learn how to make art with natural and found objects. The theme this month is Earth. Every Saturday in February, twice a day, 12:00-1:30 PM and again at 2:00- 3:30 PM with master artist Angela Briggs. Call 213-744-2024 to make reservations ASAP. Stand by for MANY fantastic programs coming at the end of BAEM, and several right at the top of March....like "Quiet as Kept" Written and directed by Ulysses Jenkins with the participation of Afronauts from across the city (including Bettye Saar and Viver Brasil). February 27th, 7 - 10 PM. Reservations required, suggested donation of $5 - $10, free for members. 213-744-7678. This is a special performance, so it is NOT listed on the website. But don't let that stop you.



THE GETTY CENTER
1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles CA 900449
Collecting African American Art in the 21st Century
Project for the Study of Collecting and Provenance Annual Lecture (PSCP)
Tuesday, February 17, 2009;4:00–5:15 p.m., Reception to follow, FREE
Museum Lecture Hall, The Getty Center
Keeping in theme with black history and art, this is arguably THE year to be a black visual artist, or at least an artist really good at making a likeness of Obama. To help you get your collector on, GRI is bringing in Alvia J. Wardlaw, Art Historian and curator @ The University Museum , Texas Southern. I want to see how she explains the plethora of post-black artists working in experimental and multimedia as "African American." That should be interesting given that she plans to put them in the tradition of historically black colleges and businesses. Where would she place a John Sims? a Damali Ayo? a Navin Norling? a Pat Payne? a William Pope.L? or Mendi+ Keith Obadike? Go and find out. Reservations are required.



okay, here's a question: if you are black, have you ever been wished a "Happy Black History Month?" If you are not, do you ever wonder if you should wish a "Happy Black History month" or have you? I just want to know. Cause as you know, we now have an unofficial Black President's Day. Check the archives if you are missing something from last week. Go vote on this and other topics at Afrologica.


7+Fig
735 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, 90017
A Material World, Collage Dance Theater w/ Heidi Duckler
January - February Open Rehearsals ALL FREE
Art Walk, Feb 12, 5- 9 PM FREE
A Material World Show, Feb 18th 12:30 PM and again@ 5:30 PM FREE, no reservations
MUST GO! They've been at this all January, and I swear I have had it on my mind to let you know about this project, but each week, I just space after finding too much else. So here it is. The open rehearsals are coming to an end, but the show is not until next week. And it is free! What interests me about this show, and this company period is the potential to use their working style as a template for transformation, for working in wild locations with tangible results for "retrofitting" "repurposing" not just space/sites/locales, but ideas, ordinances, economies. Meet me there next Thursday. I'll be fresh off the freeway and looking for a revelation.


reminders:
18th Street Art Open Studios is tomorrow-Saturday--but it may be rained out...
IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE, 4199 Campus Dr # 680, Irvine, CA, Dance Visions, A celebration of Donald McKayle, Thu Feb 5 8pm – Sun Feb 8 6pm; $16 gen/ $14 seniors & UCI staff & faculty/ $9 UCI students & children
MACHINE PROJECT tree give away Sunday Feb 8th
ANATOMY RIOT #30 @ The Open Space
look in the archive for last weeks recommendations...

coming up:
-blue13 Dance Company, "Bollywood Delicious" [WORLD PREMIERE!] at Highways Feb 13th - 15th get your tickets now!
-decaDance, Grad Concert at UCR Dance dept--will be hilarious! Feb 20th - 22nd tix
-The W. Kamau Bell Curve: Ending Racism in About an Hour comes to LA, Comedy Central Stage, 323-960-5519. Dude told the first Obama joke EVER in 2005! Call to reserve.




ONGOING CLASSES & WORKSHOPS
Get your carpools together and check out these local dance workshops!
Brazilian Dance and Drum Workshop, Center for Worldance, 230 West Main Street, Alhambra CA Feb 7th & 8th, 1 - 10 PM $25 each or $45 for 2 classes. Laila Abdulla from Viver Brasil is not to be missed. HOT!

Afro-Cuban Dance Workshop in San Diego, Stage 7 School of Dance, 3980 30th Street, San Diego, CA Friday February 6 @ 7:30 - 9:30 PM; $20 with Freila Merencio & Juan Carlos Blanco, formerly lead soloists with Raices Profundas in Havana.
and then...they get on the road and come up here to us! Saturday February 7 @ 5:00- 6:30 PM for Yoruba and Congo; then 6:30 - 8:00PM for Arara & Franco-Haitian. Studio No.1 2037 Granville Ave, Los Angeles CA, $20 for one $35 for both. THIS IS REAL DEAL ACTION. Make it if you can. Ladies, bring your big white skirt.


DANCEbank Winter/Spring session, Saturdays 11am-1pm, $12
Feb 7, 14th - Hana van der Kolk ; Feb 21, 28, March 7 - Rae Shao-Lan Blum; March 14 - Eva Aymami @ Metabolic Studio / Farmlab 1745 North Spring Street, #4 LA, CA 90012



GIGS
Urban Bushwomen have a search on for an executive director. Here's the link to the job description! http://www.urbanbushwomen.org/downloads/Executive_Search.pdf

"Walla!" an MFA thesis exhibition opening at USC
8-10 Actors (NO ACTING EXPERIENCE NECESSARY just enthusiasm) needed for "Walla!" MFA thesis exhibition opening at the USC Roski School
of Fine Art (located at South Flower & 30th Street, a few blocks from main campus).
Auditions will be held Saturday, February 7th from 4-6 pm at the USC Roski School of Fine Art (located at 3001 South Flower & 30th Street, just a few blocks from main campus). Please RSVP by Friday, February 6th if you are interested : 503-853-1374 / emast@usc.edu a looping theatrical play to be performed (over and over) in the gallery space for one night only. The play involves two to three live musicians, five characters + eight to ten actors who play (very reactionary) live audience members/opening goers during the three hour duration of the play (think John Cassavetes, "Opening Night"). I think this is paid with footage for your reel, no cash.




ACTION
Start a local currency. Really. Get busy. Convince your credit union and a handful of local businesses. If nothing else, start with $15 as the base unit to equal one hour value, and print up cupons to exchange within your small community of artmakers, providers, vendors, set designers, etc...This does work. Check it out. Two distinct models:
Berkshares
Ithaca Hours
I want to start Dogtown Dollars. Who can help? Who knows of a local credit union that may have interest? Venice was hammered by the mergers of banks.
Also, here is a thorough website all about the process of creating a local currency:
E.F. Schumacher Society




LOVELY!
So I was listening to Obama give a speech to his Democratic buddies at their convention, and I was deeply amused. And then not. This economic stimulus package is weird. It does not seem to reflect the hope that billions of people world wide held for the big change bound to come upon his election. The reason for that: it was written while he was still campaigning, while elected "officials" were still holding out for the great big band aid fix. Quite frankly, it freaked me out when he said "creating thousands of new jobs, all in the private sector" like that was a good idea. The way this package is structured, we will continue to be held hostage by failing industries and corporations.News reports out of London confirmed that bankers there, too, were scurrying to pay out bonuses with their corporate stimulus check before the oversight rules kicked in!? The other mind boggling, but not surprising, chunk of weirdness in the package are provisions that will increase nuclear power industry and "clean coal." Obama likes these. He said that several times during the campaign. Most folks, especially those who live near this crap, can't stand'em. SO...phone and write, have neighborhood meetings, tape them puppies and throw them up on YouTube, FaceBook and any other site you can think of. I don't know about you, but when they said "create thousands of jobs to get America back to work," I really did think a second-coming of The New Deal was nigh. I mean, I damn near had t-shirts designed for the 21st Century WPA project. Private sector?! So please come and visit Afrologica and sign up so we can come up with a fantastic viral protest as well as some critical things we can do right now to create possibilities for "glocal" economic stability. I'm thinking we all post videos with the same title and then send out a press release. Enough is enough. Our economy is gone as we know it. It's time for the elected folks to have some vision and audacity and help us create one that will function for longer than 10 years at a time. People-centered, full of love and creativity.

in love,
-Anna