NEWSLETTER: cranked

Hello you!

My goodness. We are just about done with the winter quarter here at work and my body is in hyperdrive. Had to go to the pin doctor to see if he could turn down my dial. So far, so good. But I had no idea how dependent I had become on working at the speed of sound. Luckily, my adrenals were not blown (whew), in fact everything was fine but the heart and lungs--I am runnin hot like an overclocked computer, like a souped up mustang on synthetic oil, like a credit-addicted economy on cash. Burning through it! Who knew that a yawn could be welcomed back like a long lost friend? This week yawns were passed out by the handfuls while we all scrambled to get out of the heat caused by our charbroiled cash reserves. One yawn: the NEA is getting down to the business of stimulating artists with some of that cash. As I thought, they are kinda hoarding most of it, or rather, disbursing it in undemocratic ways by giving money to former grantees directly, and then making a portion available for organizations to apply for to re-grant. I wish the MAP fund folks were in charge of the purse strings. But since they are not, there is a small group of us here in LA wrapping our brains around how to create value, maintain spaces and deliver more cost-effective performances without an influx of cash. So keep your eyes peeled, and be ready to donate to various 'micro-fundraisers', cause we likely still gonna need to pay the rent with cash.


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


BLOWING BACK DA FRO right now is Facebook as the 6th largest nation on the planet. Dig that! And as such, there is a lot going on "in there" that is actually going on "out here." You know we have conquered time and space when someone sends you a chat message asking you to come to their workshop and call them, they in NYC and you in LA and the workshop is next week. YES! Look at all this work taking the sting out of the stimulus.


HIGHWAYS
1651 18th St., Santa Monica, CA
Fringes-Margins-Borders
Friday MARCH 6 + Saturday, March 7 @8.30pm,Sunday, March 8 @3.00pm; $20
L.A.'s Queer Exchange: Deadlee, Ian MacKinnon, Saleem, and special guest Scott Turner Schofield + San Francisco Artists: Thisway/Thatway (aka Stephanie Cooper), Sean Dorsey Dance, Gigi Otalvaro-Hormillosa : MUST GO!!! Art that makes you go "Oh my God, I am a part of the problem!!" Nothing more healing than that. Knowledge is power. Now go make some noise (that was a sideways rejoinder...).


TRACK 16 (@ Bergamot Station), map
2525 Michigan Avenue
Irrational Exhibits & High Performance (C)art
Saturday, March 7 8PM -10PM; FREE
The HP (c)Art is a performance of the now defunct arts publication, High Performance. This appearance will be a collaboration between HP (c)Art and Leigh Ann Hahn. Be prepared to sing. This is a must go as mijo Marcus Kuiland Nazario is involved and Leigh Ann is the curator of the fantastic Grand Performances series. Gotta go!!! I'll be there with the kiddies. Parking may suck so car pool is advised.

PHYLLIS STEIN ART, map
207 West 5th Street, East Los Angeles, CA
Performance Happy Hour closing party for "America"
Saturday, March 7 8PM -10:30 PM; FREE
Phyllis Stein Artists in Residence SARAH PAUL OCAMPO with Advanced Beginner, Mecca Vazie Andrews with The Movement Movement, with SPECIAL GUESTS Bridget Irish, Kate Rigg and Sister Mantos invite you to come out and play with them. This will likely be unusual and daring, like most of what Ms. Mecca likes to do. Tough call. if you can't get out to Bergamont, or the thought of Santa Monica turns your stomach, go to this.


CASA 0101, map
2009 E. First Street, Los Angeles, CA
Healing Aloud part 1
Fri Mar 6 & Saturday March 7 @ 8 PM; Sunday at 3pm; $20 at the door (I could not find advance sales info)
TeAda presents two short new works to heal women's souls. "Breakfast with my Mother" by Maria Martinez investigates dementia, retirement and gardens in Chicana communities. Written and performed by Marcella Pabros-Clark, "Healing Mars" is a dance theatre piece about self-healing, against the advice of the medical system. I like TeAda, and though these sound heady, they are likely great fun, informative and timely. Definitely timely.


upcoming:
New Dance @ St. Joseph's Ballet in Orange Co. March 13 & 14; $15 and limited seating on sale now!!
David Rousseve & Reality, Saudade, UCLALive, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA March 31-April 5; $46, $34
REDCAT Winter Studio 2009, March 22- 23; $8/$12/$15 (I co-curated!)
REDCAT Gamelan Burat Wangi, April 4 - 5; $20, $16, $10
Neil Greenbergs' Really Queer Dance with Harps, REDCAT, April 15 - 18, $25, $20, $12


Looking for details from last week? check the archive. If you join Afrologica, you can look at a live calendar whenever you feel like it!



WORKSHOPS & ONGOING CLASSES
Special! Malang Bayo is back to teach kutero and djembe orchestra dances from Senegal. TUESDAY MARCH 17 @ 6:30-8PM; THURSDAY MARCH 19 @ 6:30-8PM; SUNDAY MARCH 22 @ 1-2:30PM @ LULA WASHINGTON DANCE STUDIO 3773 CRENSHAW BLVD., LA, CA 90016 $15 PER CLASS. Call Malang: 347/693-6395 for questions. Intermediate to advance level.
+ ACTION
Alright ya'll. I know with this economic downturn, you're starting to make like a chipmunk and stash nuts in those cheek pockets of yours, but do not abandon your dance classes. If you were planning to start one as your New Year's Resolution and you realized that things were gonna be tough way back in November so "why bother to plan to things that cost money," time to change your mind. There are lots of reasons: 1) the cost of these classes are just a bit more than a movie and waaay less than your cable or cell bill and better for your body; 2)spending money on a dance class adds capital to your local economy; 3)you don't actually enjoy having a large ass the way you thought you would; 4) it is cheaper to buy a class package than it is to replace your wardrobe; 5)your happiness index is directly correlated to your physical fitness; 6)I told you to go.

Alright, I'll admit to ending my attendance at Viver Brasil's Tuesday night class because I was tired of coming home to no parking; but then I got assigned to teach a T, Th schedule which means I cannot get back in time to take the class. I miss class. I have enjoyed having those extra dollars. The teachers miss their students and those dollars. The students have not enjoyed getting flabby or dancing around alone at home. So I would like to try an experiment that I will issue as a challenge here: let's do a day of classes at several area studios, a solid day, classes begin at 9 AM and go until 10 PM. Each class is $6, payable with $2 bills directly to the instructor. If you take more than 2 classes, you pay $4 directly to the studio, also in $2 bills.

Teachers, you then go out and spend your money only at local stores in the area where you live or at shows of local artists. It would be great if you could pool your money with another teacher to buy rehearsal/class time at the same studio. The studio would then spend their money to pay any staff or service provider in cash with same stipulation: local stores (no chain or big box stores), local art event/show. Then we could see where and how our money flows.

I am going to contact some of you directly to work on this with me. You likely know who you are, lol. If you want to be a part of this or do your own version in another city, please contact me so we can work together to build some momentum across the media and social networks.


LOVELY!
I have been inspired to do this by a pharmacist in a small town called Brewton, AL. He gave $16,000 in $2 bills to his employees as his own version of the stimulus package and asked them to donate 10% to a charity first, then shop downtown. The effect has been uplifting and noticeable, demonstrating what a little bit of cash can do for a community. Los Angeles is huge, but it is a loose (getting looser by the week) federation of villages, many comprised of micro-communities. A soul-ar system (cc). Though our dollars may look like a drop in a bucket, they will not feel like one to the teachers and small businesses that will receive them. Yes, this is a test of the emergence of a new type of fiscal broadcast. Stay tuned.

in love,
-Anna

ps: don't forget daylight savings time! set your clocks tonight!