NEWSLETTER: re-le-vitate

Peace & Time!
These last two weeks have been a phenomenon: challenging, invigorating, exhausting, frustrating, and illuminating. I've missed you guys so much! I just want to thank you all for the comments on the last entry and for the vibrations that you send my way as you await the newsletter in your in box. I FEEL YOU! I have been writing, stopping and starting, trying to get better information, hoping to get out of blog-syndrome, then ultimately not posting. I stumbled across two massive dance projects that required research of the type that I used to dread. I've had a dear mentor make his transition unexpectedly and find myself making up new teaching strategies as I go along for a group of 65 frosh. The plate is full, the cup runneth over, yet I have had no appetite. But I am back y'all, on the upswing, or the lift off as it were. This close to 40, with my big daddy gone, it is clear that I have to fashion myself as a warrior, and advocate; become a change maker, a DOER. And I'll be hot damn if I wasn't already doing it with Afrologica! So I want to thank you all for enduring me initially in this experiment, then supporting me with all your loving notes, and finally asking me to be there for you with the steady stream of invites and requests for postings. I get it. I'm here, and we're gonna turn this mutha out.


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


With all the transitions and change-ups, my 'fro has been on permanent wrap down, but David Rousseve got me to take that rag offa my head and shake it, shake to the lovely absurdity that is life. BLOWIN BACK DA 'FRO this week is a PLETHORA of dance-based art, international Dance Week taking shape LA-stylee, and grants to make you holla.


UNKNOWN THEATRE
1110 Seward Street Los Angeles, CA 90038
Hysterica Dance Co. presents Crust
April 2 - 12, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm Sundays at 6pm; $18 online, $25 @ the door
I could not get in to see this piece last weekend, so I sure hope there are some tickets left! An investigation of dress, getting dressed, redressing, uncovering, this piece situates bodies in the stratum that is life in society. MUST GO.


ROYAL/T CAFE
8910 Washington Blvd, Los Angeles CA 90332; 310-559-6300
Cirque de So Lame
Friday, April 10, 8 PM; $5 , ONE NIGHT ONLY
OK. Pat Payne called me up frantic that we had to go see this. SO the shit has to be good. No real details to be found, Scratch that! I just found their website. I'm good like that! From a review I located from last year, this sounds like awesome lameness all around. MUST GO! Bob Baker Marionettes, David Lieb Hart ventriloquist and circus attire requested?!? $5?! GO. Brought to you by Zippercut. They's sho nuff crazeee.


REDCAT, map
Caden Manson/Big Art Group presents, SOS
Wednesday April 8 - Sunday 12, 2009 West Coast premiere; W-Th $25/20/12; Sat - Sun $30/24/16
REDCAT Has been ON FIRE! Go George! Tonight, a bit of lovely mayhem is planned for you in the form of a multimediated stage full of performers with live musicians. Caden takes a journey through the live feed to explore themes of rebirth, sacrifice, and ritual. The description sounds absolutely delectable, so I also have this on my MUST GO list. I need a clone! Look further down for TWO more must go events from this power presenter.


UCR PRESENTS, map
Neil Greenberg Dances presents, Really Queer Dances with Harps and Quartet With Three Gay Men
Friday, April 10, 8 PM; $34/17 + parking $8
This highly acclaimed show comes to Southern California in a mini-tour. My colleague is bringing a bit of the NYC Downtown scene to you over two weeks. Look for special programming at the SHOW Box with his entourage.


Missing something? Wanna see those posts that I never sent to you? They are all in the archive. You can search to by key word!



HIGHWAYS
1651 18th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404
Meg Wolfe presents, Tender + ShowBox guest Karen Sherman presents Demolition Boy Friday April 17 & Saturday April 18 @ 8:30 PM Sunday April 19 @ 7:00pm $20/$15
This will be a profound evening of work by the dance ninja herself, Meg Wolfe. She is joined by Gregory Barnett of Dance Good Dammit! in a searing exploration of those parts that hurt from the pressure of missing gestures and overabundant touches. They are recommending you reserve tickets RIGHT NOW. Just got mine. MUST GO.


REDCAT
Neil Greenberg Dances presents, Really Queer Dances with Harps
Wednesday, April 15 - Friday April 17 @ 8:30 PM; $25/20/12
Neil hits LA with a short run downtown. Unbelievably, these tickets are cheaper than Riverside. Get your tix if you don't have them, car pool, get there early and have some drinks in the fabulous Lounge. All they need are some hot salty snacks. This is Neil's "debut" as newly minted member of the LA experimental dance scene, so come on out and welcome him!
Next @ REDCAT, You gotta get TIX NOW for
Marc Bamuthi Joseph/The Living Word Project, The break/s: a mixtape for stage
Wednesday April 22- Sunday, April 26, 2009 @ 8:30 PM, but Sunday @ 3:00; W-F $25/20/12; Sat-Sun $30/24/16
OMG, you cannot miss this, and all the hip hop heads in town that know anything about the science will be trying to get in da door, so get your tix right now!


UNKNOWN THEATRE
1110 Seward Street Los Angeles, CA 90038
Samantha Giron Dance Project Presents: Mongrels
April 16th, 2009 - April 26th, 2009
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm
Sundays at 6 PM; $18 online $25 @ the door
Back to back dance programming, WOOOO! About the things that come out at night no less! Something must be in the air, cause my girl Meida McNeil is doing a show at Brown University called Urban Folk Dance about the House Music scene. Here in LA, Samantha Giron brings us an investigation of the the moves of the LA Underground Club scene. I got to see a bit of this and costume mock ups, if she kept all that hair swingin', the piece should really evoke its name quite well. You miss her here, I do believe you'll get to see her at the NEXT Festival.




ONGOING CLASSES & WORKSHOPS
It's Dance Week soon! I mentioned a month back that we need to do something with $2 bills and this special week of programming. I will almost spam your inbox if I can get sites involved with the idea. At the minimum, I am asking that if you make it to any special Dance Week events, you pay in $2 bills. If you are a class provider and are paid in $2 bills, when you go to your dance/yoga/pilates class, pay in your $2 bills! The pay scale I had hoped for likely will not happen, but if you can spend that week taking classes, attending events with $2 bills, let me know!

Initially, Dance Week was one day, initiated by The International Council of Dance at UNESCO back in 1982. I've scrounged out the official Dance Day Message from 2008 from UNESCO for you to check out. It has great ideas for promoting the day, most of which are not focused on dance studios at all!! So, I challenge those of you with companies, or freelancers/stylers to do an intervention (you know I am making this up as I go, right, lol!) OK. Susan Rose showed me a film of a piece she did in Westwood a while back that I think bears repeating, especially right now: find an empty meter on a street, put in the amount of time you need and proceed to dance there. I do recommend having a possee. In the film, teams of less than 3 had a hard time holding down the spot. Don't forget to videotape. I will send blog links for these, ahem, initiatives.

SHOWBOX
Here is one place that will gladly take your $2 bills! With special programming the Week of April 13 - 21, SHOWBOX is bringing special classes via DANCEBank, a movie night, an itch launch, master classes with Neil Greenberg's dancers who will be in town for their Redcat gig. Now, some of these things are listed a low to no cost, but please, drop two $2 dollar bills in the box at the door! Bartering is also in effect.
April 11th - guest artist, Paige Martin*
April 18 - guest artist: Christine Elmo*
April 27th: Monday Movie - it's a socialist musical documentary!, East Side Story, brought to you by my favorite German former-squatter, Ari Hoffmann (at Show Box http://showboxla.blogspot.com/) free ! (okay, right there? disregard and take that woman something: green cleaning supplies, TP, industrial mop, something!)

LULA WASHINGTON DANCE STUDIO, April 24 - 26
There is a whole day of events planned at this fantastic studio. If you have never been, time to fix that! With discipline, respect, and determination, Lula's students are a joy to watch, and actually to take classes with, so get ready for some intergenerational fun. More details next week.

I kinda thought that Dance South LA Project would have something going, but nothing turned up. It is likely that they are working with Lula Washington. If they are not, can somebody ask them what they have planned next?



EARTH DAY FESTIVALS
Earth Day is sooon upon us on April 22, the Wilshire Center will host it's second Car-Free Day from 11-2PM, but mysteriously...there will be no street closures! What? Here's the link for you to go down and recycle your e-waste for free. But f you want to help me out, hold on to your e-waste: I will need it for props and sets for a big show I have coming up. More details to follow. LA's big festival is not until June 27 (?) and will be in Venice. I won't put another question mark ^^ just raise my eyebrows.

Santa Monica
Arguably the largest one in the area, this Earth Day event had vendors, exhibits and hands on workshops up and down the Promenade in downtown Santa Monica. ¡BUT research is showing that it has been folded into the Venice Eco-Fest!

Everywhere
If you want to find out other things happening for Earth Day, here is a network with a search engine. Maybe you can find one that is actually a festival on the 22nd!




GRANTS & ART OPPORTUNITIES
AMI Productions
One of my spiritual communities, Agape, is lighting up the world in a grand way: with their communication wing, Agape Media International, they are announcing AMI Productions, a Film, Television & Theatrical production company. They are not playing around and production values will be HIGH. Click here for the open call for screenplays, television pilots and/or plays. Your work should be transformative, promoting unconditional love from a deep knowing place. Wanna hear something from Agape? Go to their site and find podcasts, video clips, songs and of course, the schedule for meetings. http://www.agapemedia-film.com/submissions.html

DanceUSA Audience Development Grant
Engaging Dance Audiences is a big effort, but the dollars are worth it: $25K - $150K grant size. This one is intricate, with three different categories, a built in data collection system, but it is open to organizations and individuals. Must be a member in good standing. http://www.danceusa.org/fundingguidelines




LOVELY!
Alrighty! I am not gonna rail too much about the pirates off the coast of Somalia while we do nothing about the pirates in our banking and financial system. My heart sinks every time I see a WaMu become a Chase Bank. But less I despair too deeply, it is important to keep in mind that this system of owning value separate from labor and attempting to define it as a tangible thing in a piece of paper, is coming to a close. Even Dance Week in the US is a complete fabrication to support an industry and not an activity. That link above will take you to a central website that is running under a .org denomination, meaning it is not-for-profit, however, it does appear that it is "owned" by The United Dance Merchants of America. Does this change the love, fervor and grace people have invested in this week? No, at least I hope not, but there is a very real way that the types of dance promoted on the site directly increase the demand for their products. The good ole American Way; but hey, it's efficient. My parking meter challenge up there is a way to bring the attention back to the dance and the bodies channeling it. If you take public transportation, you should make sure to dance a few phrases on the bus or train! Now don't have no shame: put your hat or bucket out and collect those tips! Let's support and promote people and their precious bodies. There are lots of ways to do it. I am happy to announce that Echo Park has set up an Time Bank! They launched in the summer of 2008 and have really taken off since the collapse of December 2008. If you are in the area, check them out! More importantly, they host workshops and are ready to help you set up your own system to barter/trade time for goods and services. I just missed their last workshop, but I will go to the next and report back! So keep up with me on Twitter @doctoradancer for breaking news types of things. You can also find my digital hat/bucket/basket/flower pot set out there! I'm signed up on tipjoy.com. If you're feeling me, drop me some change: it will be invested to bring you more performance analysis, video, podcasts and webcasts! Look for announcements about my consulting venture, Vita Vibrare, where I am Thinking at a Higher Frequency to lift you to your greatest good. DO YOU FEEL IT?! YES!, Alright now, I"ll see you around town.

in love,
-Anna