Last week found me sitting vigil while my student's filed their last bit of work for me during the quarter. I also had new students for next quarter begging into a full course, the new TA wondering where the syllabus was for the other course and the universe telling me it was time to MOVE SOMETHING! I tweeted as best I could, but could not get my head enough space to send a coherent newsletter. Rather than annoy, I opted out while I handled business. Now fresh off a flu so painful that I thought I had dengue fever again, I just have to say thank you that I survived. It hurt! It also hurt watching two long-running So. Cal dance festivals go head to head on last weekend. The pain was not so much that I could not go ( I was sitting for friends pre-flu) but that one festival was starved for patrons (New Dance @ St. Joseph's Ballet), while the other (Celebrate Dance) was sold out. I saw this train wreck coming, though I do hope that in the end St. Joseph was able to fill its seats. If you want to read more on this, check Afrologica as it is becoming a bit of a series on demographics, value, and arts management. It is clear, that dance artists have to pay careful attention to the head 2 head mashups; it is less true now that there is always an alternative audience. Bailout watching is a great example. AIG seems to think we will soon get fatigued and not want to hear about them anymore. WRONG! Even comedy goes all populist shrill when bailouts come up. If you missed Comedy Central's Jon Stewart of the Daily Show rip Cramer from CNBC's Mad Money a new one, here is the link. This stuff is stealing our art audiences! And I don't mean cause its got their attention; ITS GOT THEIR CASH. Thus, stimulus money continues to trickle up and not flow out (we'd even settle for a downwards trickle at this point) California is practically without government, and hence financing which means the great city-wide shakedown has commenced: pick a city, any city. One thing to think about are all the people being served with tax notices by the City of LA for operating businesses from their homes. With the rents charged here (no thanks to the housing board) you MUST run a business from your home, or you gotta move out of town. Whoops! There we are back to that shrinking middle class. Schools were hit with a barrage of pink slips this week, last hired first fired even if they were hired to alleviate overcrowding. Universities are making excuses to fire junior faculty who would in more normalized times attain tenure (a dude on my campus has challenged our chancellor to a debate for firing him), Madoff goes to jail alone (impossible!) and Obama's smile makes people want to give their money back to the gamblers again. Yeah. Nothing will be as it was folks. Time to MOVE IT or LOOSE IT. Obama got that message and sent his private "all-power-to-the-peoples" army door to door this weekend making sure we don't forget how to do government right. Take one big inhalation, exhale to clear the way for the subsequent greatness that is life, and get crackin on how you're gonna help fix our localized version of this mess. I for one, have mailed off my pledge to join the constitutional convention for the state of California. It is time to recognize the uncommon move, the arduous move, as the most elegant. Just keep breathing.
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 weekend is Redcat Studio cause I helped curate it!!!! I can't believe it either. We are very excited to present to you some fantastic work that we can't wait to crow about a year or so down the road "we had it first!" LOL! I got to meet so many interesting folks and learn a lot about LA art scene, many thanks to George and . Aside from amazing myself (geez I'm blushing), I'm also excited by the return of Collage dancers and all sorts of new projects that address our historical moment. Dive in!
REDCAT, map
631 W Second St, Los Angeles, CA,
Winter Studio
Sunday March 22 & Monday March 23, 8:30 PM; $15/$12/$8
Time for another installment in the Studio series at the REDCAT. I always look forward to this because it's a great way to discover something new and find out more about that person you see at all those events, lol! But this particular series bears a bit of my imprimatur as it were and portends a night of delicious surprises and serendipity (can you tell I've been reading a novel set in the 1700s). Really, there are breakthrough pieces on this bill. We worked hard to create a "show," which made all of us sweat a bit because there were more than 6 excellent pieces. But come and judge for yourself. Drinks after in the lounge on Sunday? The cast:
ANTICS PERFORMANCE: GONE WILD, ORI BAREL: IN A TUBE, BLANK-THE-DOG PRODUCTIONS: CAROLYN BRYANT PROJECT
KEITH GLASSMAN: SONNET (STROKE), ELIZABETH HOEFNER: MOTH-ASOMATI, KATHERINE SALTZBERG: LOS ANGELYNE
TEMPLE AKIBA
5249 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City, CA 90230
Heidi Duckler Collage Dance Theatre presents Really, All About Eve
Sunday, March 22 at 4 p.m.; $20 admission + $1 processing fee for PayPal transactions
Hmmmm. Okay, so I am recommending cause I love what Duckler does and Ms. Mecca Vazie Andrews is in the show, but not sure what to expect with a revisitation of the story of Eve. Their question: "was Eve framed?" This causes me to think about advertising my new service, but I'll restrain myself right now. This is an amazing company, with sharp and unusual takes on space and its relationship to meaning. With Plotz playing live, this should be a rather inventive afternoon.
HIGHWAYS
LOS ANGELES WOMEN'S THEATER FESTIVAL 16TH ANNIVERSARY: UNITED WE STAND!
Thursday, March 26 7:00pm Champagne GALA & Awards Ceremony; 28th, Friday 8:00pm; Saturday 2:00pm & 8:00pm; Sunday 2:00pm & 7:00pm
"A Multicultural Multidisciplinary Festival of Solo Women from throughout the U.S. join hands with the LAWTF for another extraordinary annual festival." My girl the Negrita Maldita, Ms. Pat Payne Spunky Sho Nuff Hurself is on the bill, so you best recognize that this at no flimsy gatherin of folks who could pay for the four walls and gonna show you just any ole thang. NOPE! You will be entertained, and schooled while they at it. Get your tix!
For ticket info visit: www.lawtf.com or call: 818-760-0408
UCLA ROYCE HALL, map
Los Angeles, CA 90095
David Rousseve/REALITY presents Saudade
Wednesday April 1 - Saturday April 4, 8PM & Sunday April 5th @ 7 PM; $46, $34, $15 tix
"Buoyed by mystical images of flight, the night sky and the deep southern bayou, and grounded in folklore, historical fact and personal experience, Saudade is a mosaic of character monologues told from a uniquely southern, African American perspective." As a Southerner myself, I can attest to how difficult it is to leave that place, and how difficult it is to stay. Rousseve has built an illustrious career coming to terms with the forced migration that is " Southern black artist." I hope to see you there.
REDCAT
Saturday April 4- Sunday 5th, 8:30 PM; $20/$16/$10
Gamelan Burat Wangi
The Monkey King is coming to a stage near you! Ok, not quite. Ramayana Monkey Chant, or kecak as it is known in Bali will be presented by this local treasure of a company. If you went to Pichet Klunchun & Me by Jerome Bel and were really pissed off at the whole thing, or just let down that you did not get the background text to the monkey dances, then go to this to clear your kinesthetic memory. You'll be dazzled, too.
coming up:
April 15 - 17 @ Redcat, Neil Greenberg presents Really Queer Dances With Harps
April 17 - 19 @ Highways Show Box presents the premiere of Tender, a new work by choreographer Meg Wolfe (in collaboration with Gregory Barnett), and Demolition Boy by guest artist, Karen Sherman (Minneapolis)
April 22ish, Face Book issue of itch dance journal, jump in and make it happen, details to come
WORKSHOPS & ONGOING CLASSES
Juan Carlos Blanco has moved to LA!!! Catch him every Sunday @ Studio #1- West LA, 2037 Granville Ave., West Los Angeles, CA for mixed level Afro-Cuban dance class that covers Yoruba, Arara, Congo & Franco-Haitian traditions. Cost $15. Accompanied by live percussion. Drop ins welcome! He is also building a company, so stick around for his repertory class that follows immediately afterwards if you are looking for this type of dance adventure.
Linda Yudin has closed out her Friday class at Dance Garden and moved it to MONDAYS 6:30 - 7:30, $15 single with class packages available. Badaró is having guests at Dance Arts Academy Tuesdays 8 - 9:30.
Rae Blum is back in the saddle at Dance Arts Academy on Thursdays 7:30 - 9:30 PM, $15 or what you can
Kimberly Mullen is in Hawai'i right throwing down a special spring break workshop, but her class at Electric Lodge on Saturdays at 10:30 AM will continue next week.
Meg Wolfe and SHOWBox are about to astound you...stay tuned.
Check the dance map for studio addresses and directions to them!
COLLABORATION
This from Ronald Burton:
Dear Dance Practitioners,
In my return to class next week, I will be conducting a mock audition practice for my students. If you can contribute any information in any technique as to the "real life" practice of preparing, dress, etiquette, what you look for, standing out, choreography retention etc. all will be welcomed credited additions to my information for sharing with my students. Please submit to my email address: rburton01@wesleyan.edu
help a brotha out! Plus, maybe if we ask real nice he will post a blog of the replies.
FRINGE FESTIVAL
nope, not in Edinbourough, but in Hollywood! They are in full production to secure performance venues and a call will go out soon to artists to submit their proposals. But as it is a Fringe Festival, you will be welcomed to put your show up wherever you find a space for it. Application process will open this summer, festival in 2010. Looking forward to this! http://www.hollywoodfringe.org for the details.
GIG
Viver Brail is seeking a Part Time Managing Director!
Provides direction and day-to-day management of several key such as finance, administration, communications, human resources and development; assumes responsibility for major projects such as booking services and touring assistance; assumes responsibility for organization in absence of E.D. Participates as a member of the senior management team to formulate and implement policies and plans to meet the organizations short and long-term objectives. Please go to their website for further details.
LOVELY!
Wow, I always forget how hard it truly is to come back from a big illness. Sorry Cari that I did not make the party:( but I spaced, and listening to my and my children's cough, we still do not need to be out in public. I've been over on Twitter learning new things about the world and meeting people. It is astounding how all of a sudden there is a rush to the microblog mindcast. Like, now everything has to get downsized, including our messages. Actually, what is happening there is likely a great road map for the power of the incremental. With our new found realization that value resides in the people you know, not in the stuff you have hoarded, and that your true monetary worth is only your payments for your labor, ie, your j-o-b, reaching large goals (goodness, what even is large now) takes a personal swarm, not a massive expensive launch of product. Celebrate Dance had a veritable swarm of groups participating and each group worked their email base to sell out 1200 seats, and they were willing to give away price to create value: 25% discount for groups over 15. The value here is the dance class crew, the large extended families, the high school dance team coming out together to see dance styles they would not have opted to see if their rep was not on the bill. It was like a Twitter homepage on stage: items floating by that might not make sense to you, but move you to investigate further. That's all it takes to ignite dance passion in the souls of new patrons. Yeah, we used to talk about enticment and seduction to get someone through the door, but now, we are talking value, that feeling of being loved, of being felt like a kiss that stays with you long after the show is done, that makes you look into the eyes of strangers and pass it on. Now there's a tweet. Let's keep at that.
in love,
-Anna
