Rotunda

featuring:
Fiidla on violin, keys, etc
George Braithe on Braithaphon
Marvin bugalu Smith on drums
Tyrone Brown on Bass
Bill Meeks on Keys

more info coming.

The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as performed by the Inmates of the Asylum…
EgoPo
Theater, 120 minutes

When a charismatic leader promises change, people want immediate satisfaction—or blood will run. In one of the most controversial plays ever written, EgoPo recreates the French Revolution in West Philly’s breathtaking Rotunda. Enter the bloody world of the Marquis De Sade where musicians, dancers, and asylum inmates run the show.

Showtimes
Fri. 9/3
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Sat. 9/4
7:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Sat. 9/4
10:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Sun. 9/5
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Thu. 9/9
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Fri. 9/10
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Sat. 9/11
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Sun. 9/12
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Mon. 9/13
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Wed. 9/15
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Thu. 9/16
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Fri. 9/17
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Sat. 9/18
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00

The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as performed by the Inmates of the Asylum…
EgoPo
Theater, 120 minutes

When a charismatic leader promises change, people want immediate satisfaction—or blood will run. In one of the most controversial plays ever written, EgoPo recreates the French Revolution in West Philly’s breathtaking Rotunda. Enter the bloody world of the Marquis De Sade where musicians, dancers, and asylum inmates run the show.

Showtimes
Fri. 9/3
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Sat. 9/4
7:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Sat. 9/4
10:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Sun. 9/5
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Thu. 9/9
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Fri. 9/10
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Sat. 9/11
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Sun. 9/12
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Mon. 9/13
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Wed. 9/15
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Thu. 9/16
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Fri. 9/17
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Sat. 9/18
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00

The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as performed by the Inmates of the Asylum…
EgoPo
Theater, 120 minutes

When a charismatic leader promises change, people want immediate satisfaction—or blood will run. In one of the most controversial plays ever written, EgoPo recreates the French Revolution in West Philly’s breathtaking Rotunda. Enter the bloody world of the Marquis De Sade where musicians, dancers, and asylum inmates run the show.

Showtimes
Fri. 9/3
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Sat. 9/4
7:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Sat. 9/4
10:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Sun. 9/5
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Thu. 9/9
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Fri. 9/10
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Sat. 9/11
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Sun. 9/12
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Mon. 9/13
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Wed. 9/15
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Thu. 9/16
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Fri. 9/17
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Sat. 9/18
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00

The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as performed by the Inmates of the Asylum…
EgoPo
Theater, 120 minutes

When a charismatic leader promises change, people want immediate satisfaction—or blood will run. In one of the most controversial plays ever written, EgoPo recreates the French Revolution in West Philly’s breathtaking Rotunda. Enter the bloody world of the Marquis De Sade where musicians, dancers, and asylum inmates run the show.

Showtimes
Fri. 9/3
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Sat. 9/4
7:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Sat. 9/4
10:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Sun. 9/5
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Thu. 9/9
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Fri. 9/10
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Sat. 9/11
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Sun. 9/12
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Mon. 9/13
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Wed. 9/15
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Thu. 9/16
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Fri. 9/17
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Sat. 9/18
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00

The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as performed by the Inmates of the Asylum…
EgoPo
Theater, 120 minutes

When a charismatic leader promises change, people want immediate satisfaction—or blood will run. In one of the most controversial plays ever written, EgoPo recreates the French Revolution in West Philly’s breathtaking Rotunda. Enter the bloody world of the Marquis De Sade where musicians, dancers, and asylum inmates run the show.

Showtimes
Fri. 9/3
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Sat. 9/4
7:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Sat. 9/4
10:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Sun. 9/5
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Thu. 9/9
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Fri. 9/10
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Sat. 9/11
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Sun. 9/12
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Mon. 9/13
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Wed. 9/15
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Thu. 9/16
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Fri. 9/17
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00
Sat. 9/18
8:00 PM     The Sanctuary at The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street     $20.00

Ars Nova Workshop
presents
The Nu Band
10th Anniversary Performance

Mark Whitecage, alto saxophone + clarient
Roy Campbell, trumpet + flugelhorn
Joe Fonda, bass
Lou Grassi, drums

“One of the best free bop bands of the moment is without a doubt The Nu Band, with four seasoned musicians who are as comfortable in the most complex jazz traditions as in the [most] adventurous sonic explorations” - Steff Gijssels

Please join Ars Nova Workshop for this free and special performance by The Nu Band!  This all-star quartet, which features Joe Fonda, Roy Campbell Jr., Mark Whitecage, and Lou Grassi, has toured internationally and released 4 critically acclaimed albums since 2001: Live at the Bop Shop: Rochester, NY (Clean Feed; 2001), The Nu Band Live (Konnex; 2003), The Dope and the Ghost: Live in Vienna (Not Two; 2005), and The Lower East Side Blues (Porter; 2008). Tonight’s concert celebrates the quartet’s 10th anniversary and first appearance in Philadelphia in 10 years, when ANW first presented the ensemble in August 2000!

“The music of Joe Fonda,” claimed Anthony Braxton, “is part of a living tradition of belief and dedication. Future historians will be surprised at the breadth of Mr. Fonda’s offerings. This is a real virtuoso and composer of the highest order.”

Berklee School of Music graduate, composer, producer, and bassist Joe Fonda has worked with Archie Shepp, Lou Donaldson, Wadada Leo Smith, Perry Robinson, Bill Dixon, Anthony Braxton, and many others.  He is a founding member of The Fonda/Stevens Group, and the founding director of Kaleidoscope Arts, which is an interdisciplinary performance ensemble.  In addition to The Nu Group, his current projects include From The Source (a cross-disciplinary music, poetry, dance, and healing arts project), Conference Call (with Han Bennink, Matt Wilson, and Michael Stevens), and The FAB Trio (with Barry Althschul and Billy Bang).

Los Angeles-native Roy Campbell Jr. began playing piano, trumpet, flute, recorder, and violin at an early age.  In the early-1970s he participated in Jazzmobile Workshops with musicians like Kenny Dorham, Howard McGhee, and Lee Morgan.  At Manhattan Community College he studied with Dick Vance, Leonard Goines, and Yusef Lateef.  He then founded Spectrum and co-led Spirits of Rhythm with Jemeel Moondoc’s Ensemble Muntu.  In the 1980s, Campbell led many groups, including TAZZ (with Andrew Bemkey, Chris Sullivan, and Michael Thompson), The Pyramid Trio (with William Parker and Hamid Drake), and Other Dimensions In Music (with Daniel Carter, William Parker, and Rashied Bakr).  Over the years he has also worked with Rashied Ali, Billy Bang, Henry Grimes, Sunny Murray, Sun Ra, Cecil Taylor, Charles Tyler, John Zorn, and many others.  His releases as both a band leader and with his countless other groups consistently receive critical praise, and The Pyramid Trio’s 2001 release Ethnic Stew and Brew ranked number 3 on JazzTimes Top 50 CDs of the year.  Two of his most recent releases, from 2008, are Spring Heel Jack Songs & Themes (with John Coxon, John Edwards, Orphy Robinson, John Tchicai, Ashley Wales, J. Spaceman, Rupert Clervaux, and Mark Sanders), and Akhenaten Suite (with Billy Bang, Bryan Carrott, Hilliard Greene, and Zen Matsuura).

Connecticut-born saxophonist and clarinetist Mark Whitecage had a chance encounter with Eric Dolphy while stationed in El Paso, Texas during his time with the US Army in the mid-1950s.  He cites this meeting as a pivotal moment in his musical career.  In the 1960s he began playing with improvisers like Mario Pavone, Perry Robinson, James Duboise, and Laurence Cook, and moved to New York City in 1970s to become deeply involved in the loft scene, playing with groups like Collected Works and the Construction Company.  He has released many albums on labels like Cadence Jazz, Leo, GM Recordings, CIMP, and the label he founded, Acoustics.  He is the leader of the Mark Whitecage Quartet (with Sabir Mateen, Dominic Duval, and Jay Rosen), and in addition to The Nu Band, also plays with Drunk Butterfly (featuring Adam Lane and Lou Grassi), and in various collaborations with Rozanne Levine (RoMarkable, The Bi-Coastal Orchestra, Chakra Tuning, and The New Reed Quartet).

Drummer Lou Grassi has appeared on over 60 recordings and 9 as group leader.  Over the years he has performed with Marshall Allen, Billy Bang, Rob Brown, Borah Bergman, John Tchicai, Perry Robinson, Joseph Jarman, William Parker, and many others.  He has toured internationally with various ensembles, and is deeply interested in the connections between music and dance, as he has worked with a long list of contemporary choreographers.  Grassi has worked as a dance accompanist at New Jersey City University since 1979, and also is a teaching artist for the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.  In addition to his work with The Nu Band, some of his current projects include a trio with Marilyn Lerner and Ken Filiano, another with Kenny Wessel and Ken Filiano, The Dixie Peppers, and The Lou Grassi Jazz Quintet (with Bob Porcelli, Patience Higgins, Les Kurtz, and Dave Hofstra).

Admission is FREE

Prudence
Ocelot on a Leash Theater Company
Theater, 90 minutes

Prudence is the exercise of good decision making. Yet every day, people are making bad decisions. In Prudence, strangers’ lives are forever altered by each other’s decisions, good and bad. Kara is waiting, Sandy is jogging, Richard is saving the world, and Michael is about to ruin someone else’s plans.

Showtimes:
Fri. 9/3
8:00 PM

Sat. 9/4
8:00 PM

Sun. 9/5
2:00 PM

Mon. 9/6
2:00 PM

Tickets are $10.
Purchase tickets HERE

The Gangster Chronicles
The Theater Cooperative
Theater, 80 minutes

Crime and mayhem! Who Killed Jimmy Hoffa? offers a surprising answer to the most famous unsolved murder in American history—and the Kennedy assassination too. In Sauna, four gangsters find themselves unexpectedly on the hot seat. Will anybody get out alive? Directed by Gerald van Wilgen for the Theater Cooperative.

Showtimes:
Sun. 9/12
8:00 PM

Fri. 9/17
8:00 PM

Sat. 9/18
8:00 PM

Tickets are $15. Purchase tickets HERE

for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf

a scholarship fundraiser for LGBT youth in Philadelphia
a multi gender staged reading of for colored girls who have considered suicide, ntozake shange’s beautiful choreopoem honoring the voices and stories of people of color.
come and see some of Philadelphia’s most powerful spoken word poets, activists and performers bring new life and vision to one of the most beautiful plays in our time

featuring (in order of appearance)

lady in brown        J Mase III

lady in red             Saida Agostini

lady in yellow       Haneef Gary

lady in blue           Lee Scottlorde

lady in purple      Tamesha S. Hawkins

lady in orange     Kavindu “Kavi” Ade

lady in green       E.Kairo Miles

all proceeds raised will fund scholarships for LGBT youth in the Philadelphia area.
questions? email saida.agostini@gmail.com
Make a donation

Philly Youth Poetry Nite!!!
Open Mic/SLAM

featuring DEF POETS, Special Guests, Hip Hop and more!

$7 for the youth
$10 for the adults
Discount when you bring clothes and/or food for the needy.

Also check out the 2008 Philadelphia Youth Team on HBO’s website for Russell Simmons Presents Brave New Voices!
http://www.hbo.com/bravenewvoices/teams/philadelphia.html

phillyyouthpoets@gmail.com
215-951-0330 ext 2163

(every last Thursday)

Established in 1996, The Gathering is the longest/strongest-running truly Hip Hop event in Philly.

The Gathering IS b-boys/b-girls, pop-lockers, emcees, graffiti writers, DJs, men, women, and children of all ages enjoying an organic, community-based celebration of The struggle, the Love,and the culture of Hip Hop.

DJs spin Hiphop, breaks, and funk all night, and there are open cyphas, a tag wall, and a featured performance and graffiti panel each month.

Admission is $3

Presented by Rare Genius Productions
Featured artist: Shadina Bettis
Admission is $5
Must be 18+ to enter the competition. If interested, please contact missrealjeanz@gmail.com or 267-262-1551

The Gangster Chronicles
The Theater Cooperative
Theater, 80 minutes

Crime and mayhem! Who Killed Jimmy Hoffa? offers a surprising answer to the most famous unsolved murder in American history—and the Kennedy assassination too. In Sauna, four gangsters find themselves unexpectedly on the hot seat. Will anybody get out alive? Directed by Gerald van Wilgen for the Theater Cooperative.

Showtimes:
Sun. 9/12
8:00 PM

Fri. 9/17
8:00 PM

Sat. 9/18
8:00 PM

Tickets are $15. Purchase tickets HERE

The Gangster Chronicles
The Theater Cooperative
Theater, 80 minutes

Crime and mayhem! Who Killed Jimmy Hoffa? offers a surprising answer to the most famous unsolved murder in American history—and the Kennedy assassination too. In Sauna, four gangsters find themselves unexpectedly on the hot seat. Will anybody get out alive? Directed by Gerald van Wilgen for the Theater Cooperative.

Showtimes:
Sun. 9/12
8:00 PM

Fri. 9/17
8:00 PM

Sat. 9/18
8:00 PM

Tickets are $15. Purchase tickets HERE

Prudence
Ocelot on a Leash Theater Company
Theater, 90 minutes

Prudence is the exercise of good decision making. Yet every day, people are making bad decisions. In Prudence, strangers’ lives are forever altered by each other’s decisions, good and bad. Kara is waiting, Sandy is jogging, Richard is saving the world, and Michael is about to ruin someone else’s plans.

Showtimes:
Fri. 9/3
8:00 PM

Sat. 9/4
8:00 PM

Sun. 9/5
2:00 PM

Mon. 9/6
2:00 PM

Tickets are $10.
Purchase tickets HERE

Prudence
Ocelot on a Leash Theater Company
Theater, 90 minutes

Prudence is the exercise of good decision making. Yet every day, people are making bad decisions. In Prudence, strangers’ lives are forever altered by each other’s decisions, good and bad. Kara is waiting, Sandy is jogging, Richard is saving the world, and Michael is about to ruin someone else’s plans.

Showtimes:
Fri. 9/3
8:00 PM

Sat. 9/4
8:00 PM

Sun. 9/5
2:00 PM

Mon. 9/6
2:00 PM

Tickets are $10.
Purchase tickets HERE

Prudence
Ocelot on a Leash Theater Company
Theater, 90 minutes

Prudence is the exercise of good decision making. Yet every day, people are making bad decisions. In Prudence, strangers’ lives are forever altered by each other’s decisions, good and bad. Kara is waiting, Sandy is jogging, Richard is saving the world, and Michael is about to ruin someone else’s plans.

Showtimes:
Fri. 9/3
8:00 PM

Sat. 9/4
8:00 PM

Sun. 9/5
2:00 PM

Mon. 9/6
2:00 PM

Tickets are $10.
Purchase tickets HERE

Fantasy Opera comes to the Fringe

Friday, September 10th and Saturday, September 11th at 7:00 pm

Philadelphia, PA— “Sephro,” a science fiction fantasy opera in one act, will be presented by Quinn Compositions, a unique company that specializes in writing music, operas and musicals for commission.  Both the book and the music of Sephro were written by Kate Quinn, executive director of Quinn Compositions

Sephro took Kate Quinn fourteen years to write and compose, having first began the project in 1996.  Arias and duets from Sephro were premiered with such musical groups as the Main Line Opera Guild,  BCV Performing Opera and Concert Artists, Delaware Valley Opera Company and Kit Crissey’s Composer Showcase.  After much hard work and dedication, Quinn finally finished the opera in December of 2009 and is thrilled to present it to the Fringe Festival this year.  Quinn’s operatic and science fiction background are combined in this unique story, which should  be fascinating to audiences looking for something a little different from the usual fare.  Both children and adults alike will appreciate the fantasy and reality dichotomy and the melodious music that keeps the story moving.

Sephro, a fantasy opera, uses the healing power of music, the  universal language, to take us on a journey of the great mystical mysteries of life, love, death, salvation and  transformation. When a coven of pagan witches unite with beings from another planet, divine  spirituality of humankind triumphs over evil.  Crystonian, the father of the coven, has saved Planet Sephro from certain destruction, and is asked to further aid them, as evil threatens.  His wife, Aera, is a realist and does not believe in Sephro.  Their son, Cryss, is in love with Craela, a mysterious young girl from the planet.  Amidst their conflict, each character must make a decision that will change the course of his or her destiny.

The Fringe production will take place on Friday, September 10th and Saturday, September 11th  at the Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA.   Admission is $15.00 with a discount of $12.00 for seniors.  Reservations can be made by calling  215-951-9989(Quinn Compositions) or by visiting the Fringe Website.  The Fringe box office number is 215-413-1318.

Featured in the cast are, among others, mezzo-soprano Kate Quinn(Cryss),  soprano  Jessica Brams-Miller(Craela),  bass-baritone John Rudolph(Crystonian), soprano Mary Punshon(Aera),  and tenor James R. Longacre(Jondu.)    Production is by Quinn Compositions, Directorship is by Dorothy Cardella,  Musical Direction is by pianist William Gatens, Choreography is by  Patty Nasuti, Digital and Special Effects are by Echo Shi, and Costumes are by Amy Chmielewski.

FESTIVAL INFORMATION
The Philadelphia Live Arts Festival & Philly Fringe runs from September 3rd through to September 18th.   Festival Guides, which include dates, times, and venues for all performances for both Festivals, will be available mid-August at all Festival venues, and other locations throughout the city.

The Philadelphia Live Arts Festival & Philly Fringe were originally founded in 1997 as the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Today, the Live Arts Festival serves as a series of selected cutting-edge, boundary-breaking performing arts events, created by some of the most renowned contemporary artists from our region and around the world.
The Fringe serves as a collective home for artists bringing their work to audiences in every conceivable form - in traditional and untraditional venues, using new artistic forms and established ones, breaking rules or refining them.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

About Sephro, visit www.quinncompositions.com
About other shows by Quinn Compositions, visit www.planetdiscord.com

Media Contact: Kate Quinn
Hazelkate67@msn.com
215-951-9989(home)
610-389-9572(cell)

Please note: This free event is NOT AT THE ROTUNDA. This will be outdoors, on the 40th Street Field, located on 40th between Walnut and Locust Streets, adjacent to the Walnut West Free Library

Show up on time!

Presented by University City District and The Rotunda
Sponsored by University of Pennsylvania, University City District, The Rotunda, and Nu Millennium Sound

with free water ice from Rita’s Water Ice!

PERFORMANCE INFO:

Project Capoeira, a Celebration of Afro-Brazilian Culture
Project Capoeira performs a colorful, crowd-pleasing repertoire of Afro-Brazilian dances that fuse rhythmic music with high-energy gymnastics and martial arts. The ensemble performs Capoeira, a unique Brazilian form that incorporates acrobatics, dance, percussion and songs in a rhythmic dialogue of body, mind and spirit. Originated centuries ago by Africans slaves in Brazil, Capoeira served as a means to secretely practice fighting techniques and was used effectively as a deadly weapon against the colonizers.

Project Capoeira, Inc is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization devoted to the preservation of Capoeira and offers year-round Capoeira classes for children and adults at The Philadelphia Capoeira Arts Center. www.phillycapoeira.com

Rennie Harris RHAW
Rennie Harris RHAW was conceived in 2007 as a youth organization driven by community outreach and education. Harris’ inspiration for this youth driven company was inspired by the overwhelming interest from teens and young adults to join his internationally renowned company, Rennie Harris Puremovement. RHAW is a company that teaches and performs street dance techniques such as Campbell Locking, Popping & Boogaloo, House and Hip Hop dance. www.rhpm.org

Company Members:
Brandyn Harris
Robert Cohen
Shafeek Westbrook
Davion Brown
Mariah Tlili
Courtney Klinger
Brian Newby
Macca Malik

Fantasy Opera comes to the Fringe

Friday, September 10th and Saturday, September 11th at 7:00 pm

Philadelphia, PA— “Sephro,” a science fiction fantasy opera in one act, will be presented by Quinn Compositions, a unique company that specializes in writing music, operas and musicals for commission.  Both the book and the music of Sephro were written by Kate Quinn, executive director of Quinn Compositions

Sephro took Kate Quinn fourteen years to write and compose, having first began the project in 1996.  Arias and duets from Sephro were premiered with such musical groups as the Main Line Opera Guild,  BCV Performing Opera and Concert Artists, Delaware Valley Opera Company and Kit Crissey’s Composer Showcase.  After much hard work and dedication, Quinn finally finished the opera in December of 2009 and is thrilled to present it to the Fringe Festival this year.  Quinn’s operatic and science fiction background are combined in this unique story, which should  be fascinating to audiences looking for something a little different from the usual fare.  Both children and adults alike will appreciate the fantasy and reality dichotomy and the melodious music that keeps the story moving.

Sephro, a fantasy opera, uses the healing power of music, the  universal language, to take us on a journey of the great mystical mysteries of life, love, death, salvation and  transformation. When a coven of pagan witches unite with beings from another planet, divine  spirituality of humankind triumphs over evil.  Crystonian, the father of the coven, has saved Planet Sephro from certain destruction, and is asked to further aid them, as evil threatens.  His wife, Aera, is a realist and does not believe in Sephro.  Their son, Cryss, is in love with Craela, a mysterious young girl from the planet.  Amidst their conflict, each character must make a decision that will change the course of his or her destiny.

The Fringe production will take place on Friday, September 10th and Saturday, September 11th  at the Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA.   Admission is $15.00 with a discount of $12.00 for seniors.  Reservations can be made by calling  215-951-9989(Quinn Compositions) or by visiting the Fringe Website.  The Fringe box office number is 215-413-1318.

Featured in the cast are, among others, mezzo-soprano Kate Quinn(Cryss),  soprano  Jessica Brams-Miller(Craela),  bass-baritone John Rudolph(Crystonian), soprano Mary Punshon(Aera),  and tenor James R. Longacre(Jondu.)    Production is by Quinn Compositions, Directorship is by Dorothy Cardella,  Musical Direction is by pianist William Gatens, Choreography is by  Patty Nasuti, Digital and Special Effects are by Echo Shi, and Costumes are by Amy Chmielewski.

FESTIVAL INFORMATION
The Philadelphia Live Arts Festival & Philly Fringe runs from September 3rd through to September 18th.   Festival Guides, which include dates, times, and venues for all performances for both Festivals, will be available mid-August at all Festival venues, and other locations throughout the city.

The Philadelphia Live Arts Festival & Philly Fringe were originally founded in 1997 as the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Today, the Live Arts Festival serves as a series of selected cutting-edge, boundary-breaking performing arts events, created by some of the most renowned contemporary artists from our region and around the world.
The Fringe serves as a collective home for artists bringing their work to audiences in every conceivable form - in traditional and untraditional venues, using new artistic forms and established ones, breaking rules or refining them.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

About Sephro, visit www.quinncompositions.com
About other shows by Quinn Compositions, visit www.planetdiscord.com

Media Contact: Kate Quinn
Hazelkate67@msn.com
215-951-9989(home)
610-389-9572(cell)

The Jewish Dialogue Group invites you to our fall benefit, featuring a performance of Galeet Dardashti’s multi-media concert and storytelling extravaganza, “The Naming,” plus songs by Chana Rothman!

Please come and:

* Hear amazing music from Middle Eastern Jewish traditions, in Hebrew, Aramaic, Persian, and Arabic

… * Listen as the stories of the women of the Bible are woven together with an Iranian Jewish family’s tales of women breaking the rules, and stories of women in the Middle East today fighting to have their voices heard

* Eat delicious food

* Support the Jewish Dialogue Group’s efforts to foster constructive dialogue within Jewish communities about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

For more information about Galeet and “The Naming,” visit: http://www.galeetdardashti.com/bio.php

Chana Rothman will open the show with spirit-raising, soul-calming, rabble-rousing bilingual English/Hebrew music that includes folk, worldbeat, reggae, and hip hop influences. Light dinner, desserts, and drinks will be available for sale. Children welcome!

Suggested donation: $18 — $100 (No one will be turned away for lack of funds.)

Want to volunteer? Please register to help with set-up, clean up, or other tasks at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/october17-concert

Questions? Contact us at info@jewishdialogue.org or 215-266-1218.

Can’t Stop the Serenity (CSTS) Philly is happy to announce that we will be hosting our Can’t Stop the Serenity event this month!

We will be screening both Serenity and Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. We will again have a quizzo game hosted by Lane O’Neil. Light refreshments will be served. Raffle tickets and merchandise will be available for purchase. All proceeds from this event benefit Equality Now.

Tickets are currently available for sale HERE.

They will be $10 until advance sales end at 12 AM, August 21.

(Tickets purchased at the door will be $15.)

CSTS is short for “Can’t Stop the Serenity.” CSTS started in 2006. One very avid fan decided to show the movie Serenity  on the birthday of its creator, Joss Whedon, as a charity event to raise money for one of Whedon’s favorite charities, Equality Now. The concept snowballed, and 46 cities across the globe signed on to organize similar events, across the US, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. These events ranged from simple Serenity screenings, to elaborate parties and feasts (known by fans as shindigs.)

When all was said and done, the combined efforts of all these fan-run events had raised over $65,000 for Equality Now. Immediately after, there was chatter about making the event bigger and better the followng year. It wasn’t long before it was decided to make the event an annual one. In 2009, 56 cities hosted CSTS events, and nearly $125,000 was raised for Equality Now. In 2010, 52 cities are slated to hold CSTS events with a goal of raising $150,000 for Equality Now.

The Most Beautiful Lullaby You’ve Ever Heard

from Greg Romero, playwright:

We don’t know yet what will happen.

But on Sunday, August 15th, a talented group of collaborators and I will share our discoveries on our experiment with my play, The Most Beautiful Lullaby You’ve Ever Heard.

We welcome folks to join us at 7pm at The Rotunda (40th and Walnut) to work on the project with us.

postcard design from world premiere production, City Attic Theatre (NYC)

Some of you may already have seen or read (or worked on!) the play before, but this project aspires to be a new experience as I am working with long-time collaborator (and electronic music composer) Mike Vernusky to explode/explore this piece even further.

In short, we are removing one of the play’s characters (The Narrator) and replacing them with a recorded composition, created by Vernusky specifically for this project. We are attempting to get at the heart of this work by removing words and replacing them with sound.

The actors now, in addition to the play’s original demands and restrictions (the characters are stuck in chairs for the entire play), will be working with the added challenge of playing within and against a wildly imaginative recorded electronic score, compelling us all to listen more closely than ever.

It is kind of an impossible task and we have no idea if this will work.

But the question excites us, and we have a team of ACE-talented folks who are up for the challenge, digging deep and finding gold.

Our event at the Rotunda is our continued exploration with additional questions (how does this piece work in a performance space? With an audience? With production elements?), and we look forward to discovering/breathing in the piece together.

I look forward to it and I hope you do too.

………………………………………………..

The Most Beautiful Lullaby You’ve Ever Heard
script by Greg Romero
music by Mike Vernusky
directed by Ken Kaissar
performed by Kevin Meehan and Megan Slater

Admission: Pay What You Want

……………………………………………….

Big thank yous to the awesomely talented artists working with me (both in the present moment and in the moments leading up to this one) and the folks who have made this particular workshop possible.

Thank you Gina Renzi, Drexel University (Nick Anselmo, Nan Gilbert, Mark Andrews, Beng Lin Yeo), Jodi Alonzo, Laurence Becker, Hugh Craig, Betsy Currie, Josh Emmons, Jackie Goldfinger, Chris Herdt and Nicola Grissom, Jenny Kokai, Taylor Maddux, Christiana Molldrem, Abby Pudlewski, Dustin Puryear, Don Slater, and Angela Turner.

Philly Youth Poetry Nite!!!
Open Mic/SLAM

featuring DEF POETS, Special Guests, Hip Hop and more!

$7 for the youth
$10 for the adults
Discount when you bring clothes and/or food for the needy.

Also check out the 2008 Philadelphia Youth Team on HBO’s website for Russell Simmons Presents Brave New Voices!
http://www.hbo.com/bravenewvoices/teams/philadelphia.html

phillyyouthpoets@gmail.com
215-951-0330 ext 2163

(every last Thursday)

Established in 1996, The Gathering is the longest/strongest-running truly Hip Hop event in Philly.

The Gathering IS b-boys/b-girls, pop-lockers, emcees, graffiti writers, DJs, men, women, and children of all ages enjoying an organic, community-based celebration of The struggle, the Love,and the culture of Hip Hop.

DJs spin Hiphop, breaks, and funk all night, and there are open cyphas, a tag wall, and a featured performance and graffiti panel each month.

Admission is $3

“Hidden Herstory: The Top Secret Rosies of WWII”, an illustrated lecture

http://www.hive76.org/the-women-of-eniac-aug-18
http://topsecretrosies.wordpress.com/

Did you know that the first electronic computer, ENIAC, was built in Philly at UPenn?  Bet you did.  Did you know that it was built to calculate ballistics trajectories for fighter pilots during WWII?  And did you also know that the first mathematicians and programmers to work on the new machine were women, mostly from the Philadelphia area?

On Wednesday, August 18 at 7pm, your friendly neighborhood hackerspace Hive76 and The Rotunda are teaming up to bring an illustrated lecture and movie teaser called “Hidden Her-story, the Top Secret Rosies of WWII”.  Documentary filmmaker LeAnn Erickson will give this talk based on the research she’ done for her film “Top Secret Rosies” which is nearing post-production.  Hive76 is really, really excited to help get the story out about these “female computers” and we hope to see you there.  Spread the word to the history, math, science, and engineering buffs in your life.

Free admission, donations enthusiastically encouraged

The More Than Music DJ Institute will be having an open house for anyone interested in learning to DJ. It will be an opportunity to meet and greet students and graduates of the school, plus there will be some Legendary DJs that will come through. They will also give a quick demonstration of their skills! Contact DJ Lisa Love for more info at 914-799-0958.

When was the last time you witnessed a string quintet, brass section and a pianist at a Hip-Hop concert? Envision renditions of Hip-Hop Classics like; T.R.O.Y., C.R.E.A.M., and many more being played with live orchestral accompaniment. That is still but a fraction of what you’ll get when you catch Thee Phantom & the Illharmonic Orchestra in action.

The Underside of the Blues Presents
THE BIG ROCK AND ROLL SHOW

an evening of blues, rock and rockabilly with…

PHILADELPHIA BROTHERS REUNION
(Blues/R&B)

SHAKEY LYMAN

RASAN ALLBRITTON

DOORS 7pm, SHOW STARTS 8pm

Suggested Donation: $5 (no one will be turned away for lack of funds)

FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=102529019802481

More info: email michael@crazymancrazy.com

Please note: This free event is NOT AT THE ROTUNDA. This will be outdoors, on the 40th Street Field, located on 40th between Walnut and Locust Streets, adjacent to the Walnut West Free Library
Show up on time! the Arkestra will hit the stage by 6:15!

Presented by University City District and The Rotunda
Sponsored by University of Pennsylvania, University City District, The Rotunda, and Nu Millennium Sound

ABOUT THE SUN RA ARKESTRA
“Despite the intergalactic research that motivates them, the Sun Ra Arkestra have been a local institution since 1968 when Le Sony’r Ra traveled the spaceways and his Afro-Futurist ensemble landed on Philadelphia soil. By combining Sun Ra’s cosmic philosophy, modern electronic instruments, and the traditional jazz idiom, the Arkestra created a singular approach to music that remains light years ahead of their contemporaries. Currently under the direction of Maestro Marshall Allen, the Arkestra continues to practice the teachings of their founder and create unrivaled sonic experiences.” -Philadelphia Weekly

ABOUT SCORCH (fire and movement arts)
Fire dancing is a beautiful art form using tools with skill and precision similar to martial art weaponry. Some acts include poi, staff, hoops, fans, rope dart, eating and breathing with new forms and techniques in constant evolution. Philadelphia Fire Arts is a diverse community of individuals with a common respect and love of the flame. They incorporate fire into various styles of dance, martial arts, gymnastics and yoga and have extensive knowledge of the craft and safety practices. They perform with and without fire, and include stilt-walking, LED glow hooping, and other exciting acts in our shows. Scorch Fire Show is the latest group performance, which will be premiering at this year’s PEX Summer Festival and will also be participating in the Philly Fringe Fest. For more info, check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15PxELGxjBo and www.scorchfireshow.com

And come back on Saturday August 28 for another free show at the field, featuring Project Capoeira, KeturahNicole, and Rennie Harris RHAW!

Project Capoeira, a Celebration of Afro-Brazilian Culture
Project Capoeira performs a colorful,crowd-pleasing repertoire of Afro-Brazilian dances that fuse rhythmic music with high-energy gymnastics and martial arts. The ensemble performs Capoeira, a unique Brazilian form that incorporates acrobatics, dance, percussion and songs in a rhythmic dialogue of body, mind and spirit. Originated centuries ago by Africans slaves in Brazil, Capoeira served as a means to secretely practice fighting techniques and was used effectively as a deadly weapon against the colonizers.
Project Capoeira, Inc is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization devoted to the preservation of Capoeira and offers year-round Capoeira classes for children and adults at The Philadelphia Capoeira Arts Center. www.phillycapoeira.com

Rennie Harris RHAW
was conceived in 2007 as a youth organization driven by community outreach and education. Harris’ inspiration for this youth driven company was inspired by the overwhelming interest from teens and young adults to join his internationally renowned company, Rennie Harris Puremovement. RHAW is a company that teaches and performs street dance techniques such as Campbell Locking, Popping & Boogaloo, House and Hip Hop dance. www.rhpm.org

Company Members:
Brandyn Harris
Robert Cohen
Shafeek Westbrook
Davion Brown
Mariah Tlili
Courtney Klinger
Brian Newby
Macca Malik

The Philadelphia Alternative Comic Con is the premier convention in Philadelphia showcasing all things alternative/fringe/indy/art comics and zines

2010 Exhibitors

* Melissa Eckstrom
* Nathan Bulmer
* Steve Teare
* Dre Grigopol
* Jason Clarke
* Tal Noznisky
* Mikkie McGregor
* Pat Aulisio
* Carolyn Belefski and Joe Carabeo
* Derik Badman
* Rafer Roberts
* JT Wilkins
* Virginia Flemming
* Chris McD
* Cody Pickrodt
* Locust Moon Comics
* Robert Woods
* Christiann
* Cheese Hasselberger
* Alex Eckman-Lawn
* Robin Enrico
* Kiki Jones
* Catherine Peach
* Bryan G. Brown
* Phil Kahn
* Beth Heinly
* Daryl Ayo
* Matt Wiegle
* Hawk Krall
* Mark Price
* Sally Bloodbath
* Joe Mochove
* Bill Roundy
* Rusty Rowley
* Jacob Alvarez
* Peter Lazarski
* Ink Answer
* Pterodactyl Philadelphia
* Box Brown
* Jim Kettner
* Ian Harker
* Lance Hansen
* Doug Slack
* Kelly Phillips
* Greg Labold
* Jeremy Jams
* Claire Folkman
* Nicholas Larkin
* Sara Lindo
* Steve Seck
* Liz Baillie
* Larry West
* L. Nichols
* Dina Kelberman
* Marguerite Dabaie
* Eamon Dougherty
* Brett Hopkins
* Mike Sgier
* Cheriann Stevens
* Cyn Why

Please visit http://www.phillyaltcon.blogspot.com/ for more info on these artists!

Featuring:

THE HARPERS
singing duet

SAVED BY GRACE
singing group

CHET LARESE
comedy

KENNY SYKES
saxophone

Admission is free (donations suggested).

The event organizers have decided to POSTPONE this event,  DUE TO EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING. New date to be announced soon.

ART FOR LIBERATION with Elizam Escobar and Joserramon Che Melendes

Calling all poets and playwrights, culture workers and community organizers! Join us for a conversation about art in the everyday work of social movements.

With special guest Elizam Escobar, a renowned painter and art theorist from Puerto Rico who spent twenty years in prison for his involvement in the Puerto Rican independence movement. During and since his incarceration, his art has been a vital component of Puerto Rican organizing on the island and in the U.S.

Plus performances by poet Joserramon Che Melendes (San Juan), Spiral Q Puppet Theater, and members of MMP Arts and Culture Collective.

Also featuring a special one-night exhibition of ZAPATA VIVE!, a portfolio of prints from La Escuela de Cultura Popular Martires del 68 (Mexico City).

Because Art Makes Resistance Irresistible!

Co-sponsored by Books Through Bars, Centro Pedro Claver, MMP’s Arts and Culture Collective, the National Boricua Human Rights Network and Spiral Q

$5 suggested donation to benefit Centro Pedro Claver

The Future of Food has been a key tool in the American and international anti-GMO grassroots activist movements and played widely in the environmental and activist circuits since its release in 2004. The film is widely acknowledged for its role in educating voters and the subsequent success of passing Measure H in Mendocino County, California, one of the first local initiatives in the country to ban the planting of GMO crops. Indicative of its popularity, the Future of Food showed to a sold out audience of 1,500 at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco in 2004, a benefit for Slow Food, where it was introduced by Alice Waters.

In September 2005, The Future of Food made a highly acclaimed national theatrical premiere at Film Forum in New York, followed by a tour of more than a dozen major American cities in the fall. Applauded by technology writers, food policy experts and environmental activists, the film has been shown around the world—from a plaza in Oaxaca, Mexico to the Jerusalem Cinematheque, and in citizen screenings all over the world—from India, Kenya, and Bulgaria to Brazil and Indonesia. It screened at a wide variety of professional gatherings, including the Midwestern Organic Farmers Convention, the Organic Trade Association 2005 trade show and conference in Chicago, and the American Dietetic Association convention. Columbia and New York Universities showed it to their students.

Throughout 2006, the film continued to be shown globally – to the public and at conferences, such as The Soil Association Convention in London and the Japanese Organic Farmer’s Convention. Garcia was the keynote speaker at the Nutrition and Health - State of the Science Conference put on by Dr. Andrew Weil and Columbia Medical School in New York City.  The film had sold out premiers in Paris, Amsterdam and London and was screened in Turin, Italy for Slow Food’s “Terra Madre 2006,” a gathering of 5,000 farmers and food producers from around the world; and at the Conference on Women and Food Solidarity in Dehra Dun, India.

Since 2004 The Future of Food has been featured at numerous film festivals including The Margaret Mead Film Festival, The American Film Institute/ Discovery Channel SILVERDOCS Festival, The Slow Food Film Festival, and the New Zealand Film Festival. The film has won awards for “Best Doc” at deadCENTER Film Festival; audience awards at both the Ann Arbor Film Festival and the Ashland Independent Film Festival; and the “Human Rights Award” at the Taos Film Festival.  It was chosen by the Oscar screening committee of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences as one of the best documentaries of 2004. To date, The Future of Food has been translated into Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch, Italian and Japanese. An Educational Edition of The Future of Food with a year-long, university level curriculum by Professor Joshua Muldavin was released in Fall 2007.

In 2009, The Future of Food continues to be shown throughout the world at film festivals, in classrooms, and as part of environmental, farming and cultural events. The film continues to enjoy the support of a wide range of organizations—from the Organic Consumers Association, to the Soil Association of Britain, to Slow Food.

In 2010 Lily Films plans to release an updated DVD edition of The Future of Food with information on key changes and legal challenges to genetically modified foods since 2004. Genetic engineering of food crops is as controversial today as ever, as many of the large agro corporations that use this technology position themselves as the answer to the world food crisis and further consolidate the seed supply. The Future of Food continues to be a key tool used by activists and educators who call for increased attention to this issue.

Move 9 Support-Committee, Sankofa Community Empowerment and MXGM-Philly
Invites You To:

MOVE: Confrontation in Philadelphia
A documentary

With discussion afterwards from MOVE Organization’s Mike Africa Jr. and Gabriel Bryant of Sankofa Community Empowerment

MOVE: Confrontation in Philadelphia is a fast-paced, independently created documentary film of the events in the late seventies which lead up to the Philadelphia police arrest of members of nine MOVE members, who are currently serving a 30-100 year sentence. The video journalists reveal the complex relationship of media bias, police harassment, and subtle economic motivation in the violent removal of MOVE.
For more information contact us at MOVE9SupportCommittee@gmail.com or Iresha.Picot@gmail.com
www.MOVE9parole.blogspot.com

Hot Mess is a collection of pieces exploring the meme choreography of tourism, Shakespeare’s portrayal of love and death, and polyrythms. Often satirical and always charming/tender/visually provocative, Mrozowski’s work exploits image and utilizes pedestrian movement while challenging gender norms and exploiting perceptual relativity.  Underlying her choreography is an ongoing investigation of a character whose movement vocabulary and conceptual framework has been developed by Mrozowski over the past several years.  Part model, part flight attendant, part Rockette and part sci-fi character/engineered woman, she embodies the media-image-consumption-regurgitation cycle, exploring  attraction/repulsion to/of fashion.  Girl as glitter; beautiful, shallow and strange, she exists always as a multiple.

<About the BAAD Collective>
The BAAD Kinetics Project centers around an eight-week bicycle tour of the Northeast that responds to the regional limits of dance communities, the increasing lack of low fi dance touring and the subsequent limited exposure of the public to contemporary dance.  The Collective was formed to bring smart, engaging and funny dance to a range of professional and alternative venues and provide a fresh experience to new and seasoned audiences alike.

In an effort to travel with a minimal carbon footprint and advocate the benefits of cycling (fitness while locomoting, increased time outdoors, slower living and low cost, anti-fossil-fuel and enviro-pro transportation), the BAAD Collective will be traveling entirety on bicycles.

<About Layla Marcelle Mrozowski>
Mrozowski is a multidisciplinary artist, choreographer, designer, dancer and girl friday.  Her choreography explores the idiosyncrasies of femininity as well as love, pop-culture and perceptual relativity.  She is dedicated to ecologically-conscious living, food politics and world travel.  Mrozowski received her BA and BFA from Alfred University in 2008 where she completed a philosophy thesis on gender identity in post modern dance.  Mrozowski continued working as a choreographer and training at Penn State University where she was a Visiting Artist in the dance department for two semesters in 2009. In January she relocated to Washington, DC, where she’s danced with Bettman Dances, interned for an artistic director and continued to perform her own work in PA, Brooklyn, NY and Maryland as well as DC.  Currently Mrozowski is collaborating with choreographer Keira Hart-Mendoza of Uprooted Dance on a series of dance sketches with neon sculptures.

A donation of $5 will be suggested at the door.

Demo Reel:www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIlb25XT-RQ

Website: www.heartlayla.com
Video Clip and Interview: http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2010/01/21/video_choreography_of_dance_ex.aspx

Philly Youth Poetry Nite!!!
Open Mic/SLAM

featuring DEF POETS, Special Guests, Hip Hop and more!

$7 for the youth
$10 for the adults
Discount when you bring clothes and/or food for the needy.

Also check out the 2008 Philadelphia Youth Team on HBO’s website for Russell Simmons Presents Brave New Voices!
http://www.hbo.com/bravenewvoices/teams/philadelphia.html

phillyyouthpoets@gmail.com
215-951-0330 ext 2163

(every last Thursday)

Established in 1996, The Gathering is the longest/strongest-running truly Hip Hop event in Philly.

The Gathering IS b-boys/b-girls, pop-lockers, emcees, graffiti writers, DJs, men, women, and children of all ages enjoying an organic, community-based celebration of The struggle, the Love,and the culture of Hip Hop.

DJs spin Hiphop, breaks, and funk all night, and there are open cyphas, a tag wall, and a featured performance and graffiti panel each month.

Admission is $3

The 7th Annual Black Women’s Arts Festival
Thurs, July 29th
11:00AM - 8:00PM

Friday, July 30th
11:30AM - 11:00PM

Saturday, July 31st
11:00AM - 10:00PM

Sunday, August 1st
11:00AM - 10:00PM

This acclaimed, inclusive community event features interdisciplinary performances, exhibits, films, workshops, and vendors from Philadelphia and other states as far as California and Arizona.

Schedule below. Please note that not every event is at The Rotunda. We are listing the entire festival schedule as a courtesy to BWAF and to our audiences.

Schedule of Events

Thursday, July 29, 2010 at The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 www.therotunda.org.

===Admission for the whole day: $7 per person or 2 for $10====

WORKSHOPS

11:00AM - 12:15PM   - African Modern Dance Workshop with Shandra Staley
12:30PM - 1:30PM   — “Breszny Amplified” Meditative Workshop & Writing Excerise with Dr. Niama L. Williams
2:00PM - 4:00PM - Book & Clothing Swap and TBA

FILMS

Starting at 5:00PM -

Damali Abrams’ “Self-Help TV” Compilation of short films including “Rose Petal Lemonade”, “Drama”, and “Frederick Douglass Boulvard”.

“United in We” by Katrina Strickland

“The Postwoman” by Jamie Walker

More Films TBA

CLOTHING & BOOK SWAP
All day, there will be a couple of boxes for you to bring books, clothes, or other little presents that would make a nice souvenir.  That means you get to leave with something new and special, too!

——————————————————-

OPENING NIGHT PARTY
Thursday, July 29, 2010 at The Arts Garage, 533 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19130 www.theartsgarage.com. (Our event may not be on their website yet, but it’s on!)

9:00PM - 2:00AM  - Opening Night Party at the Arts Garage. 21+, Kitchen Open All Night, Drink Specials, Accessible via public transportation (Broad Street Line or C bus).

——————————————————–

Friday, July 30, 2010 at The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 www.therotunda.org.

===Admission for the whole day: $7 per person or 2 for $10====

11:30M - 2:30PM - Book & Clothing Swap and TBA

WORKSHOPS

3:00PM - 4:00PM - MOYA Workshop by Pat Augustus Gilbert

4:30PM - 4:45PM - Progressive Poetry Workshop with Ms. Wise

5:00PM - TBA

MUSIC

6:00PM - Rafiya

6:30PM - TBA

7:00PM - M’Balia

SPOKEN WORD

7:30PM - NASSUNNI

7:45PM - TBA

MUSIC

9:00PM- Danie Ocean

9:30PM - TBA

VISUAL ARTIST & VENDOR

4:00PM - 10:00PM - A. Nailah Arts

CHAIR MASSAGE

Super special treat!
11:30AM - 7:00PM  - Certified massage therapist Shandra Staley

CLOTHING & BOOK SWAP
All day, there will be a couple of boxes for you to bring books, clothes, or other little presents that would make a nice souvenir.  That means you get to leave with something new and special, too!

Saturday, July 31, 2010 at Big Blue Marble Bookstore, then the Rotunda.

11:00AM - 1:00PM - Children’s Storytime at Big Blue Marble Bookstore, 551 Carpenter Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19119. www.bigbluemarblebooks.com

-After Children’s Storytime, all of Saturday’s events are again at The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 www.therotunda.org.

===Admission for the whole day: $7 per person or 2 for $10====

1:30PM - 2:30PM - “That’s Funny You Didn’t Sound Black On the Phone” -a Comedic Monologue by Jacquetta Szathmari of Big Guns Big Tobacco Theatre Company

SPOKEN WORD & MUSIC

2:45PM - 3:00PM Jaz (Spoken Word Artist & Singer)

3:15PM - 3:30PM Mase III (Spoken Word)

4:00PM - 4:15PM Lydia Rene (Music)

4:30PM - 4:45PM - Dr. Niama L. Williams (Spoken Word)

VISUAL ART EXHIBITS & VENDORS

Starting at 6:00PM - Brandi Pettijohn (Photography), Crystal Hawkins (Photography), Addye Durant (Vendor)

6:30PM - 7:30PM - Art Talk with Brandi Pettijohn and others  TBA

MUSIC & SPOKEN WORD

7:45PM - 8:00PM - Saida Agostini (Spoken Word)

8:15PM - 8:40PM — Anonymous7 (Music)

8:45PM - 9:10PM - Open Mic feat. Anonymous7

9:15PM - 11:00PM - TBA

VISUAL ARTISTS & VENDORS

Starting at 6:00PM - A. Nailah Arts (Visual Artist & Vendor)

More TBA

CLOTHING & BOOK SWAP
All day, there will be a couple of boxes for you to bring books, clothes, or other little presents that would make a nice souvenir.  That means you get to leave with something new and special, too!

Sunday, August 1, 2010 at The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 www.therotunda.org.

===Admission for the whole day: $7 per person or 2 for $10====

WORKSHOPS

11:20AM - 11:50AM  - “ABCs of Organic” with Claudia Street

12:00PM - 12:45PM - “Beautiful Ugly: An Exploration of Self-Love & Self-Worth” with Ms. Wise

1:00PM - 2:00PM - “Poetry & Movement: Liberating Language with Our Bodies” with Joyce Angela Jellison

2:00PM - 3:00PM - “Poetry Pulls Pain” with Pat McLean

PERFORMANCES

3:15PM - 3:45PM - TBA

4:00PM - 4:15PM -  Pat McLean (Spoken Word)

4:30PM - 4:45PM - Joyce Angela Jellison (Spoken Word)

5:00PM - 5:15PM - Connie Muhammad (Music)

6:00PM - 6:15PM - Kina the Prophtic Poet (Spoken Word)

7:00PM - 7:20PM - Cocosol (Music)

7:30PM - 8:00PM - TBA

CEREMONY TO HONOR OUR ELDERS & ANCESTORS (ALL ARE WELCOME TO PARTICIPATE)

8:30PM - 9:30PM - Ceremony created and led by O aka Loretta Lynn Payne

CHAIR MASSAGE

12:00PM - 8:00pm  - Certified Massage Therapist Shandra Staley

VENDORS
Starting at 5:00PM - A. Nailah Arts and more

CLOTHING & BOOK SWAP
All day, there will be a couple of boxes for you to bring books, clothes, or other little presents that would make a nice souvenir.  That means you get to leave with something new and special, too!

(Schedule subject to change with no notice. More to be added to the schedule in mere hours or even minutes!)

For Immediate Release
June 25, 2010

First Person Arts Partners with Queer Memoir for a Salon about the Queer Experience

Tickets- $10 ($8 for First Person Arts Members)
Advance tickets at salons.firstpersonarts.org

PHILADELPHIA- First Person Arts is proud to partner with the NYC-based salon series Queer Memoir for an evening of storytelling through the lens of queer experiences.  The theme “Sticks and Stones” will guide a line-up of queer and LGBT storytellers as they share real stories drawn from their own lives.

Presenters are noted Philadelphia theatre artists, writers, storytellers and community organizers, including:
•    Chris Bartlett, Executive Director of the William Way LGBT Community Center
•    Rae Drew, First Person Arts storyteller
•  Kevin Glaccum, Producing Artistic Director of Azuka Theatre
•    Justin Jain, actor with the Arden Theatre Company and Berserker Residents
•    Maura Kelly, co-founder of the Philadelphia Dyke March
•    Mecca Jamilah Sullivan, award-winning author
•    R. Eric Thomas, First Person Arts storyteller

Co-hosted by Queer Memoir founders Kelli Dunham and Genne Murphy. (www.queermemoir.com)

STORYTELLERS
Chris Bartlett is the Executive Director of the William Way Community Center and a gay men’s health community organizer. Throughout the 1990s he directed the SafeGuards Gay Men’s Health Project in Philadelphia. He also led the LGBT Community Assessment in Philadelphia, a project that gathers data about LGBT communities in order to make recommendations regarding community organizing, health, housing, and economic development. He co-facilitates the Gay Men’s Health Leadership Academy, and has helped to convene the Gay Men’s Health and LGBTI Summits. He can be found on Twitter at http://twitter.com/harveymilk.

Rae Drew is a transgender-identified human who often feels like an odd weed growing through a crack in the sidewalks of our binary gender system.  Rae is a professional creative manipulator of words and images, and an unprofessional outdoors [hu]man who hikes, bikes, and kayaks as often as possible.

Kevin Glaccum is the Producing Artistic Director of Azuka Theatre and has been a member of the company since he created the role of Guillaume in Azuka’s inaugural production of La Rue des Faux. For Azuka he has directed productions of Whisky Neat, Greek Active, Kid Simple, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Barrymore Nomination; Best Director of a Musical, Philadelphia Weekly). Other credits include The Rocky Horror Show (Arcadia University) and Iron Kisses (Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Theater Festival). Before turning to directing he appeared in Azuka’s productions of Metamorphosis, Friends and An Artist’s Workshop. Kevin is a member of The Lincoln Center Directors Lab.

Justin Jain loves making original theatre. In addition to working with Swim Pony Collaborative Arts, Justin is a founding member of The Berserker Residents, whose original work includes Philly Fringe hits The Jersey Devil, The Giant Squid, and The Annihilation Point. As a performer, Justin has worked with the Arden Theatre Company, Azuka Theatre, Theatre Horizon, People’s Light, and several others. Justin is a proud 2010 graduate of Artists U! Up next: A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Shakespeare in Clark Park and The Very Xmas Christmas Carol Holiday Pageant with Theatre Horizon. http://www.berserkerresidents.com

Maura Kelly has lived in the Gayborhood for 17 years and has no plans of leaving it.  She works at a (you guessed it) non-profit.  Her favorite claim to fame is being one of the founding members of the 1998 Philadelphia Dyke March. She is most happy when surrounded by awesome, lovely queers who, having a shared experience of oppression, lift each other up with love, flirting, support and fierce community.  Okay, mostly the flirting.

Mecca Jamilah Sullivan is a writer from Harlem, New York. Her fiction has appeared in publications worldwide, including Callaloo, Best New Writing, Crab Orchard Review, The Minnesota Review, Bloom, Lumina, Philadelphia Stories, Baby Remember My Name, Baobab: South African Journal of New Writing, X-24:Unclassified, and others. A 2006 Best New American Voices nominee, she has received numerous honors and awards from Temple University, The Boston Fiction Festival, New World Theatre, the NAACP, among others. She holds a B.A. from Smith College and an M.A. from Temple University. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in English Literature at the University of Pennsylvania, and is completing her first novel.

R. Eric Thomas is a playwright, storyteller and intermittent blogger. He is currently finishing a collection of essays entitled “Enormously Awkward: (Mostly) True Stories + Things That Were Better Left Unsaid.”

CO-HOSTS
Kelli Dunham is an ex-nun, award-winning stand up comic and author. Her books include How to Survive and Maybe Even Love Nursing School (FA Davis, 2004), How to Survive and Maybe Even Love Your Life as a Nurse (FA Davis, 2005), The Boy’s Body Book: Everything You Need to Know for Growing Up YOU (Applesauce Press, 2007) as well as the 2008 version for girls. She is a contributor to numerous humor anthologies including Love’s Funny That Way (Sterling Press, 2006), Squeaky Clean Comedy (Andrew McNeil Press, 2005), She’s So Funny (Andrew McNeil Press, 2004), and Dangerous Families (Haworth Press, 2004). She is the co-founder, with Genne Murphy, of Queer Memoir. http://www.kellidunham.com

Genne Murphy is a Philly native and playwright. She is the co-founder, along with Kelli Dunham, of Queer Memoir. Genne is the General and Program Manager for Philadelphia Young Playwrights (and a 1999 alum), sits on the task force of the Philadelphia New Play Initiative, and is a member of the InterAct Theatre Company Playwrights Forum. Locally, she has had readings or performances of her plays and monologues with Azuka Theatre Company, Flashpoint Theatre Company, Madhouse Late Night Cabaret, and in the Philadelphia Fringe Festival.

ABOUT THE PRESENTERS

Queer Memoir is a New York-based salon for new work inspired by a monthly theme, a safe space to share memoir writing and performance, an opportunity to give voice to a collective queer experience, and preserve and document a complex queer history. Queer Memoir provides an avenue to share queer lives and celebrate the ritual and community-building value of storytelling. www.queermemoir.com

The First Person Salon Series is a forum for established and emerging artists to present memoir and documentary art. Focusing primarily on local artists working across various media, the First Person Salon Series provides an opportunity for artists to share their work, processes and inspirations. Past presenters have included poet Sonia Sanchez, photographer J.J. Tiziou, writer Lorene Cary, and muralist Steve Powers.

About First Person Arts: Founded in 2000, First Person Arts transforms the drama of real life into memoir and documentary art to foster appreciation for our unique and shared experience. First Person Arts believes that everyone has a story to tell and that sharing our stories connects us with each other and the world. First Person Arts supports the development of memoir and documentary work by artists from all walks of life and provides opportunities for their stories to be heard in programs throughout the year. Regular programming includes twice monthly StorySlams at World Cafe Live and L’Etage, quarterly Edible World events, the First Person Salon Series and the annual First Person Festival of Memoir and Documentary Art at the Painted Bride (November 10-14, 2010). Visit www.firstpersonarts.org.

The Watchmen, PA Face, Jay$roc

Pinnacle Music and Prime Promotions
presents

Primefest
a local indie music festival featuring talented artists from the Delaware Valley. The acts range in genre and style, but in each case, they represent the best of whats good on the Philly indie scene. Come enjoy good music with a good vibe.

This year, we are pleased to present:

CL Sounds
Jewel Devereaux
Fiction Fair
Guy Lundy
Simone Waller
Sentry Machine
and more!

Hosted by comedian Justin Chambliss

Admission: $10 / advance, $15 at the door, $20 VIP (seated)

Cellomama Productions Presents: Fishing In Brooklyn

Wed., July 14 @7pm
Thu., Jul 15 @6pm
Thu., Jul 15 @8:30pm

Cellomama Productions In Collaboration With Elements \& Lady M Productions
presents:

Fishing In Brooklyn, Written & Performed by LaTonia Phipps
“One Woman’s journey towards forgiveness and rebirth with a touch of Island Lovin’. An Afro-Latina’s discovery of self and the women who came before her. We watch as a young woman fishes into her past; tackling her mother’s death and reuniting with her culture through the eyes of 16 Characters. This Spoken-Word Chore-Poem conjures the drums of Africa and the marimba of Costa Rica while exploring what it feels like to be back in “El Brazos De Su Madre” your mothers’ arms…”

You don’t want to miss this, 3 Shows!!!

Admission: $5 students, $8 advance, $10 at door
Buy Tickets here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/116976

Cellomama Productions Presents: Fishing In Brooklyn

Wed., July 14 @7pm
Thu., Jul 15 @6pm
Thu., Jul 15 @8:30pm

Cellomama Productions In Collaboration With Elements \& Lady M Productions
presents:

Fishing In Brooklyn, Written & Performed by LaTonia Phipps
“One Woman’s journey towards forgiveness and rebirth with a touch of Island Lovin’. An Afro-Latina’s discovery of self and the women who came before her. We watch as a young woman fishes into her past; tackling her mother’s death and reuniting with her culture through the eyes of 16 Characters. This Spoken-Word Chore-Poem conjures the drums of Africa and the marimba of Costa Rica while exploring what it feels like to be back in “El Brazos De Su Madre” your mothers’ arms…”

You don’t want to miss this, 3 Shows!!!

Admission: $5 students, $8 advance, $10 at door
Buy Tickets here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/116976

Cellomama Productions Presents: Fishing In Brooklyn

Wed., July 14 @7pm
Thu., Jul 15 @6pm
Thu., Jul 15 @8:30pm

Cellomama Productions In Collaboration With Elements \& Lady M Productions
presents:

Fishing In Brooklyn, Written & Performed by LaTonia Phipps
“One Woman’s journey towards forgiveness and rebirth with a touch of Island Lovin’. An Afro-Latina’s discovery of self and the women who came before her. We watch as a young woman fishes into her past; tackling her mother’s death and reuniting with her culture through the eyes of 16 Characters. This Spoken-Word Chore-Poem conjures the drums of Africa and the marimba of Costa Rica while exploring what it feels like to be back in “El Brazos De Su Madre” your mothers’ arms…”

You don’t want to miss this, 3 Shows!!!

Admission: $5 students, $8 advance, $10 at door
Buy Tickets here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/116976

Featuring Fiidla and Urban Classique

+ very special guests

Last year’s show was a sell out and we want to keep that energy going strong!It will be a great night of Blues and Bluesy music with lots of Soulful Singing, Impossible Violin playing, Tap dancing, and Great Arrangements, and Special appearances by some of the best entertainers around! This year the guest will include Trumpeter Michael Ray (kool and the Gang, Sun Ra), Tap master Robert Burden, Vocalist and Dancer Zen Aura, Violinist and Composer John Blake jr.,and others!!

There will be 2 shows..one at 6:30 and the other at 9pm

Doors open at 8:30pm.

There is an earlier show at 6:30pm (doors open at 6pm)

Admission:

General admission for both shows:
presale: $20
at the door: $30

General admission to one show:
presale: $12
at the door: $16

Student or senior admission to one show:
presale: $8
at the door: $12

Buy Tickets HERE

More info: 215-748-5008

More info on Fiidla, John Blake, Jr, Zen Aura, Robert Burden, and Michael Ray —-some of the performers gracing the stage!

*Fiidla (the Urban Virtuoso) ..Vocalist, Violinist, Multi-Instrumentalist
An All-round performer, Fiidla has entertained Millions on Stages throughout the world. Performed and Recorded on every medium, and has been showcased and featured on MTV,VH1, BET, and CNN. Born in London. Fiidla began his musical journey listening to his Mother sing Opera, while his Father played Jazz records over his crib. Compared to Michael Jackson as a youth, Fiidla’s voice was so high that he actually sang to the birds that populated his Grandparents’  yard. His love of Earth, Wind, and Fire, Prince, Michael Jackson and others, .eventually gave way to Al Jarreau, Nat King  Cole, Billy Holiday and other Jazz vocalists, and a love of World music.

From his first  radio performance on Temple University’s WRTI..taking a violin solo over a Jazz record, Fiidla went on to  Performing with The legendary Sun Ra traveling extensively for 7 yrs and in between performing as an opening act for Stanley Clark, Marcus Robert, and McCoy Tyner and others..and managed to study with John Coltrane’s- Mentor Dennis Sandoli and receive advice and encouragement from Max Roach, Billy Taylor, and even Ella Fitzgerald.

“It seemed that I was constantly in the right place to step into history”

While Attending IUP..He toured with Pop Group Surface as a lead Vocalist and violinist ..Graduated with an MA in Jazz  and started recording a project for Sister Soulja that was derailed by the death of Biggie Smalls. Arranged and Performed in a series of musicals, then directed a 25 pc Orchestra as  the Musical Director for the Million Woman March.

This love of supporting social causes led to his Recording with Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Doug E. Fresh and others on Raucus records “Hip Hop 4 Respect”. Soon Recording with Common, Wyclef and others…He earned the title of mentor and voice teacher for Mary J Blige, Mario, Lil Kim and dozens of artist in Hip Hop and R&B. Fiidla’s 4  octave-plus vocal range and his bluesy 5 string violin slides, eventually were joined by dozens of other instruments that he learned along the way.

Fiidla’s music a blend of World Music, Jazz and R&B..He calls “World Soul” speaks to audiences who love passion and intensity of every culture and age. Forming his own orchestra which he calls Urban Classique. He released “The State Of Things” and also recorded and performed with The entire roster of Philadelphia International Records on “Love Train-the Music of the Sound of Philadelphia”…Now in the studio recording a release for 2010…He plans to Release “Renaissance”..a passionate statement of his musical journey and growth.
John Blake —
The Man, The Legend.
John Blake, Jr. has been one of the world’s leading jazz violinists for over four decades.  A four-time winner of the Down Beat Critics’ Poll Violinist Deserving Wider Recognition category he was also one of the top two jazz violinists in the 49th, 50th, and 51st Down Beat Readers’ Poll, Classically trained, Blake first gained recognition on early-’70s recordings he made with Archie Shepp and in the mid-70s became established with a global audience during three years recording and touring as a member of Grover Washington, Jr.’s popular “crossover” jazz band.  He then spent five years working extensively as a member of various ensembles led by pianist McCoy.  Among other artists with whom Blake has performed and/or recorded with are the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Turtle Island String Quartet, Quartet Indigo, the Steve Turre Sextet, the Billy Taylor Trio, Avery Sharpe, Cecil McBee, Jay Hoggard and James Newton. Blake released his recording debut as a leader and composer, Maiden Dance, in 1984, the first of five well-received projects on Gramavision Records including one that teamed him up with fellow jazz violinists Michal Urbaniak and Didier Lockwood. He released his sixth album, Quest that reunited him with Grover Washington and featured Joe Ford, Charles Fambrough, Ben Riley, Omar Hill, Joey Calderazzo, on Sunnyside Records 1992. Blake’s first recording with his current quartet, The Traveler, was released in 2007.

Born in Philadelphia on July 3, 1947, Blake began studying violin in that city’s public school system and at the Settlement Music School. After graduating from West Virginia University he did postgraduate work at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Montreux, Switzerland and received a grant to study studied East Indian music.  In addition to his work as an instrumentalist performing with his quartet and as a featured guest soloist at concerts and on studio sessions, Blake is also an accomplished composer, arranger and producer as well as an author, teacher and lecturer who presents hundreds of workshops annually to musicians at all levels. He co-wrote with Suzuki educator Jody Harmon J.I.M.E., the definitive beginning string jazz method book and CD in use around the world.  In addition to lecturing on campuses throughout the US, Blake is on the faculty of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, and has been a guest lecturer at Berklee College of Music in Boston. In 2004 he was appointed to the Basler Chair of Excellence for the winter semester at East Tennessee State University and that year also was awarded a Chamber Music America Jazz Composer Grant.

Zen Aura
A rare mixture of passion and sensitivity, Zen Aura is a favorite on both musical and theatrical stages.  Her liquid soprano coaxes sweet jazz melody while her powerful lower registry belts out the Blues and Rock.  A protégé of Italian Maestro Antonio D’Ambrosino and Jazz Master Owen “Fiidla” Brown, Zen Aura has delivered powerful performance at the Clifford Brown and West Oak Lane Jazz Festivals to name a few.  As a poet she is known for her thought provoking lyrics and stirring delivery and has been the focus of documentaries on HBO and MTV. A multiple Award Winner in athletics and dance, Zen Aura’s social activism garnished her the Ladies of Distinction Award from Lincoln University.

Robert Burden is a native Philadelphian. He received his BFA in jazz dance from the University of the Arts in 1988, having studied with LaVaughn Robinson and Germaine Ingram, two of Philadelphia’s tap masters. Mr. burden has been mentored by Mr. Robinson since 1983 and continues to receive advice from him. He is currently the Executive and Artistic Director of Tap Team Two & Company, Inc. The company is based in Philadelphia and tours the country for Young Audiences. Through Young Audiences, Tap Team Two have traveled nationally working for fourteen of the thirty-two Young Audiences organizations. In 2000, Tap Team Two and Company was awarded The Artist of The Year, the highest honor in the Young Audiences organization. With the company Mr. Burden has created 7 shows “Cyndi-Ella”, “With or Without Shoes”, An Evening of Tap”, “The Fifth Anniversary Concert”, “Steppin Through the Strings” (a collaboration with John Blake Jr.), “Winter Rhythms” (a company collaborative) and “Feet Talk”. In 1992, Mr. Burden completed the work Cyndi –Ella, a tap ballet of the fairytale Cinderella funded by the IPAP award from the Community Education Center, which received rave reviews, and began the company Tap Team Two & Company. Inc. Mr. Burden has been one of the spearheads for National Tap Dance Day in Philadelphia since 1996. Mr. Burden has performed as a solo artist in the Next Move Concert Series “Fifteen minutes at the Annenberg Center”. His performing and teaching skills have taken him abroad to Turkey, Taiwan, Holland, Germany and Czech Republic. Mr. Burden has had the pleasure of teaching the Czech Tap Champions from Prague and being a fly squad member of Riverdance where he studied in the Netherlands with the European Company and performed in Berlin. All of Mr. Burdens’ experiences have allowed him to start long term mentoring projects. He has completed the third year of a project called The New Orleans/ Philadelphia Cultural Exchange Program, which gives 6 children from New Orleans & 5 children from Philadelphia the opportunity to experience each other’s culture and study with some of the Masters of Tap Dance such as Diane Walker, LaVaughn Robinson, Buster Brown, Jimmy Slyde and many more. This project allows Mr. Burden to achieve his artistic mission of keeping tap dance alive and growing through to the next generation.

Michael Ray (Trumpet, keyboards, vocalist, producer, composer)
Ray grew up in Trenton, and began his career in a variety of pop bands, working with everyone from Patti LaBelle to the Delphonics, the Stylistics and Instant Funk. He joined the Sun Ra Arkestra in 1978 and continues to perform and record with them. Ray is also recognized as a member of the front line for Kool and the Gang, the top selling group of the 1980s He danced, sang, played trumpet, and was a member of the award winning writing and production team that produced 7 platinum/gold albums and 7 top ten hits for the group. Ray won 4 American music awards, 5 Ampex golden reel awards, Grammy nomination, and a Narm award. Sun Ra designated Ray his “Intergalactic Tone Research Scientist” Ray appears on Sun Ra albums on Saturn records, and on CDs released on Enja, Hathut, Rounder, Black Saint, Horo, and A&M, Philly Jazz, and ESP labels.  He began leading his own group, The Cosmic Krewe since 1993. Ray combines the best of both his influences, the amazing cosmos-drama and outer space presentations of Sun Ra, and the high energy rock/funk shows of Kool and the Gang. He calls his own music” Jazz funk of the future” The Cosmic Krewe has been voted “best of the fest” every performance at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage festival. The Cosmic Krewe was nominated for “best contemporary jazz” and performed at the 7th Big Easy Entertainment awards. His innovative multi-art collaborations focusing on sound and color utilize avant garde jazz compositions; neon set installations, dance and poetry. The concept earned the group a regional arts award in 1993 funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller and Andy Warhol foundations. “Jazz as performance art” theme productions include tribute shows to the Haitian Vibration, the spoken word, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and Sun Ra. His audiences are interesting mixtures of baby boomers jazz aficionados, neo-hippie jam band fans, alternative rockers, funk and jazz revivalists and folks looking for the creative and experimental. The Cosmic Krewe has performed at several major festivals including Umbria jazz fest, Perugia jazz fest, “Free jazz fest” in Rio, Earshot jazz in Seattle, Boston Globe Fest, multiple years at the Discover Jazz fest in Vermont, Syracuse jazz fest, Kansas City blues and jazz fest, Knitting factory and Texaco jazz fest in NYC, Jacksonville jazz fest in Fla, Cancun jazz fest, San Francisco jazz fest. Ray is highly regarded as a world class jazz player, who has performed and recorded with Phish, Shibusa Sharazu, and Porno for Pyros. The Cosmic Krewe has released their first C.D. on Evidence records entitled the Cosmic Krewe and their second on Monkey Hill records entitled “Funk if I know” His latest C.D. is called “Amazing Universe” containing several tracks thought to be lost in Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Critics have called this band “The best big little band on the planet” and “Jazz you have to dance to”

*Contact 215 748 5008,Fiidla@yahoo.com or visit Fiidla.com

Featuring Fiidla and Urban Classique

+ very special guests

Last year’s show was a sell out and we want to keep that energy going strong!It will be a great night of Blues and Bluesy music with lots of Soulful Singing, Impossible Violin playing, Tap dancing, and Great Arrangements, and Special appearances by some of the best entertainers around! This year the guest will include Trumpeter Michael Ray (kool and the Gang, Sun Ra), Tap master Robert Burden, Vocalist and Dancer Zen Aura, Violinist and Composer John Blake jr.,and others!!

There will be 2 shows..one at 6:30 and the other at 9pm

Doors open at 8:30pm.

There is an earlier show at 6:30pm (doors open at 6pm)

Admission:

General admission for both shows:
presale: $20
at the door: $30

General admission to one show:
presale: $12
at the door: $16

Student or senior admission to one show:
presale: $8
at the door: $12

Buy tickets HERE

More info: 215-748-5008

More info on Fiidla, John Blake, Jr, Zen Aura, Robert Burden, and Michael Ray —-some of the performers gracing the stage!

*Fiidla (the Urban Virtuoso) ..Vocalist, Violinist, Multi-Instrumentalist
An All-round performer, Fiidla has entertained Millions on Stages throughout the world. Performed and Recorded on every medium, and has been showcased and featured on MTV,VH1, BET, and CNN. Born in London. Fiidla began his musical journey listening to his Mother sing Opera, while his Father played Jazz records over his crib. Compared to Michael Jackson as a youth, Fiidla’s voice was so high that he actually sang to the birds that populated his Grandparents’  yard. His love of Earth, Wind, and Fire, Prince, Michael Jackson and others, .eventually gave way to Al Jarreau, Nat King  Cole, Billy Holiday and other Jazz vocalists, and a love of World music.

From his first  radio performance on Temple University’s WRTI..taking a violin solo over a Jazz record, Fiidla went on to  Performing with The legendary Sun Ra traveling extensively for 7 yrs and in between performing as an opening act for Stanley Clark, Marcus Robert, and McCoy Tyner and others..and managed to study with John Coltrane’s- Mentor Dennis Sandoli and receive advice and encouragement from Max Roach, Billy Taylor, and even Ella Fitzgerald.

“It seemed that I was constantly in the right place to step into history”

While Attending IUP..He toured with Pop Group Surface as a lead Vocalist and violinist ..Graduated with an MA in Jazz  and started recording a project for Sister Soulja that was derailed by the death of Biggie Smalls. Arranged and Performed in a series of musicals, then directed a 25 pc Orchestra as  the Musical Director for the Million Woman March.

This love of supporting social causes led to his Recording with Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Doug E. Fresh and others on Raucus records “Hip Hop 4 Respect”. Soon Recording with Common, Wyclef and others…He earned the title of mentor and voice teacher for Mary J Blige, Mario, Lil Kim and dozens of artist in Hip Hop and R&B. Fiidla’s 4  octave-plus vocal range and his bluesy 5 string violin slides, eventually were joined by dozens of other instruments that he learned along the way.

Fiidla’s music a blend of World Music, Jazz and R&B..He calls “World Soul” speaks to audiences who love passion and intensity of every culture and age. Forming his own orchestra which he calls Urban Classique. He released “The State Of Things” and also recorded and performed with The entire roster of Philadelphia International Records on “Love Train-the Music of the Sound of Philadelphia”…Now in the studio recording a release for 2010…He plans to Release “Renaissance”..a passionate statement of his musical journey and growth.
John Blake —
The Man, The Legend.
John Blake, Jr. has been one of the world’s leading jazz violinists for over four decades.  A four-time winner of the Down Beat Critics’ Poll Violinist Deserving Wider Recognition category he was also one of the top two jazz violinists in the 49th, 50th, and 51st Down Beat Readers’ Poll, Classically trained, Blake first gained recognition on early-’70s recordings he made with Archie Shepp and in the mid-70s became established with a global audience during three years recording and touring as a member of Grover Washington, Jr.’s popular “crossover” jazz band.  He then spent five years working extensively as a member of various ensembles led by pianist McCoy.  Among other artists with whom Blake has performed and/or recorded with are the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Turtle Island String Quartet, Quartet Indigo, the Steve Turre Sextet, the Billy Taylor Trio, Avery Sharpe, Cecil McBee, Jay Hoggard and James Newton. Blake released his recording debut as a leader and composer, Maiden Dance, in 1984, the first of five well-received projects on Gramavision Records including one that teamed him up with fellow jazz violinists Michal Urbaniak and Didier Lockwood. He released his sixth album, Quest that reunited him with Grover Washington and featured Joe Ford, Charles Fambrough, Ben Riley, Omar Hill, Joey Calderazzo, on Sunnyside Records 1992. Blake’s first recording with his current quartet, The Traveler, was released in 2007.

Born in Philadelphia on July 3, 1947, Blake began studying violin in that city’s public school system and at the Settlement Music School. After graduating from West Virginia University he did postgraduate work at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Montreux, Switzerland and received a grant to study studied East Indian music.  In addition to his work as an instrumentalist performing with his quartet and as a featured guest soloist at concerts and on studio sessions, Blake is also an accomplished composer, arranger and producer as well as an author, teacher and lecturer who presents hundreds of workshops annually to musicians at all levels. He co-wrote with Suzuki educator Jody Harmon J.I.M.E., the definitive beginning string jazz method book and CD in use around the world.  In addition to lecturing on campuses throughout the US, Blake is on the faculty of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, and has been a guest lecturer at Berklee College of Music in Boston. In 2004 he was appointed to the Basler Chair of Excellence for the winter semester at East Tennessee State University and that year also was awarded a Chamber Music America Jazz Composer Grant.

Zen Aura
A rare mixture of passion and sensitivity, Zen Aura is a favorite on both musical and theatrical stages.  Her liquid soprano coaxes sweet jazz melody while her powerful lower registry belts out the Blues and Rock.  A protégé of Italian Maestro Antonio D’Ambrosino and Jazz Master Owen “Fiidla” Brown, Zen Aura has delivered powerful performance at the Clifford Brown and West Oak Lane Jazz Festivals to name a few.  As a poet she is known for her thought provoking lyrics and stirring delivery and has been the focus of documentaries on HBO and MTV. A multiple Award Winner in athletics and dance, Zen Aura’s social activism garnished her the Ladies of Distinction Award from Lincoln University.

Robert Burden is a native Philadelphian. He received his BFA in jazz dance from the University of the Arts in 1988, having studied with LaVaughn Robinson and Germaine Ingram, two of Philadelphia’s tap masters. Mr. burden has been mentored by Mr. Robinson since 1983 and continues to receive advice from him. He is currently the Executive and Artistic Director of Tap Team Two & Company, Inc. The company is based in Philadelphia and tours the country for Young Audiences. Through Young Audiences, Tap Team Two have traveled nationally working for fourteen of the thirty-two Young Audiences organizations. In 2000, Tap Team Two and Company was awarded The Artist of The Year, the highest honor in the Young Audiences organization. With the company Mr. Burden has created 7 shows “Cyndi-Ella”, “With or Without Shoes”, An Evening of Tap”, “The Fifth Anniversary Concert”, “Steppin Through the Strings” (a collaboration with John Blake Jr.), “Winter Rhythms” (a company collaborative) and “Feet Talk”. In 1992, Mr. Burden completed the work Cyndi –Ella, a tap ballet of the fairytale Cinderella funded by the IPAP award from the Community Education Center, which received rave reviews, and began the company Tap Team Two & Company. Inc. Mr. Burden has been one of the spearheads for National Tap Dance Day in Philadelphia since 1996. Mr. Burden has performed as a solo artist in the Next Move Concert Series “Fifteen minutes at the Annenberg Center”. His performing and teaching skills have taken him abroad to Turkey, Taiwan, Holland, Germany and Czech Republic. Mr. Burden has had the pleasure of teaching the Czech Tap Champions from Prague and being a fly squad member of Riverdance where he studied in the Netherlands with the European Company and performed in Berlin. All of Mr. Burdens’ experiences have allowed him to start long term mentoring projects. He has completed the third year of a project called The New Orleans/ Philadelphia Cultural Exchange Program, which gives 6 children from New Orleans & 5 children from Philadelphia the opportunity to experience each other’s culture and study with some of the Masters of Tap Dance such as Diane Walker, LaVaughn Robinson, Buster Brown, Jimmy Slyde and many more. This project allows Mr. Burden to achieve his artistic mission of keeping tap dance alive and growing through to the next generation.

Michael Ray (Trumpet, keyboards, vocalist, producer, composer)
Ray grew up in Trenton, and began his career in a variety of pop bands, working with everyone from Patti LaBelle to the Delphonics, the Stylistics and Instant Funk. He joined the Sun Ra Arkestra in 1978 and continues to perform and record with them. Ray is also recognized as a member of the front line for Kool and the Gang, the top selling group of the 1980s He danced, sang, played trumpet, and was a member of the award winning writing and production team that produced 7 platinum/gold albums and 7 top ten hits for the group. Ray won 4 American music awards, 5 Ampex golden reel awards, Grammy nomination, and a Narm award. Sun Ra designated Ray his “Intergalactic Tone Research Scientist” Ray appears on Sun Ra albums on Saturn records, and on CDs released on Enja, Hathut, Rounder, Black Saint, Horo, and A&M, Philly Jazz, and ESP labels.  He began leading his own group, The Cosmic Krewe since 1993. Ray combines the best of both his influences, the amazing cosmos-drama and outer space presentations of Sun Ra, and the high energy rock/funk shows of Kool and the Gang. He calls his own music” Jazz funk of the future” The Cosmic Krewe has been voted “best of the fest” every performance at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage festival. The Cosmic Krewe was nominated for “best contemporary jazz” and performed at the 7th Big Easy Entertainment awards. His innovative multi-art collaborations focusing on sound and color utilize avant garde jazz compositions; neon set installations, dance and poetry. The concept earned the group a regional arts award in 1993 funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller and Andy Warhol foundations. “Jazz as performance art” theme productions include tribute shows to the Haitian Vibration, the spoken word, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and Sun Ra. His audiences are interesting mixtures of baby boomers jazz aficionados, neo-hippie jam band fans, alternative rockers, funk and jazz revivalists and folks looking for the creative and experimental. The Cosmic Krewe has performed at several major festivals including Umbria jazz fest, Perugia jazz fest, “Free jazz fest” in Rio, Earshot jazz in Seattle, Boston Globe Fest, multiple years at the Discover Jazz fest in Vermont, Syracuse jazz fest, Kansas City blues and jazz fest, Knitting factory and Texaco jazz fest in NYC, Jacksonville jazz fest in Fla, Cancun jazz fest, San Francisco jazz fest. Ray is highly regarded as a world class jazz player, who has performed and recorded with Phish, Shibusa Sharazu, and Porno for Pyros. The Cosmic Krewe has released their first C.D. on Evidence records entitled the Cosmic Krewe and their second on Monkey Hill records entitled “Funk if I know” His latest C.D. is called “Amazing Universe” containing several tracks thought to be lost in Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Critics have called this band “The best big little band on the planet” and “Jazz you have to dance to”

*Contact 215 748 5008,Fiidla@yahoo.com or visit Fiidla.com

Summer Solstice Celebration
$10 love offering

Come let’s together harness the tremendous positive energy from the sun at its highest point of the year at this holistic party featuring the best of the healing arts community in the Philadelphia area.

Let’s accelerate the LOVE vibration together through:

wisdom sharing  - meditation  -  yoga - chi gong  - dancing  - drumming

poetry  -  spoken word  -  music performances by Katriel & friends

delicious raw food cuisine -  vegetarian dishes - massage

Topics discussed include:

crystal energy - mayan calendar updates - colon hydrotherapy -

aroma therapy - gmo’s in our food – tapology healing technique - eating raw to extend our lifeline - and much more…………….

-  vending spaces are still available  -
For more info contact:  Empress Thandi at (215) 778 8688 or Stephen Wise- Katriel at (484) 410 9473

VINDENSÅNG- 5th Anniversary Performance

The Pennsylvania-based Atmospheric-Rock/Metal act VINDENSÅNG is holding an exclusive performance to celebrate the first five years of the band’s existence. They will be supported by a world-class international lineup that includes Canadian Neo-Folk masters MUSK OX, and the up-and-coming Belgian Dark-Ambient project SEQUENCES. The performances will showcase the abilities of the separate bands to flawlessly create dynamic atmosphere through the use of sound, and it will also feature the tasteful use of videography, stage props, and other elements to create a complete sensory experience that will be unlike any other.

The cost for this all-ages event is $12; tickets can be purchased in advance through Ticketweb.com or at the door on the evening of the event. While photography is welcomed at this event, there is a strict no-flash policy during the performances.

Audio samples from the bands and more information can be found at:
VINDENSÅNG (USA): http://www.myspace.com/vindensang
MUSK OX (CAN): http://www.myspace.com/embraceinashes
SEQUENECES (BE): http://www.myspace.com/sequences0

(every last Thursday)

Established in 1996, The Gathering is the longest/strongest-running truly Hip Hop event in Philly.

The Gathering IS b-boys/b-girls, pop-lockers, emcees, graffiti writers, DJs, men, women, and children of all ages enjoying an organic, community-based celebration of The struggle, the Love,and the culture of Hip Hop.

DJs spin Hiphop, breaks, and funk all night, and there are open cyphas, a tag wall, and a featured performance and graffiti panel each month.

Admission is $3

poetry from:

Rhythm
Lyrispect
Pages d. Matan
Hadaiyah Ya-Ya Bey
Anwar Jabari Johnson
J. Pope
Denice Frohman
The Lyrical Playground
Noel Scales

and special guest Blaqmel

+ live artist Populart

Admission is $5

In the Vietnam War era, anti-war members of the US military and their supporters found voice for their concerns in what eventually added up to hundreds of underground newspapers produced and circulated everywhere, inside the Pentagon itself, aboard ships at sea and on and around military bases around the world. With names such as Left Face, About Face, Harass the Brass, A Four-Year Bummer, The Fort Polk Puke, RITA, FTA, Marine Blues and Rough Draft, they served as an organizing tool, a platform for discussion of issues the military chain of command should have cared about but didn’t and a way of letting the rest of America know that opposition to the war was widespread in the armed forces.

These newspapers, largely overlooked by historians, had great impact at the time and are now in danger of being lost altogether. They were generally printed on cheap paper that will crumble to dust before too many more years pass. To insure that this legacy and effort is not lost, a GI Press Preservation Project has been launched in Philadelphia, where several of the best collections of Vietnam-era GI newspapers are located.

James Lewes, who worked on the GI Press part of the movie Sir! No Sir! is spearheading an effort to digitally copy all still-existing  Vietnam-era GI newspapers so that they will not be lost to history when the paper they are printed on crumbles, so they can be shared more widely and take their rightful place in the history of the Vietnam War and the GI Movement that opposed it.

To help raise money and bring attention to the project, James Lewes will be showing the films Sir! No Sir! and FTA! tonight.

About the films

Sir! No Sir!
This feature-length documentary focuses on the efforts by troops in the U.S. military during the Vietnam War to oppose the war effort by peaceful demonstration and subversion.

FTA
A documentary about a political troupe headed by actors Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland which traveled to towns near military bases in the US in the early 1970s. The group put on shows called “F.T.A.”, which stood for “F**k the Army”, and was aimed at convincing soldiers to voice their opposition to the Vietnam War, which was raging at the time. Various singers, actors and other entertainers performed antiwar songs and skits during the show.
Admission is free, but donations are encouraged.

Philly Youth Poetry Nite!!!
Open Mic/SLAM

featuring DEF POETS, Special Guests, Hip Hop and more!

$7 for the youth
$10 for the adults
Discount when you bring clothes and/or food for the needy.

Featuring Rainmaker, Shadowkat, Lyrical the God, Amun Miraaj and Shyster……(this is gonna be a powerful nite) and more growing youth poets than you can count!!!!!

Also check out the 2008 Philadelphia Youth Team on HBO’s website for Russell Simmons Presents Brave New Voices!
http://www.hbo.com/bravenewvoices/teams/philadelphia.html

phillyyouthpoets@gmail.com
215-951-0330 ext 2163

Bowerbird presents GATE
featuring:

El Fin Del Mundo Trio Argentina
Claudio Pena, cello
Gabriel Spiller, percussion
Gustavo Hunt, clarinet

Nu Directions Chamber Brass
Thomas J Madeja, Trumpet/Composer
Dawn Webster, Trumpet
Larry Toft, Trombone
Barry McCommon, Trombone
Gabe Globus-Honeich, Marimba/Vibes
Mason Ingram, Drums

The Renamers
Dave Champion , Trombone
Helena Espvall, cello
Tara Burke, organ
Wilbo Wright, bass
MIa Bosna , percussion

NEW WORLDS OF SOUNDS
El Fin Del Mundo (The end of the world) as a concept, as a territory and as a piece, of course, is the work of cellist Claudio Peña, drummer Gabriel Spiller and clarinetist Gustavo Hunt – a space to occupy. The most important musical virtue of this CD is that the trio explores different ways of occupation without filling the space completely, without inhabitting it, so that those who listen can also have a space of their own. The various images, climes and atmospheres generated by the characteristics of the compositions and by making the most of timbric resources and of sound production are much more stimulating than evocative or suggestive. And although referentiality is present (“Inmersión” – Immersion, “Tango XXI”, “Canción de los Derviches” – Dervish Song), it is by no means shown as something absolute or enclosed but rather as a spark that will light a different kind of fire in each individual. Moving between improvisation and the accuracy of music writing (“Hardcore para Tres” – Hardcore for Three) and with its beautiful melodies (“Girasoles” – Sunflowers) and excelent work of rythmic interplay between the percussion and the cello, El fin del mundo requires – and deserves – our presence.

Nu Directions Chamber Brass is a contemporary chamber ensemble dedicated to breaking down barriers of musical categories. This rhythmically explosive genre-bending brass and percussion ensemble brings together classical, jazz, and free improvising musicians to combine their talents and form a new innovative brand of chamber music. NDCB is comprised of two trumpets, two trombones, and two percussionists. Each musician offers his or her own voice to create a truly unique sound. Trumpet artist, composer, and NDCB founder Thomas Madeja created this ensemble in response to a growing need for accessibly presented original sounding contemporary music. This also drives the group’s commitment to education. In a concert setting, master class, or interactive recital, NDCB strives to engage its audience through a mutual experiencing of the creative process. There are no limitations in regard to performance venues either. NDCB has performed in such varied institutions as concert halls, schools, churches, and jazz and nightclubs. Audiences from all walks of life continue to be intrigued and stimulated by this truly one of a kind ensemble.

The Renamers Collective free improv from five veteran sound artists. Dave Champion plays jazz and new music on the harmonized trombone. Cellist Helena Espvall is a member of Espers, and collaborates with many others in the psychedelic folk and free improvisation world. Organist Tara Burke has toured throughout the US, the UK and Europe since 1999, performing her distinctive style of acid/folk/trance music as Fursaxa. Wilbo Wright is a tree farmer and bass player from the band UI, and has extensive experience in the free improv and downtown New York music scene. Hand percussionist Mia Bosna is recognized by nearly no one in the music world but loved by family and friends nonetheless. This is their first collaboration, having enjoyed each other’s company in various settings throughout the past decade. No stones will remain unturned.

LINKS
El Fin Del Mundo Trio: http://www.myspace.com/findelmundotrio
New Directions Chamber Brass: http://www.myspace.com/ndcbrass

Admission is FREE.

The Print Center’s
Artists in Schools Program
Annual Art Show

Showcasing original art made by students at Martin Luther King, Olney West, Parkway High School for Peace and Social Justice, Roxborough, and South Philadelphia High Schools during the 2009-2010 school year.

Complimentary snacks and beverages provided.

Admission is FREE.

GCALVIN WESTON-DRUMS
BOBBY ZANKEL,ALTO SAX
CHARLES ELLARBE–GUITAR
AL MACDOWELL-BASS
ED RICART-GUITAR

G Calvin Weston was born June 6, 1959 in Philadelphia, PA. He became interested in drums at the age of 6, when he (and his neighbors) discovered his talent for rhythm as he beat on every car on the block. He lived in North Philadelphia where he saw musicians like Stevie Wonder, The Jackson Five and James Brown at the Uptown Theatre. Seeing his attention focused on the drummers, his Father bought him a small set.  In high school Calvin learned to read music and played second snare in the drum ensemble. He co-founded the group Bad Influence which played in cabarets and clubs around Philadelphia.

At 17, Calvin joined Ornette Colemans Prime Time Band,with bass player jamalaadean tacuma.his close friend from philly, which toured extensively in North America and Europe. After recording four albums with Prime Time, Calvin went on to play and record with guitarist James “Blood” Ulmer, until he joined John Luries Lounge Lizards in 1990.

During the late 90s Calvin recorded and toured with Billy Martin of Medeski  Martin and Wood, Tricky, Eyvind Kang, Derek Baily, Mark Ribot, and James Carter. He also played on several movie soundtracks including “Get Shorty”. For his latest project, Calvin Westons Big Tree, Calvin explores the many musical influences of his career as band leader and composer.He also has a new band with world guitarist,Vernon Reid and bass player,Jamalaadean tacuma and formed the group freeformfunkyfreqs and there new cd Urban Mythology Volume 1.
He also plays with JEAN-PAUL BOURELLY AND MELVIN GIBBS IN THE BAND CALLED GYPSYS RELOADED,THAT TOURED IN MARCH OF 2008,THAT RECORDED A LIVE CD AT THE BIMHUIS..G.Calvin Weston has played on many recording,the Asmodeus cd,with Marc Ribot and trevor Dunn,the music of JOHN Zorn..Book Of Angels Volume 7…

Calvin Weston Discography
Ornette Coleman - “Of Human Feelings” - Columbia Records 1979
James Blood Ulmer - “Are You Glad To Be In America?”  Artist House 1980
James Blood Ulmer - “Black Rock” - CBS 1982
James Blood Ulmer - “Free Lancing” - CBS 1981
George Adams / James Blood Ulmer Quarter - “Jazzbuhne Berlin ‘85″ - Repertoire 1990
James Blook Ulmer / George Adams / Phalanx - “Got Something Good For You” - Moers Music 1986
Grant Calvin Weston - “Dance Romance” - In+Out 1995
Ornette Coleman - “In All Languages” - Acoustilog Studios 1987
Ornette Coleman & Prime Time - “Virgin Beauty” - 1988
James Blood Ulmer - “Black & Blues” - 1990
The James Blood Ulmer Blues Experience - “Blues Allnight” - In+Out 1990
John Lurie National Orchestra - “Men With Sticks” - 1993
Tricky - “Angels With Dirty Faces” - Island 1998
The Lounge Lizards - “Queen of All Ears”
Eyvind Kang on Dying Ground Live at the Knitting Factory - 1997
Derek Baily / Jamaaladeen Tacuma / Calvin Weston - “Mirakle” - Orange Music 1999
John Lurie - “African Swim and Manny Lo” - 1999
James Carter - “Layin’ In The Cut” - Atlantic 2000-Marc Ribot,Trevor dunn,G.Calvin Weston,Asmodeus Book of ANGELS VOLUME 7,Music of JOHN ZORN-2006-TZADIK MUSIC
Vernon Reid,JamalaadeanTacuma-G .CALVIN WESTON.URBAN MYTHOLOGY VOLUME 1-THIRSTY EAR RECORDS-2007
JEAN-PAUL BOURELLY-=MELVIN GIBBS-G .CALVIN WESTON-GYPSYS RELOADED-LIVE AT THE BIMHUIS-AMSTERDAM-2008.

Soundtracks
Get Shorty - 1995
Excess Baggage - 1997
Blue In The Face - 1995
Clay Pigeons - 1998
Box of Moonlight - 1997

$5-$10 suggested donation at the door

THE OLD SCHOOL RADIO HOUR
PRESENTS
BREAK 4 HAITI

Hosts: TG-The Analog Master of Disaster & B-Girl Smiles

Featuring: A $500 Winner Take-all 1 on 1 b-boy battle

DJs: The Bad Boys of Sesion31-Skeme Richards & DJ Ill-literate

Special Performance by: Keith Rodgers of Break Machine

Donation: $10 including FREE FOOD!
Door proceeds will be donated to the Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund

(IMPROV) MOVEMENT CLASS!

FREE!

every Monday Night (except March 1, 15, 22, and 29) through May 2010

Learn modern, jazz and ballet technique! AND - Use improvisational movement to create dances! Learn to choreograph!

For those with a lot, a little or no dance experience!
Please dress appropriately - ready to dance!

(IMPROV) MOVEMENT CLASS!

FREE!

every Monday Night (except March 1, 15, 22, and 29) through May 2010

Learn modern, jazz and ballet technique! AND - Use improvisational movement to create dances! Learn to choreograph!

For those with a lot, a little or no dance experience!
Please dress appropriately - ready to dance!

(IMPROV) MOVEMENT CLASS!

FREE!

every Monday Night (except March 1, 15, 22, and 29) through May 2010

Learn modern, jazz and ballet technique! AND - Use improvisational movement to create dances! Learn to choreograph!

For those with a lot, a little or no dance experience!
Please dress appropriately - ready to dance!

(IMPROV) MOVEMENT CLASS!

FREE!

every Monday Night (except March 1, 15, 22, and 29)! through May 2010

Learn modern, jazz and ballet technique! AND - Use improvisational movement to create dances! Learn to choreograph!

For those with a lot, a little or no dance experience!
Please dress appropriately - ready to dance!

(IMPROV) MOVEMENT CLASS!

FREE!

every Monday Night (except March 1, 15, 22, and 29)! through May 2010

Learn modern, jazz and ballet technique! AND - Use improvisational movement to create dances! Learn to choreograph!

For those with a lot, a little or no dance experience!
Please dress appropriately - ready to dance!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Short films from Ish Klein
Launch/Little Star is a video that I made in honor of Svezdochah, a dog who was blasted into space.  The Golem Who Swallowed His Magic Spell is a short speculative video as to how some people become who they are.  Ida Craddock Adult Fairy Story, is to honor Ida Craddock:  a sexual mystic and educator.  More about her here:   www.idacraddock.org
You can see more her my videos here:  www.youtube.com/user/ishkleinfilms

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

As They Rode Along the Edge, by Leonora Carrington:
As they Rode Along The Edge is a new film adaptation of the Leonora Carrington short story by the same name.

Leonora Carrington has been a creative powerhouse for much of the 21st century. The legendary magic of this novelist, painter, mother, lover, and free thinker has been inspiring people around the globe since before World War Two.

Amongst the hordes inspired by her rich body of work and collaborating for the first time after more than a decade of friendship are Philadelphia artistic peers Mandy Katz and Justin Duerr . For this project they began meeting in September ‘09 for weekly drawing sessions. After more than a year of such meetings, the two created more than 80 8″by 8″ ink and watercolor paintings to illustrate the humorous feminist fantasy fairytale written by Carrington in the 1930s.

The beautiful narration by poet, filmmaker, puppeteer, visionary and friend Ish Klein was captured on cassette 4 track. The paintings were filmed flip book style with a cheap camera in time to the narration in the midst of a candlelit altar  created for the paintings to nest within. With sound effects and musical score collaged into the mix, a snowglobe world was created with handmade immediacy. Mandy and Justin hope that this is only the first in a series of film interpretations of tales that inspire them.

Admission is FREE.

Enjoy ancient Tamarean art and conscious edutainment

Mysteries behind Closed Doors: The Untold Truth about the Dr. Malachi K. York Case

“Finally, the truth is exposed in action by exploring the wrongful unjust imprisonment of Rev. Dr. Malachi Z. York. Seven long years have come after eight witnesses recanted, no DNA evidence, illegal entry on Nuwaupian property, and a hung jury. Dr. York still serves a 135 year sentence for racketeering and transorting minors across state lines for illicit acts. Now in America’s worst prison housed for terrorist Florence ADX, the truth unravels the pages of concealed court transcripts and falsifying testimonies on behalf of Middle District of Georgia. The good old boy circuit has declared him guilty until proven innocent, and biased media outlets failed to properly report the facts. These are the mysteries behind closed doors, now revealed to the public.”

Admission is FREE.

Spring Time
Square Dance
with
old time music by
Rafe Stefanini, Brad Leftwich, and Linda Higg Nbotham
$5-10 suggested donation

Bowerbird
presents
GATE

Carlos Giffoni
Alex Nagle
PIMA Group

DANCE ANTI-DANCE
Join Bowerbird for a night of power electronics and mysterious dance installations as we feature new synth music by New York based Carlos Giffoni, the shredding noise of Philadelphia composer Alex Nagle, and the haunting PIMA Group, featuring dancer / choreographer Melisa Putz.

Carlos Giffoni hardly needs an introduction in experimental music circles, but in year where he takes a break from his hugely successful No Fun Fest to focus on other projects, you just can’t wait to find out how the synth magician reinvents himself. Carlos lists japanese noise, early industrial, rock, and joropo among his influences, and his list of past collaborators is amazing: Jim O’Rourke, Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo, Nels Cline, Chris Corsano, Peter Rehberg, Chuck Bettis, Nautical Almanac, Smegma, lds, Lasse Marhaug, Merzbow, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Awesome.

Both Alex Nagle (ex-Normal Love, Tweeter, CSection) and PIMA Group (featuring dancer / choreographer Melisa Putz) should also be familiar to Bowerbird audiences.

You might be attempted to compare Alex’s music to some kind of amalgamation of harsh noise, super virtuosic guitar shredding, and modern new-complexity composition – and if you can find that in your ear – that’s not a bad place to start – but you’re really not giving his unique creations their due attention. We know his stuff tends to be super loud and harsh – but it’s actually very nuanced and subtle– in a way that you might even call beautiful. And besides, this is the first time Alex is performing a solo project under his own name (at least in a long time) – so you have to be pretty psyched for what’s going to happen.

For us the first time we saw PIMA Group was like seeing a Rothko for the first time or hearing Feldman for the first time. It changes you forever and from that moment on you have a different expectations. PIMA Group so clearly defies categorization – it’s not dance, its not theater, its not music, and yet its all of these things. Every piece they make is completely unique, so peculiar to the moment and space when it’s performed we can’t help but invite them back again – just so you can see what they might do. And PIMA Group always delivers.
Admission is FREE.

Ars Nova
presents

Jon Irabagon and Mike Pride
I Don’t Hear Nothin’ But The Blues

Jon Irabagon , tenor saxophone
Mike Pride, drums

In their own words: “The set-up and breakdown of grooves and improvisational material is an attempt at melding many of our musical influences, both jazz and non-jazz, all while firmly remaining in the world of extended tenor saxophone and drum improvisation. While this world is now an accepted part of the jazz lineage, our goal is to stack levels of different genres, tempos, noise, and moods, and to constantly shift the focus within this pile: either collectively or individually. After running through these continuously churning and evolving layers, the initial motifs transform into the resulting ideas that appear later, while also reappearing in their original forms. This duality produces another level of tension. Our hope is that the listener is able to hear through these various shifting layers and to notice the progression, development, and return of the original motifs.”

Admission is FREE.

(every last Thursday)

Established in 1996, The Gathering is the longest/strongest-running truly Hip Hop event in Philly.

The Gathering IS b-boys/b-girls, pop-lockers, emcees, graffiti writers, DJs, men, women, and children of all ages enjoying an organic, community-based celebration of The struggle, the Love,and the culture of Hip Hop.

DJs spin Hiphop, breaks, and funk all night, and there are open cyphas, a tag wall, and a featured performance and graffiti panel each month.

Admission is $3

Philly Youth Poetry Nite!!!
Open Mic/SLAM

featuring DEF POETS, Special Guests, Hip Hop and more!

$7 for the youth
$10 for the adults
Discount when you bring clothes and/or food for the needy.

Featuring Rainmaker, Shadowkat, Lyrical the God, Amun Miraaj and Shyster……(this is gonna be a powerful nite) and more growing youth poets than you can count!!!!!

Also check out the 2008 Philadelphia Youth Team on HBO’s website for Russell Simmons Presents Brave New Voices!
http://www.hbo.com/bravenewvoices/teams/philadelphia.html

phillyyouthpoets@gmail.com
215-951-0330 ext 2163

Celebrate Arts and Aging features a celebration of older artists’ talent and creativity; an expansion of arts opportunities for seniors to enjoy throughout the region; and an opportunity for seniors to become acquainted with the Phillyfunguide, an online gateway to hundreds of the area’s cultural activities. This year’s celebration inaugurates a partnership between the PCA and the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance  to increase older adults’ access to and participation in arts activities.

Seniors can access discounts to performances and information on special arts classes and workshops through Phillyfunguide.com; a comprehensive, up-to-date  guide to the region’s arts and leisure activities.

Information about “Celebrate Arts and Aging!,” including discount coupons, also will be available in PCA’s Milestones newspaper and on pcaCares.org/SeniorArt.

with a performance by a drama group from Star Harbor Senior Center.

Diaspora Series: Music for Film

Featuring the music of Barbez and Inzinzac

Gorgeous old-world cabaret collides with modernity in Brooklyn’s sui generis punk chamber ensemble, Barbez.
The group’s sound, a haunting mosaic of Eastern European folksong, post-war classical, and experimental rock, has been praised by everyone from electronics pioneer Bob Moog to Wayne Kramer of the MC5.

Barbez will be presenting several new pieces from a forthcoming recording inspired by ancient Roman-Jewish melodies accompanied by excerpts from Roberto Rossellini’s classic World War II film of occupied Rome, Open City. The group will also present several pieces from Force of Light (Tzadik Records), its widely praised homage to the great Romanian-Jewish poet and Holocaust survivor Paul Celan as well as new music from an unfinished protest album concerning the wars in the Middle East since 9/11. Barbez is comprised of Pamelia Kurstin on theremin (John Zorn, David Byrne); Dan Kaufman on guitar (Shelley Hirsch, Rebecca Moore); Peter Hess on clarinet, percussion (Balkan Beat Box); Andrew Jones on bass, sampler; John Bollinger on drums (Antony and the Johnsons, Sway Machinery).

“Inzinzac sounds something like Albert Ayler and Dave Lombardo stumbling onto a gypsy caravan and jamming with the locals under the influence of a full moon.”- Shaun Brady, City Paper

Inzinzac will be performing original music composed for a series of Short Films by pioneering filmmaker Georges Méliès. The project began with a challenge and curiosity of writing and performing music for very short movies, similar to some circus acts, that have minimal scene changes and no camera movement. Inzinzac’s members are guitarist and composer Alban Bailly (Oscurro Quintet, Jack Wright); Dan Scofield on soprano & tenor sax (SHOT X SHOT, RJD2, Modest Mouse, Dirty Projectors); Eli Litwin on drums (Knife The Glitter, Normal Love).  The trio is influenced by rock, jazz, and the rhythms and the energy of Eastern European music and combines improvisations with densely composed music. This special performance will be featuring Matt Mitchell (Tim Berne, Ravi Coltrane, Jim Black, Ari Hoenig) as a guest pianist, (http://www.mattmitchell.us) on keyboard and electronics.

Contact: justinmberger@gmail.com; Tel: 267-664-8634

Admission is FREE

US PREMIERE of F1.ST4 for string quartet

F1.ST4 is a graphic score composed for string quartet. The video score is projected onto a large surface
for the audience to see while the musicians realize the score. The individual parts are notated note for note and the musicians
memorize their parts(pitches) in order to play the video score visually.

*The approx. running time is 8 minutes and 40 second over seven movements.

- Set 1: Surprise Guest *tba
- Set 2: The U.S. Premiere of F1.ST4 for string quartet.

Performed by the “Double Voltron” string quartet:
June Bender, violin Veronica Jurkiewicz, viola Jon Barrios, cello Matt Engle, contrabass
Admission is FREE

Public Eye: Artists for Animals

Presents

“Not A Drop To Drink”

Time: 1:00-2:00pm performance, 2:00-3:00 parade
Ages: 6 years and up (younger are welcome to attend)
Cost: $5 child, $10 adult
Tickets: purchase at the door, reservations at 215-620-2130 or lisa@publiceyephilly.org
A performance including puppetry, animation, theater, and live music to raise awareness about the dangers of fracking (a process used to drill for natural gas). The show is about a farmer who protects his land from energy developers with the help of his animal companions and local wildlife. Immediately following the performance, participants are invited to join a parade with the cast & crew, featuring large-scale puppets. Children can come to the show dressed as their favorite animals!

Crazy Man Crazy hosts a Variety Show Extravaganza!

THE FIVE MINUTE FOLLIES
a fast-paced tribute to the golden age of variety

NO ACT LONGER THAN 5 MINUTES!

Scheduled acts include:

Belly Dancer Fatima Bassmah
Eng & Friends Dance Company
The Gentle Cycle (a new one-act play)
Jess, Rob, and Will (Sketch Comedy)
Nebulous Intent presents “Dick Noir! and the Golden Snatch” (a 2-part radio play)
Steve Lippe (Standup Comedy)
Singer Songwriter Rasan Allbritton
White Elephant Burlesque Society
and more!

Doors 7pm, Show 8pm
$5 suggested donation (no one will be turned away for lack of funds)

PLEASE NOTE: SOME MATERIAL MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ALL AUDIENCES

Email michaelsubvert@msn.com for more info

Johnny Blazes’ “wo(n)man show” blends cabaret arts with theater to create a series of vignettes that are a humorous look at the gender stereotypes that pervade our world. Utilizing a rich background in theater, clowning, drag, dance, opera and circus arts, Blazes fuses genres and expands notions of gender all while keeping the audience laughing.

Tickets: $5-10 sliding scale at the door

Sankofa Community Empowerment
presents
Innervisions: Women in Sound & Movement

All female production featuring:

Nikki Powerhouse
Traycee Lynn
Brinae Ali, Shea
Adjua
Rahnda Rize Raw Talent
+ more

Admission is $10 ($7 with college I.D.)

RWUL and WMM
present
The 2nd Annual Red Orchid Female Film Festival 2010

This event will be showcasing the films of female independent filmmakers.  The film festival not only will be featuring the films of talented female artists, but filmmakers will have the chance to compete for recognition, a prize package, and a $200 award.  During the festival, we will have a special filmmaker’s panel and an after party networking event for female filmmakers with valuable resources available for the filmmakers. Films have been selected  by RWUL’s film committee that touch on topics that explore social issues concerning young women to be featured in the film festival on April 24 at The Rotunda.  The selected films will be eligible for an Audience Choice award.  The Audience Choice award will be given to the filmmaker selected by the viewing audience as the film festival favorite.  The votes will be cast via our website and the voting polls will be open for three days. The Red Orchid Female Film Festival will travel to three other cities after the premiere in Philadelphia.

RWUL & WMM presents:  The 2nd Annual Red Orchid Female Film Festival 2010

Red Orchid 2010 Philadelphia Film Schedule:

RWUL Presents: Short Documentaries

HER
The Colors of Veil
A Place to Land

Women Make Movies Presents:

Ella Es Matador (She is a Matador), dir. Gemma Cubero
Mrs. Goundo’s Daughter , dir. Barbara Attire
Club Native, dir. Tracy Deer

Special Networking After Party With Music of Danie Ocean & Screening Q&A “The Real Girls Guide to Everything Else”

The 2nd Annual Red Orchid Female Film Festival

Philadelphia Screening April 24, 2010 at: The Rotunda 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia PA 19104

The 2nd Annual Red Orchid Female Film Festival Philadelphia screening will be open to the public and is sponsored by Women Make Movies and RWUL.  Admissions to this event are free and $5 donations to The Rotunda are suggested to help continue future community programming.  For more information about the Red Orchid Female Film Festival please visit www.rwul.com to get details.

About Women Make Movies
Established in 1972 to address the under representation and misrepresentation of women in the media industry, Women Make Movies is a multicultural, multiracial, non-profit media arts organization which facilitates the production, promotion, distribution and exhibition of independent films and videotapes by and about women. The organization provides services to both users and makers of film and video programs, with a special emphasis on supporting work by women of color. Women Make Movies facilitates the development of feminist media through an internationally recognized Distribution Service and a Production Assistance Program.

About RWUL
We Motivate Create Live Love Build Network Start Focus Mentor Serve Communicate…
Reel Worldwide Underground Link RWUL (pronounced r-u-l-e) is a non-profit organization that originated in Richmond, Virginia in March 2007.  RWUL has since expanded and hopes to build a foundation that will give a voice to all artists worldwide by supporting positive creative film ventures in the independent film community and by promoting global awareness through the media of film.

Constant Revolution is a community project that calls upon the arts to address and conquer abuse at work, at home, in society, and within oneself.
This public performance offers visual art, live music, dance, and theater from veteran performers as well as people who are new to the stage.

From the founders of the Rite of Passage project.

Participants: Lili Bita, Jed McKee, Keyboard Cathy, Tamesha Hawkins, Carol Graham, Maria Anasazi, Hannah Tsapatoris MacLeod + more

Admission is free.

Through the life of Puerto Rican dance instructor Antonio Antonio, Thierry Lundy shows people how to listen to their hearts and follow their DREAMS!!

The show is highly…

…FREE!

… HILARIOUS!

… and ENRICHING!

Come through and be dazzled by Antonio Antonio’s…

…Salsa moves!

…his Spanish accent!

…and of course his flamboyant attire!

YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS…AND IT’S FREE!

additional guests artists:

POETS: Jadon, The Goddess Kali, G Storiez

RAPPERS: Back Fire, Ceaser Live Soul

SINGER: Syncere

MUSICIAN: Greg

Whenever We Feel Like It
presents

SUPERMACHINE in Philly

with readings by Christian Hawkey, Genya Turovskaya, Nathaniel Otting and Douglas Piccinnini

Genya Turovskaya is the author of Calendar (UDP 2002), and The Tides (Octopus Books 2007). Her poetry and translations of contemporary Russian poets have appeared in Chicago Review, Conjunctions, A Public Space, Octopus, jubilat, and other publications. Her translation of Aleksandr Skidan’s Red Shifting was published by Ugly Duckling Presse in 2008. She has been the recipient of various awards and fellowships including a MacDowell Colony Fellowship, a Montana Artist Refuge Fellowship, the Witter Bynner Translation Residency at Santa Fe Art Institute, and a Fund for Poetry grant. She holds an MFA from Bard College and lives in Brooklyn, New York, where she is the Associate Editor of the Eastern European Poets Series at Ugly Duckling Presse.

Christian Hawkey is the author of three books of poetry. His first book, The Book of Funnels, appeared in 2004 and won the Kate Tufts Discovery Award. His second book, a chapbook called HourHour, includes drawings by the artist Ryan Mrowzowski, and it was published by Delirium Press in 2005. Citizen Of, his third book, was released by Wave Books in the spring of 2007, and it received enthusiastic reviews from numerous magazines and online journals, including Time Out New York, Octopus, Sillman’s Blog, and the New Yorker. His poems have appeared in Conjunctions, Volt, Denver Quarterly, Tin House, Crowd, BOMB, Chicago Review, Best American Poetry, and Conduit, and his art criticism has appeared in frieze and Meatpaper. He has received awards from the Academy of American Poets and the Poetry Fund, and in 2006 he received a Creative Capital Innovative Literature Award. In 20008 he was a DAAD Artist-in-Berlin Fellow. He is currently an Associate Professor at Pratt Institute, where he teaches the practice of writing poetry in the Writing Program.

Douglas Piccinnini’s poetry and reviews have recently appeared or will appear in Lana Turner, Boog City, Scapegoat Review, and Verse. He lives in and works in Brooklyn, NY where he is the program coordinator for the crowd reading series.

Nathaniel Otting is a sub-sub librarian for Minutes Books and The Robert Walser Society of Western Massachusetts.

Admission is FREE

POSTPONED • new date tba soon •

“My music is a mix of colors, feelings, scenarios, styles, it’s positive, something refreshing. It’s like the warmth of hope, a new day, another chance, the sun rising…” -Xande Cruz

Native Brazilian percussionist, singer, and songwriter, Xande Cruz, surfaces with rich combination of traditional Afro-Brazilian rhythms and homemade electronic beats and samples. His premier project, Luz, defines his commitment to folklore, urban and melodic sounds. The mix of percussion and electronics, horns, vocals, and guitars surpasses genre boundaries and redefines Brazilian music.

A descendant of an indigenous Brazilian father and a Bahian mother, Xande was born and raised in the largest city in South America, Sao Paulo. Being profoundly inspired by Popular Brazilian Music (MPB) that he was raised on and also the early years of hip-hop and electronica he was first exposed to in NYC in the late 80s. As a percussionist, he performed with samba schools, touring Japan and South Korea, Brazilian pop bands, African drum ensembles, dance troupes and theatrical productions. While living in New York, he formed his own percussion ensemble, Batukis, which has continues promoting Afro-Brazilian roots music in his unique style.

Cruz’s solo project approaches an atypical sound from his rhythmic perspective and from there creates memorable harmonies woven into the fabric of his art and his identity. Lyrics inspired by experiences of social inequality, love, and the cultural peculiarities of Brazil and the US. Following no one particular genre, his appeal is to an extensive audience, moving every listener.

His music is fed by a pure and constant passion for his art, his homeland, and the light at the beginning of the tunnel (luz no começo do tunel).

guests tba.

Admission is FREE

Group bios:

10
Itta and Marqido are two previously solo experimental musicians who paired up in 2005 to create 10. Independently successful, together, they burst through art festivals throughout much of Asia and parts of Europe, gaining recognition as one of the most active and creative bands on the Asian indie scene.

They met in Seoul at an international experimental music gathering at Bulgasari and were impressed by each others performances. Itta suggested that they tour together and soon after they formed 10, a name that marks the date they met, October 10th, and also symbolizes their union; 1 represents Itta, or “to be”, and 0 represents the first part of Marqido’s name, Maru, or “cycle.”

The two make an artistically complete pair. Their dynamic compositions and improvisations conjugate an assortment of instruments and various art forms. Marqido is a Japanese noise artist with psychedelic and avant-garde influence. For him, the intrigue of using the laptop as an instrument is that the noise seems to mysteriously come about without the listener or viewer being able to definitively identify how. Itta is a Korean vocalist who plays the melodica, piano, accordion, mini synthesizer, key-tar, drum kit, and numerous toys. For her, noise is a poetic device. Itta is an extravagant performer while Marqido is antagonistically still. Together they render a sound and performance that is innocent and explosive, unexpected but not awkward. 10’s performance has provoked words from critics from: “bizarre,” “abrasive,” and “ironic,” to: “intriguing,” “alluring,” and “intricate.”

Brown Wing Overdrive
Chuck Bettis - electronics & throat
Derek Morton - banjo, f/x, synth divination

Chuck Bettis and Derek Morton are mad jugglers of oddly-shaped musical eggs. Processed banjo, shamanistic chants, and fried electronics set up against lattices of stuttered beatboxing to confound and delight.

Chuck Bettis and Derek Morton met each other in Washington DC, crossing paths as part of that citys burgeoning experimental music community. Upon relocating to New York City, the two began collaborating as a duo before IQ Jones joined them in early 2007. IQs alarm clocks, duck calls, and array of unlikely sound devices provide a lively counterpoint to Bettis machine noise and Mortons chaotic circuits.  In 2009 BWO has returned to a duo, as IQ could no longer participate in BWO’s steady schedule, he has since gone rogue.

In the 90s, Chuck Bettis shook up Washington DC with no-wavers the Metamatics, his solo electronics moniker Trance and the Arcade, and the genre-traversing collective All Scars before relocating to NYC in 2002. He has since collaborated with revered downtown improvisers John Zorn, Fred Frith, and Ikue Mori (amongst others), and has recorded with such groups as Nautical Almanac, Yellow Swans, and Measles Mumps Rubella.

Derek Morton has generated and manipulated sound since the early 1990s. From his days as a rock guitarist and record label owner to more recent forays into performance curating and gallery installation, he has relentlessly investigated the possibilities of audio in all contexts. He is equally interested in live improvisation, studio research, exploratory composition, and electronic reconfiguration. Mortons sound experiments have attacked everything from cutting-edge technologies like surround-sound to reinvented tools like handheld video game consoles and controllers. His work with violinist John Coursey in the duo Mikroknytes has resulted in numerous performances around the U.S. as well as four full-length CDs.

Chakra Khan/Air Pirates is a guitar drum duo that plays avant garde jazz rock. We are Nick Millevoi (Accidental Occurrence, Circles) and Julius Masri (Golden Ball, Kuru Kuru Pa).

Admission is FREE

The 7th Annual Black Women’s Arts Festival
Thurs, July 29th
11:00AM - 8:00PM

Friday, July 30th
11:30AM - 11:00PM

Saturday, July 31st
11:00AM - 10:00PM

Sunday, August 1st
11:00AM - 10:00PM

This acclaimed, inclusive community event features interdisciplinary performances, exhibits, films, workshops, and vendors from Philadelphia and other states as far as California and Arizona.

Schedule below. Please note that not every event is at The Rotunda. We are listing the entire festival schedule as a courtesy to BWAF and to our audiences.

Schedule of Events

Thursday, July 29, 2010 at The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 www.therotunda.org.

===Admission for the whole day: $7 per person or 2 for $10====

WORKSHOPS

11:00AM - 12:15PM   - African Modern Dance Workshop with Shandra Staley
12:30PM - 1:30PM   — “Breszny Amplified” Meditative Workshop & Writing Excerise with Dr. Niama L. Williams
2:00PM - 4:00PM - Book & Clothing Swap and TBA

FILMS

Starting at 5:00PM -

Damali Abrams’ “Self-Help TV” Compilation of short films including “Rose Petal Lemonade”, “Drama”, and “Frederick Douglass Boulvard”.

“United in We” by Katrina Strickland

“The Postwoman” by Jamie Walker

More Films TBA

CLOTHING & BOOK SWAP
All day, there will be a couple of boxes for you to bring books, clothes, or other little presents that would make a nice souvenir.  That means you get to leave with something new and special, too!

——————————————————-

OPENING NIGHT PARTY
Thursday, July 29, 2010 at The Arts Garage, 533 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19130 www.theartsgarage.com. (Our event may not be on their website yet, but it’s on!)

9:00PM - 2:00AM  - Opening Night Party at the Arts Garage. 21+, Kitchen Open All Night, Drink Specials, Accessible via public transportation (Broad Street Line or C bus).

——————————————————–

Friday, July 30, 2010 at The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 www.therotunda.org.

===Admission for the whole day: $7 per person or 2 for $10====

11:30M - 2:30PM - Book & Clothing Swap and TBA

WORKSHOPS

3:00PM - 4:00PM - MOYA Workshop by Pat Augustus Gilbert

4:30PM - 4:45PM - Progressive Poetry Workshop with Ms. Wise

5:00PM - TBA

MUSIC

6:00PM - Rafiya

6:30PM - TBA

7:00PM - M’Balia

SPOKEN WORD

7:30PM - NASSUNNI

7:45PM - TBA

MUSIC

9:00PM- Danie Ocean

9:30PM - TBA

VISUAL ARTIST & VENDOR

4:00PM - 10:00PM - A. Nailah Arts

CHAIR MASSAGE

Super special treat!
11:30AM - 7:00PM  - Certified massage therapist Shandra Staley

CLOTHING & BOOK SWAP
All day, there will be a couple of boxes for you to bring books, clothes, or other little presents that would make a nice souvenir.  That means you get to leave with something new and special, too!

Saturday, July 31, 2010 at Big Blue Marble Bookstore, then the Rotunda.

11:00AM - 1:00PM - Children’s Storytime at Big Blue Marble Bookstore, 551 Carpenter Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19119. www.bigbluemarblebooks.com

-After Children’s Storytime, all of Saturday’s events are again at The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 www.therotunda.org.

===Admission for the whole day: $7 per person or 2 for $10====

1:30PM - 2:30PM - “That’s Funny You Didn’t Sound Black On the Phone” -a Comedic Monologue by Jacquetta Szathmari of Big Guns Big Tobacco Theatre Company

SPOKEN WORD & MUSIC

2:45PM - 3:00PM Jaz (Spoken Word Artist & Singer)

3:15PM - 3:30PM Mase III (Spoken Word)

4:00PM - 4:15PM Lydia Rene (Music)

4:30PM - 4:45PM - Dr. Niama L. Williams (Spoken Word)

VISUAL ART EXHIBITS & VENDORS

Starting at 6:00PM - Brandi Pettijohn (Photography), Crystal Hawkins (Photography), Addye Durant (Vendor)

6:30PM - 7:30PM - Art Talk with Brandi Pettijohn and others  TBA

MUSIC & SPOKEN WORD

7:45PM - 8:00PM - Saida Agostini (Spoken Word)

8:15PM - 8:40PM — Anonymous7 (Music)

8:45PM - 9:10PM - Open Mic feat. Anonymous7

9:15PM - 11:00PM - TBA

VISUAL ARTISTS & VENDORS

Starting at 6:00PM - A. Nailah Arts (Visual Artist & Vendor)

More TBA

CLOTHING & BOOK SWAP
All day, there will be a couple of boxes for you to bring books, clothes, or other little presents that would make a nice souvenir.  That means you get to leave with something new and special, too!

Sunday, August 1, 2010 at The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 www.therotunda.org.

===Admission for the whole day: $7 per person or 2 for $10====

WORKSHOPS

11:20AM - 11:50AM  - “ABCs of Organic” with Claudia Street

12:00PM - 12:45PM - “Beautiful Ugly: An Exploration of Self-Love & Self-Worth” with Ms. Wise

1:00PM - 2:00PM - “Poetry & Movement: Liberating Language with Our Bodies” with Joyce Angela Jellison

2:00PM - 3:00PM - “Poetry Pulls Pain” with Pat McLean

PERFORMANCES

3:15PM - 3:45PM - TBA

4:00PM - 4:15PM -  Pat McLean (Spoken Word)

4:30PM - 4:45PM - Joyce Angela Jellison (Spoken Word)

5:00PM - 5:15PM - Connie Muhammad (Music)

6:00PM - 6:15PM - Kina the Prophtic Poet (Spoken Word)

7:00PM - 7:20PM - Cocosol (Music)

7:30PM - 8:00PM - TBA

CEREMONY TO HONOR OUR ELDERS & ANCESTORS (ALL ARE WELCOME TO PARTICIPATE)

8:30PM - 9:30PM - Ceremony created and led by O aka Loretta Lynn Payne

CHAIR MASSAGE

12:00PM - 8:00pm  - Certified Massage Therapist Shandra Staley

VENDORS
Starting at 5:00PM - A. Nailah Arts and more

CLOTHING & BOOK SWAP
All day, there will be a couple of boxes for you to bring books, clothes, or other little presents that would make a nice souvenir.  That means you get to leave with something new and special, too!

(Schedule subject to change with no notice. More to be added to the schedule in mere hours or even minutes!)

The 7th Annual Black Women’s Arts Festival
Thurs, July 29th
11:00AM - 8:00PM

Friday, July 30th
11:30AM - 11:00PM

Saturday, July 31st
11:00AM - 10:00PM

Sunday, August 1st
11:00AM - 10:00PM

This acclaimed, inclusive community event features interdisciplinary performances, exhibits, films, workshops, and vendors from Philadelphia and other states as far as California and Arizona.

Schedule below. Please note that not every event is at The Rotunda. We are listing the entire festival schedule as a courtesy to BWAF and to our audiences.

Schedule of Events

Thursday, July 29, 2010 at The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 www.therotunda.org.

===Admission for the whole day: $7 per person or 2 for $10====

WORKSHOPS

11:00AM - 12:15PM   - African Modern Dance Workshop with Shandra Staley
12:30PM - 1:30PM   — “Breszny Amplified” Meditative Workshop & Writing Excerise with Dr. Niama L. Williams
2:00PM - 4:00PM - Book & Clothing Swap and TBA

FILMS

Starting at 5:00PM -

Damali Abrams’ “Self-Help TV” Compilation of short films including “Rose Petal Lemonade”, “Drama”, and “Frederick Douglass Boulvard”.

“United in We” by Katrina Strickland

“The Postwoman” by Jamie Walker

More Films TBA

CLOTHING & BOOK SWAP
All day, there will be a couple of boxes for you to bring books, clothes, or other little presents that would make a nice souvenir.  That means you get to leave with something new and special, too!

——————————————————-

OPENING NIGHT PARTY
Thursday, July 29, 2010 at The Arts Garage, 533 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19130 www.theartsgarage.com. (Our event may not be on their website yet, but it’s on!)

9:00PM - 2:00AM  - Opening Night Party at the Arts Garage. 21+, Kitchen Open All Night, Drink Specials, Accessible via public transportation (Broad Street Line or C bus).

——————————————————–

Friday, July 30, 2010 at The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 www.therotunda.org.

===Admission for the whole day: $7 per person or 2 for $10====

11:30M - 2:30PM - Book & Clothing Swap and TBA

WORKSHOPS

3:00PM - 4:00PM - MOYA Workshop by Pat Augustus Gilbert

4:30PM - 4:45PM - Progressive Poetry Workshop with Ms. Wise

5:00PM - TBA

MUSIC

6:00PM - Rafiya

6:30PM - TBA

7:00PM - M’Balia

SPOKEN WORD

7:30PM - NASSUNNI

7:45PM - TBA

MUSIC

9:00PM- Danie Ocean

9:30PM - TBA

VISUAL ARTIST & VENDOR

4:00PM - 10:00PM - A. Nailah Arts

CHAIR MASSAGE

Super special treat!
11:30AM - 7:00PM  - Certified massage therapist Shandra Staley

CLOTHING & BOOK SWAP
All day, there will be a couple of boxes for you to bring books, clothes, or other little presents that would make a nice souvenir.  That means you get to leave with something new and special, too!

Saturday, July 31, 2010 at Big Blue Marble Bookstore, then the Rotunda.

11:00AM - 1:00PM - Children’s Storytime at Big Blue Marble Bookstore, 551 Carpenter Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19119. www.bigbluemarblebooks.com

-After Children’s Storytime, all of Saturday’s events are again at The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 www.therotunda.org.

===Admission for the whole day: $7 per person or 2 for $10====

1:30PM - 2:30PM - “That’s Funny You Didn’t Sound Black On the Phone” -a Comedic Monologue by Jacquetta Szathmari of Big Guns Big Tobacco Theatre Company

SPOKEN WORD & MUSIC

2:45PM - 3:00PM Jaz (Spoken Word Artist & Singer)

3:15PM - 3:30PM Mase III (Spoken Word)

4:00PM - 4:15PM Lydia Rene (Music)

4:30PM - 4:45PM - Dr. Niama L. Williams (Spoken Word)

VISUAL ART EXHIBITS & VENDORS

Starting at 6:00PM - Brandi Pettijohn (Photography), Crystal Hawkins (Photography), Addye Durant (Vendor)

6:30PM - 7:30PM - Art Talk with Brandi Pettijohn and others  TBA

MUSIC & SPOKEN WORD

7:45PM - 8:00PM - Saida Agostini (Spoken Word)

8:15PM - 8:40PM — Anonymous7 (Music)

8:45PM - 9:10PM - Open Mic feat. Anonymous7

9:15PM - 11:00PM - TBA

VISUAL ARTISTS & VENDORS

Starting at 6:00PM - A. Nailah Arts (Visual Artist & Vendor)

More TBA

CLOTHING & BOOK SWAP
All day, there will be a couple of boxes for you to bring books, clothes, or other little presents that would make a nice souvenir.  That means you get to leave with something new and special, too!

Sunday, August 1, 2010 at The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 www.therotunda.org.

===Admission for the whole day: $7 per person or 2 for $10====

WORKSHOPS

11:20AM - 11:50AM  - “ABCs of Organic” with Claudia Street

12:00PM - 12:45PM - “Beautiful Ugly: An Exploration of Self-Love & Self-Worth” with Ms. Wise

1:00PM - 2:00PM - “Poetry & Movement: Liberating Language with Our Bodies” with Joyce Angela Jellison

2:00PM - 3:00PM - “Poetry Pulls Pain” with Pat McLean

PERFORMANCES

3:15PM - 3:45PM - TBA

4:00PM - 4:15PM -  Pat McLean (Spoken Word)

4:30PM - 4:45PM - Joyce Angela Jellison (Spoken Word)

5:00PM - 5:15PM - Connie Muhammad (Music)

6:00PM - 6:15PM - Kina the Prophtic Poet (Spoken Word)

7:00PM - 7:20PM - Cocosol (Music)

7:30PM - 8:00PM - TBA

CEREMONY TO HONOR OUR ELDERS & ANCESTORS (ALL ARE WELCOME TO PARTICIPATE)

8:30PM - 9:30PM - Ceremony created and led by O aka Loretta Lynn Payne

CHAIR MASSAGE

12:00PM - 8:00pm  - Certified Massage Therapist Shandra Staley

VENDORS
Starting at 5:00PM - A. Nailah Arts and more

CLOTHING & BOOK SWAP
All day, there will be a couple of boxes for you to bring books, clothes, or other little presents that would make a nice souvenir.  That means you get to leave with something new and special, too!

(Schedule subject to change with no notice. More to be added to the schedule in mere hours or even minutes!)

The 7th Annual Black Women’s Arts Festival
Thurs, July 29th
11:00AM - 8:00PM

Friday, July 30th
11:30AM - 11:00PM

Saturday, July 31st
11:00AM - 10:00PM

Sunday, August 1st
11:00AM - 10:00PM

This acclaimed, inclusive community event features interdisciplinary performances, exhibits, films, workshops, and vendors from Philadelphia and other states as far as California and Arizona.

Schedule below. Please note that not every event is at The Rotunda. We are listing the entire festival schedule as a courtesy to BWAF and to our audiences.

Schedule of Events

Thursday, July 29, 2010 at The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 www.therotunda.org.

===Admission for the whole day: $7 per person or 2 for $10====

WORKSHOPS

11:00AM - 12:15PM   - African Modern Dance Workshop with Shandra Staley
12:30PM - 1:30PM   — “Breszny Amplified” Meditative Workshop & Writing Excerise with Dr. Niama L. Williams
2:00PM - 4:00PM - Book & Clothing Swap and TBA

FILMS

Starting at 5:00PM -

Damali Abrams’ “Self-Help TV” Compilation of short films including “Rose Petal Lemonade”, “Drama”, and “Frederick Douglass Boulvard”.

“United in We” by Katrina Strickland

“The Postwoman” by Jamie Walker

More Films TBA

CLOTHING & BOOK SWAP
All day, there will be a couple of boxes for you to bring books, clothes, or other little presents that would make a nice souvenir.  That means you get to leave with something new and special, too!

——————————————————-

OPENING NIGHT PARTY
Thursday, July 29, 2010 at The Arts Garage, 533 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19130 www.theartsgarage.com. (Our event may not be on their website yet, but it’s on!)

9:00PM - 2:00AM  - Opening Night Party at the Arts Garage. 21+, Kitchen Open All Night, Drink Specials, Accessible via public transportation (Broad Street Line or C bus).

——————————————————–

Friday, July 30, 2010 at The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 www.therotunda.org.

===Admission for the whole day: $7 per person or 2 for $10====

11:30M - 2:30PM - Book & Clothing Swap and TBA

WORKSHOPS

3:00PM - 4:00PM - MOYA Workshop by Pat Augustus Gilbert

4:30PM - 4:45PM - Progressive Poetry Workshop with Ms. Wise

5:00PM - TBA

MUSIC

6:00PM - Rafiya

6:30PM - TBA

7:00PM - M’Balia

SPOKEN WORD

7:30PM - NASSUNNI

7:45PM - TBA

MUSIC

9:00PM- Danie Ocean

9:30PM - TBA

VISUAL ARTIST & VENDOR

4:00PM - 10:00PM - A. Nailah Arts

CHAIR MASSAGE

Super special treat!
11:30AM - 7:00PM  - Certified massage therapist Shandra Staley

CLOTHING & BOOK SWAP
All day, there will be a couple of boxes for you to bring books, clothes, or other little presents that would make a nice souvenir.  That means you get to leave with something new and special, too!

Saturday, July 31, 2010 at Big Blue Marble Bookstore, then the Rotunda.

11:00AM - 1:00PM - Children’s Storytime at Big Blue Marble Bookstore, 551 Carpenter Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19119. www.bigbluemarblebooks.com

-After Children’s Storytime, all of Saturday’s events are again at The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 www.therotunda.org.

===Admission for the whole day: $7 per person or 2 for $10====

1:30PM - 2:30PM - “That’s Funny You Didn’t Sound Black On the Phone” -a Comedic Monologue by Jacquetta Szathmari of Big Guns Big Tobacco Theatre Company

SPOKEN WORD & MUSIC

2:45PM - 3:00PM Jaz (Spoken Word Artist & Singer)

3:15PM - 3:30PM Mase III (Spoken Word)

4:00PM - 4:15PM Lydia Rene (Music)

4:30PM - 4:45PM - Dr. Niama L. Williams (Spoken Word)

VISUAL ART EXHIBITS & VENDORS

Starting at 6:00PM - Brandi Pettijohn (Photography), Crystal Hawkins (Photography), Addye Durant (Vendor)

6:30PM - 7:30PM - Art Talk with Brandi Pettijohn and others  TBA

MUSIC & SPOKEN WORD

7:45PM - 8:00PM - Saida Agostini (Spoken Word)

8:15PM - 8:40PM — Anonymous7 (Music)

8:45PM - 9:10PM - Open Mic feat. Anonymous7

9:15PM - 11:00PM - TBA

VISUAL ARTISTS & VENDORS

Starting at 6:00PM - A. Nailah Arts (Visual Artist & Vendor)

More TBA

CLOTHING & BOOK SWAP
All day, there will be a couple of boxes for you to bring books, clothes, or other little presents that would make a nice souvenir.  That means you get to leave with something new and special, too!

Sunday, August 1, 2010 at The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 www.therotunda.org.

===Admission for the whole day: $7 per person or 2 for $10====

WORKSHOPS

11:20AM - 11:50AM  - “ABCs of Organic” with Claudia Street

12:00PM - 12:45PM - “Beautiful Ugly: An Exploration of Self-Love & Self-Worth” with Ms. Wise

1:00PM - 2:00PM - “Poetry & Movement: Liberating Language with Our Bodies” with Joyce Angela Jellison

2:00PM - 3:00PM - “Poetry Pulls Pain” with Pat McLean

PERFORMANCES

3:15PM - 3:45PM - TBA

4:00PM - 4:15PM -  Pat McLean (Spoken Word)

4:30PM - 4:45PM - Joyce Angela Jellison (Spoken Word)

5:00PM - 5:15PM - Connie Muhammad (Music)

6:00PM - 6:15PM - Kina the Prophtic Poet (Spoken Word)

7:00PM - 7:20PM - Cocosol (Music)

7:30PM - 8:00PM - TBA

CEREMONY TO HONOR OUR ELDERS & ANCESTORS (ALL ARE WELCOME TO PARTICIPATE)

8:30PM - 9:30PM - Ceremony created and led by O aka Loretta Lynn Payne

CHAIR MASSAGE

12:00PM - 8:00pm  - Certified Massage Therapist Shandra Staley

VENDORS
Starting at 5:00PM - A. Nailah Arts and more

CLOTHING & BOOK SWAP
All day, there will be a couple of boxes for you to bring books, clothes, or other little presents that would make a nice souvenir.  That means you get to leave with something new and special, too!

(Schedule subject to change with no notice. More to be added to the schedule in mere hours or even minutes!)

Philly Youth Poetry Nite!!!
Open Mic/SLAM

featuring DEF POETS, Special Guests, Hip Hop and more!

$7 for the youth
$10 for the adults
Discount when you bring clothes and/or food for the needy.

Featuring Rainmaker, Shadowkat, Lyrical the God, Amun Miraaj and Shyster……(this is gonna be a powerful nite) and more growing youth poets than you can count!!!!!

Also check out the 2008 Philadelphia Youth Team on HBO’s website for Russell Simmons Presents Brave New Voices!
http://www.hbo.com/bravenewvoices/teams/philadelphia.html

phillyyouthpoets@gmail.com
215-951-0330 ext 2163

Joshua Bennett, Preforming Artist
info tba

Admission is FREE

Ars Nova Workshop
pres.
KONK PACK
Thomas Lehn, analogue synthesizer
Tim Hodgkinson, deconstructed tabletop guitar + electronics + clarinet
Roger Turner, drums + percussion

Konk Pack is a trio of exceptional improvisers whose music is often dense, propulsive, and highly dynamic. At times the band may operate at the threshold of silence, but such moments are usually interrupted by sound barrages of volcanic intensity. Analog synth player Thomas Lehn, drummer Roger Turner, and multi-instrumentalist Tim Hodgkinson first performed together as Konk Pack at the Szuenetjel Festival in Budapest in May 1997, and from the outset discovered that they possessed both the technical skills and natural empathy required to produce compelling sonic adventures. The trio’s freeform improvised music is noisy and filled with constantly changing details.

Lehn, from Cologne, Germany, has studied both classical and jazz piano, and much of his work from the early ’80s to the early ’90s focused on classical music, including composed music of the Romantic period as well as the contemporary avant-garde. He was increasingly drawn to the electronic music world, however, in part for the practical reason that he could bring his Minimoog to perform at venues without pianos. As an electronic improviser, Lehn has since concentrated almost exclusively on the vintage late-’60s analog synthesizer as his instrument of choice, and in addition to playing with Konk Pack has performed regularly with avant-gardists like John Butcher, Mats Gustafsson, Paul Lovens, and Gerry Hemingway. In live performance and on CD, British drummer Turner creates much of Konk Pack’s energy, explosiveness, and sense of momentum. Turner has perhaps the strongest “jazz” background among the three Konk Packers, growing up amidst the ’60s Canterbury scene and later working in the ensembles of Elton Dean, Alan Silva, and Lol Coxhill as well as with creative improvisers such as Evan Parker, Cecil Taylor, Derek Bailey, and Johannes Bauer. In addition to Konk Pack, his ongoing musical associations include the Phil Minton Quartet, the Recedents, and the Gustafsson/Munthe/Strid/Turner Quartet. Given his ten-year association with British band Henry Cow during the late ’60s through much of the ’70s, Hodgkinson might be the best-known member of Konk Pack, particularly to European and North American avant-prog audiences. Ever the musical provocateur, Hodgkinson has over a 30-year history encompassing avant-prog, electro-acoustic improvisation, contemporary classical composition, and even abrasive post-punk, sometimes shot through with a hefty dose of leftist politics. While often known as a saxophonist and clarinetist, Konk Pack finds Hodgkinson focusing much of his energies on tabletop guitar, à la fellow Henry Cow member Fred Frith in Skeleton Crew.

“Although we itched to interrupt with applause, Konk Pack played an unbroken 45 minute set: fun debris, rollicking freakouts … and one magical section of scrape and pling where the music seemed to play itself.” Ben Watson, Wire Magazine

Admission is FREE

(every last Thursday)

Established in 1996, The Gathering is the longest/strongest-running truly Hip Hop event in Philly.

The Gathering IS b-boys/b-girls, pop-lockers, emcees, graffiti writers, DJs, men, women, and children of all ages enjoying an organic, community-based celebration of The struggle, the Love,and the culture of Hip Hop.

DJs spin Hiphop, breaks, and funk all night, and there are open cyphas, a tag wall, and a featured performance and graffiti panel each month.

Admission is $3

(IMPROV) MOVEMENT CLASS!

FREE!

every Monday Night (except March 1, 15, 22, and 29)!

Learn modern, jazz and ballet technique! AND - Use improvisational movement to create dances! Learn to choreograph!

For those with a lot, a little or no dance experience!
Please dress appropriately - ready to dance!

(IMPROV) MOVEMENT CLASS!

FREE!

every Monday Night (except March 1, 15, 22, and 29)!

Learn modern, jazz and ballet technique! AND - Use improvisational movement to create dances! Learn to choreograph!

For those with a lot, a little or no dance experience!
Please dress appropriately - ready to dance!

(IMPROV) MOVEMENT CLASS!

FREE!

every Monday Night (except March 1, 15, 22, and 29)!

Learn modern, jazz and ballet technique! AND - Use improvisational movement to create dances! Learn to choreograph!

For those with a lot, a little or no dance experience!
Please dress appropriately - ready to dance!

(IMPROV) MOVEMENT CLASS!

FREE!

every Monday Night (except March 1, 15, 22, and 29)!

Learn modern, jazz and ballet technique! AND - Use improvisational movement to create dances! Learn to choreograph!

For those with a lot, a little or no dance experience!
Please dress appropriately - ready to dance!

THIRTY-THREE
Conceived and Performed by Greg Romero
Directed by Ken Kaissar

Created and Inspired by:
Alexandra Bassett, Ilana Brownstein, Hugh Craig, GerRee Hinshaw, Kate Houlihan, Deven MacNair, Nancy Mouton and Chester Forest, Dustin Puryear, Greg Romero, Sean Schneyer, Hank Schwemmer, Don Slater, Heidi Taylor, Angela Turner, and Jeff Williams

Additional Gifts by:
Jodi Alonzo; The Burn Ward Theater Company; Deena Gerson; Wanda, Doyle, and Kristi Reeves; and Pat and Johnie Romero

ADMISSION: Bring a gift!

……………………………………………….

From Greg:

Last year I asked every person I knew to give me three dollars. I was trying to create a “patron collective” in an effort to give myself continued time to work on a number of artistic projects.

I have been incredibly moved by the response.

As a return gift, everyone who offered their generosity has their name archived inside the creative works I created last fall. For all time.

The full list of Awesome People is found here

And for people who were especially generous, I promised I would create and perform something, anything, just for them.

And that’s what THIRTY-THREE is (it’s also how old I am).

It is a gift-exchange, a theatrical promise kept, a dare, a rite of passage, a live performance inspired and created by friends originating from a place of generosity and challenge and a sense of fun.

And it will be performed by me, even though I haven’t performed much at all in the past ten years.

At THIRTY-THREE you will see: a wrestler, a thanksgiving dinner, an affair with a turkey, Hideki Matsui, Mou Shou Pork, birth, death, dreams, pear trees, Moonpies, phone calls with love on the other end, a multi-gender prostitute, a ghost, a peacock, an alien, and my mom.

You will see some of the most personal writing I’ve done since The Most Beautiful Lullaby You’ve Ever Heard.

And this all scares me to death (in a good way).

Philly Youth Poetry Nite!!!
Open Mic/SLAM

featuring DEF POETS, Special Guests, Hip Hop and more!

$7 for the youth
$10 for the adults
Discount when you bring clothes and/or food for the needy.

Featuring Rainmaker, Shadowkat, Lyrical the God, Amun Miraaj and Shyster……(this is gonna be a powerful nite) and more growing youth poets than you can count!!!!!

Also check out the 2008 Philadelphia Youth Team on HBO’s website for Russell Simmons Presents Brave New Voices!
http://www.hbo.com/bravenewvoices/teams/philadelphia.html

phillyyouthpoets@gmail.com
215-951-0330 ext 2163

Constant Revolution

Abuse of power is prevalent in our schools, at work, at home, in our house of worship, on the street. Maybe you have seen it, maybe you have done it, or maybe you are a victim, but hopefully you are fed up with it.
That’s why we would like to give you the opportunity to participate in an event around the theme “abuse.” We are looking for artists, members of all communities, anyone who wants to contribute or help out. The culminating event will take place at The Rotunda in April. The plan is to present a series of short pieces and maybe create a joint segment.

This Saturday, March 20, 3:00 PM, we invite those who are interested, to join us to share ideas for performances and/or activities. Our first meeting on March 6 was excellent. We covered two topics, what do we want to tell, and how?
What we want to tell:
- Abuse can lead to abuse (sometimes over many generations.)
- Look for help (and why it is so difficult.)
- Take in account historical and social context, there are different norms.
- Abuse isn’t always violent, nor criminal, especially when we look at bullying and other forms of psychological abuse.
- A difference of power seems to be essential.
- Forgiveness, how to.

How we want to tell it: These are the ideas we had, but please feel free to add suggestions. Also, these are not necessarily stand alone projects, some of them can be combined. - Improv theatre/forum theatre - Movement piece - Audience participation piece - Visual performance (action painting) - Bulletin/ message board - Art installation - Play/reading - Story Telling (impulse.) - Healing Ritual The next step is to think about formulating a proposal: - what do you want to do - what is your message - what to you need It’s important for the event to show different forms and angles. The event it self will take place April 25, time tba.

Join our Facebook group “constant revolution,” for updates.

What we want to do:
Organize an event around the theme of abuse. Invite artists and the general public to contribute. No performance or artistic experienced needed.

Why do we want to do this:
There is one revolution that will never end. Inside our own families, businesses and schools, we often see abuse of power resulting in physical or mental traumas.

What do we want to establish:
Bring the issues some attention, support victims, prevention.

What we expect:
From participants we expect a contribution in the form of exhibition, performance or a combination. It’s not an open mic night, there will be rehearsals and we formulate standards to which the contribution needs to comply. Participants are asked to work through their stories of abuse, whether they are their own personal stories or the stories of others who’ve inspired them.

What we offer:
We have experience, time, and space available; we can help with fundraising if needed.

What do you have to do:
Come to the meeting on March 20, 3:00 PM!

(every last Thursday)

Established in 1996, The Gathering is the longest/strongest-running truly Hip Hop event in Philly.

The Gathering IS b-boys/b-girls, pop-lockers, emcees, graffiti writers, DJs, men, women, and children of all ages enjoying an organic, community-based celebration of The struggle, the Love,and the culture of Hip Hop.

DJs spin Hiphop, breaks, and funk all night, and there are open cyphas, a tag wall, and a featured performance and graffiti panel each month.

Admission is $3

The Leeway Foundation announces the second annual “Change in Motion” a screening of foundation-funded media artists including Amanda Whittenberger (LTA ’08), bex* (LTA ’09), Deborah Rudman (ACG ’09), Dina Dashiel (ACG ’09), Mary DeWitt (ACG ’09, WOO ’00), Nora Hiriart Litz (ACG ’09), and Sara Zia Ebrahimi (ACG ’09). This year’s program focuses on films that explore community, immigration, gender roles, gentrification, and social justice.

Admission is free.

THE PROGRAM
Please note that films are listed in alphabetical order by title and not in screening order.

Cusps
dir. Sara Zia Ebrahimi
Experimental Documentary, 14:35 min.
Cusps is a visual journal exploring the role of artists in gentrification by paralleling changes in the city of Philadelphia with the filmmaker’s life.

Meditation on Intelligibility
dir. bex*
Experimental, 3:00 min.
A reflection on bodies and gender – what does it mean for a body to be one way, and look or act another? Is there such a thing as “true” gender, or is gender just a construct? The piece invites the audience to consider these and other questions.

Mental Shape
dir. Amanda Whittenberger
Documentary, 28:00 min.
Mental Shape chronicles the life, career, health, and artistic work of local, Philadelphia Three-Dimensional Sculptor Robinson Fredenthal.  Created over the course of one year in partnership with 10 permanent residents of the Inglis House, a West Philadelphia residential center designed for people with mobility impairments, the film and its creators follow Robinson on a journey of exploration and discovery—of his lifelong artistic work and mission and the consequences of his progressive Parkinson’s Disease.  The documentary is ultimately not about disabilities but the abilities that thrive within Robinson and all of the Inglis House community and the population it represents.

Pardon Me, I’m Rose Dinkins
dir. Mary DeWitt
Documentary, 9:26 min.
Pardon Me, I’m Rose Dinkins is a documentary about Rose Dinkins, who has been serving a life-sentence in Pennsylvania without parole, since 1972. Mary briefly describes her relationship with Rose and discusses what she has accomplished during her three decades in prison.  She sings and tells a poignant story about her relationship with her oldest son.

El Viaje (The Journey)
dir. Nora Hiriart Litz
Documentation, 13 min.
El Viaje (The Journey) brings together the emerging Mexican community in South Philadelphia to give them a voice to tell their stories. These women, men and children communicated their similar struggles, sacrifices, triumphs, and realities as immigrants who’ve made the journey to the United States. Through open dialogue, writings, paintings, printmaking, and video, these manifestos capture the many pressing issues relating to assimilation, maintaining identity and culture of origin and the search for opportunity. The shared hopes of El Viaje and its participants is the awareness in Philadelphia of the real struggles of this rising immigrant community as well as to give voice and a space to tell their stories.

When Everybody Goes Home
dir. Dina Dashiel
Documentary, 19:00 min.
This short documentary is about the murders of black males, by other black males, and covers a 30 year span of tears. Voices often unheard have their chance to speak about the loss of sons, and the suffering their particular village continues to endure. The audience will hear from fathers, siblings, teachers, friends, and my personal bloodstains. When Everybody Goes Home is a tribute, while proving we never know how many lives are touched when one murder takes place.  It is a dedication piece to three brothers out of many.

Yo! Taxi by Termite TV Collective
dir. Deborah Rudman with Anula Shetty (LTA ’07) and Mike Kuetemeyer
Documentary, 28:40 min.
Seas of taxis block the streets and blast their horns in protest outside the headquarters of the Philadelphia Parking Authority. Yo! Taxi is a firsthand account of the real issues, struggles and circumstances on the job from members of the Unified Taxi Workers Alliance of Pennsylvania. What emerges is a portrait of Philadelphia area cab drivers as seen through their own eyes. Taxi workers of diverse backgrounds and ethnicities share stories of their lives allowing the passenger (or viewer) to get behind the driver’s seat and better understand who is at the wheel. Created as part of Termite TV’s Life Stories Project.

Following the screening, filmmakers will be on hand to answer questions about their work and discuss their artistic process in a moderated discussion.

For images, interview requests, or more information please contact Maori Karmael Holmes at (215) 545-4078, extension 14 or email maori@leeway.org.

PhillySka.com and WKDU’s University Goes Ska
present

The Moon Invaders
Belgian ska/reggae that will appeal to fans of the Slackers

The Caroloregians
Belgian skin reggae

and more TBA

We are very proud to host these 2 amazing bands visiting us from Belgium. Both bands are on the Grover ska record label (based out of Germany). They have some seriously hot tunes. Give them a listen and they will quickly become favorites.

Admission is free.

Bowerbird
presents
Gate

featuring

Nautical Almanac
Seijiro Murayama
ylwtr (Kurt Gottschalk + Phillip Gayle)
Weyes Blood

BREAKING THEIR OWN MOLD
The experimental artist is one who is in a constant state of flux, renewing their vision and creative impulses over the course of a career, or even from performance to performance.

Seijiro Murayama is a Japanese percussionist currently living in Paris.  Active since 1982, he is a founding member of seminal noise/rock band A.N.P. (with KK Null) and Fushitsusha (with Keiji Haino).  Currently he plays solo (with only a snare drum), in duo  with Jean-Luc Guionnet, Eric Cordier, Stéphane Bank, Tim Blechmann, Didier Lasserre, and quartet “Off-cells” with Taku Unami (guitar), Uta Kawasaki (analog synth), Takahiro Kawaguchi (objects).

Since it’s founding in 1994, Nautical Almanac, the project of Baltimoreans James “Twig” Harper and Carly Ptak, has been hard to categorize.  Using an ever changing array of hacked electronics, and sometimes (but just as often not) performing in costumes, jumping into the crowd, or not, Nautical Almanac is certainly never the same twice. “My motto is, ‘Remember how it felt not to be able to play music,’” Harper says.

In YLWTR, Kurt Gottschalk and Philip Gayle explore bright and quiet currents with acoustic strings, percussion, waterphone and accidental video.  Kurt is most interested in what Anthony Braxton brilliantly termed the “post Ayler/Cage continuum.” His writings about music have appeared in All About Jazz, Signal to Noise, The Wire and Time Out-New York, among other publications.

Previously know as Wiseblood and more recently Weyes Bluhd, Weyes Blood (Natalie Mering) once made melancholy and lyric folk, but has more recently made dark psychedelic noisy songs with a collage of  tape, guitar textures, and various other sounds.  Mering says “I want to play an ancient song, but through the sonic elements of tape collage and electronics, accidental sounds that rejuvenate the melodic archetype while also thrusting it into the future.”

PREVIEW SOME SOUNDS

Seijiro Murayama: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mS_lZu8Qn8
http://www.mimaroglumusicsales.com/artists/seijiro+murayama.html

Nautical Almanac: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRA67ST0jS8
http://www.mimaroglumusicsales.com/artists/nautical+almanac.html

Phillip Gayle: http://www.myspace.com/philipgaylemusic

Weyes Blood: http://www.myspace.com/nataliewiseblood

Admission is FREE

(IMPROV) MOVEMENT CLASS!

FREE!

every Monday Night (except March 1, 15, 22, and 29)!

Learn modern, jazz and ballet technique! AND - Use improvisational movement to create dances! Learn to choreograph!

For those with a lot, a little or no dance experience!
Please dress appropriately - ready to dance!

Insurgent Theatre
presents
Ulysses’ Crewmen

Admission: Donate what you can; no one turned away

A militant dissenter abuses her hostage from the US delegation while faintly aware of the audience surrounding her. This claustrophobic scene creates a space for radical introspection, defiant theatre and tactical conversations. With only a few props, two actors, one of who is bound and gagged, and a serious commitment to DIY politics, Insurgent Theatre refutes ancient dogmas found in Homer’s Odyssey and examines the psychosexual underpinnings of empire and rebellion.

We are all Ulysses’ crewmen. We’ve got wax in our ears and a madman lashed to the mast.

The Situation: Ulysses’ Crewmen have mutinied. The captain has been captured and the moral of Homer’s tale has been reversed. All the mutineers perished but one, who is now left alone with the hero of all western civilization struggling against obsolete morality and the impossibility of ethical action.

Unplug your ears, release the madness, hear the siren’s song and let yourself be dashed against the rocks!”

The Exposition, in the form of a fictional news report:
A member of the US delegation has been kidnapped. Police are currently out in force searching for the missing delegate and his abductors. The delegate was captured at the airport en route to the new global trade negotiations. Similar actions were attempted around the world. This appears to be a decentralized global effort by a network of highly sophisticated terrorist groups. Sources say that the organizations are domestic anti-globalization groups, hoping to shut down the negotiations by kidnapping the negotiators. The possibility that they are operating- perhaps unwittingly, under command or in coordination with Islamic terrorist groups like Al Queda has not be ruled out. Only the attack on the US delegation was successful. A replacement delegate is already en route to the talks, which will commence on schedule.

The Presentation: A 60 minute two-person play, to be performed surrounded in close quarters by an intimate audience on the same floor level. A chair. A gun. A radio. Two actors.

The Response:
“Insurgent’s project is noble and high minded… it takes guts to do work like this.”
-Kurt Hartwig, SnapMilwaukee.com

“A drama animated by dark brutality [that]… creates a fascinating dynamic.” “This is theatre that strives to become more real that reality.”
-Russ Bickerstaff, Shepherd Express Online Milwaukee, WI

“One of the most inpiring DIY tours I have ever encountered. Its execution is intensly captivating and provocative. What other play features an hour of harsh interrogation and pistol-whipping followed by remarkably constructive conversation with its audience?”
-Robert Inhuman, Realicide

Ars Nova Workshop
presents

The Respect Sextet
performing the music of Sun Ra and Karlheinz Stockhausen
Eli Asher, trumpet + toys
James Hirschfeld, trombone + toys
Josh Rutner, reeds + radio + toys
Red Wierenga, piano + keyboard + accordion
Malcolm Kirby, bass
Ted Poor, drums

Formed in 2001, The Respect Sextet is a powerhouse ensemble dedicated to performing a wide variety of improvisational musics.  Relying on their explosive energy, rare telepathy, outstanding musicianship, and a deep friendship, Respect pieces together free improvisations, original compositions, free jazz classics, television commercial jingles, text pieces, jazz standards, game pieces and more into “a whirling collage,” shouts Exclaim! Magazine, “that ransacks and reshapes the entire jazz tradition, from New Orleans march to Misha Mengelberg, Sun Ra to Charlie Parker.” Named “one of the best and most ambitious new ensembles in jazz” by Signal to Noise, The Respect Sextet continues—after nearly a decade as a collective—to fearlessly push the envelope.

Respect’s newest release, Sirius Respect: The Respect Sextet play the music of Sun Ra & Stockhausen, (Mode/Avant, 2009), was called “one of the most compelling recordings of the year” by the Wall Street Journal and filed under “Love It” in Newsweek Magazine (“an out-of-this-world pairing”). Sirius Respect brings together the music of Sun Ra and Karlheinz Stockhausen and views them through Respect-colored glasses. Pieces ranging from Stockhausen’s “Tierkreis” (inspired by the Zodiac) to Sun Ra’s “Saturn” are juxtaposed, layered, deconstructed and re-assembled. “It’s neither jazz nor classical,” says John Schaefer of WNYC’s Soundcheck, “but something cosmically both.”

Through its eclecticism, humor, devotion to improvisation, predilection towards swing, and its use of toys and “little instruments,” The Respect Sextet has drawn comparisons both to New Dutch Swing and the AACM. Many dialectics are at work (and play) in Respect’s world, in which the serious, heady, and intellectual mingle with the light, comic, and absurd, where compositions alternate and mesh with improvisations, and where tight ensemble work coexists with loose, empathic interplay.

Admission is FREE

Poet-tree En Motion 2010 Spring Performance Series comes to an end.

Poet-tree EnMotion
Final performance of the 2010 spring series!!!

FRIDAY, JUNE  4TH 7-10pmish!!!

Friends of PlumDragoness Performance Projects

This evening is the 2nd annual fundraiser for Friends of PlumDragoness Performance Projects. There will be a Silent Auction with items from local businesses (including antiques, estate jewelry, artists goods/services & handmade art & etc.).

The event will feature performances by local resident artist Gabrielle de Burke/a.k.a. Plumdragoness (profiles on Tribe, FB & Myspace) along w/ special International guest artists including World Beat Soundscapes by DJ Orbicles & members of the musical group “the Elements.” “PlumDragoness & The ELEMENTS” bring you dances with words, combining organic beets & rhymes/Live instrumental accompaniment with digital music compositions, theatrically divined performances set to a background of projected Visuals.

Refreshments provided!

This final event of the Spring 2010 Poet-tree En Motion Series is the culmination of 7 successfully attended seasons in the West Philly Community. Evenings often presents diverse range of dance, live music/electronic sound-scapes, poetry/spoken-words/story-telling,
performance~artistry, projected visuals & live painting

· “the ELEMENTS”-Musicians; Elliott Levin, Jon Espo, Christian Amarhanov & Justin Darcy plus others guests TBA.

·       Visual Projections by Peter (Parker) Brodhead, & other Guest collaborators TBA!

·      DJ Orbicles (Gaian Mind Collective)

·     Philly Fire Arts Collective

·      Spirit Wind- Chik Qadir Mason-

·      Lady Mocean

Poet-tree En Motion 2010 Spring Performance Series

Wednesdays March 3rd, April 7th, May 5th, + Friday; June 4th, 2010

This event series will present a diverse range of dance, live music/electronic sound-scapes, poetry/spoken-words/story-telling, performance~artistry & visual projections

Sign up for the open stage/open mic to close the night!

Each  event will Highlight the work of Resident Performance Artist Gabrielle de Burke {Casella}/”PlumDragoness
featuring guest collaborators-the ELEMENTS:
Djo Fortunado, Elliott Levin, Andres Cisneros, Lady Mocean, Jake Klein (Histronica)
Visual Projections by Peter Brodhead & VJ Kevlar
Produced Beat Infusions & Live Instrumental Accompaniment TBA!

“PlumDragoness & The ELEMENTS” bring you dances with words, combine beats under rhymes, theatrical performances w/ a background of Visuals & Live instru~mental accompaniment

FEATURED GUEST ARTISTS:

MARCH 3rd : Nat’l Womyn’s Herstory Month

Barbara Zanelli
A visual artist, for this event she create her work in the moment w/ live painting through the duration of performances…

Lady Mocean
Urban tribal beats infused with abstract poetics & ambient melodics…

Bonnie MacAllister
an artist, author, and educator. Bonnie is a 2009 Fulbright-Hays awardee to Ethiopia, a 2007 Pushcart Prize Nominee and five time slam poetry champion in the United States and France.  Publication credits include Black Robert Journal, Paper Tiger Media, Dead Drunk Dublin and Other Imaginal Spaces, and nth Position.  MacAllister has most recently exhibited at the Utopian Library in Viareggio, Italy and in la Galería del MEC, Montevideo, Uruguay.  Bonnie is an active member of the Plastic Club and the Philadelphia Chapter of the Women’s Caucus for Art and fundraises for Girls Gotta Run Foundation which sponsors Ethiopian girls’ running teams.  Bonnie teaches French and British Literature at the new Arise Academy Charter High School for foster children in Center City.  She is the webmaster for the Fulbright-Hays Ethiopia outreach website which offers teacher resources on Ethiopia.

Shara Dae
a  Philadelphian poet, musician, songwriter, producer and advocate has worked with local artists such as Taylor McFerrin, the Disco Biscuits, the Side Show Prophets, Ryat and many more. She is now recording her debut album, If Only and her sound has been described as an acoustic and soulful testimony of a woman’s right to love. With levity, grace and a refreshing take on honesty Shara Dae uses her music as an urban commentary on love and life.

Yolanda Wisher
Born in Germantown and raised in North Wales, Pennsylvania, Yolanda received a B.A. in English/Black Studies from Lafayette College and a M.A. in Creative Writing/Poetry from Temple University.  In 1999, she was named the first poet laureate of Montgomery County.  Her work has been published in the journals Ploughshares, Meridians, Fence, nocturnes, and Chain as well as the anthologies Gathering Ground, The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South, The Fence Reader and Lavanderia.  A Cave Canem fellow, Wisher teaches English at Germantown Friends School and chairs the Germantown Poetry Festival.  She is also the host of um®πvme (you-move-me), a poetry radio show on www.gtownradio.com.

APRIL 7th: Nat’l Poet-tree Month!
This event dedicates the stage to poets/poetry in & around West Philly! A few individual members representing different community groups involved with poetry in Philadelphia have been invited to bless the mic with word power; performers TBA!}

MAY 5TH: Beltane Fire Festivities meet Cinco De Mayo!

Industrial Death & PANadelphia (Philadelphia Art Network)
Here to present original beats & rhymes for the conscious freaks in a Mayan Calendar minded  & grinded music w/ live painting art party atmosphere (audience participation encouraged/paint brushes & markers provided)!

Philly Fire Arts/PEXie collective
Performing a series of vignettes set to carefully selected soundtracks; featuring everything from world beat-music to house-hip-hop-opera! Fire-eating/breathing, belly dancing, ballet, acrobatics, gymnastics poetry & movement, object manipulation, video, & theatrics are lit by custom fire sculptures.
An all-female multi-dimensional performance troupe combining dance, spoken word, various forms of yoga/martial arts, hula hooping and fire arts to present a dangerously exciting and sensual show. Our performance is comprised of a series of vignettes set to carefully selected soundtracks featuring everything from world beat-music to house-hip-hop-opera! Our usual show features fire-eating and fire-breathing, as well as belly dancing, ballet, acrobatics and gymnastics; embracing the arts through poetry & movement, object manipulation, video, sound and theatrics lit by custom fire sculptures (scenes including fire will be performed outside, permit pending).

FRIDAY, JUNE  4TH: Friends of PlumDragoness Project
TThis evening is the 2nd annual fundraiser for Friends of PlumDragoness Performance Projects. There will be a Silent Auction with items from local businesses (including antiques, estate jewelry, artists goods/services & handmade art & etc.). The event will feature performances by local resident artist Gabrielle de Burke Casella/a.k.a. Plumdragoness along w/ special International guest artists including World Beat Soundscapes by DJ Orbicles & members of the musical group “the Elements.” “PlumDragoness & The ELEMENTS” bring you dances with words, combining organic beets & rhymes with digital music meditations, theatrically divined performances, set to a background of projected Visuals & Live instrumental accompaniment

Refreshments provided by the Continental Café, DeBruno Brothers & Whole Foods!

•    the ELEMENTS”-Elliott Levin, Peter (Parker) Brodhead, Andres Cisneros, Lady Mocean, Jake Klein (Histronica) & other Guests TBA!

•    DJ Orbicles (Gaian Mind Collective)–spinning beats throughout the night. BIO-When she’s not traveling the world collecting music and experiences, she’s home learning how to best share them with you. Melanie’s love of electronica started back in 1992, when she first became exposed to such seminal acts as The Orb, Aphex Twin, Moby, and other early pioneers of the nascent dance music scene. Eschewing traditional limits of what constitutes “chillout” material, Melanie’s djing style encompasses a broad cross section of musical styles, combining elements of trip-hop, dub, house, drum n’ bass, IDM, ambient, techno, and trance, with worldbeat and ethnic influences.

This final event of the Spring 2010 Poet-tree En Motion Series is the culmination of 7 successfully attended seasons in the West Philly Community. Evenings often presents diverse range of dance, live music/electronic sound-scapes, poetry/spoken-words/story-telling, performance~artistry, projected visuals & live painting

All events are free; donations are encouraged.

Poet-tree En Motion 2010 Spring Performance Series

Wednesdays March 3rd, April 7th, May 5th, + Friday June 4th, 2010
This series will present a diverse range of dance, live music/electronic sound-scapes, poetry/spoken-words/story-telling, performance~artistry & visual projections

Sign up for the open stage/open mic to close the night!

Each  event will highlight the work of Resident Performance Artist PlumDragoness/Gabrielle de Burke {Casella}
featuring guest collaborators The ELEMENTS
¨PlumDragoness & The ELEMENTS〃 bring you dances with words, produced beats w/ poeticized rhymes & story-tales, theatrical performances set to background of projected Visuals & Live instrumental accompaniment
Guest VJ Kevlar

FEATURED GUEST ARTISTS:

APRIL 7th: Nat’l Poet-tree Month!
This April event specifically dedicates the stage to poets/poetry in & around the Philly area! Individual members from a variety of different community groups/organizations involved with poetry/spoken word have been invited represent by blessing the mic!

Featuring:

Philly Youth Poetry Movement
Jamillah
James Jadon Woodard (lyrical playground)
Community Cultural Exchange
Natalie*C*Felix
Ray Baxley (Brotha Ray)

Old Head Poets:
Achak
Elliott Levin
Lady Blue
Mad Poets Society
Tamara Oakman
Elieen & Autumn Konopka

MAY 5TH: Beltane Fire Festivities meet Cinco De Mayo!

Industrial Death & PANadelphia (Philadelphia Art Network)
Here to present original beats & rhymes for the conscious freaks in a Myan Calendar minded  & grinded music w/ live painting art party atmosphere (audience participation encouraged/paint brushes & markers provided)!

Philly Fire Arts/PEXie collective
Performing a series of vignettes set to carefully selected soundtracks; featuring everything from world beat-music to house-hip-hop-opera! Fire-eating/breathing, belly dancing, ballet, acrobatics, gymnastics poetry & movement, object manipulation, video, & theatrics are lit by custom fire sculptures.
An all-female multi-dimensional performance troupe combining dance, spoken word, various forms of yoga/martial arts, hula hooping and fire arts to present a dangerously exciting and sensual show. Our performance is comprised of a series of vignettes set to carefully selected soundtracks featuring everything from world beat-music to house-hip-hop-opera! Our usual show features fire-eating and fire-breathing, as well as belly dancing, ballet, acrobatics and gymnastics; embracing the arts through poetry & movement, object manipulation, video, sound and theatrics lit by custom fire sculptures (scenes including fire will be performed outside, permit pending).

FRIDAY, JUNE  4TH: Friends of PlumDragoness Project
This evening is the 2nd annual fundraiser for Friends of PlumDragoness Performance Projects. There will be a Silent Auction with items from local businesses (including antiques, estate jewelry, artists goods/services & handmade art & etc.). The event will feature performances by local resident artist Gabrielle de Burke Casella/a.k.a. Plumdragoness along w/ special International guest artists including World Beat Soundscapes by DJ Orbicles & members of the musical group “the Elements.” “PlumDragoness & The ELEMENTS” bring you dances with words, combining organic beets & rhymes with digital music meditations, theatrically divined performances, set to a background of projected Visuals & Live instrumental accompaniment

Refreshments provided by the Continental Café, DeBruno Brothers & Whole Foods!

•    the ELEMENTS”-Elliott Levin, Peter (Parker) Brodhead, Andres Cisneros, Lady Mocean, Jake Klein (Histronica) & other Guests TBA!

•    DJ Orbicles (Gaian Mind Collective)–spinning beats throughout the night. BIO-When she’s not traveling the world collecting music and experiences, she’s home learning how to best share them with you. Melanie’s love of electronica started back in 1992, when she first became exposed to such seminal acts as The Orb, Aphex Twin, Moby, and other early pioneers of the nascent dance music scene. Eschewing traditional limits of what constitutes “chillout” material, Melanie’s djing style encompasses a broad cross section of musical styles, combining elements of trip-hop, dub, house, drum n’ bass, IDM, ambient, techno, and trance, with worldbeat and ethnic influences.

This final event of the Spring 2010 Poet-tree En Motion Series is the culmination of 7 successfully attended seasons in the West Philly Community. Evenings often presents diverse range of dance, live music/electronic sound-scapes, poetry/spoken-words/story-telling, performance~artistry, projected visuals & live painting …

All events are free; donations are encouraged.

Poet-tree En Motion 2010 Spring Performance Series

Wednesdays March 3rd, April 7th, May 5th, + Friday; June 4th, 2010

This event series will present a diverse range of dance, live music/electronic sound-scapes, poetry/spoken-words/story-telling, performance~artistry & visual projections

Sign up for the open stage/open mic to close the night!

Each  event will Highlight the work of Resident Performance Artist Gabrielle de Burke {Casella}/”PlumDragoness
featuring guest collaborators-the ELEMENTS:
Djo Fortunado, Elliott Levin, Andres Cisneros, Lady Mocean, Jake Klein (Histronica)
Visual Projections by Peter Brodhead & VJ Kevlar
Produced Beat Infusions & Live Instrumental Accompaniment TBA!

“PlumDragoness & The ELEMENTS” bring you dances with words, combine beats under rhymes, theatrical performances w/ a background of Visuals & Live instru~mental accompaniment

FEATURED GUEST ARTISTS:

MARCH 3rd : Nat’l Womyn’s Herstory Month

Barbara Zanelli
A visual artist, for this event she create her work in the moment w/ live painting through the duration of performances…

Lady Mocean
Urban tribal beats infused with abstract poetics & ambient melodics…

Bonnie MacAllister
an artist, author, and educator. Bonnie is a 2009 Fulbright-Hays awardee to Ethiopia, a 2007 Pushcart Prize Nominee and five time slam poetry champion in the United States and France.  Publication credits include Black Robert Journal, Paper Tiger Media, Dead Drunk Dublin and Other Imaginal Spaces, and nth Position.  MacAllister has most recently exhibited at the Utopian Library in Viareggio, Italy and in la Galería del MEC, Montevideo, Uruguay.  Bonnie is an active member of the Plastic Club and the Philadelphia Chapter of the Women’s Caucus for Art and fundraises for Girls Gotta Run Foundation which sponsors Ethiopian girls’ running teams.  Bonnie teaches French and British Literature at the new Arise Academy Charter High School for foster children in Center City.  She is the webmaster for the Fulbright-Hays Ethiopia outreach website which offers teacher resources on Ethiopia.

Shara Dae
a  Philadelphian poet, musician, songwriter, producer and advocate has worked with local artists such as Taylor McFerrin, the Disco Biscuits, the Side Show Prophets, Ryat and many more. She is now recording her debut album, If Only and her sound has been described as an acoustic and soulful testimony of a woman’s right to love. With levity, grace and a refreshing take on honesty Shara Dae uses her music as an urban commentary on love and life.

Yolanda Wisher
Born in Germantown and raised in North Wales, Pennsylvania, Yolanda received a B.A. in English/Black Studies from Lafayette College and a M.A. in Creative Writing/Poetry from Temple University.  In 1999, she was named the first poet laureate of Montgomery County.  Her work has been published in the journals Ploughshares, Meridians, Fence, nocturnes, and Chain as well as the anthologies Gathering Ground, The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South, The Fence Reader and Lavanderia.  A Cave Canem fellow, Wisher teaches English at Germantown Friends School and chairs the Germantown Poetry Festival.  She is also the host of um®πvme (you-move-me), a poetry radio show on www.gtownradio.com.

APRIL 7th: Nat’l Poet-tree Month!
This event dedicates the stage to poets/poetry in & around West Philly! A few individual members representing different community groups involved with poetry in Philadelphia have been invited to bless the mic with word power; performers TBA!}

MAY 5TH: Beltane Fire Festivities meet Cinco De Mayo!

Industrial Death & PANadelphia (Philadelphia Art Network)
Here to present original beats & rhymes for the conscious freaks in a Myan Calendar minded  & grinded music w/ live painting art party atmosphere (audience participation encouraged/paint brushes & markers provided)!

Philly Fire Arts/PEXie collective
Performing a series of vignettes set to carefully selected soundtracks; featuring everything from world beat-music to house-hip-hop-opera! Fire-eating/breathing, belly dancing, ballet, acrobatics, gymnastics poetry & movement, object manipulation, video, & theatrics are lit by custom fire sculptures.
An all-female multi-dimensional performance troupe combining dance, spoken word, various forms of yoga/martial arts, hula hooping and fire arts to present a dangerously exciting and sensual show. Our performance is comprised of a series of vignettes set to carefully selected soundtracks featuring everything from world beat-music to house-hip-hop-opera! Our usual show features fire-eating and fire-breathing, as well as belly dancing, ballet, acrobatics and gymnastics; embracing the arts through poetry & movement, object manipulation, video, sound and theatrics lit by custom fire sculptures (scenes including fire will be performed outside, permit pending).

FRIDAY, JUNE  4TH: Friends of PlumDragoness Project
This 2nd annual fundraiser for the Friends of PlumDragoness Projects will feature performances & silent auction items from local businesses (including antiques, estate jewelry, artists goods/services & handmade art) with refreshments provided by the Continental Café, DeBruno Brothers, Fresh Grocer & Whole Foods!

DJ Orbicles (Gaian Mind Collective)–spinning beats throughout the night.
When she’s not traveling the world collecting music and experiences, she’s home learning how to best share them with you. Melanie’s love of electronica started back in 1992, when she first became exposed to such seminal acts as The Orb, Aphex Twin, Moby, and other early pioneers of the nascent dance music scene. Eschewing traditional limits of what constitutes “chillout” material, Melanie’s djing style encompasses a broad cross section of musical styles, combining elements of trip-hop, dub, house, drum n’ bass, IDM, ambient, techno, and trance, with worldbeat and ethnic influences.

All events are free; donations are encouraged.

Philadelphia Folk Song Society (PFS)
presents
Joe Pug with Birdie Busch

Free for PFS Members
$10 for Non-Members (Non-Members click here to purchase tix)

The day before his senior year as a playwright student at UNC, Joe Pug sat down for a cup of coffee and had the clearest thought of his life: “I am profoundly unhappy here.” He then packed up his belongings and drove to Chicago, working as a carpenter by day and practicing his guitar at night. Using ideas originally slated for a play he was writing, he began creating the sublime lyrical masterpiece that would become the Nation of Heat EP. With his bare-boned sincerity dripping off every note he sings, he is fast becoming one of the most respected songwriters of his generation. Audiences were captured by performances at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and the Philadelphia and Newport Folk Festivals over the summer of 2009. The music of Philly’s own Birdie Busch is natural. There isn’t pretense, nothing forced or processed – just delicate melodies and deceptively simple lyrics that resonate upon further discovery. Her 2005 recording, “The Ways We Try”, has all the warmth, atmosphere, open emotion and rosy feeling in songs that leave her audiences feeling a little less troubled and a little more comforted.

Philadelphia Folk Song Society (PSF)
presents
Burning Bridget Cleary: Celtic Concepts Workshop

Free for PFS Members
$10 for Non-Members (Non-Members click here to purchase tix)

Burning Bridget Cleary took form on St. Patrick’s Day in 2006 when Genevieve Gillespie joined forces with father/daughter duo, Lou and Rose Baldino. The young ladies, both college students, front the band with their fiery fiddles, bringing a lively flair of youthful intensity and exuberance to traditional tunes. Lou‘s guitar bestows the dynamic rhythm and bass end, tastefully embellished with distinctive chording. Weaving in some choice vocal numbers and building the energy with some spirited stepdancing, Burning Bridget Cleary sparks a blaze of Celtic sound that is perceived way beyond the sum of its parts! Their debut CD, Catharsis, was released in September 2006 and was followed by Everything is Alright, released in November 2008.

Constant Revolution

Abuse of power is prevalent in our schools, at work, at home, in our house of worship, on the street. Maybe you have seen it, maybe you have done it, or maybe you are a victim, but hopefully you are fed up with it.
That’s why we would like to give you the opportunity to participate in an event around the theme “abuse.” We are looking for artists, members of all communities, anyone who wants to contribute or help out. The culminating event will take place at The Rotunda in April. The plan is to present a series of short pieces and maybe create a joint segment.

This Saturday, March 6, 4:00 PM, we invite those who are interested, to join us to share ideas for performances and/or activities. Tea and snacks will be served.

Join our Facebook group “constant revolution,” for updates.

What we want to do:
Organize an event around the theme of abuse. Invite artists and the general public to contribute. No performance or artistic experienced needed.

Why do we want to do this:
There is one revolution that will never end. Inside our own families, businesses and schools, we often see abuse of power resulting in physical or mental traumas.

What do we want to establish:
Bring the issues some attention, support victims, prevention.

What we expect:
From participants we expect a contribution in the form of exhibition, performance or a combination. It’s not an open mic night, there will be rehearsals and we formulate standards to which the contribution needs to comply. Participants are asked to work through their stories of abuse, whether they are their own personal stories or the stories of others who’ve inspired them.

What we offer:
We have experience, time, and space available; we can help with fundraising if needed.

What do you have to do:
Come to the informational meeting on March 6, 4:00 PM!

Naked Feet Theatrical Productions
presents
The Orphan Tree: Staged Reading & Workshop

The Orphan Tree is a ritualistic play that tells the story of 5 individuals who, having been rejected by their society, find themselves in a space between worlds. Through a communion with the Sacred Feminine they are transformed and made whole.

Admission is FREE

The League Entertainment
presents
L’ESPOIR: The Hope for Haiti Concert and Party
WHY: Because it takes more than an earthquake to shake us
|HOSTED by Penn’s Own Collin Devon and Joshua Bennett
MUSIC by Philadelphia’s Finest, djRtodaizza
PERFORMANCES by your all of your favorites (including NSP, Excelano, AR and much much more)
ADMISSION: Suggested Minimum Donation of $10. EVERY PENNY raised WILL be donated to charity. (UNICEF and the Haitian Professionals of Philadelphia)

The Freedom Gathering

Frontline Dads presents its 2010 Black History Celebration: “The Freedom Gathering”, a presentation of art, music, song, poetry and political thought.

The Freedom Gathering is a communal celebration of the 10th year anniversary of the book, “Time is of The Essence”, a self-published anthology of poetry, prose and essays written by 25 incarcerated men who lend their voices to raise awareness on socio/political issues. The Freedom Gathering will feature readings from some of the authors of the book, “Time is Of The Essence”, and a panel discussion will follow.

The “Freedom Gathering” will inspire, uplift, inform and mobilize the public on the issue of incarceration and re-entry via a community talkback/town hall meeting. This community talkback will also highlight the success stories of formerly incarcerated men who have successfully transitioned back into the community. The Freedom Gathering will also honor “Unsung Heroes” of the community for their contributions, sacrifices and inspiration. Additionally, an art display and silent auction will feature the works of local visual artists. And, an open mic will follow.

The event is FREE and open to the public.  All ages, genders, socio/economic backgrounds, political affiliations, and religions are welcome.

If you have a loved one, friend, or family member who is currently incarcerated, or if you or someone you know has been affected by incarceration, please join us in this effort to enlighten and inform the public on this issue. For questions and/or additional information, please contact: Reuben Jones @ Frontlinedads@aol.com

Rescheduled from 2/11/10

Napoleon (1927 / 235 minutes)  MFM (Jon Allen, David Stanley Aponte, Robert Cozzolino, Rick Henderson, K. Malcolm Richards & Kevin Riley) perform live accompaniment for Abel Gance’s silent epic.

Admission is FREE

The Get Down: Popping Edition
Leah Nicole Media is proud to present The Get Down: Popping Edition. Our goal for this 3rd installment of The Get Down is to show appreciation to Philadelphia Poppers for preserving, and living on the essence of the popping culture here in Philadelphia. Judges are Renegade of Philadelphia’s legendary popping crew The Scanner Boys,Gator of Versatile Dance Crew and Smart Mark of Phresh Select/Aop. Hosted by Fame One and Music provided by Versatile Entertainment. There will be free Scion and RT give a ways, photo/video slide shows, on the spot interviews and The Grand Premier of The Raw Talent commercial trailer.

MULTIMEDIA ARTS EXTRAVAGANZA (Part 1: Community Arts Workshop, Part 2: Multimedia Arts Show)

(PT.1) - COMMUNITY ARTS WORKSHOP
This is an opportunity for independent artists and community members to cultivate their artistries in a formal and public fashion. The hope in this engagement is to inspire renewed interest in indepdent artistry and the creative local economy among Philadelphia communties as well as renewed interest in developing our latent talents in the presence of witnesses.

Time: 4:30pm - 6:30pm
(Workshops begin on time. Please arrive before 4pm)

featuring:

*Writing/Performance
-Master Teacher Ka’Li Ra &
Int’l Song Writer-Karyne Nguyen

*Painting/Charcoal
-Renowned Community Artist - John J. Abner & Ibrahima Faye

*Dance/Movement
-Medusa Al-Rie Sankofa, Copaeria

*Theater/Drama
-Chris “Feliece” Davis

Admission: Donate what you can . Suggested Donation $5 - $10; * no one will be turned away because of a lack of funds

Space is limited (40 persons max)
Register Now at http://www.newmediainitiative.com/multimedia-arts-extravaganza-registration-feb-27th.html

and then..
MULTIMEDIA ARTS EXTRAVAGANZA (PT.2) - Multimedia Arts Show
Have you gone to several performances to see that it is all music or all poetry or all dance and not the integration of all those different art forms? Well those days are over! NMI is hosting a Multimedia Arts Show Feb. 27th at 7:30PM that will feature film screenings, live bands, poetry, theater, dance, hip hop, visual arts and more!

WELCOME TO A NEW ERA OF ENTERTAINMENT
Time: 7:30pm - 10pm
(Show begin on time. Please arrive before 7:30pm)

Performances by:
NXG: Next Generation
Complex Simplicity
Shayna SheNess Israel
Robert Shabazz Latin Jazz Band
Dance Troupe
Charm/Strange Experience
& More!!!

Film/Video Screenings by: Jus Flowers (Positions) and NXG (Mujerista (Pro-Peace)

Admission: Donate what you can . Suggested Donation $7 - $10; * no one will be turned away because of a lack of funds *

MULTIMEDIA ARTS EXTRAVAGANZA (Part 1: Community Arts Workshop, Part 2: Multimedia Arts Show)

(PT.1) - COMMUNITY ARTS WORKSHOP
This is an opportunity for independent artists and community members to cultivate their artistries in a formal and public fashion. The hope in this engagement is to inspire renewed interest in indepdent artistry and the creative local economy among Philadelphia communties as well as renewed interest in developing our latent talents in the presence of witnesses.

Time: 4:30pm - 6:30pm
(Workshops begin on time. Please arrive before 4pm)

featuring:

*Writing/Performance
-Master Teacher Ka’Li Ra &
Int’l Song Writer-Karyne Nguyen

*Painting/Charcoal
-Renowned Community Artist - John J. Abner & Ibrahima Faye

*Dance/Movement
-Medusa Al-Rie Sankofa, Copaeria

*Theater/Drama
-Chris “Feliece” Davis

Admission: Donate what you can . Suggested Donation $5 - $10; * no one will be turned away because of a lack of funds

Space is limited (40 persons max)
Register Now at http://www.newmediainitiative.com/multimedia-arts-extravaganza-registration-feb-27th.html

and then..
MULTIMEDIA ARTS EXTRAVAGANZA (PT.2) - Multimedia Arts Show
Have you gone to several performances to see that it is all music or all poetry or all dance and not the integration of all those different art forms? Well those days are over! NMI is hosting a Multimedia Arts Show Feb. 27th at 7:30PM that will feature film screenings, live bands, poetry, theater, dance, hip hop, visual arts and more!

WELCOME TO A NEW ERA OF ENTERTAINMENT
Time: 7:30pm - 10pm
(Show begin on time. Please arrive before 7:30pm)

Performances by:
NXG: Next Generation
Complex Simplicity
Shayna SheNess Israel
Robert Shabazz Latin Jazz Band
Dance Troupe
Charm/Strange Experience
& More!!!

Film/Video Screenings by: Jus Flowers (Positions) and NXG (Mujerista (Pro-Peace)

Admission: Donate what you can . Suggested Donation $7 - $10; * no one will be turned away because of a lack of funds *

1-4 p.m. “Palette Life Artists” Exhibition
All Ages, Refreshments.

Bowerbird
presents
the Gate series

featuring

THUS (Neil Feather and John Berndt)
Woody Sellender
Little Ocean
Tristan Dahn

Admission is FREE

The Inspiration and The Excelano Project
present
Love Talk and Slow Jams

A night of song and spoken word

Admission: $3, 2 for $5

*If you would like to participate in the open mic, please contact Janee Moses at
jmoses@sas.upenn.edu.

The Nikola Tesla Science Foundation presents

TESLA NIGHTS 2010

Live Music Fundraiser
$5 Admission

Featuring:
D.J. EW
&
Pool Of Thorns

Plus:
Visuals by Chris Connor
&
A Live Tesla Coil Demonstration by David Rosignoli

Rescheduled from Feb. 5

MadKo Concerts
presents

Writtenhouse

Slick Mantra

Scanz & Ground Up w/ special guest DJ Cliff w/ Hypeman Johnson

Admission is $7.

Vitamin D Productions
presents the
11th Annual Womynsfest

Featuring:

JUST ADDED: Soozy Pooch Crew (A fun, educational band for kids. with dogs in it!)
7pm Sharp!

* Victoria & The Spaeth Cadets
* Dragoness - Poetry & Dance piece
* Heddie Gonzalez - The Baptist Preachers
* Chrissy Tashian - Solo Performance
* Dolly Trolly
* Kristyn “Blue” Simmons
* A surprise return band, very colorful & exciting dance band!

Admission is FREE but donations are encouraged.

About the Performers

Dragoness
A native of West Philadelphia, Gabrielle is a multi-talented thespian, dancer & poetess who has been involved with theater since childhood. Throughout her early years, she studied various visual & performing art mediums to cultivate her expressive theatrical personality while earning her BA in Theater from Temple University, with an exploratory concentration in Afro-Modern Dance, World Music & Jazz Voice. From an early age Gabrielle had a profound interest in the performing arts that involved her in cross-cultural ventures that bridge the gaps between traditional sacred/secular dance, theatre and present day urban expressions of life. Her background in costume production, dance, voice, stage/film acting, poetry as performance & martial/internal arts techniques make a significant contribution to her creation of innovative performance art. She is well-known for her performances, choreographic style & healing arts instruction throughout the Philadelphia area & abroad. Her work has been featured in local, national & international venues. Gabrielle continues her commitment to the west Philadelphia community by organizing a free ongoing performance series going into its 3rd season at the Rotunda for Foundation Arts called “Poet-tree In Motion.” She also formed the musical group known as “Plum Dragoness & the Elements,” soon to be releasing an album of spoken word/poetry accompanied by world music compositions inspired by their collaborations called “Quests of a Poetess.”

The Baptist Preachers
a Philadelphia based band of mixed race, gender and musical styles ranging from Nu-Wav to Gospel. On vox: Sheena Denise Clay, Drums: Quirky Tom, Guitars: John Cecil Price, Keys: Matt Stevenson, Bass: Heddie Gonzalez

Dolly Trolly
with Tara Lynne Mallon! Rockabilly Experimental Pop Rock that will melt in your mouth & make you dance..

Chrissy Tashian
solo performance - of Dangerous Ponies, The Naughty, Naughty Nurses and The B team fame

The Spaeth Cadets
Somewhere between Ricki Lee Jones, and Aimee Mann, with a hint of Laura Nyro, lies a young woman, mature beyond her years. Victoria Spaeth is remarkably comfortable in her own skin- captivating as a performer and a musician. She’s got miles of talent and a voice you will hear a lot more as she gains wider acclaim.” - John Cecil Price, Philadelphia Booking Agent
In their self-described style of Urban Folk, Victoria Spaeth and the Spaeth Cadets specialize in eclectic three-part harmonies and soul-searching lyrics. Combining elements of Folk Rock, Jazz, Funk, Blues, Classical Guitar, and Liberian percussion, The Spaeth Cadets create a truly unique fusion that’s taking the Philadelphia music scene by storm.

Kristyn “Blue” Simmons
a singer, songwriter, guitarist & self-published author. She plays with various musicians, however, her “style” is generally a unique mix of rock, soul, pop and hip-hop, oftentimes with catchy hooks and lyrics that are as visceral as the sounds that emanate from her being. Blue’s passion for Love and life is a thread that helps weave this all together and makes for fantastic live performances.

Admission is FREE but donations are encouraged.

Open Mic/ Slam Poetry at its finest

“The future will Speak”

Call 215 530 2318 for info/sign ups

Mission Statement
“The Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement was created to give young people their voice that has been suppressed through over saturation of ignorance and negativity in their surrounding communities. We live in a time where education is not cool. Where being mathematically inclined is not cool. The movement creates opportunities for the young to perform at surrounding events and The movement gives the youth a chance to relay their opinion to not only their peers but generations of all kinds as they express their critical views of societal challenges, such as drug abuse, peer pressure, domestic violence, sexuality, violence, etc. It is a verbal therapy that allows the free will all people are gifted with, but suppress as they get older in age. It provides a safe haven for not only expression, but a chance to build connections with other youth strengthening a community of free thinking young minds that will be productive in society. The PYPM is the perfect place for young people to work on their craft of literal and/or performance poetry. The movement promotes critical thinking, social skills, public speaking, mentorship, community service, positive self esteem, social change, creative writing, cultural and ethnic diversity, closure of the generation gap, individuality and originality, emotional healing, encourages communication between generations, and many more things.”

Admission is $10 ($7 for youth)

(IMPROV) MOVEMENT CLASS!

FREE!

every Monday Night!

Learn modern, jazz and ballet technique! AND - Use improvisational movement to create dances! Learn to choreograph!

For those with a lot, a little or no dance experience!
Please dress appropriately - ready to dance!

(IMPROV) MOVEMENT CLASS!

FREE!

all Monday Nights!

Learn modern, jazz and ballet technique! AND - Use improvisational movement to create dances! Learn to choreograph!

For those with a lot, a little or no dance experience!
Please dress appropriately - ready to dance!

(IMPROV) MOVEMENT CLASS!

FREE!

all Monday Nights!

Learn modern, jazz and ballet technique! AND - Use improvisational movement to create dances! Learn to choreograph!

For those with a lot, a little or no dance experience!
Please dress appropriately - ready to dance!

Jonathan is literally unable to escape his own mind.

The show reveals Jonathan’s subconscious dream state while his body is actually comatose in a hospital.

He is guided by three characters that represent three sides of his cognitive being. It is here that he is forced to reconcile with his past while his future remains obscured and uncertain.

The Shakedown Project is an experimental production company shaking off the established conventions of theatrical performance by means of technically innovative “immersion theater” and audience interaction.

The Shakedown Project (TSP) focuses on the collaboration of film, music, spoken poetry, dance, and physical theater to create enhanced theatrical performance spaces.

Jonathan is our inaugural production.

Show times:

April 1, 2010 - 8PM
April 2, 2010 - 8PM
April 3, 2010 - 2PM
April 3, 2010 - 8PM

TSP is in collaboration with The PDC, Drexel University’s Department of Performing Arts, and Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, and The Rotunda in the making of Jonathan.

$7. Tickets given at the door. Request a ticket at: theshakedownproject@gmail.com

Jonathan is literally unable to escape his own mind.

The show reveals Jonathan’s subconscious dream state while his body is actually comatose in a hospital.

He is guided by three characters that represent three sides of his cognitive being. It is here that he is forced to reconcile with his past while his future remains obscured and uncertain.

The Shakedown Project is an experimental production company shaking off the established conventions of theatrical performance by means of technically innovative “immersion theater” and audience interaction.

The Shakedown Project (TSP) focuses on the collaboration of film, music, spoken poetry, dance, and physical theater to create enhanced theatrical performance spaces.

Jonathan is our inaugural production.

Show times:

April 1, 2010 - 8PM
April 2, 2010 - 8PM
April 3, 2010 - 2PM
April 3, 2010 - 8PM

TSP is in collaboration with The PDC, Drexel University’s Department of Performing Arts, and Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, and The Rotunda in the making of Jonathan.

$7. Tickets given at the door. Request a ticket at: theshakedownproject@gmail.com

Jonathan is literally unable to escape his own mind.

The show reveals Jonathan’s subconscious dream state while his body is actually comatose in a hospital.

He is guided by three characters that represent three sides of his cognitive being. It is here that he is forced to reconcile with his past while his future remains obscured and uncertain.

The Shakedown Project is an experimental production company shaking off the established conventions of theatrical performance by means of technically innovative “immersion theater” and audience interaction.

The Shakedown Project (TSP) focuses on the collaboration of film, music, spoken poetry, dance, and physical theater to create enhanced theatrical performance spaces.

Jonathan is our inaugural production.

Show times:

April 1, 2010 - 8PM
April 2, 2010 - 8PM
April 3, 2010 - 2PM
April 3, 2010 - 8PM

TSP is in collaboration with The PDC, Drexel University’s Department of Performing Arts, and Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, and The Rotunda in the making of Jonathan.

$7. Tickets given at the door. Request a ticket at: theshakedownproject@gmail.com

Jonathan is literally unable to escape his own mind.

The show reveals Jonathan’s subconscious dream state while his body is actually comatose in a hospital.

He is guided by three characters that represent three sides of his cognitive being. It is here that he is forced to reconcile with his past while his future remains obscured and uncertain.

The Shakedown Project is an experimental production company shaking off the established conventions of theatrical performance by means of technically innovative “immersion theater” and audience interaction.

The Shakedown Project (TSP) focuses on the collaboration of film, music, spoken poetry, dance, and physical theater to create enhanced theatrical performance spaces.

Jonathan is our inaugural production.

Show times:

April 1, 2010 - 8PM
April 2, 2010 - 8PM
April 3, 2010 - 2PM
April 3, 2010 - 8PM

TSP is in collaboration with The PDC, Drexel University’s Department of Performing Arts, and Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, and The Rotunda in the making of Jonathan.

$7. Tickets given at the door. Request a ticket at: theshakedownproject@gmail.com

POSTPONED. NEW DATE TBA.

The Shakedown Project presents a Physical Theater workshop with Whit MacLaughlin, Artistic Director of New Paradise Laboratories.

The Shakedown Project is an experimental production company shaking off the established conventions of theatrical performance by means of technically innovative “immersion theater” and audience interaction.

The Shakedown Project (TSP) focuses on the collaboration of film, music, spoken poetry, dance, and physical theater to create enhanced theatrical performance spaces.

Jonathan is the innaugural production and will open on April 1, 2010 at The Rotunda. The show will run through the 2nd and 3rd of April 2010.

TSP is in collaboration with The PDC, Drexel University’s Department of Performing Arts, and
Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, and The Rotunda in the making of Jonathan.

Waltz with Bashir (Vals im Bashir, 2008)
post-film discussion led by Justin Ennis

Inspired by actual events, Waltz with Bashir chronicles one man’s descent into his own half-forgotten past. Filmmaker Ari Folman, an Israeli veteran of the First Lebanon War, encounters and old friend suffering from nightmares of the conflict. Ari begins to wonder why his own memories are full of gaps. In an effort to uncover the truth, he reconnects with old friends and dares to confront the horrors of war.
Hailed as innovative and devastating, Walz with Bashir fuses animation and documentary to create an experience unlike anything you’ve ever witnessed.

One night at a bar, an old friend tells director Ari Folman about a recurring nightmare in which he is chased by 26 vicious dogs. Every night, the same number of beasts. The two men conclude that there’s a connection to their Israeli Army mission in the first Lebanon War of the early eighties. Ari is surprised that he can’t remember a thing anymore about that period of his life.
Intrigued by this riddle, he decides to meet and interview old friends and comrades around the world. He needs to discover the truth about that time and about himself. As Ari delves deeper and deeper into the mystery, his memory begins to creep up in surreal images.

Admission is free.

The legendary San Diego feel good fly jam finally comes to the East Coast..

LOVERS’ ROCK PHILLY EDITION

2v2 Bonnie & Clyde couples battles for $300 and a dozen roses!

FUN Cyphers all night!

And most importantly: $200 cash prize to the FLYEST DRESSED couple in the building!

The Legendary SESION 31 DJs join forces with California’s own 1520 SEDGWICK AV. DJs!!!

Playing heart breaking funk and love anthems all night:

SKEME RICHARDS
ILL-LITERATE
@LARGE
MANE ONE
THE SON OF JAREL

Hosted by the King and Qween of Hearts
FAME UNO and NIKKI VICTORIOUS

$5 for fly human beings and funky aliens
Kids 12 and under free

Andrew’s Video Vault screens:

Before I Forget [aka, Avant que j'oublie] (2007 / 108 minutes) In one of the great movies of the last decade Jacques Nolot writes, directs and stars as a gay man adjusting to his lover’s death, advancing age, and his failing body.

Poison (1990 / 85 minutes)  Todd Haynes’ masterful first feature is inspired by the writings of Jean Genet and propelled by Haynes’ own unique sense of collage.

The Meatrack (1970 / 65 minutes)  A young boy grows up to be a hustler in this time capsule of a more carefree and groovy era.

Admission is free.

Andrew’s Video Vault screens:

The Man I Killed [aka, Broken Lullaby] (1932 / 76 minutes)  Ernst Lubitsch directs Lionel Barrymore and Phillips Holmes in a favorite of Gilles Deleuze about the guilt afflicting a French Soldier after World War I.

American Nightmares [aka, Combat Shock] (1986 / 92 minutes)  Buddy Giovinazzo’s grungy chronicle of a deranged Vietnam veteran descending into madness on Staten Island.

Admission is free

Andrew’s Video Vault screens:

Secret Beyond The Door (1948 / 99 minutes)  “Some Men Destroy What They Love Most!” Joan Bennett and Michael Redgrave star in Fritz Lang’s Freudian Bluebeard yarn.

From the Life of the Marionettes [aka, Aus dem Leben der Marionetten] (1980 / 104 minutes)  In color as well as black & white film stock, Sven Nykvist’s photographs Ingmar Bergman’s German-language TV-movie exploring a businessman’s murder of a prostitute.

Admission is free

Andrew’s Video Vault screens:

The Tarnished Angels (1958 / 91 minutes)  Reporter Rock Hudson is drawn to has-been pilot, Robert Stack and his wife, Dorothy Malone in Douglas Sirk’s rich cinemascope adaptation of William Faulkner’s novel, Pylon.

Maybe I’ll Come Home In The Spring (1971 / 74 minutes)  Salty teen runaway Sally Field returns home after a year on her own living with Hippies and has trouble adjusting to middle-class adulthood in Joseph Sargent’s made-for-TV-movie photographed by the great Russell Metty.  With David Carradine.

Damaged Lives (1933 / 61 minutes)  “His life of debauchery brought disease to his wife!”  Edgar G. Ulmer’s superb Art Deco melodrama about a couple diagnosed with syphilis.

Admission is free

Andrew’s Video Vault screens:

Mandingo (1975 / 127 minutes)  James Mason lords-over Richard Fleischer’s lurid Gothic melodrama of slave breeding in the pre-Civil War Deep South.

Whity (1971 / 95 minutes)  Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s Western!

Admission is free

Andrew’s Video Vault screens:

The Body Beneath (1970 / 82 minutes)  Vampires masquerade as clergy in Andy Milligan’s off-beat UK-lensed thriller.

Door To Silence [aka, Le porte del silenzio] (1991 / 87 minutes)  Insanity and the supernatural fugue for John Savage in one of Lucio Fulci’s last movies.

Admission is free

Andrew’s Video Vault screens

Blind Alley (1939 / 69 minutes)  Gangster Chester Morris faces off against psychoanalyst Ralph Bellamy as lives hang in the balance.  Cinematography care of Lucien Ballard.

Mikey and Nicky (1976 / 119 minutes)  John Cassavetes and Peter Falk star in Elaine May’s gangster drama.

Admission is free.

PhillyNORML is proud to bring you this benefit kickoff event for 2010 and the new decade. Sure to be a big hit, with performances by:

* Agent Moosehead
* Psychedelphia
* DJ Ginkgo
* Si Senorita
* Others TBA

MCing the event is Chris Goldstein, Communications director of PhillyNORML. Also available will be a new tea blend by Madame Potts named in honor of this group - “PhillyNORML” - come on out to try some! Guest speaker list TBA.

All funds raised benefit PhillyNORML and aid us in making medical marijuana a reality in PA, and in carrying out our mission. Lets make 2010 an even better year than 2009!

Admission is $5

hosted by
Julia Bloch & Michelle Taransky

Readers include: Julie Phillips Brown, Charles Cantalupo, CS Carrier, Norma Cole, CA Conrad, Thomas Devaney, Rachel Blau DuPlessis, Ryan Eckes, Nava EtShalom, Carla Harryman, Michael Hennessey, Suzanne Heyd, Bill Howe, Lisa Howe,  Adrian Khactu, Ish Klein, Matthew Landis, David Larsen, Gregory Laynor, Sueyeun Juliette Lee, Pattie McCarthy, Chris McCreary, Jenn McCreary, Laura Moriarty, Aldon Nielsen, Bob Perelman, Carlos Soto Román, Jacob Russell, Jennifer Scappettone,  Eric Selland, James Shea, Frank Sherlock, Evie Shockley, Kim Gek Lin Short,  Ron Silliman, Danny Snelson, Jamie Townsend, Barrett Watten, Tyrone Williams, Timothy Yu, Jason Zuzga.

Please join us to hear a bevy of local and visiting poets for 2009’s MLA Off-Site Poetry Reading. Performances start at 7pm and will go until approximately 10pm.

Admission is free and open to the public.

From Plum
Illuminating Artistry…

It is with pleasure that I am writing to you to announce, The Un-Inhibited Muse, a festival of independent short films by independent cinematographers and featuring live performances by local artists. A celebration of song, dance and the Inspired.

To paint you a portrait of our endeavors, I am writing to invite you, your subscription holders and artists to participate in this event. We are currently accepting submissions, vendor and performance artist at www.uninhibitedmusefestival.ning.com.

It is our desire to show case the aspirations of local artists using art, film and spoken word as instruments of their masterpiece and exhibit their activism. It is an old tradition, one that has been viewed in forms such as the cromlech to the harlequin.  The festival focuses on the art of using language, sound and color to create imagery that expresses the ideologies, emotions and physical views of life and fantasy as witnessed by local artists. A journey beyond heartache and hard lessons, racial divide and economic status to actively participating in social change.

Muse is defined as one of nine sources of inspiration. Inspired, we create works of art that move the soul. If we, artists, are left un-inhibited and inspired we may heal an aching soul, encourage one to move mountains or simply and lovingly encourage a heart’s song to be sung.

Over the past several years we have received generous donations and the support of The Leeway Foundation, The Philadelphia Activity Fund, Community College of Philadelphia and Through My Eyes Film, Withoutabox.com, Get Well Philly and Jones Apparel Group.  I hope that you will join us this year in making this an event to be remembered. If you should have any additional concerns or questions I can be reached at the information listed below.

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.

Namaste,

Sannii Crespina-flores
Conceptual Artist and C.E.O.

Noted Jazz saxophonist George Barron returns to his West Philadelphia roots as he, his wife Janet Barron, and son pianist Farid Barron, perform in concert. Their band, The Jazz Barons, is rounded out by Alan Nelson on drums and New Yorker Bim Strasberg on bass.

Shows are at 7pm and 8:30pm. There will be a 30 minute break between shows, so feel free to come to both and hang out at the venue between sets. We”ll have finger foods, body products, and music for sale.

Old and new friends can expect to hear their favorite Jazz standards, works by the Jazz masters and masters of the American popular song form, as well as some of George’s newest compositions. Don’t be surprised by a taste of free jazz as well!

George Barron is acclaimed for the warmth and high energy of his tenor and soprano saxophone playing. His is a driving, passionate sound that runs the gambit from smooth to explosive.

With influences like Dexter Gordon, Sonny Stitt Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane it is no wonder that he impressed New York Times Jazz Critic, John S. Wilson, who called him,… “A very versatile and polished saxophonist.”

His saxophone virtuosity has won Barron positions as a featured soloist with bands lead by Lonnie Liston Smith and Norman Connors. During a three year tenure with Smith, he performed and recorded along side artists such as Cecil McBee, Buster Williams, Stanley Clark, Mtume and Al Foster. His warm lyrical tone can be heard on Smith’s earlier Flying Dutchman recording “Astral Traveling” and his saxophone is also prominent on the subsequent album entitled “Cosmic Funk”.

The captivating voice of his wife, Janet Barron, is a featured attraction in most of his performance and presentations. At time she adds a unique vocal component that functions as another horn part. At other times she is center stage and melting your soul with a passionate ballad or burning it up with the blues. Her style is a blend of influences such as Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Holiday, Sarah Vaughn, Carmen McRae and Nancy Wilson. Her treatment of straight ahead jazz standards is always exciting and swing is the operative word.

George’s son Farid Barron, is an award winning soloist, and is the pianist on the track titled “Games and Toys” on the Emanations CD. He fills the piano chair on George’s previous CD “Crossing the Rubicon” in its entirety. He has performed with trumpeter Donald Byrd and he held the piano chair with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra for several years.

Admission is FREE

Bowerbird
Presents
GATE

OUTER SPACE (Cleveland)
TELECULT POWERS (Brooklyn)
BEE MASK / GOD WILLING DUO (Philly)
NAGLE / LENTINI DUO (Philly)

Guest curated by Chris Madak.

OUTER OUTER SPACE
Established by John Elliott in 2008, the Cleveland, Ohio-based Outer Space has since blossomed into a collective of likeminded artists, operating as a sort of laboratory for the development of an idiosyncratic improvising grammar with roots extending into territories including the kitchen-sink human/machine assemblages of 1970s west coast electronics, the utopian plasticity of sound posited in the golden age of GRM, and the perfected throb of Wolfgang Voigt’s Gas.

Elliott, whose ascendant profile owes much to his work as a member of the neo-kosmiche trio Emeralds and sludge-rock heroes Puffy Areolas, as well as to live and recorded collaborations with artists including Sam Goldberg, Aaron Dilloway, John Olson, Wyatt Howland, and Max Eisenberg, will be joined on analog synthesizer for this performance by Jeff Hatfield, best known as half of Fragments, who manage a singular fusion of rust belt basement electronics and Schnitzler-esque cantankerous opacity. This is the incarnation of Outer Space represented on the recent “Stereo Constellations” cdr and the forthcoming “Lightyear Demonstrations” double cassette.

At a cultural moment in which many emerging artists are rightly charged with reliance upon facile nostalgia-qua-nostalgia, Outer Space represents a studied and graceful substantive engagement with the problems of retrofuturism. Co-headliners Telecult Powers, a Brooklyn-based duo who work in formats ranging from film, animation, and graphic art to recording, performance, and handcrafted electronic instruments do much the same, albeit from an entirely distinct angle of approach, mustering an aesthetic that diverts the self-conscious hermeticism of Coil, Throbbing Gristle, et al and the frigid, paranoid isolation of private-press outsider electronics a la Nik Racevik toward the shoals of an affable and fantastically baroque campiness.

For all this intricately wrought affectation, the artists known as Witchbeam and Mister Matthews never lose sight of the importance of sheer sonic heft and the maintenance of pathways to transcendence through discipline and focus, a fact attested to by their steadily growing reputation as one of the most truly stellar live units in the contemporary New York underground and by the mindbending epiphanies offered by their ultra-limited studio recordings and their recent collaborations with the likes of Grasshopper and John Fell Ryan of Excepter.

Local support will be provided by veteran fellow travelers Alex Nagle and Joe Lentini and a freshly minted electronics/tapes-heavy meeting of Ren Schofield and Chris Benedetto Madak, better known as God Willing and Bee Mask, respectively.

(text by Chris Madak)

Admission is FREE

A Change is Gonna Come : From What to What?

The 2010 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium performance art for social change evening brings a collection of artists to the stage. PLP The Unity Performance Art Ensemble, spoken word artists, poets, music and dramatic presenters on this night will center their performances on societal changes (from what to what)designed to enhance our society thus reflecting the highest good for the most of us not the least of us. Creative pieces could highlight President Obama’s change, Buddy Miles changes, there’s nothing permanent but change, etc. This night will be an ed-u-tainment extravaganza.

Admission is FREE

Sponsored by: African-American Resource Center at the University of Pennsylvania
Contact: Brother Robb Carter 215-898-0105

CANCELED; class resumes 12/28/09

(IMPROV) MOVEMENT CLASSES!

FREE!

most Monday Nights!

7-9 PM Adults (18+) (Starting Sept. 21st)

Learn modern, jazz and ballet technique! AND - Use improvisational movement to create dances! Learn to choreograph!

For those with a lot, a little or no dance experience!
Please dress appropriately - ready to dance!

Class dates for 2009 are 9/21 (adults only), 10/5, 10/19, 10/26, 11/16, 11/23, 11/30, 12/7, 12/14, 12/21, 12/28

CANCELED DUE TO SNOW!!

Open Mic/ Slam Poetry at its finest

“The future will Speak”

Call 215 530 2318 for info/sign ups

Mission Statement
“The Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement was created to give young people their voice that has been suppressed through over saturation of ignorance and negativity in their surrounding communities. We live in a time where education is not cool. Where being mathematically inclined is not cool. The movement creates opportunities for the young to perform at surrounding events and The movement gives the youth a chance to relay their opinion to not only their peers but generations of all kinds as they express their critical views of societal challenges, such as drug abuse, peer pressure, domestic violence, sexuality, violence, etc. It is a verbal therapy that allows the free will all people are gifted with, but suppress as they get older in age. It provides a safe haven for not only expression, but a chance to build connections with other youth strengthening a community of free thinking young minds that will be productive in society. The PYPM is the perfect place for young people to work on their craft of literal and/or performance poetry. The movement promotes critical thinking, social skills, public speaking, mentorship, community service, positive self esteem, social change, creative writing, cultural and ethnic diversity, closure of the generation gap, individuality and originality, emotional healing, encourages communication between generations, and many more things.”

Admission is $10 ($7 for youth)

Canceled due to snow!!!

music, praise dancing, theatre. $10

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RWUL Presents: “I Luv Africa” Film Series and Community Discussion Philadelphia

Celebrating a day of African cinema; RWUL presents the “I Luv Africa” Film Series and Community Discussion Philadelphia program.  The “I Luv Africa” film series and discussion will showcase independent films depicting stories about African culture and people while helping start dialogue around awareness of current topics in Africa.  In addition, the film series is a part of the continuing RWUL “I Luv Africa” documentary film project.  The film project is about African people sharing their own unique stories of Africa.  The main focus of the film project is to shatter some of the stereotypes associated with the continent.

Come Celebrate a Day of Independent African Film, Food, and Discussion Featured Films:
“Democracy in Dakar”-Senegal/US
“The Soul of Ashanti”-Ghana
“Pray the Devil Back to Hell” –Liberia
“Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love”-Senegal

Panel Discussion:
Nomadic Wax and Sol Productions-Hip-hop in Africa
The Africa Channel-Programming and Community
Lost Girls of Sudan- New Filmmaker explores the crisis in Darfur
Peace Corps-My Experience in Niger

The film series is a promotional event to promote RWUL, local non-profit organizations, and future community film ventures.  Donations will be accepted at the event and proceeds will go to The Rotunda for future community programming.

Reel Worldwide Underground Link RWUL (pronounced r-u-l-e) is a non-profit organization that originated in Richmond, Virginia in March 2007.  RWUL has since expanded and hopes to build a foundation that will give a voice to all artists worldwide by supporting positive creative film ventures in the independent film community and by promoting global awareness through the media of film.
Contact Info:
RWUL, Reel Worldwide Underground Link
Rebekah A. Ofori-Frimpong, RWUL Founder
Phone: (347)-834-3767
Email: rebekahfrimpong@rwul.com
Web: www.rwul.com
###

(IMPROV) MOVEMENT CLASS!

FREE!

all Monday Nights!

Learn modern, jazz and ballet technique! AND - Use improvisational movement to create dances! Learn to choreograph!

For those with a lot, a little or no dance experience!
Please dress appropriately - ready to dance!

(IMPROV) MOVEMENT CLASS!

FREE!

every Monday night!

Learn modern, jazz and ballet technique! AND - Use improvisational movement to create dances! Learn to choreograph!

For those with a lot, a little or no dance experience! Please dress appropriately - ready to dance!

The Magnificent Ambersons (1942 / 88 minutes)  The Mercury Theatre’s second movie is Orson Welles’ adaptation of Booth Tarkington’s novel about a wealthy family’s decent into ruin and the rise of the automobile.  With indelible performances from Agnes Moorehead, Ray Collins, Dolores Costello, Joseph Cotton and Tim Holt.

American Babylon (1987 / 79 minutes)  Roger Michael Watkins’ penultimate film as ‘Richard Mahler’ presents two sexually dysfunctional married couples as an allegory of late Twentieth Century living.  With Bobby Astyr, Michael Gaunt, Tish Ambrose and Taija Rae.

Admission is FREE

Mr. Boogedy (1986 / 46 minutes)  The beloved made-for-TV-movie about a novelty salesman and his family who move into a haunted house.

Saturday the 14th (1981 / 75 minutes)  “Just when you thought it was safe to look at the calendar again.”

Bride of Boogedy (1987 / 100 minutes)  More ghostly high-jinks ensue in this sequel to Mr. Boogedy.

Saturday the 14th Strikes Back (1988 / 78 minutes)  Ray Walston, Patty McCormack and Michael Berryman star in the kooky monster-spoof sequel to the ‘original’ parody, Saturday the 14th (1981).

Admission is FREE

Alice in Wonderland (1933 / 76 minutes)  The under-appreciated Norman Z. McLeod helms MGM’s live action adaptation of Lewis Carrol’s classic.  An all-star class showcases Edward Everett Horton as The Mad Hatter, Cary Grant as The Mock Turtle, W.C. Fields as Humpty-Dumpty and Gary Cooper as The White Knight.

Brewster McCloud (1970 / 105 minutes)  Bud Cort stars as a boy who lives in the fallout shelter of the Houston Astrodome and wishes to fly.  Robert Altman’s early movie features Margaret Hamilton, Sally Kellerman, William Windom, Shelley Duvall, Stacy Keach and Jennifer Salt.

Admission is FREE

TESLA NIGHTS 2010
A Music Event Fundraiser

Doors Open At 7 pm
$10 Admission

Featuring:
The Philadelphia-Area Return Of
OMEGALORD

Also Appearing:
SPUR GANG
BACKWOODS PAYBACK
STEVE-O-LUTION DAWN

Join us for an evening of blues, rock and rockabilly — plus a few acoustic numbers from our very own Julian “Justin” Root!

The Underside of the Blues Presents
THE BIG ROCK AND ROLL SHOW

Crazy Man Crazy
Shakey Lyman
The Speedkings

DOORS 7pm, SHOW STARTS 8pm
Suggested Donation: $5 (no one will be turned away for lack of funds)

More info: email michael@crazymancrazy.com

Nightwatching (2007 / 134 minutes)  Martin Freeman stars as Rembrandt in Peter Greenaway’s mystery about the creation of the painting commonly known as “The Night Watch.”

Go Go Tales (2007 / 96 minutes)  Abel Ferrara’s strongest work in years is a saturated gambling fantasy set in a NYC strip club fallen on hard times.  It features indelible character work from Willem Dafoe, Asia Argento, Matthew Modine, Bob Hoskins, and especially Sylvia Miles and Roy Dotrice.

Admission is FREE

Poet-tree In Motion

(part 2009-2010 fall/winter Performance Series (Nov. 4th, Dec. 2nd 2009 & January 6th 2010) )

This event series presents a diverse range of dance, live music/electronic sound-scapes, poetry/spoken-words/story-telling, performance~art creations & visual projections

Sign up for the open mic to close the night!

This month’s event will feature Guest Artists & Highlight the work of Resident Performance Artist;  & (collaborators) The Elements (Elliott Levin, Tserendorj, & Special Guest Andres Cisneros! w/ Visual Projections by Peter (Parker) Brodhead)

FEATURED GUEST ARTISTS on January 6th:

Feature Artists:

Preview of Excerpts from“Transit Tales: a public her-story,” an original dance with words by Gabrielle de Burke /PlumDragoness, 2009-2010 Community Education Center’s Awardee of the New Edge Residency in Theater! Making it’=s Debut January 29th-31st @ the CEC!}

Music by Grammy Award Winning Producer Rodney Whittenberg,
instrumentation by Elliott Levin, Djo Fortunado, Andres Ciserno, Jon Espo, Nicole Alexander & additional beats by Paul Jarrett. Visual Projections mixed by Peter Brodhead, compiled by Daniel Sposato, created by visual artist Barbara Zenelli & other anonymous graffiti artists.

Guest Artists:

Monica McIntyre
Soulful Singer, Songwriter & Cellist

Elliott Levin
Free Jazz & World Music Saxophonist, Flautist  & Poet

Fatima E. Adamu
Visual Singer, Songwriter, Dancer & Painter

Gina Ferrera
World Music w/ a Modern Electronic Gyil Fusion Twist

Admission is FREE

every last Thursday (starting Jan. 28, 2010)

graf. breakers. DJs. open mic for MCs. $3

graf, breakers, open mic for MCs, DJs.

$3

postponed until Sunday Feb. 21

please check back for details.

“I Luv Africa” Film Series + Community Discussion

Filmmakers and Guest Speakers from Peace Corps and The Africa Channel present and discuss their work plus

3 films: The Bronx Princess, Sleepwalking Land, and Pray the Devil Back to Hell, plus one short film presentation on the Lost Girls of Sudan.

Admission is FREE

Bowerbird Presents
GATE

featuring
OUTPOST
COLOR IS LUXURY
DAVE SMOLEN

Admission is FREE

Bowerbird pays homage to the eclectic past of the GATE series, and offers a synth laden night of psychedelic slow jams and industrial thrashes. Headling the evening will be New York City’s post-punk electronic band OUTPOST featuring Mark C of the 80s no wave band Live Skull on guitar, synths, and vocals, with Stuart Argabright (Ike Yard, Dominatrix, Death Comet Crew) on synths, laptop, vocals, and bassist Kent Heine (Holy Ghost, Steve Shiffman & the Land of No). Opening the evening will be Charles Cohen and Tyler Weaver’s duo project COLOR IS LUXURY, and a solo by DAVE SMOLEN.

Poet-tree In Motion
2009-2010 fall/winter Performance Series
November 4
December 2
January 6

This event series will present a diverse range of dance, live music/electronic sound-scapes,
poetry/spoken-words/story-telling, visual art & projections

Sign up for the open mic to close the night!

This event will feature Guest Artists & Highlight the work of Resident Artist Gabrielle B.C./”PlumDragoness

Accompanied with live instrumentation by; The ELEMENTS…”
~Elliott Levin }~
~Tseren Dorj ~
& Special Guest Andres Cisneros!

Original Photo & Visual Projections by Peter (Parker) Brodhead

FEATURED GUEST ARTISTS:
December 2nd:
Youth Performers!
Lemuria (a.k.a. Jake klein) w/ vocals by Gina
Christina Lopez
Noël Dior { u can find her on facebook}
Juan Fuego Phoenix

Admission is free but donations are encouraged.

usually on the last Thursday of the month; no November Gathering (pushed to December 3). December’s Gathering is pushed to January 7.

longest running bboy/bgirl event in Philly

breakin, graf, MC open mic, DJs, live music

$3 admission

Open Mic/ Slam Poetry at its finest

“The future will Speak”

Call 215 530 2318 for info/sign ups

Mission Statement
“The Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement was created to give young people their voice that has been suppressed through over saturation of ignorance and negativity in their surrounding communities. We live in a time where education is not cool. Where being mathematically inclined is not cool. The movement creates opportunities for the young to perform at surrounding events and The movement gives the youth a chance to relay their opinion to not only their peers but generations of all kinds as they express their critical views of societal challenges, such as drug abuse, peer pressure, domestic violence, sexuality, violence, etc. It is a verbal therapy that allows the free will all people are gifted with, but suppress as they get older in age. It provides a safe haven for not only expression, but a chance to build connections with other youth strengthening a community of free thinking young minds that will be productive in society. The PYPM is the perfect place for young people to work on their craft of literal and/or performance poetry. The movement promotes critical thinking, social skills, public speaking, mentorship, community service, positive self esteem, social change, creative writing, cultural and ethnic diversity, closure of the generation gap, individuality and originality, emotional healing, encourages communication between generations, and many more things.”

Admission is $10 ($7 for youth)

Ars Nova Workshop
presents

The Inbetweens
Mike Gamble, guitar
Noah Jarrett, bass
Conor Elmes, drums

The Inbetweens force the guitar trio format to walk the plank and make it jump anyway. All graduates of the New England Conservatory in Boston, guitarist Mike Gamble, bassist Noah Jarrett, and drummer Conor Elmes collectively weave melodies and vamps into intricate spiderwebs of rhthym. The trio circles each other like predators seeking the same prey, exploring uncharted territories while they are at it. The brooklyn based trio is releasing their third album, “Quantum Cowboy” on madison based, record label layered.

free

Philadelphia Science Fiction Society
Guest Information

The Philadelphia Science Fiction Society brings in a professional writer, artist, editor, or some other kind of mover and shaker in the Science Fiction genre, nearly every month.

Robert Jeschonek
Award-winning author

Robert T. Jeschonek is an award-winning author of fiction, essays, articles, comic books, and podcasts. His young adult urban fantasy novel, My Favorite Band Does Not Exist, is due to be published in 2011. Mad Scientist Meets Cannibal, a collection of his fantasy and science fiction stories, was released in 2008 by PS Publishing in England. Jeschonek was long-listed for the British Fantasy Award in 2007 for his story, Fear of Rain. His work appeared in three volumes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and won the grand prize in Volume VI. He is one of the few writers who were invited to contribute stories to Peter David’s New Frontier universe. His story, Oil and Water, appeared in Star Trek: New Frontier: No Limits. Jeschonek is based in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. He attended the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, where he served as editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper, The Advocate.

free

info coming soon!

Admission is FREE
The 10th Annual World Peace Festival has finally arrived!  After several years of commitment to creating community events, Vitamin D Productions has a spectacular event with a line up like none other before!  Each year, Vitamin D tries to connect different styles of music & different age groups of performers to create a non stop four hour event! Over the years, the event has showcased world music, jazz, dance performances, acoustic solo, punk and various styles to try and mix it up on stage and make it an event you won’t forget.  This year is no different!  Our explosive line up promises to be one of our best one thus far!

If you want a FREE night out, a night with music that will sooth your soul, capture your heart and make you dance your butt off,  don’t miss this FREE, ALL AGES EVENT!  There will be vendors and Cafe’ Con Chocolate will be serving a light fare of mexican snacks. (if you’re a vendor, contact vitamindfestival@aol.com for more info)

Our line up of performances include:

Emily Bate is holding up traffic at the intersection of many genres: she makes folk music with irony, indie singer songwriter fare sweetened with choral music, and jazz with only her ukulele in tow, all heal together on her strength and expressiveness of her voice.  Her lyrics tackle childhood political struggle, queer sex, and love, often in the same breath.  She frequently tours on public transit with her uke by her side, these days focusing on electric guitar on yet another journey in her career!

Michelle Saul-Yamasaki and Fermin Santiago 3rd, also know as F & M Duet - Latin jazz is the soul of their music. Their music reaches out to your heart with a romantic voice, played by violinist Michelle, and is accompanied by a smooth, harmonious piano, Fermin Santiago the 3rd. Their music is not only romantic, but also filled with cool improvisation and up-beat songs that brighten up your spirit. These two talented young adults have been playing together ever since they met in middle school. Their inspiration for Latin Jazz comes from their Mexican and Puerto Rican descent. They love their audiences and love for them to sing along and enjoy their music, since the audience is their biggest inspiration. “We really see and feel like the audience is our family,” they say, so they play for fun and with love. They have played in numerous Latin events, and many other cozy places, like Café Con Chocolate. For all music lovers, this is the F &: M Duet.

Stephan Hayes is a well seasoned performer with many faces! Stephan’s journeys on the road and in real life have been, to say the least, most interesting! Currently playing in several bands, Stephan has managed to take some time out to go into the recording studio and work on yet another CD, soon to be coming your way! Her accomplishments as a singer/songwriter and poet are still a “work in progress.

Chasing Arethusa - “Chamber Punk.” “A love story with a sidecar, Joe P. who became a luthier, fell for Eleanor P., he built her a viola.  The raised Abby P. from a freshly dug grave. The name Arethusa was spotted on a street sign in a cemetery.  Turns out Arethusa is a water nymph who hails from Greek mythology.”

Mia Johnson, Erin Ryan and Stephan Hayes, also know as 2.5 “Women” - Mia Johnson is one of our locals who has been setting up shop all over this town with her musical endeavors.  This latest 2.5 group has performed Mia’s songs, covers, and on occasion a Stargazer tune!

Vitamin D 3 - Vitamin D has been writing songs 4-ever, but was never big on stage performances, but with Chrissy Tashian & Stephan Hayes by her side she has decided to show her face!  Working on a cd titled “hAlf mY aGe & sOmeWhere in bEtween” is in the works!

Six O’Clock Saints defines why genre labels are limiting and trivial. Listen to them and hear an eclectic mesh of rock, hip-hop, punk, and traces of metal.

Sound in Stone are a folk rock blues jazz kind of everything band taking influences from across the board and across time.

Bruce Lucy is a Philly quartet of keys, guitar, bass and drums that believes in the power of a pop chorus, stickers, the magic of back-up vocals, dancing, and fun. They’ve crafted a sound rooted in 50s and 60s doo-wop and pop stylings that is filtered through instrumentation with heavy tones reminiscent of punk and 90s rock.

And the night wouldn’t be right without The Dangerous Ponies - The Dangerous Ponies is a 7 piece queer and allied band from Philadelphia, slathered in gold and rainbows. They play pop/rock/carnival hijacked by kindergarteners’ music where everyone sings. They are designed to make electric sing alongs, and rock dance along jams to melt your face.

Emily Bates
Michelle Duet
Stephan Hayes
Chasing Arethusa
Mia, Erin & Stephan
Vitamin D 3
Six O’Clock Saints
Sound in Stone
Bruce Lucy
Dangerous Ponies

(IMPROV) MOVEMENT CLASSES!

FREE!

most Monday Nights!

7-9 PM Adults (18+) (Starting Sept. 21st)

Learn modern, jazz and ballet technique! AND - Use improvisational movement to create dances! Learn to choreograph!

For those with a lot, a little or no dance experience!
Please dress appropriately - ready to dance!

Class dates for 2009 are 9/21 (adults only), 10/5, 10/19, 10/26, 11/16, 11/23, 11/30, 12/7, 12/14, 12/21, 12/28

(IMPROV) MOVEMENT CLASSES!

FREE!

most Monday Nights!

7-9 PM Adults (18+) (Starting Sept. 21st)

Learn modern, jazz and ballet technique! AND - Use improvisational movement to create dances! Learn to choreograph!

For those with a lot, a little or no dance experience!
Please dress appropriately - ready to dance!

Class dates for 2009 are 9/21 (adults only), 10/5, 10/19, 10/26, 11/16, 11/23, 11/30, 12/7, 12/14, 12/21, 12/28

(IMPROV) MOVEMENT CLASSES!

FREE!

most Monday Nights!

7-9 PM Adults (18+) (Starting Sept. 21st)

Learn modern, jazz and ballet technique! AND - Use improvisational movement to create dances! Learn to choreograph!

For those with a lot, a little or no dance experience!
Please dress appropriately - ready to dance!

Class dates for 2009 are 9/21 (adults only), 10/5, 10/19, 10/26, 11/16, 11/23, 11/30, 12/7, 12/14, 12/21, 12/28

Puppet Uprising’s

Tenth Annual
Year-End Cabaret
& Cheap Art Bazaar

A dizzy whirlwind of renegade puppet acts, jaw-drooping stunts, and mysterious one-man bands.

7:30 Cheap Art • 8pm Cabaret

– Featuring –
GEPPETTA (Philly)
PAPERMOON (Indonesia)
THE GREAT QUENTINI (Philly)
THE SUITCASE JUNKET (Amherst)
KESTREL PLUMP & BETH BLUM (Philly)
THE ROYAL FROG BALLET (Amherst)
OWEN BRIGHTMAN (New Orleans)
MC’S MORGAN & BETH (Philly)
REBECCA NAGLE (Baltimore)
LELSIE ROGERS (Philly)

SINCE DECEMBER OF 2000 the city of Philadelphia has celebrated the end of the calendar year with a cabaret and art sale entrusted to the auspices of Puppet Uprising, a unique cultural phenomenon that brings local and touring puppet artists to perform together for a night or two in the back of the Rotunda at 40th and Walnut Streets. THE 2009 YEAR-END CABARET features the talents of some half-dozen locals, many more from around the U.S., plus a pair of puppeteers from the city of Yogayakarta, Indonesia—Iwan and Ria (pictured holding a puppet on the left) of PAPERMOON PUPPET THEATRE will debut a short piece produced especially for this occasion!

Among the national acts coming to the Cabaret are Baltimore’s REBECCA NAGLE (shown emerging from a box near the top of this page) combining contortionism, burlesque, science experiments, audience participation games and confessional moments in two excerpts from her hilarious one-woman variety show “A Dozen Things I Want To Do Onstage.” New Orleanian OWEN BRIGHTMAN shares his swampy fantasy of anarchist prince Jean Lafitte, re-imagined as a hybrid man/beast in hot pursuit of a puppeteer’s affections in “Centaurs Among Sagittarius.” THE ROYAL FROG BALLET (small shadow screen pictured left) comes from Massachusetts with “The Year of Wanting,” a hand-cranked, candlelit shadow puppet show based on the Greek myth of Persephone and a patchwork of other winter folktales set to the one-man-band antics of THE SUITCASE JUNKET, who will also play music throughout the evening.

Local performers include GEPPETTA (Adelaide Windsome of Puppelele/Flora Y Fauna fame) with “Freaks and Fortunes,” the inner process of a young girl dealing with herself in a piece that comes to life through evolving landscapes, glittering fortunes and grotesque creatures. KESTREL PLUMP & BETH BLUM show an excerpt from their upcoming touring show “Imaginary Insides,” enacted as a bronchoscopy on a puppet corpse. LESLIE ROGERS (see the photo above on the left with the brick wal in the background) will perform a couple of teensy weensy puppet shows in her mouth (aided by live video feed), and THE GREAT QUENTINI (shown here in his regalia on the left) brings down the house with his annual visitation to the Puppet Uprising stage, entitled, “There Are Some Who Call Me…Tim!” As always, the Year-End Cabaret is officiated by various incarnations of MORGAN ANDREWS & BETH NIXON and preceded by our annual HOLIDAY CHEAP ART BAZAAR where all of the above artists offer snippets of their presence for you to take home with you. Other essential tokens and talismans handmade by local craftspeople will also be available for your perusal.

FOR MORE INFO call 267-909-2633.

Puppet Uprising’s

Tenth Annual
Year-End Cabaret
& Cheap Art Bazaar

A dizzy whirlwind of renegade puppet acts, jaw-drooping stunts, and mysterious one-man bands.

7:30 Cheap Art • 8pm Cabaret

– Featuring –
GEPPETTA (Philly)
PAPERMOON (Indonesia)
THE GREAT QUENTINI (Philly)
THE SUITCASE JUNKET (Amherst)
KESTREL PLUMP & BETH BLUM (Philly)
THE ROYAL FROG BALLET (Amherst)
OWEN BRIGHTMAN (New Orleans)
MC’S MORGAN & BETH (Philly)
REBECCA NAGLE (Baltimore)
LELSIE ROGERS (Philly)

First Friday and Saturday
in December at the Rotunda
4014 Walnut St. Philadelphia
7:30 Cheap Art • 8pm Cabaret

SINCE DECEMBER OF 2000 the city of Philadelphia has celebrated the end of the calendar year with a cabaret and art sale entrusted to the auspices of Puppet Uprising, a unique cultural phenomenon that brings local and touring puppet artists to perform together for a night or two in the back of the Rotunda at 40th and Walnut Streets. THE 2009 YEAR-END CABARET features the talents of some half-dozen locals, many more from around the U.S., plus a pair of puppeteers from the city of Yogayakarta, Indonesia—Iwan and Ria (pictured holding a puppet on the left) of PAPERMOON PUPPET THEATRE will debut a short piece produced especially for this occasion!

Among the national acts coming to the Cabaret are Baltimore’s REBECCA NAGLE (shown emerging from a box near the top of this page) combining contortionism, burlesque, science experiments, audience participation games and confessional moments in two excerpts from her hilarious one-woman variety show “A Dozen Things I Want To Do Onstage.” New Orleanian OWEN BRIGHTMAN shares his swampy fantasy of anarchist prince Jean Lafitte, re-imagined as a hybrid man/beast in hot pursuit of a puppeteer’s affections in “Centaurs Among Sagittarius.” THE ROYAL FROG BALLET (small shadow screen pictured left) comes from Massachusetts with “The Year of Wanting,” a hand-cranked, candlelit shadow puppet show based on the Greek myth of Persephone and a patchwork of other winter folktales set to the one-man-band antics of THE SUITCASE JUNKET, who will also play music throughout the evening.

Local performers include GEPPETTA (Adelaide Windsome of Puppelele/Flora Y Fauna fame) with “Freaks and Fortunes,” the inner process of a young girl dealing with herself in a piece that comes to life through evolving landscapes, glittering fortunes and grotesque creatures. KESTREL PLUMP & BETH BLUM show an excerpt from their upcoming touring show “Imaginary Insides,” enacted as a bronchoscopy on a puppet corpse. LESLIE ROGERS (see the photo above on the left with the brick wal in the background) will perform a couple of teensy weensy puppet shows in her mouth (aided by live video feed), and THE GREAT QUENTINI (shown here in his regalia on the left) brings down the house with his annual visitation to the Puppet Uprising stage, entitled, “There Are Some Who Call Me…Tim!” As always, the Year-End Cabaret is officiated by various incarnations of MORGAN ANDREWS & BETH NIXON and preceded by our annual HOLIDAY CHEAP ART BAZAAR where all of the above artists offer snippets of their presence for you to take home with you. Other essential tokens and talismans handmade by local craftspeople will also be available for your perusal.

FOR MORE INFO call 267-909-2633.

The Asian Karaoke Idol Invitational (video games, cosplay, Asian DVDs, etc)

free entry

The Asian Karaoke Idol Invitational (video games, cosplay, Asian DVDs, etc)

free entry

Bowerbird Presents GATE

featuring:

MANUEL MOTA, MARGARIDA GARCIA, BARRY WEISBLAT, MARCIA BASSETT
with JESSE KUDLER, IAN FRASER, TIM ALBRO

Barry Weisblat was born in Brooklyn in 1975 and remains one of the unsung heroes of deep and investigative Sound Thought. Beyond a long-running commitment to participating in the underground’s underground of improvisation and a dynamic sense of musical conversation, Weisblat has extended his reach and pool of knowledge beyond rubbing the surface of the black box of sound to designing and implementing his own systems. Translating light into sound, sound into action, action into thought, and thought into light, Weisblat’s ceaseless curiosity and simultaneous obsessive desire to participate and join in dialogue has pushed his output farther out than most people can see or conceive of.

Manuel Mota guitarist born in Lisbon, with public activity since 1989. From that to 1997 he studies and experiments with prepared guitar, mainly acoustic. Since then his interests shifted to the development of a personal language for fingerstyle electric guitar and started working in a regular basis with bassist Margarida Garcia. A lot of acoustic guitar has been played at home in the last years, and it has also been possible to find him playing with bands Osso Exótico, Curia, Dru, and collaborating with David Maranha and Afonso Simões. Worked with Sei Miguel from 1997 to 2005. Founds the record label Headlights in 1998. Draws and shoots.

Margarida Garcia and Marcia Bassett first collaborated in a group working with sound, text and light projections. Other members of the group included Mattin, Emma Hedditch and Jeffery Perkins. Through these early meetings, Bassett and Garcia recognized a similar sonic aesthetic. Further meetings of the two have lead to handful of local improvised shows and a forth-coming LP to be released on the label Headlights.

Marcia Bassett, born in USA Bassett aka Zaimph, predominately uses guitar and vocals to create sounds that shimmer in a dark metallic buzz of sonic noise and drone, before a swift shift into blissed out ragas or crippling, brutal, white-hot noise. The organic improvised elements of Bassett’s work leave traces of eerie ghost voices and deep-space echoes that recall the electrified ritual of nomadic Japanese avant-gardists Taj Mahal Travellers — but more immediately sound like a magnification of her contributions to Double Leopards and Hototogisu, generating towers of electricity that move from malevolent arcs of anti-gravity and spumes of throttled single notes into deep wormholes that do violence to feeble notions of time and space.

Margarida Garcia, born in Lisbon. Using double bass as her main instrument, she developed a close collaboration with guitarist Manuel Mota in 1997. The two have worked as a duo as well as in the group, Curia, which includes Afonso Simões and David Maranha (organeye, osso exótico). Garcia has also worked with Sei Miguel from 1999 to 2002. Other close collabs include Marcia Bassett, Barry Weisblat and Mattin. She has played in live/recording settings with Nöel Akchoté, Otomo Yoshihide, Ferran Fages, Alfredo C. Monteiro, Ruth Barberán, John Tilbury, Eddie Prevost, Rhodri Davies, Matt Valentine, Erica Elder, David Keenan and Alex Neilson (tight meat duo).

FREE

featuring:

Girls Rock Philly (children’s non-profit music camp)

Conversations with Enemies

Agent Moosehead

Admission: one clean new or gently used jacket per person donated, one NEW glove and hat set, OR $10 to purchase winter items for donation

Food Justice and Anti-Racism (FJAR) working group of Mariposa Food Coop screens FLAG WARS, a film about gentrification and the inner city clashes between new white gay neighbors and black residents who’ve lived in a Columbus neighborhood for decades.

free

Open Mic/ Slam Poetry at its finest

“The future will Speak”

Call 215 530 2318 for info/sign ups

Mission Statement
“The Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement was created to give young people their voice that has been suppressed through over saturation of ignorance and negativity in their surrounding communities. We live in a time where education is not cool. Where being mathematically inclined is not cool. The movement creates opportunities for the young to perform at surrounding events and The movement gives the youth a chance to relay their opinion to not only their peers but generations of all kinds as they express their critical views of societal challenges, such as drug abuse, peer pressure, domestic violence, sexuality, violence, etc. It is a verbal therapy that allows the free will all people are gifted with, but suppress as they get older in age. It provides a safe haven for not only expression, but a chance to build connections with other youth strengthening a community of free thinking young minds that will be productive in society. The PYPM is the perfect place for young people to work on their craft of literal and/or performance poetry. The movement promotes critical thinking, social skills, public speaking, mentorship, community service, positive self esteem, social change, creative writing, cultural and ethnic diversity, closure of the generation gap, individuality and originality, emotional healing, encourages communication between generations, and many more things.”

Admission is $10 ($7 for youth)

KICKOFF: Arts and Activism

Come connect your inner artist and activist and kick off Anti-Poverty Action Week at The Rotunda! Exhibits will be on display of work done by formerly homeless artists from Project HOME, photography work done on the Coalition of Immokalee Workers by JJ Tiziou, shadow puppets and props used by puppet theatre and social change group Spiral Q, and art from community schools sponsored by LIFT-Philadelphia. The Excelano project, a spoken word group, will also be performing.

free

Xion Anniversary Expo

AN ALL- AGES EVENT!! FREE ADMITTANCE!!!!

Philly Artists Unite!!

Showcasing Philly’s rising comic book stars and the Network that brings them together.

What is the event?
This is a celebration of the one year anniversary of Xion and a showcase of Xion members’ art/product. Through various product the event falls under a mini comiccon as well as a gallery showing.

Music: Dj Alex and special appearance by David Proch

Events:
All day food and comic art vendors
All day art show
Raffles every hour
All day djs
and MORE!!

You can also visit Xion online at http://www.myspace.com/xiongroup and http://www.meetup.com/xiongroup to learn more.

Chord One Blues is the University of Pennsylvania’s premier all-male A Cappella group.

details tba

Sunday Musicale

featuring folk/acoustic music by:
Joanne Joella
Sarah Manna
India Rex
Medussa
The Transposers

Admission:
Adults - $15
seniors and students with i.d. - $10

Light refreshments will be provided.
Info: SundayMusicale@gmail.com 215) 266-7277

Starting November 9th, the Missoula Oblongata presents:
HURRAY FOR THE MYSTERIOUS WONDER BALLOON!
A free workshop in collaborative writing and performance
* WORKSHOP: Nov. 9, 10 & 11, 9am-5pm
* REHEARSE: Nov. 17, 6-pm-9pm
* PERFORM: Nov. 18, 8pm
Please pre-register for the workshop by emailing sarahmlowry@gmail.com.

Are you a performer unaccustomed to collaborative theater making? Are you an
actor, director, playwright, or designer uncertain how to overlap these roles?
Are you a veteran collaborator who is seeking even more strategies for
generating work? Come join the Missoula Oblongata for a focused week of
original, collaborative creation! Combining the titles of four previous touring
stage productions, company members Donna Sellinger, Madeline ffitch (with a
double lower-case “f” that stands in for an otherwise absent capital), and Sarah
Lowry, usher participants through a process of trust-building and cooperation
that results in the making of a show together for a public performance at the
Rotunda on Wednesday, November 18th. Workshop participants must be present for
all three workshop days, as well as the dress rehearsal and the performance
itself. All are welcome to come see the show. Both the performance and the
workshop are FREE.

For more info, email sarahmlowry@gmail.com

Starting November 9th, the Missoula Oblongata presents:
HURRAY FOR THE MYSTERIOUS WONDER BALLOON!
A free workshop in collaborative writing and performance
* WORKSHOP: Nov. 9, 10 & 11, 9am-5pm
* REHEARSE: Nov. 17, 6-pm-9pm
* PERFORM: Nov. 18, 8pm
Please pre-register for the workshop by emailing sarahmlowry@gmail.com.

Are you a performer unaccustomed to collaborative theater making? Are you an
actor, director, playwright, or designer uncertain how to overlap these roles?
Are you a veteran collaborator who is seeking even more strategies for
generating work? Come join the Missoula Oblongata for a focused week of
original, collaborative creation! Combining the titles of four previous touring
stage productions, company members Donna Sellinger, Madeline ffitch (with a
double lower-case “f” that stands in for an otherwise absent capital), and Sarah
Lowry, usher participants through a process of trust-building and cooperation
that results in the making of a show together for a public performance at the
Rotunda on Wednesday, November 18th. Workshop participants must be present for
all three workshop days, as well as the dress rehearsal and the performance
itself. All are welcome to come see the show. Both the performance and the
workshop are FREE.

For more info, email sarahmlowry@gmail.com

Starting November 9th, the Missoula Oblongata presents:

HURRAY FOR THE MYSTERIOUS WONDER BALLOON!
A free workshop in collaborative writing and performance

* WORKSHOP: Nov. 9, 10 & 11, 9am-5pm
* REHEARSE: Nov. 17, 6-pm-9pm
* PERFORM: Nov. 18, 8pm
Please pre-register for the workshop by emailing sarahmlowry@gmail.com.

Are you a performer unaccustomed to collaborative theater making? Are you an actor, director, playwright, or designer uncertain how to overlap these roles? Are you a veteran collaborator who is seeking even more strategies for generating work? Come join the Missoula Oblongata for a focused week of original, collaborative creation! Combining the titles of four previous touring stage productions, company members Donna Sellinger, Madeline ffitch (with a double lower-case “f” that stands in for an otherwise absent capital), and Sarah Lowry, usher participants through a process of trust-building and cooperation that results in the making of a show together for a public performance at The Rotunda on Wednesday, November 18th. Workshop participants must be present for all three workshop days, as well as the dress rehearsal and the performance itself. All are welcome to come see the show. Both the performance and the
workshop are FREE.

For more info, email sarahmlowry@gmail.com

Starting November 9th, the Missoula Oblongata presents:

HURRAY FOR THE MYSTERIOUS WONDER BALLOON!
A free workshop in collaborative writing and performance

* WORKSHOP: Nov. 9, 10 & 11, 9am-5pm
* REHEARSE: Nov. 17, 6-pm-9pm
* PERFORM: Nov. 18, 8pm
Please pre-register for the workshop by emailing sarahmlowry@gmail.com.

Are you a performer unaccustomed to collaborative theater making? Are you an actor, director, playwright, or designer uncertain how to overlap these roles? Are you a veteran collaborator who is seeking even more strategies for generating work? Come join the Missoula Oblongata for a focused week of original, collaborative creation! Combining the titles of four previous touring stage productions, company members Donna Sellinger, Madeline ffitch (with a double lower-case “f” that stands in for an otherwise absent capital), and Sarah Lowry, usher participants through a process of trust-building and cooperation that results in the making of a show together for a public performance at The Rotunda on Wednesday, November 18th. Workshop participants must be present for all three workshop days, as well as the dress rehearsal and the performance itself. All are welcome to come see the show. Both the performance and the
workshop are FREE.

For more info, email sarahmlowry@gmail.com

“A friendship/relationship is like a caterpillar. If you give it time to grow on its own, to build up its own strength, it will always turn into something beautiful for everyone to see and desire. Butterflies are known to migrate long distances so don’t be discouraged by the miles…” Loria

“God is meeting us here (right now)…sacrifice for one day and watch your life transform…” LORIA

“When it is your time to shine, no one can stop it because time cannot retreat…” LORIA

“Love and generosity are free. Why are you making others pay for it….” LORIA

“Join us as we pray… we are about to experience a manifestation of a miracle…” LORIA

EVENT:
“In The Valley of Decision”

WHO:
LORIA - Author, Motivational Speaker Life-Coach

Members of WPO perform Brendan Cooney’s original score to the classic Soviet film ‘The Battleship Potemkin’ - live! The music is fantastic. The film is devastating. The performance will also feature the band playing music not accompanying a film, a comedy w/ music, and maybe even a lecture my Brendan explaining elements of the film and some reflections on the legacy of the Russian Revolution.

Admission is $5

Hurricane Season

“Hurricane Season pounds with intensity and fierceness and love. Naima
and Alixa are truly forces of nature, delivering a performance that
will move you to tears and to action.” ~ Tia Lessin & Carl Deal, Producers of “Fahrenheit 9-11″ Directors of Academy Award nominated “Trouble the Water”

HURRICANE SEASON TRAILER
PROMO VIDEO

Alixa and Naima, the Brooklyn-based, internationally- acclaimed performance duo Climbing PoeTree, are on tour with a transformative two-woman show that seeks not to captivate audiences, but to liberate them. Through a tapestry of spoken-word poetry, film, dance, shadow art, and a sound collage of personal testimonies, Hurricane Season connects the issues that surfaced in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to the “unnatural disasters” unfolding nationwide and worldwide on a daily basis. Unflinching and uplifting, raw and deeply moving Hurricane Season takes audiences on voyages of unthinkable tragedy and undeniable promise from the eye of a systemic storm.

Doors: Open at 6:45 pm
show starts at 7pm
Tickets: $12 - 25 sliding scale at door
Reserve your seat for $20-25 through Brown Paper Tickets

Rousing and Fiercely passionate, Alixa and Naima comprise the soul-sister co-conspiracy of rebel artists known as Climbing Poetree. With roots in Haiti and Colombia, Alixa and Naima Reside in Brooklyn and track footprints across the country and globe on a mission to overcome destruction w creativity. In five self organized tours, Climbing Poetree has catalyzed over 500 crowds in more than 70 cities from Oakland to Atlanta, Johannesburg to Havana with artist such as Amiri Baraka, Sonia Sanchez, Erykah Badu, Me’shell Ndegeocello, Alicia Keys, Nikki Giovanni, Toshi Reagon, former president of Ireland Mary Robinson, Danny Glover, the Last Poets & Dead Prez.

Richard BoutwellLarge-format, Alternative Process, Landscape photography

part of the tenth annual PHILADELPHIA OPEN STUDIO TOURS™ (POST™)! Each year hundreds of professional visual artists in 16 neighborhoods open their studios to the public to show and sell artwork.

Artist’s Statement
The act of photographing is, for me, a joyous and exciting experience—one that moves me on a truly deep level. It starts with a reaction to something seen in the world, and then becomes an interaction with that which is seen. From that interaction comes greater understanding and, most importantly, personal inner growth. The resulting finished photograph becomes a physical manifestation of that growth.

I am drawn to photography as an expressive medium based partly on the photograph’s inherent potential to be a beautiful object—regardless of the subject that is actually photographed. I primarily use a large camera, and at this point in my young career, only make contact prints. I feel the large negative and the contact print convey a particular clarity and tonal scale that is not possible when smaller negatives are enlarged. Another factor in my choice of camera is that the image on the large ground glass of an 8×10-inch camera is a joy to see and work with, and the upside down image allows me to deal with the subject on purely abstract terms. I feel that by keeping the process relatively simple, I am able to concentrate more on my visual concerns rather than on technical matters.

ALSO ON DISPLAY: Fiber artist Ana Hernandez’s Bound, a stunning mixed media art piece using string and the unique architecture of The Rotunda.

Richard BoutwellLarge-format, Alternative Process, Landscape photography

part of the tenth annual PHILADELPHIA OPEN STUDIO TOURS™ (POST™)! Each year hundreds of professional visual artists in 16 neighborhoods open their studios to the public to show and sell artwork.

Artist’s Statement
The act of photographing is, for me, a joyous and exciting experience—one that moves me on a truly deep level. It starts with a reaction to something seen in the world, and then becomes an interaction with that which is seen. From that interaction comes greater understanding and, most importantly, personal inner growth. The resulting finished photograph becomes a physical manifestation of that growth.

I am drawn to photography as an expressive medium based partly on the photograph’s inherent potential to be a beautiful object—regardless of the subject that is actually photographed. I primarily use a large camera, and at this point in my young career, only make contact prints. I feel the large negative and the contact print convey a particular clarity and tonal scale that is not possible when smaller negatives are enlarged. Another factor in my choice of camera is that the image on the large ground glass of an 8×10-inch camera is a joy to see and work with, and the upside down image allows me to deal with the subject on purely abstract terms. I feel that by keeping the process relatively simple, I am able to concentrate more on my visual concerns rather than on technical matters.

ALSO ON DISPLAY: Fiber artist Ana Hernandez’s Bound, a stunning mixed media art piece using string and the unique architecture of The Rotunda.

8pm: concert of old time fiddle, banjo, guitar and songs

9pm: contra dance!

Admission: $5-10 suggested

Poet-tree In Motion
2009-2010 fall/winter Performance Series

This event series will present a diverse range of dance, live music/electronic sound-scapes,
poetry/spoken-words/story-telling, visual art & projections

Sign up for the open mic to close the night!

This event will feature Guest Artists & Highlight the work of Resident Artist;
Gabrielle B.C./”PlumDragoness

Accompanied with live instrumentation by; The ELEMENTS…”
~Djo Fortunado ~
~Elliott Levin }~
~Tseren Dorj ~
& Special Guest Andres!

Original Photo & Visual Projections by Peter (Parker) Brodhead

FEATURED GUESTS:

NOVEMBER 4TH:
~PHILLY FIRE ARTS collective performing (non-fire) excerpts from “SimpLaFire” (recently presented as part of the 2009 Philly Fringe Festival!~
Lauren Shaw
Miya Benintende
Liana Cameris
Jeannine McKnight
Xtina
Jenni Van Tassel
Riza
Gabrielle {de Burke} Casella
Madeleine
Laura Schetzsle
Lauren Raske
Mayra de Souza

Admission is free but donations are encouraged.

The Future Is Not What It Used to Be: A Documentary Film on Erkki Kurenniemi

The Finnish artist, inventor, and futurist Erkki Kurenniemi (b. 1941) is one of the most fascinating figures you’ve never heard of. He came of age in the 1960s, and his various projects reflect the heady techno-utopian aspirations of such thinkers as Marshall McLuhan and Buckminster Fuller.

Kurenniemi’s speculations on computer technology and artificial intelligence were well ahead of his time, but he didn’t content himself with merely thinking about the future. He helped pioneer the fledgling genre of “electronic art,” creating experimental works for video and electronic music. In the early 1960s, Kurenniemi founded an electronic music studio at the University of Helsinki, and beginning in the 1970s he invented a series of electronic instruments called DIMI (digital musical instrument), which generated musical sounds from sources such as video images, human touch, and brain waves.

For many years now Kurenniemi has been methodically documenting his daily life through notes and photographs, on the theory that future developments in computing will make possible the artificial reconstruction of consciousness on the basis of such collected memory.

This hour-long documentary by Mika Taanila presents a captivating view into the mind and work of Erkki Kuenniemi, in whose future we all now live.

Presented as part of the Experimental Culture series. Experimental Culture is a Philadelphia-based event series dedicated to exploring the frontiers of art, knowledge, and communication. Through an array of free public events, Experimental Culture presents challenging, innovative, and imaginative new experiences for audiences of all backgrounds.

Admission is free.

Spiritual Constructions: The Abstract Animation of Oskar Fischinger

The German artist and filmmaker Oskar Fischinger (1900-1967) is one of the unheralded geniuses of the 20th century.  His distinctive style of abstract animation influenced modern visual culture from Walt Disney to sixties psychedelia.

Like modernist painters such as Kandinsky and Klee, Fischinger perceived the incredible expressive powers of abstract images, but, beginning in the 1920s, he sought to give life and movement to his art through the radical new techniques of animation, then (like film itself) in its infancy. He wanted to create “visual music” which endowed the image with the qualities of sound: motion, dynamics, and play.

We will explore Fischinger’s fascinating aesthetic world, from his early experiments involving the stop-motion filming of abstract shapes in wax to his imaginative commercial projects and his mature “classical” works of  nonrepresentational animation.

Presented as part of the Experimental Culture series. Experimental Culture is a Philadelphia-based event series dedicated to exploring the frontiers of art, knowledge, and communication.  Through an array of free public events, Experimental Culture presents challenging, innovative, and imaginative new experiences for audiences of all backgrounds.

Admission is free.

every month

longest running bboy/bgirl event in Philly

$3 admission

Gate is a monthly experimental series

Admission is free.

Shot x Shot is a Philadelphia quartet that has forged a distinctive sound through five years of steady collaboration. Their work is based in collective improvisational compositions that run the gamut from delicate to ruthless. The band was formed in 2004 while the members were students at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. They began performing at local venues and gradually extended their range to include New York, Boston, Chicago, Montreal and other major cities. Shot × Shot has performed alongside Peter Br0tzmann, Jeb Bishop, Chicago Luzern Exchange, Peter Evans, Jack Wright and Pete Robbins
among others. In 2007, the band showcased at South by Southwest. Shot × Shot’s self-titled live debut (High Two, 2006) was heralded in the pages of Downbeat, The Wire, Signal to Noise, All About Jazz-NY, and other publications. The Village Voice and All About Jazz-NY listed the album among the top debuts of 2006.

“…a true collaborative quartet, with each continuously listening, adjusting, leading and following. What is startling to realize is that even in the densest sections, when all four players are letting fly, each line can be heard as being in an almost contrapuntal relationship with the others. Let Nature Square is a remarkable achievement.” -Budd Kopman, All About Jazz

Since moving to Philadelphia in 1999, Matt Mitchell has pursued an interest in the intersections of both composed and improvised music and of ‘classical’, ‘jazz’, and electronic music, performing consistently throughout the United States and Europe. In addition to his solo activities he has been a member of the long standing Philadelphia-area groups Kaktus and Feigner, both of which groups have explored new areas of non-idiomatic group improvisation and released several acclaimed albums on Scrapple Records. Matt’s most recent recording, the large-scale electroacoustic piece ‘vapor squint, antique chromatic’, was released on Scrapple in 2007 to uniformly positive reviews. In addition to being a current member of Tim Berne’s Adobe Probe, he has performed with a number of musicians including Ralph Alessi, Ravi Coltrane, Brad Shepik, Shane Endsley, Drew Gress, Mark Helias, Tom Rainey, Jim Black, Ari Hoenig, Josh Roseman, and John Swana, as well as being a former member of the avant-rock band Thinking Plague. Matt is also a faculty member with the Brooklyn, NY based School for Improvisational Music [SIM].

For more information, click here.

Tribal Puzzle Art Show

Art Exhibit: 3pm-4pm
Live Performances: 4pm-6pm
Dance Party: 6pm-7pm

$5 Donation

Door proceeds benefit The Village of Arts and Humanities

Direct from Colombia! Champeta singer Louis Towers, with Palenke, brings danceable afro-Colombian rhythms to UPENN—for a free show at the Rotunda, Oct. 13th at 7pm.

Press Release follows:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Direct from Colombia! Champeta singer Louis Towers, with Palenke, brings danceable afro-Colombian rhythms to UPENN—for a free show at the Rotunda, Oct. 13th at 7pm.

Philadelphia, PA – September 24th, 2009

“Champeta is a hybrid music” says music writer Craig Havighust, “unique to its home city because of Cartagena’s history as a slave trading capital, a Spanish colonial stronghold, and a port city. Through the 1960s and 70s, guys from many nations worked the freighter traffic between Africa and Caribbean ports of call. Records changed hands and criss-crossed the Gulf and the Atlantic Ocean. Reggae and dub music mingled with Colombian cumbia and Afro-pop and juju. Bob Marley, meet King Sunny Ade.”

Artist Louis Towers hails from the storied town of Palenque San Basilio, founded in the sixteenth century by escaped slaves who wrung repeated peace treaties from Spanish troops seeking to re-enslave them. Towers sings in Spanish but also speaks Palenquero, the Afro-Creole language still heard in San Basilio—and what comes across in his upbeat, get-you-moving tracks is Palenque’s message of pride and zest for life.

The show is organized by Penn professors Ann Farnsworth-Alvear, Tim Rommen, and Tukufu Zuberi, who will host the show at the Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St, on October 13th.

Towers’ music is on myspace, http://www.myspace.com/louistowerselrasta, and he has a new video filmed in Palenque that is viewable on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5qKlq4ZoNQ. The organizers thank our co-sponsors at UPENN: Latin American and Latino Studies, the Ethnohistory Program, and the Center for Africana Studies, as well as the Departments of Music and Romance Languages. Additional thanks go out to the Penn Humanties Forum, DuBois College House, and La Casa Latina. The show is free to the public thanks to a grant from the Greater Philadelphia Latin American Studies Consortium.

Contact Information: Ann Farnsworth-Alvear or Migdalia Carrasquillo, Latin American and Latino Studies, University of Pennsylvania. lals@sas.upenn.edu, 375 Claudia Cohen Hall, UPENN, Philadelphia, PA 19104. 215-898-9919.

SPEC Jazz and Grooves will take over The Rotunda for a night that will make any indie music fan’s heart skip a beat. Brooklyn natives The Antlers, who were at the Pitchfork Festival this summer, will be joined by Holly Miranda, a vocalist loved by Kanye West and Vanity Fair alike.

Tickets are on sale on Locust Walk, as well as through this website. Student tickets will be sold for $10 ahead of time and $15 at the door. Be sure to get yours before all the cool kids of Philadelphia get wind of the show. At that point, the average attendee hipness might rival that of the American Apparel ad that was Girl Talk 2009, and tickets will go like hot cakes.

The Antlers: Relatively new to the major indie-music scene, The Antlers have risen quickly with what Pitchfork’s Brian Howe calls a “grandiose but intimate indie-rock.” Beginning as a solo project created by vocalist and guitarist Peter Silberman, the band added members Michael Lerner (drums, percussion) and Darby Cicci (keyboards, trumpet) shortly before releasing EPs Cold War and New York Hospitals in 2008. In 2009, the band signed to French Kiss Records and The Antlers released their critically-acclaimed record Hospice, praised by National Public Radio as the best album of the first half of 2009. Indie music tastemakers Pitchfork minted Hospice with their coveted Best New Music stamp in August and the blogosphere echoed the major music outlets’ hype, with many prominent music blogs placing Hospice on their “Album of the Year” lists.

Holly Miranda, another Brooklynite, will be joining the Antlers. Miranda received exposure earlier this year when Kanye West featured a track from her album on his blog. Vanity Fair backed Kanye, stating Miranda’s “Falsetto makes the walls collapse…she’s the real deal.” David Saginur, Jazz and Grooves co-director, added “Holly Miranda is a hipster goddess.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Sara Zia Ebrahimi
ITVS Community Cinema Co-Coordinator
phillyitvs@gmail.com
215-901-4549

ITVS and WHYY, in partnership with Get Free Movement, IllVibe Collective and The Media Education Lab at Temple University
present an advance screening of:

COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS, a new documentary by Benjamin Franzen and Kembrow McLeod,
Explores the Creative and Legal Ramifications of Music Sampling in Hip-Hop

FREE and open to the public
For more information and to RSVP http://www.whyy.org/memberexperience/
or call 215-351-0511.

Discussion after the film engages local DJ’s, copyright attorneys and music industry reps. DJ Foxx Boogie spins samples and original mixes As new technologies emerge, enabling everyone to be a music producer, can anyone really own a sound?

Philadelphia, PA–Computers, software and even cell phones have radically altered our relationship to mass culture and technology,
providing consumers with the tools to become producers, or “remixers,” of their own media. But long before everyday people began
posting their video mash-ups on the Web, hip-hop musicians perfected the art of audio montage through a sport they called “sampling.”

COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS, examines the creative and commercial value of musical sampling, including the ongoing debates about artistic expression, copyright law and (of course) money. The film will air nationally on the Emmy® Award–winning PBS documentary series Independent Lens during the 2009 fall/winter season.

Watch a trailer

Download photos

Filmmakers, Partners and Panelists are all available for interviews
DVD screeners are available upon request.

Media are also encouraged to attend.

About ITVS Community Cinema in Philadelphia
Community Cinema is a groundbreaking public education and civic engagement initiative of the Independent Television Service (ITVS).
Presented in partnership with local public television stations and leading community organizations, Community Cinema offers free preview
screenings each month from September through May, showcasing selections from the new season of Independent Lens. Operating in more
than 50 cities across the country, Community Cinema helps audiences connect with organizations, information and the opportunity to learn,
discuss and get involved in today’s critical social issues. In Philadelphia, Community Cinema is co-presented with station partner WHYY and
community organizations in and around the Philadelphia area.
www.communitycinema.org<http://www.communitycinema.org/>

******************************
******************************
*****************************************************************************************

More About Copyright Criminals:

For more than 30 years, as hip-hop evolved from the urban streets of New York to its current status as a multibillion-dollar industry, hip-hop performers and producers have been reusing portions of previously recorded music in new, otherwise original compositions. But when lawyers and record companies got involved, what was once referred to as a “borrowed melody” became a “copyright infringement.” Through interviews with many of hip-hop music’s founding figures—like Public Enemy, De La Soul and Digital Underground—along with emerging artists such as audiovisual remixers Eclectic Method, COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS illuminates both sides of the debate, from traditional musicians who view sampling as pillaging to those who argue that the practice of borrowing is by no means new nor is it unique to hip-hop or even music: Think of Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s soup cans. “Sampling itself is an embodiment of this active process of engaging with history,” argues hip-hop insider Jeff Chang.

COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS also provides an in-depth look at artists who have been sampled, such as renowned drummer Clyde Stubblefield, the world’s most sampled musician, best known for his work with James Brown, as well as commentary by funk legend George Clinton, another highly sampled musician.

As COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS reveals, music making “came out of the professional recording studios,” says Coldcut’s Matt Black, “and into the bedrooms. That changed the music industry, and the reverberations are still being felt today.” Computers, mobile phones and other interactive technologies are changing our relationship with media, blurring the line between producer and consumer, and radically changing what it means to be creative. As artists find ever more inventive ways to insert old influences into new material, the documentary asks a critical question: Can anyone really own a sound?

On-Screen Participants

Public Enemy—represented in this film by vocalist Chuck D, producer Hank Shocklee, and hip-hop activist and journalist Harry Allen (the “Media Assassin”)—is among the most important hip-hop groups that have emerged in the past 30 years.

Jeff Chang, author and commentator, wrote the award-winning history of hip-hop culture Can’t Stop Won’t Stop and co-founded the indie record company SoleSides, which launched the career of DJ Shadow, among others.

George Clinton helped invent the genre of funk with his groups Parliament and Funkadelic.

De La Soul, a Long Island hip-hop group, helped set a high bar for sampling artistry with their debut album 3 Feet High and Rising, released in 1989.

DJ Qbert, widely recognized as one of the world’s best DJs and a member of the Invisibl Skratch Piklz, had to retire from DJ battles because no one could beat him.

Miho Hatori was half of the inventive duo Cibo Matto, who artfully integrated samples into live instrumentation in the 1990s with the album Viva! La Woman, among others.

MC El-P was one-third of the defunct underground hip-hop group Company Flow; producer MC El-P has since released several solo albums and founded the indie hip-hop label Def Jux.

Paul D. Miller, aka DJ Spooky that Subliminal Kid, is a conceptual artist, writer and musician living and working in New York City; his work has appeared in the Whitney Biennial, the Andy Warhol Museum and many other venues.

Clyde Stubblefield is perhaps the world’s most sampled drummer; his work with James Brown helped create the blueprint for hip-hop.

About the Filmmakers
Benjamin Franzen (Director, Editor and Cinematographer)Ben Franzen is an Atlanta-based photographer and video producer. He owns and operates the independent production company Changing Images, which provides expertise in a variety of media, ranging from large format photography to HD video production. Franzen earned a B.F.A. in photography and a B.A. in communication studies production from the University of Iowa. Franzen’s specialty is providing solutions for media needs—from the production of interactive Web videos for the National Library of Medicine’s Diabetes Project to editing the animated television show Squidbillies for Cartoon Network. Clients such as BlackBerry, Home Depot, Oracle and Symantec have hired Franzen’s production company, and his reputation has drawn video commissions from many artists, including jazz artist Bobby Previte. Most recently, Franzen produced a big-budget three-screen HD industrial video for 24-Hour Fitness that involved interviews with sports legends Andre Agassi, Yao Ming and Magic Johnson. Franzen’s personal work has been screened at film festivals, and he has received awards and grants from the Iowa Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Kembrew McLeod (Executive Producer, Researcher and Writer) Kembrew McLeod is an independent documentary filmmaker and an associate professor of communication studies at the University of Iowa. His books and films focus on both popular music and the cultural impact of intellectual property law. His book Freedom of Expression®: Resistance and Repression in the Age of Intellectual Property received a book award from the American Library Association in 2006. His co-authored book with Peter DiCola, Creative License: The Law and Culture of Digital Sampling, and co-edited book with Rudolf Kuenzli, Cutting Across Media: Interventionist Collage, Appropriation Art and Copyright Law, will both be published by Duke University Press in mid-2010. McLeod’s documentary Money for Nothing: Behind the Business of Pop Music was screened at the 2002 South by Southwest Film Festival and the 2002 New England Film and Video Festival, where it received the Rosa Luxemburg Award for Social Consciousness. McLeod’s second documentary, Freedom of Expression®: Resistance and Repression in the Age of Intellectual Property, is a companion to his book of the same name. He is also an occasional music journalist whose pieces have appeared in Rolling Stone, Mojo, Spin, Village Voice and the New Rolling Stone Album Guide.

About Independent Lens
Independent Lens is an Emmy® Award–winning weekly series airing on PBS. The acclaimed anthology series features documentaries and a limited number of fiction films united by the creative freedom, artistic achievement and unflinching visions of their independent producers. Independent Lens features unforgettable stories about unique individuals, communities and moments in history. Presented by ITVS, the series is supported by interactive companion websites and national publicity and community engagement campaigns. Independent Lens is jointly curated by ITVS and PBS and is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, with additional funding provided by PBS and the National Endowment for the Arts. The series producer is Lois Vossen. Further information about the series is available at www.pbs.org/independentlens<http://www.pbs.org/independentlens>.

##

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Rotunda celebrates TEN years with a weekend of celebrations and fund raisers!

From John Legend and Matisyahu to Immortal Technique and the Sun Ra Arkestra, The Rotunda has presented internationally acclaimed artists as well as incredible local and new performers and art forms. We’ve also provided educational and outreach opportunities for all ages and given a voice to countless social causes, helping groups raise funds and awareness through artistic endeavors. In addition, we’ve lead two major collaborative arts projects, producing a mural and a theatrical work. All told, The Rotunda has presented over 2,000 events to at least 250,000 people. To continue our good work, we need to raise funds while taking time to celebrate.

Since 1999, The Rotunda has been providing diverse, inclusive community programming, usually at little or no cost to audiences. Established by Penn undergraduates, The Rotunda, formerly known as The Foundation Community Arts Initiative, began with rich and vibrant rosters of weekly events that eventually developed into full time programming for and by people of all backgrounds, nearly every day of the week.

On the weekend of September 25, we will celebrate The Rotunda’s TENTH birthday with four events featuring live music, film, dance, art, local food, and much more.

The weekend’s line up (subject to change without notice):

EVENT 1
Friday September 25, 7-9pm
DJing and live visuals by VJ Yakov
Dime Universal feat. Divine Essence w/ Merkaba El (neo-soul / sociopolitical / hip hop choreography)
HipHop Poeticz feat. The Mind Set (LyfizDef, Da’god Jah Born, Taajuldiin (of Khalifaa), ol’nikadu and Naomi Esler;  blu-func / lyricism / visual artistry / soundscapes / synth-jazz / African folk / runaway slave songs)
+
Silent Art Auction opens (ends @9pm Sunday Sept.27), featuring visual art from over 20 artists. Contact us to donate artwork!
vendors
dessert!
Admission: $5 - $7 (We’ll accept more if you have it!)

EVENT 2
Saturday September 26, 4-5pm
Al Bustan Seeds of Culture hosts a drum jam. Bring your own drum and jam with the best percussionists in the city while learning about the Arab culture programs that Al Bustan leads all year long. Many of these programs happen right here at The Rotunda! And enjoy a  demonstration by Hafez El Ali Kotain and AL-Bustan Percussion Ensemble.
+
Silent Art Auction continues..
Admission: Free but we kindly suggest a donation of $3 - $7.

EVENT 3
Saturday September 26 @7pm
The Birthday Gala, Rotunda style
featuring:
MC Ramshackle aka Beth Nixon
Old Goats (Brazilian folk / bossa nova)
Phyllis Chapell (repertoire features songs from Brazil, Latin America, Europe, Israel, U.S. / Brazilian sambas / Flamenco rumbas / classical / folk)
Plumdragoness & the Elements (spoken word / dance / world / experimental / improv)
Lillie Ruth Bussey (singer songwriter)
Drake (hip hop / jazz / classical / rock / experimental / punk)
Archdedream for Humankind (archetypal black light dance theater)
Philly poets including: Ebony Malaika Collier, Paul “S.Frosty” Jackson, Nassunni Na’imah Abdul-Karim, Kyle ‘Taino’ Leonardo, Jorge La Llave (Geo), St. Skribbly LaCroix , Adam Naked Meora, Traycee Lynn, Wes Gil, et al
Stinking Lizaveta (rock better known as insane improvisations, relentless rhythms and volumes of groove)
The Notekillers (rock better known as destabilized rock & roll, screaming free jazz and pre-school funk)
Ale Driver (rock)
+
Silent Art Auction continues..
live screen printing (B.Y.O. totes, t shirts, etc. or buy some from us and get them printed at the show)

raffle (prizes include: $1,000 scholarship to Paul Green School of Rock, The Bridge movie passes, pet care services from Jason’s Pet Care and Stacey’s Pet Care, salon visits from Turnaround, lesson with DJ Lisa Love, break dance lesson, bike tune ups from Trophy Bikes and Firehouse Bikes, bike lock from Trophy Bikes, Qdoba gift certs, restaurant.com certs, Dock Street bar/restaurant cert., Smokes bar tab, Fresh Grocer gift card, CVS gift cards, etc.)
birthday cake and other treats (Yes, we will sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to The Rotunda)
Admission: $10 (We’ll accept more if you have it!)

EVENT 4
Sunday September 27, 5-9pm
short films with a Philly slant
featuring Brendan Cooney of West Philadelphia Orchestra playing a live piano score to Buster Keaton’s “One Week” and Harold Lloyd’s “Never Weaken.” On “One Week,” Brendan will be joined by Philly legend and jazz/experimental/improv man-about-town Elliott Levin, who will p[lay flutes and sax. Elliott will also improv to another short film later in the evening, solo.
plus fun Philly films donated by Scribe Video Center
+
Silent Art Auction ends at 9pm
Admission: $5 - $7 admission (We’ll accept more if you have it!)
To volunteer or vend, or to donate money, items, or services, please email information@TheRotunda.org

-A FEATURE SHOWING of a Marvel Super Hero Film
-A Night of Featured Performers
-An Open Stage & Open Mic Night
-A Diverse Networking Mixer [REP YOUR ORG!]
-Food & Beverages [You Know We Won’t Leave You Hangin’]

$5.00 PER GUEST

(Admission Reduced with A Donation of Food or Clothes)
>>All Donations Received by “WATERS OF LIFE” Ministry
watersoflifem@yahoo.com

WHY ARE WE HAVING THIS EVENT?

1. To introduce the YOUTH & COMMUNITY to a wide range of alternative expression, arts, associations, & causes.
2. To bring together local organizations, the community, the youth, and artists to NETWORK, & strengthen understanding between the groups.
3. To raise funds for the non-profit community outreach organization “Diversions & Distractions From the Daily Grind” (“DanDyFuDGe”).
4. To have an amazing night filled with diversity & variety !!!

Schedule:

ACT ONE:
5pm to 5:15pm -> Introduction
5:15pm to 7pm -> Movie Vote & Showing

INTERMISSION:
7pm to 8:00PM -> NETWORKING MIXER

ACT TWO:
8:00pm to 9:30pm -> FEATURED ACTS &Open Stage/Open Mic

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE—
Performers, Vendors, Volunteers, & Organizations CLICK HERE:
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?saved&&suggest&note_id=109439906895

Or for more info:
Contact Paul “S.Frosty” Jackson
“DandyFudge” Founder & Head Coordinator
215-301-8891
sfrosty215@gmail.com
www.FaceBook.com/sfrosty

THE PHILADELPHIA EXPERIMENT: NEW MUSIC FESTIVAL
Featuring Cheer-Accident, The Red Masque, Make A Rising and Fern Knight

FREE but donations for the bands requested
(Pay-What-You-Want Admission).

Hosted by The Red Masque

Contact:
Lynnette Shelley (lynnette@theredmasque.com)

The Line-Up

HEADLINERS
CHEER-ACCIDENT (Chicago)
For over 20 years, Cheer-Accident have been a creative, interesting force in rock music. They constantly strive to surprise their audience and themselves with constant reinvention. Fear Draws Misfortune (released January 2009 through Cuneiform Records) is their 16th release and arguably their best release and their album which strives the furthest towards a powerful balance between personalized and unique studio techniques and the excitement of a visceral, live, well-honed rock band. Which is saying something. It is a strongly compelling and high-reaching album that uses a wide variety of ideas, styles and studio techniques, resulting in a cohesive and ambitious album of art-rock. The basic band is a trio who between them perform on vocals, keyboards, trumpets guitars, bass and drums, but they are augmented by 15 additional musicians who, each in their own way, bring their own musical gifts to the album. Fear Draws Misfortune reveals a fortuitous intersection between Cuneiform and Cheer-Accident, both of whom have long admired the other and both of whom finally decided to do something about it! This long overdue marriage, which neatly coincides with a timely (and quite lengthy) cover-feature article in December 2008’s Signal To Noise magazine, promises to hurl Cheer-Accident into wider recognition.

“I could easily fill a page talking about any given minute of this album, but suffice it to say that if you’ve ever loved Magma’s apocalypticisms, Neu!’s ghosts in the machine, or Beefheart’s Dada boogie—or at least dreamed of watching the Mormon Tabernacle Choir fall down a very long flight of stairs—it might be for you.” — Monica Kendrick/Chicago Reader

“…[Cheer-Accident] meld difficult, angular rock with absurdist lunacy in intentionally disturbing ways that are just brilliant.” - Alternative Press

“There are few ensembles that can make noise sound both as mysterious and as strangely inviting as Cheer-Accident.” - Delusions of Adequacy

———–

THE RED MASQUE (Philadelphia)
Founded in 2001, The Red Masque is an original avant rock band from the Philadelphia area. Part art, part alchemy, the group’s experimental songwriting style is both angular and eerie, accented by freeform space rock improvisations, intricate acoustics, dark atmospherics and chunky riffs. Unconventional and eccentric in musical form, the sophisticatedly sinister The Red Masque fuses together such disparate musical references as horror movie soundtracks, rock-in-opposition, progressive rock, experimental, zeuhl, heavy rock, gothic, psychedelia, space rock, and kraut rock. The Red Masque’s compositions are as intense as they are unique.

The band is currently signed with RER USA and released their third studio album, “Fossil Eyes” in August 2008. The Red Masque’s live download-only album, “Stars Fall On Me” is scheduled for release in November 2009.

“From Pennsylvania hails a quartet without limitations to their purposes and without shame regarding norms and dogma within new rock.” - Tarkus Magazine

“In the Nu-progressive rock underground, few bands are as respected and feared as Philadelphia’s The Red Masque. Without irony or kitsch, the whirlwind that is Masque … stalks the darkness of Hammer Horror ambience and cursedly complex musicianship (think Gong meets Bauhaus) with only feedbacking noise, sound-collage clustering and the howl of vocalist Lynnette Shelley to light its way.” - A.D. Amorosi, Philadelphia City Paper

———-
MAKE A RISING (Philadelphia)
Tunneling its way out of the West Philadelphia nether worlds Make A Rising is a band that is beyond unique. The quintet’s debut record is a swirling mix of violin, keyboard, guitars, drums, saxophone, trumpet, bells, whistles, and assorted noisemakers - all swelling together for subversively addictive pop gems. With orchestral crescendos combined with off-kilter vocals and fast-changing tempos Make A Rising is the sound of chaos, bliss, bravado, nerves and naivety - avant chamber rock at its most dynamic - like Daniel Johnston singing Beach Boys songs interpreted by Naked City.

————–

FERN KNIGHT (Washington D.C.)
Under cellist Margaret Ayre’s orchestration, D.C./Philadelphia quartet Fern Knight transfigures her acoustic Medieval-tinged songs with contrasting layers of 60s improv, 70s prog rock and NWOBHM - retelling the band’s collective history.

Juxtapositions of the arcane and modern in her music and life drew Margaret to pen the band’s fourth album (vhf), Castings, a song cycle exploring how the ancient divinatory art of the Tarot and the well-worn archetypes contained therein continue to flow through present day society.

The core quartet is rounded out by Jesse Sparhawk (harp/electric bass), Jim Ayre (Flying V/drums) and James Wolf, published Sun Ra scholar (violin). Margaret also co-scored a new soundtrack to 1970 Czech new wave film ‘Valerie and Her Week of Wonders’ for a ten-piece ensemble that included Jesse and Jim called The Valerie Project (Drag City).

Visions of otherworldly beings
Dark fantasies
and other Gothic art by Morgan Crone

Admission is free

About the artist:
It has always been my dream and my goal to be able to be some small part of the art world, even since very early childhood I felt there could be no other existence from me. Art has always been my life and my truest passion since I was old enough to draw or to paint or create in any fashion.

Although I have had formal training in ballet, piano, and voice I am primarily a self-taught artist. My career could be considered to have officially begun at the age of twelve when I was hired to design the logo for a local dance studio. From there I entered art exhibits and competitions and was published in Cricket magazine. I also participated in the many annual science fiction, fantasy and Anime conventions in Atlanta, Georgia including Dragon*Con,Sci-fi Summer, and Anime Weekend. As well as working on commissions I have also been the featured artist at The Coffee Shop of Horrors for three consecutive months along with taking part in an invitation-only charity event featuring visual and performing