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
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)
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
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)
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Inzinzac Performs Méliès Short Movies w/ guest Matt Mitchell
Georges Méliès (December 8, 1861 – January 21, 1938) was a French filmmaker famous for leading many technical and narrative developments in the earliest cinema. He was very innovative in the use of special effects. He accidentally discovered the stop trick, or substitution, in 1896, and was one of the first filmmakers to use multiple exposures, time-lapse photography, dissolves, and hand-painted color in his films. Because of his ability to seemingly manipulate and transform reality with the cinematography, Méliès is sometimes referred to as the “Cinemagician.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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
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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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
(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
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.
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
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.”
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.
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. Jeschonekis 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.
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
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.”
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.
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!!
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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
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.
“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”
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.
This event series will present a diverse range of dance, live music/electronic sound-scapes,
poetry/spoken-words/story-telling, visual art & projections
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
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.
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.
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].
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
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.
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/>
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)
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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.
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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)
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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
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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¬e_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
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
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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.
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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 arts. I have also worked on projects including creature concept designs and other logo and character designs.
Prismacolor colored pencils are my primary medium but I also work in soft pastels, art markers and graphite, as well as with inks both by brush and with the use of technical pens. I have also dabbled in sculpting, painting, jewelery making and beading, chain mail design and construction, and mask making, writing, and designing and sewing clothing, costumes and corsetry.
There can be no doubt that my heart lives in the visionary perceptions of the world and all worlds yet unseen, in my dreams and visions there always lies something deeper then the image its self, something beyond the superficial vale of colors and form offering a glimpse into another realm or perhaps simply somewhere within myself that even I am unable to venture.
The main inspirations of my work come mainly from the world of dreams, of ancient Celtic beliefs, from music, and of nature and of night. I have always been aware of and rather predisposed to the nocturnal world and the darker elements of life and of nature and as odd as it may sound, I have always taken a strange comfort in these aspects as well as a fascination in the bizarre and obscure. Even my earliest scribbles were of strange creatures, dragons and gargoyles and scenes of the night and of the Moon along with the somewhat lighter subjects of animals, trees and and of nature, and of course the occasional comic book character. Very little has changes and these elements and subjects continue to persist as the main body of my work.
For me the visual arts are not as superficial as a ‘pretty picture’ although at times that aspect too can be breathtaking. Art, in its many forms, is the visual representation of the unseen or the imposable, offering endless possibilities, not only to illustrate a story or provide an outlet for personal abstract ideas and emotions but also to bring the intangible into existence. Through art the infinite worlds of dreams and imagination become real, images of the world and interpretations of events may be preserve so that they may exist long after that fleeting moment has since vanished as well as to bring forth the smallest details of the nature which so often go unnoticed to offer dazzling new facets for those who have not before had the luxury to see them. The subjects and ideas along with the mediums through which they are portrayed are as vast and diverse as the collective human race. Among its many incarnations art is not always a thing of beauty it is also a valuable outlet to illustrate the uglier aspects of humanity and harsh realities of the way of the world.
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
Interested? Contact Joanna Quigley at kingsley.quigley@gmail.com
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
Interested? Contact Joanna Quigley at kingsley.quigley@gmail.com
The goal of this project is to increase awareness of the current environmental and social injustices occurring in the United States. Through music and grassroots storytelling, the histories and struggles of communities and individuals who are living directly under such unjust conditions will be shared with various constituencies of the public who may have little or no knowledge of, or is not in direct relationship to, these conditions. To do this, I’m working on making an audio recording with folk song-stories I’ve composed and first-person narratives from the participants. Later this year, there will aslo be some sort of regional performance tour including information sessions, as well as this blog and/or a website to document the project and provide supplemental information and links.
By raising consciousness of these environmental justice issues within a larger portion of the population, the chance for social change through action is increased. The use of music as a tool for conveying ideas of protest and change, both transferring and transforming culture, can be seen in all of the major movements of American history; including the Civil Rights movement, the Anti-War movement, the Populist Farmer’s movement, the rise of the American Unions, the American Student movement, and the Feminist movement. This project aims to utilize the proven successes of social justice through grassroots organizing and musical activism towards our future social and environmental equality.
Reckoning Motions Puppet Troupe
THE GREAT ZIGGURAT
Czech-style puppetry from Alaska
suggested donation: $7 to $12
Reckoning Motions tour from their homebase in Haines, Alaska with The Great Ziggurat, a series of ruminations on power and fragmentation, beginning with the biblical story of the Tower of Babel and continuing through Rome, the Middle Ages and the Modern World. The proceedings are interrupted by marionettes, shadow puppets, refurbished dolls and toys who play the parts in vignettes of other stories involving towers, including Rapunzel, King Kong, and Vertigo. History, comedy, tragedy, philosophy, romance and mystery all intertwine to provoke and inspire thought while a tower grows in the middle of the room.
Reckoning Motions (”motions” being the Elizabethan name for “puppet show”) combines a broad range of puppetry styles to speak into the heart of the 21st Century through intimacy and simplicity. Inspired by an excursion through the vast array of Europe’s puppet theaters in 2005, artistic director Byrna Power returned to Alaska to make his own brand of uniquely homegrown not-for-kids puppet theater. Earlier this year Byrne received the Rasmuson Individual Artist Award to create The Great Ziggurat with fellow puppeteers Carsten Hyatt, Krysta Robinson and Anni Harjunstausta. The company’s 60-day tour will take them through the middle and around the corners of the continent before they settle back down in their hometown of Haines. Check Puppet Uprising’s North America page for details on dates and locations outside of Philadelphia. For more info on the Philly show, call 267-909-2633.
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 $7 with food, toys, or clothing for the needy; $10 without
the release celebration for the picture-book and CD version of
Flight: The Mythic Journey of a Person Displaced, by Erik Ruin with Katt Hernandez
doors at 7pm
donations requested
Flight is a shadow theater piece which depicts the picaresque journey of a youth displaced by war attempting to escape/ transcend persecution. The wordless half-hour show , performed on two overhead projectors by Erik Ruin and Leslie Rogers, features a unique montage-based technique of shadow story-telling illuminating scrolling landscapes and intricately cut scenes of shipwrecks, refugee camps & burning house. The hair-raisingly beautiful semi-improvised score will be performed live by violinist Katt Hernandez.
The book/CD version of Flight is an innovatively designed hand-assembled 44-page booklet containing all the art from the show with multiple fold-out sections, hand-printed details and silkscreened cardboard covers. It marks the third release on local micro-label Desperate Commodities, alongside the apocalyptic avant-punk musical the Nothing Factory and Reid Books’ instrumentals-with- accompanying –text Conspiracies Of Reality.
The evening will also feature the second-ever duo performance of local luminaries Jesse Sparhawk and Eric Carbonara, with a special treat of Chaturangui (22-string Indian guitar) and harp. D.C. based author Melissa Klein will deliver readings of her stirring fictional narrative “My Higher Power”, a monologue in the voice of a young homeless woman standing on a San Francisco bus stop. The event will open with the Philadelphia debut of the short film Roads Through Palestine, a cinematic journey through the roads of occupation and resistance in the West Bank of Palestine from Montreal filmmaker Brett Story.
ERIK RUIN is a Michigan-raised, Philly-based printmaker, shadow-puppeteer,and occasional editor of various publications, most recently the anthology Realizing the Impossible: Art Against Authority (w/ Josh MacPhee, AK Press, 2007). As a performer, he has toured extensively in the U.S. and in Europe, and has been featured at such events as the Puppetropolis Festival in Chicago, Black Sheep Puppet Festival in Chicago and at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul. Most recently, his theatrical work is focused on creating “epic theater” projects (such as the musical The Nothing Factory) incorporating dramatic performance, live music, projections, banner shows and more to create a total experience and exploring overhead projector-based pieces in improvisation with live musicians. As a visual artist, he frequently works collaboratively with other artists or with activist campaigns, and has created imagery for organizations engaged in work ranging from urban farming to housing cooperatives to prisoner advocacy, both individually and as a member of the nation-wide Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative. Ongoing projects include the Liberation Banner Project, an open-source, open-edition set of silkscreened banners on the theme of “liberation”, recently exhibited at the Dirt Palace collective in Providence. Some of his print work is viewable at www.justseeds.org/artists/erik_ruin.
KATT HERNANDEZhas collaborated with a magnificently variated sea of musicians, dancers, and others, and performed in a vast slew of of subway passages, urban grottos, and troglyditical performace places,as well as other experimental and life-making spaces throughout the East Coast Metropolii.
LESLIE ROGERS is a person you may have met once at a party. You may also have seen her Chin- or Mouth-puppet videos recently in VOX V at Vox Populi, The South Philly Boat Show at Storage, or Art From the Heart at Studio 34. If no…fear not! You can see them or something like them this November at the International House. Congratulations, and thank you.
BRETT STORY is a filmmaker and writer who divides her time between Montreal and New York City.
She is currently working on a feature length film about the crisis of blue-collar workers in a petrochemical town in Southern Ontario, as well as a series of short experimental films about the meaning of the city, which she’s shooting in super8. Her films have been screened at numerous festivals and her writing has appeared in publications such as the Nation Magazine, This magazine, and the Montreal Mirror.
MELISSA KLEIN is a short fiction writer whose work is collected in”Looking and other Stories,” illustrated by Sara Thustra. She recently moved back to Washington, DC from San Francisco, where she facilitated Rising Voices, a performance ensemble of formerly incarcerated women. She is currently a member of Puppet Underground DC, a social justice arts collective.
JESSE SPARHAWK is a multi-instrumentalist whose instruments include, but are not limited to harp, guitar, bass, and mandolin. He has toured as accompanist and band member with Fern Knight, Greg Weeks, Timesbold, The Valerie Project, Marissa Nadler, and as a solo artist. Highlights include recent perfomances with The Valerie Project, a 10-piece ensemble led by Greg Weeks accompanying a viewing of the 1970 Czech New-Wave cinema masterpiece “Valerie and Her Week of Wonders.” The Valerie Project CD/Double LP was released 2007. Jesse is also featured in Max Avery Lichtenstein’s (of Timesbold and Camphor) original scores for the films “Tarnation” (2003), “The King” (2005), and “Home Front” (2006), playing various instruments.
ERIC CARBONARA is a Philadelphia based guitarist, whose search for raw aural expression has led him far and wide – from noise & electro-acoustic music to taking deep root in the bounty of the wooden guitar. Carbonara’s playing draws on the rich musical styles from Andalusian Roma-Flamenco to Hindustani & North African folk to form a kind of exalted pidgin style of playing that covers a wide emotional terrain from meditative calm to restless unease. He has developed a unique idiom of gypsy music for non-existent cultures by combining rogue self-taught, free-form classical and flamenco techniques with those learned from formal studies in India. His live solo performances range from contemplative acoustic meditations to aggressively loud electric sets; both encompassing Carbonara’s ability to draw the listener in to his world, where his lyrical playing doesn’t just entertain but triggers a myriad of emotional responses. Carbonara has toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe promoting his releases on Locust Music, Majumua Music and New American Folk Hero as well as various self-releases for solo guitar and solo upright chaturangui music.
The FreeSongSuite is New York-based vocalist/composer Fay Victor’s second recording of all-original music with her longstanding working quartet, The Fay Victor Ensemble. The follow-up to the band’s critically acclaimed 2007 debut, Cartwheels Through TheCosmos (ArtistShare AS 0061), this release documents Ms. Victor’s new stream of consciousness approach to creative vocal music, which accentuates spontaneity and improvisation by removing traditional boundaries between individual songs and genres. The recording features three long-form pieces made up of smallercompositions that flow in and out of each other as a running dialog.
As in all of her ensembles, the vocalist and instrumentalists operate on equal terms, constantly shaping and directing the music through their balanced explorations. “This is one of the most astonishing jazz vocal albums I have ever heard,” writes legendary New York guitarist Gary Lucas (Captain Beefheart, Jeff Buckley) in the liner notes. “I recommend this album to the legions of bored listeners out there: it is hypnotic in its flow, every song in the three sections of the suite a masterpiece of compressed storytelling…they just don’t make albums as good as this anymore.”
The Ensemble
The Fay Victor Ensemble is a voice-guitar-bass-drum unit that performs original material which in many cases provide structure for free improvisational flight; each member contributing equally to proceedings. No divas walking around here. That’s the idea.
Fay Victor/voice, compositions
In command, infectious, energetic and strong: Fay Victor hypnotizes audiences, whether she sings a blues, sculpts a free piece, reinvents a Herbie Nichols tune through her own lyrics, or effortlessly scats over the harmonies of a jazz standard. Her musicality is deft and the words (usually hers) speak of universal themes in story-driven ways, running the full gamut of human emotion in an original mix of traditional song forms and free improvisation –she prefers to call it “Freesong” - that has become her trademark.
Victor has appeared at venues/festivals including the BAMCafe Live, The Stone, Zebulon, Galapagos Art Space, Barbes, CBGB’s, The Vision Festival Series, Cornelia Street Café, Tonic, the 55 Bar, The HOWL Festival and the River to River Festival. Outside the USA, Victor’s international appearances are extensive, having perfromed in the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Germany, France, Sweden, Austria, Andorra, Mexico, India, Poland, Russia & Japan. She has collaborated with musicians such Misha Mengelberg, Lawrence “Butch” Morris, , Gary Lucas, Steve Coleman, Roswell Rudd, Vijay Iyer, reedist Michael Moore, Duck Baker, Connie Crothers, Tyshawn Sorey, Matana Roberts, Eric Mingus, Andrew Bemkey, John Hebert, Dean Bowman, Wolter Wierbos, Anton Goudsmit, Michael Vatcher, Curtis Clark and the Duke Ellington Orchestra.
Anders Nilsson/guitar, effects
Starting out in Sweden with rock, American blues, heavy metal and Zappa records. After jazz studies at Malmö Academy of Music and working as a free-lancing musician in Scandinavia he moved to New York in 2000. Currently he leads Fulminate, his Swedish unit Anders Nilsson’s Aorta. Anders has performed and/or recorded with musicians such as Sabir Mateen, Daniel Carter, Raoul Björkenheim, Kermit Driscoll, Eugene Chadbourne, William Parker, Fay Victor Ensemble, Tom Bruno, Ras Moshe & Jeff Arnal. He also collaborated with Butoh artist Akira Kasai on Butoh America in 2007 and art metal project Angelblood in Europe.
Ken Filiano/double bass, effects
Noted for his accomplishments in jazz, spontaneous improvisation, classical, and inter-disciplinary performance with dance and spoken word, Ken Filiano fuses the rich traditions of the double bass with his own seemingly limitless, often astonishing, inventiveness.
Ken leads and composes for two groups active in New York City. His prolific output also includes performances and/or recordings with a who’s who of the New York Downtown scene and internationally: Roy Campbell, Nels Cline, Ted Dunbar, Bob Feldman, Georgian Chamber Orchestra, Dennis Gonzalez, Vinny Golia, Phil Haynes, Fred Hess, Jason Hwang, Joseph Jarman, Sheila Jordan (with the Aardvark Orchestra), Raul Juarena, Joe Labarbera, Joelle Leandre, Frank London, Tina Marsh, Warne Marsh, Bob Meyer, Dom Minasi, Hafez Modirzadeh, Butch Morris, Barre Phillips, Roberta Piket, Don Preston, Bob Rodriguez, Roswell Rudd, ROVA Saxophone Quartet, Ursel Schlicht, Paul Smoker, Peeter Uuskyla, Biggi Vinkeloe, Kenny Wessel, Pablo Ziegler.
Michael TA Thompson/drums
Drummer/Percussionist Michael Thompson has supported and co-joined with artists in an array of genres such as Joe McPhee, John Stubblefield, Henry Grimes, Daniel Carter, Alex Foster, Roy Campbell Jr., Matthew Shipp, Uri Caine, John Patitucci, William Parker, Barbara Sfraga, Mala Waldron; legendary Calypsonians The Mighty Sparrow, The Shadow, Becket; Pauline Oliveros.
For more information about the Fay Victor Ensemble in particular or Fay Victor in general, please follow the links below.
Mariposa Food Co-op’s Food Justice and Anti-Racism Working Group presents a screening of Fresh: The Movie
Fresh film screening
with post film discussion
documentary about improving our food quality, safety, and system in America.
FRESH is more than a movie, it’s a gateway to action. Our aim is to help grow FRESH food, ideas, and become active participant in an exciting, vibrant, and fast-growing movement.
When I write we, I don’t mean our small team (officially two of us, with lots of amazing helps from our interns and volunteers) but I mean YOU. All of you. FRESH is a grassroots efforts for a grassroots movement. It’s been tremendously exciting to see the movie catch on and spread like wild fire, being used all over the country as a platform to raise awareness and connecting people to the solutions available in their community.
Mariposa is a local food store co-operatively owned and operated by its members.
Ars Nova Workshop presents
Daniel Levin Trio
Daniel Levin, cello
Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, double-bass
Frank Rosely, drums
It’s been said that instrumental music is at its root an extension of the sounds we produce with our voices. In the title track of “Fuhuffah” the music began in just this way. First there was an abstract vocal sequence, which was translated to the cello, and finally, when set in trio format, the introduction of the other instruments (Ingebrigt Håker Flaten’s bass and Gerald Cleaver’s drumset) amplified and intensified the results. Bowed and plucked strings versus percussion: decidedly, this cello-bass-drums trio has something valuable to add to contemporary jazz music. Levin is surely one of today’s masters of cello improvisation. His strong classical background was the starting point in developing his own personal jazz language, which has been enriched through his collaborations with musicians like Joe Morris, Rob Brown, and William Parker, among other stars of the avant firmament. The rhythm section of the Daniel Levin Trio is the best we can dream about, and it’s wonderful how Flaten combines his double bass with the violoncello - sometimes like a bass player in a traditional jazz setting, sometimes as a chamber musician would - and how Cleaver both floats above it all and fuels the music from underneath at the same time. On “Fuhuffah”, we find subtlety, drive, and positive energy in equal measure. Amazing!
with musical guest Tristan Dahn
and a monstrous array of vegan cupcakes
suggested donation: $5 to $10
entire event runs just over one hour
for more info, call 267-909-2633
BEOWULF by the Baltimore Annex Theater
The Charm City spawns an action-packed retelling of the prehistoric legend of man versus beast: BEOWULF, a psychedelic adventure show inspired by the epic poem of the same name. Four members of the touring Baltimore Annex Theater (Kevin Blackistone, Evan Moritz, Kaitlin Murphy and Tim Paggi) enact all the roles, control lights, play music and operate puppets in an interactive set that creates multiple worlds for our hero to explore: Beowulf scales the tower to duel the dragon, dives to the bottom of the sea to have it out with Grendel’s mother, before finally matching wits with Grendel himself in flurry of soliloquies on the nature of heroes and monsters. BEOWULF hones the story to its essentials while enriching it with surprising elements.
The Annex Theatre stages many plays out of their warehouse space in Baltimore, including Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan and Christopher Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus. BEOWULF is their first play to tour nationally, finishing up with one-night-only smackdown in West Philly. Local multi-instrumentalist Tristan Dahn kicks off the evening with a short set of narrative soundscaping, and there will be a horde of vegan cupcakes for each and every audience member to devour.
Ars Nova Workshop
presents
Taylor Ho Bynum-John Hebert-Gerald Cleaver Trio
Taylor Ho Bynum, cornet + various brass
John Hebert, bass
Gerald Cleaver, drums
Taylor Ho Bynum is a performer on cornet and various brass instruments, composer, bandleader, and interdisciplinary collaborator with artists in dance, film, and theater. Bynum is committed to the further exploration of the extensions of composition and improvisation pioneered by 20th century masters like Ellington, Ives, and the AACM, but with a third millennial flavor and a trickster sensibility. He presently leads his Trio, his Sextet, the chamber ensemble SpiderMonkey Strings, and the little big band Positive Catastrophe, and has developed a body of solo music for cornet and duo work with dancer/choreographer Rachel Bernsen. In addition to leading his own groups, Bynum regularly performs with some of the most innovative figures in creative music, such as Anthony Braxton, Cecil Taylor, and Bill Dixon, and has ongoing collaborations with such artists as Bill Lowe, Jason Kao Hwang, and Joe Morris. His work with Anthony Braxton spans over ten years and ranges from duo to orchestra, with recent tours throughout Europe and North America and over a dozen recordings; their collaborative CD Duets (Wesleyan) 2002 received wide critical acclaim. Other recent recordings as a leader include Other Stories (Three Suites) with SpiderMonkey Strings, True Events with drummer Tomas Fujiwara, and two albums with his Sextet and Trio: The Middle Picture and Asphalt Flowers Forking Paths.
Pekka Airaksinen (Finland)
Alexei Borisov (Russia) & Anton Nikkilä (Finland)
Kotra (Russia)
Color is Luxury (Philadelphia)
$5 (suggested donation)
Pekka Airaksinen:
For the best part of his career (spanning some forty years) Pekka Airaksinen’s music can be said to have been ahead of its time. Airaksinen is still mainly known for the controversial underground/performance group The Sperm, formed in 1967. He was responsible for the musical side of things of the collective, whose recordings mostly resemble the noise and industrial music of some ten years later rather than any of their contemporaries or Airaksinen’s influences - who were mostly the classics of 50’s and 60’s electronic music, such as Cage and Stockhausen.
Contemporaries testify to the fact that especially in their early years The Sperm waged a serious guerrilla war against the status quo in Finland. For this they chose a pro-drug, pro-sexual revolution rhetoric and a rather dadaistic sense of humor as weapons. Much like the revolution-minded students all over Europe in the late 60’s, members of The Sperm were influenced by American free jazz, underground rock, and anarchist elements of the counter-culture. After The Sperm disbanded in 1970, Airaksinen continued making experimental music, but primarily stuck to recordings. Together with a few ex-Sperm members he also participated in the exhibitions of the artist group Elonkorjaajat (”The Harvesters”) with his psychedelic paintings.
What runs through the whole of Airaksinen’s musical output is his idiosyncratic mode of expression; the disintegrating, out-of-sync rhythms, the intense dynamics, and the feverish visions. Unlike in most electronic music, his approach is unpolished, spontaneous, and improvisatory. The cosmic “electro-jazz” Airaksinen developed in the 80’s, fusing bebop, free jazz and the 808 drum machine sound, still astonishes. On his new album Airaksinen turns to his first musical loves – electronic music of the 1950’s and jazz – as sources for sampling. The result is an improvisatory collage in which his synthetic sound of recent years combines organically with layers of history.
Alexei Borisov & Anton Nikkilä:
Alexei Borisov (Russia) & Anton Nikkilä (Finland) have been performing since 1998 and have released four albums together. The Wire magazine described their latest album thusly: “They stalk a humid tropic zone where all sorts of electronic tropes circulate: electroacoustic music, glitch, noise, sampling and more… they are aggressively intellectual, forcing the listener to seriously think outside of musical hierarchies.”
Alexei Borisov was born in 1960 in Moscow, USSR. He started his music career in 1980 as a guitarist of the first Moscow new-wave band THE CENTER. In 1981 with guitarist Dmitry Matzenov he organized THE PROSPEKT, big-beat-ska-mod band. In 1985 with the keyboard-player Ivan Sokolovsky he formed the first Russian techno-industrial-post-rock band NOTCHNOI PROSPEKT. This project is still active, playing concerts and taking part in different festivals in Russia and abroad. Since the beginning of the 90-s Borisov takes part in electronic duo F.R.U.I.T.S. as well as ethno-electronic band VOLGA and GOSPLAN TRIO.
“Experimental music is not dependent on institutional definitions; it constitutes a field, albeit fragmentary, of its own - a no man’s land. The electro-acoustic music of Anton Nikkilä, for example, a musician with an avant-punk background, neatly defies all conventional definitions. His minimalist industrial dada is equally at home in clubs and in concert halls reserved for classical music.” (Tanja Uimonen, Finnish Music Quarterly 3/2007)
Kotra:
Kotra is the main art project from Dmytro Fedorenko. He started making music in 1994 as bass player in the jazz-noise band Potercha. In 1996 he founded noise duo Zet and made a series of performances with independent visual artists and videomakers. In 1997-1998 he participated in several video-art, net-art and interactive workshops in the Soros Center for Contemporary Art in Kyiv. Leaving Zet in 1998 he started his solo project Kotra. Since that time he has released 10 full length albums, and has worked with Kim Cascone, Franz Pomassl, Alexei Borisov and others.
Color is Luxury:
Color is Luxury are Charles Cohen & Hair Loss. The Color Is Luxury sound is always improvisational, changing and evolving, ranging from very dense and harsh to minimal and ambient, some beats/pulses, often spacey, based on their mood at the time and the atmosphere of the space they’re playing in. Regardless of the situation, they manage to come up with something special.
Charles plays a Buchla Music Easel, a rare analog performance instrument he acquired from master synth maker Don Buchla in 1976. He performs regularly in Philly with various folks on the techno, noise, jazz and new music scenes.
Hair Loss plays a variety of effects pedals and devices, which he wires up differently for each show, thus always keeping Charles guessing. He is also involved with SNOWSTORM & Jive Nation, and collaborates frequently with other Philadelphia artists. - Bowerbird
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, salon visits, 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 play flute and sax. Elliott will also improv to another short film later in the evening, solo.
plus fun Philly films donated by Scribe Video Center and Brian Siano (Friends of Clark Park)
+
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
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, salon visits, 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 and Brian Siano (Friends of Clark Park)
+
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
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! demonstration by Hafez El Ali Kotain and AL-Bustan Percussion Ensemble
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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)
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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, salon visits, 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 play 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 and Brian Siano (Friends of Clark Park)
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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
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.
DJ Ambush, DJ Juice E., Double E, and Fem Star spin Hiphop, breaks, and funk all night, and there are open cyphas, a tag wall, and a featured performance and graffiti panel each month.
Laugh your ass-paragus off as cartoonist Dan Piraro of Bizarro comics returns to Philly for Public Eye: Artists for Animals’ Veggie Cabaret II. Edgy comedian Dave Lambon, quirky storyteller Annie Hart, and others round out an evening of veg-zaniness with comedy, theater, and music. All palates are welcome!
Katie and Pitark
Quinn Compositions
Theater, 60 minutes
Katie wishes for more excitement in her life, but be careful what you wish for! Pitark, a passionate artist who stands up for what he believes in, inspires her to want to live a more creative life. However, there is more to Pitark than Katie can ever guess. . .
Performances: Tuesday September 8 at 7pm
Tuesday September 15 at 7pm
Katie and Pitark
Quinn Compositions
Theater, 60 minutes
Katie wishes for more excitement in her life, but be careful what you wish for! Pitark, a passionate artist who stands up for what he believes in, inspires her to want to live a more creative life. However, there is more to Pitark than Katie can ever guess. . .
Performances: Tuesday September 8 at 7pm
Tuesday September 15 at 7pm
A History of Shit: Manson in Thebes
Theatre of the Evangelical Scientific Revolution
Theater, 60 minutes
Mixing juvenile humor with Greek tragedy and the psychotic megalomania of Charles Manson, this production makes an argument for the redemptive, cathartic, transformative, and spiritual value of human excrement.
Performances:
Friday September 4 at 8pm
Thursday September 17 at 8pm
A History of Shit: Manson in Thebes
Theatre of the Evangelical Scientific Revolution
Theater, 60 minutes
Mixing juvenile humor with Greek tragedy and the psychotic megalomania of Charles Manson, this production makes an argument for the redemptive, cathartic, transformative, and spiritual value of human excrement.
Performances:
Friday September 4 at 8pm
Thursday September 17 at 8pm
The Gonzales Cantata
Melissa Dunphy
Music, 60 minutes
Miss America meets PDQ Bach on Capitol Hill in this choral work with a libretto taken directly from the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings of former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Thirty performers in concert present one of the most dramatic moments in modern US politics—with genders reversed. Suitable for all ages.
To read blog articles related to this show click here.
Performances:
Friday September 4 at 7pm
Saturday September 5 at 7pm
Sunday September 6 at 2pm
The Gonzales Cantata
Melissa Dunphy
Music, 60 minutes
Miss America meets PDQ Bach on Capitol Hill in this choral work with a libretto taken directly from the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings of former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Thirty performers in concert present one of the most dramatic moments in modern US politics—with genders reversed. Suitable for all ages.
To read blog articles related to this show click here.
Performances:
Friday September 4 at 7pm
Saturday September 5 at 7pm
Sunday September 6 at 2pm
The Gonzales Cantata
Melissa Dunphy
Music, 60 minutes
Miss America meets PDQ Bach on Capitol Hill in this choral work with a libretto taken directly from the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings of former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Thirty performers in concert present one of the most dramatic moments in modern US politics—with genders reversed. Suitable for all ages.
To read blog articles related to this show click here.
Performances:
Friday September 4 at 7pm
Saturday September 5 at 7pm
Sunday September 6 at 2pm
The Enchanted
Ruthanne E. Ankney
Theater, 75 minutes
You will be stolen away by enchanted fae. Captives enter the magical mystical fae world through dazzling shadow puppetry, traditional music, theater, and dance. Sneeze and a tree sprite might swallow you up. Dare to join a fairy round with a hypnotic fiddler, mad toad, woodland enchantress, and fantastical creatures.
Performances:
September 11 at 8pm
September 12 at 2pm
September 12 at 8pm
September 16 at 12:30pm
The Enchanted
Ruthanne E. Ankney
Theater, 75 minutes
You will be stolen away by enchanted fae. Captives enter the magical mystical fae world through dazzling shadow puppetry, traditional music, theater, and dance. Sneeze and a tree sprite might swallow you up. Dare to join a fairy round with a hypnotic fiddler, mad toad, woodland enchantress, and fantastical creatures.
Performances:
September 11 at 8pm
September 12 at 2pm
September 12 at 8pm
September 16 at 12:30pm
The Enchanted
Ruthanne E. Ankney
Theater, 75 minutes
You will be stolen away by enchanted fae. Captives enter the magical mystical fae world through dazzling shadow puppetry, traditional music, theater, and dance. Sneeze and a tree sprite might swallow you up. Dare to join a fairy round with a hypnotic fiddler, mad toad, woodland enchantress, and fantastical creatures.
Performances:
September 11 at 8pm
September 12 at 2pm
September 12 at 8pm
September 16 at 12:30pm
The Enchanted
Ruthanne E. Ankney
Theater, 75 minutes
You will be stolen away by enchanted fae. Captives enter the magical mystical fae world through dazzling shadow puppetry, traditional music, theater, and dance. Sneeze and a tree sprite might swallow you up. Dare to join a fairy round with a hypnotic fiddler, mad toad, woodland enchantress, and fantastical creatures.
Performances:
September 11 at 8pm
September 12 at 2pm
September 12 at 8pm
September 16 at 12:30pm
“Best Solo Performance” in DC Fringe 2008! “Best Solo Show AND Best of the Fest” in Orlando Fringe 2009! One man performs the epic story of “Seven Samurai,” complete with victimized peasants, marauding bandits, samurai warriors, and spectacular fight scenes. Retold at a comic breakneck pace. Unique, riveting, and very funny.
photo by Aude Guerrucci
7 (x1) Samurai
David Gaines
Theater, 60 minutes
“Best Solo Performance” in DC Fringe 2008! “Best Solo Show AND Best of the Fest” in Orlando Fringe 2009! One man performs the epic story of “Seven Samurai,” complete with victimized peasants, marauding bandits, samurai warriors, and spectacular fight scenes. Retold at a comic breakneck pace. Unique, riveting, and very funny.
“Best Solo Performance” in DC Fringe 2008! “Best Solo Show AND Best of the Fest” in Orlando Fringe 2009! One man performs the epic story of “Seven Samurai,” complete with victimized peasants, marauding bandits, samurai warriors, and spectacular fight scenes. Retold at a comic breakneck pace. Unique, riveting, and very funny.
“Best Solo Performance” in DC Fringe 2008! “Best Solo Show AND Best of the Fest” in Orlando Fringe 2009! One man performs the epic story of “Seven Samurai,” complete with victimized peasants, marauding bandits, samurai warriors, and spectacular fight scenes. Retold at a comic breakneck pace. Unique, riveting, and very funny.
Not your traditional modern dance company, Fusion Dance Company transcends the boundaries between different genres of dance and performance, purposely defying categorization. Come experience Fusion as it proudly makes its debut with a collection of contemporary works fused together into an entertaining and evocative collage of dance.
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.
DJ Ambush, DJ Juice E., Double E, and Fem Star spin Hiphop, breaks, and funk all night, and there are open cyphas, a tag wall, and a featured performance and graffiti panel each month.
Lili Bita, renowned Greek actress and author, is, in the words of the former director of the Greek National Theater, Tasos Athanassiadis, “among the most talented women of her generation.” In this exciting evening of drama and poetry, Lili will offer selections from her most acclaimed works and stage performances, including monologues from her one-woman shows, The Greek Woman Through the Ages and Women of Fire and Blood, readings from her love poetry and her best-selling memoir, Sister of Darkness, and a complete performance of her play, Sundays in the Cemetery, featuring Hannah Tsapatoris and Lawrence Beck.
Join us for this extraordinary evening of drama, ritual, and Eros, as Lili combines ancient mystery with modern feminist feeling in an unforgettable theater experience. Directed by Lili Bita and Gerald van Wilgen. Adults only.
Performances: September 13 at 8pm
September 18 at 8pm
September 19 at 3pm
September 19 at 8pm
For further information, please call 215.413.1318, or visit www.lilibita.com.
THE THEATER COOPERATIVE and PHILLY FRINGE
PROUDLY PRESENT
PASSION: AN EVENING WITH LILI BITA
Lili Bita, renowned Greek actress and author, is, in the words of the former director of the Greek National Theater, Tasos Athanassiadis, “among the most talented women of her generation.” In this exciting evening of drama and poetry, Lili will offer selections from her most acclaimed works and stage performances, including monologues from her one-woman shows, The Greek Woman Through the Ages and Women of Fire and Blood, readings from her love poetry and her best-selling memoir, Sister of Darkness, and a complete performance of her play, Sundays in the Cemetery, featuring Hannah Tsapatoris and Lawrence Beck.
Join us for this extraordinary evening of drama, ritual, and Eros, as Lili combines ancient mystery with modern feminist feeling in an unforgettable theater experience. Directed by Lili Bita and Gerald van Wilgen. Adults only.
Times: September 13 and 18 at 8:00 P.M.; September 19 at 3:00 and 8:00 P.M.
For further information, please call 215.413.1318, or visit www.lilibita.com.
THE THEATER COOPERATIVE and PHILLY FRINGE
PROUDLY PRESENT
PASSION: AN EVENING WITH LILI BITA
Lili Bita, renowned Greek actress and author, is, in the words of the former director of the Greek National Theater, Tasos Athanassiadis, “among the most talented women of her generation.” In this exciting evening of drama and poetry, Lili will offer selections from her most acclaimed works and stage performances, including monologues from her one-woman shows, The Greek Woman Through the Ages and Women of Fire and Blood, readings from her love poetry and her best-selling memoir, Sister of Darkness, and a complete performance of her play, Sundays in the Cemetery, featuring Hannah Tsapatoris and Lawrence Beck.
Join us for this extraordinary evening of drama, ritual, and Eros, as Lili combines ancient mystery with modern feminist feeling in an unforgettable theater experience. Directed by Lili Bita and Gerald van Wilgen. Adults only.
Times: September 13 and 18 at 8:00 P.M.; September 19 at 3:00 and 8:00 P.M.
For further information, please call 215.413.1318, or visit www.lilibita.com.
THE THEATER COOPERATIVE and PHILLY FRINGE
PROUDLY PRESENT
PASSION: AN EVENING WITH LILI BITA
Lili Bita, renowned Greek actress and author, is, in the words of the former director of the Greek National Theater, Tasos Athanassiadis, “among the most talented women of her generation.” In this exciting evening of drama and poetry, Lili will offer selections from her most acclaimed works and stage performances, including monologues from her one-woman shows, The Greek Woman Through the Ages and Women of Fire and Blood, readings from her love poetry and her best-selling memoir, Sister of Darkness, and a complete performance of her play, Sundays in the Cemetery, featuring Hannah Tsapatoris and Lawrence Beck.
Join us for this extraordinary evening of drama, ritual, and Eros, as Lili combines ancient mystery with modern feminist feeling in an unforgettable theater experience. Directed by Lili Bita and Gerald van Wilgen. Adults only.
Times: September 13 and 18 at 8:00 P.M.; September 19 at 3:00 and 8:00 P.M.
For further information, please call 215.413.1318, or visit www.lilibita.com.
Catch Alashat their fourth Rotunda appearance! We’re not sure when they can come back, so see them here! Every time they appear here, the place is packed to the point where folks opt to watch from the sidewalk, so show up early!
This event is FREE!
Philly legends THE SUN RA ARKESTRA will perform on the same bill! This is legendary!
Info on the performers:
ALASH
The Alash ensemble is a quartet of master throat singers (xöömeizhi) from Tuva, a tiny republic in the heart of Central Asia. The ancient art of throat singing (xöömei) developed among the nomadic herdsmen of this region. Alash remains grounded in this tradition while expanding its musical vocabulary with new ideas from the West.
All members of Alash were trained in traditional Tuvan music since childhood, first learning from their families, and later becoming students of master throat singers. In 1999, as students at Kyzyl Arts College, they formed a group called Changy-Xaya. They practiced in the damp college basement on Kochetovo Street, and soon became the resident traditional ensemble on campus. At the same time they learned about western music, practiced on hybrid Tuvan-European instruments, and listened to new trends coming out of America. Under the guidance of Kongar-ool Ondar (best known to western audiences for his role in the film Genghis Blues), they began to forge a new musical identity. They introduced the guitar and sometimes even the Russian bayan (accordion) into their arrangements, alongside their traditional Tuvan instruments. They experimented with new harmonies and song structures. The effect is an intriguing mixture of old and new.
Alash’s inaugural U.S. tour was sponsored in 2006 by the Open World Leadership program of the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Arts. Since then, they have returned to tour extensively, playing to enthusiastic audiences and presenting workshops to eager students of all ages. The Washington Post described their music as “utterly stunning,” quipping that after the performance “audience members picked their jaws up off the floor.”
SUN RA ARKESTRA
Eclectic, outrageous, sometimes mystifying but always imbued with a powerful jazz consciousness, the music of Sun Ra has withstood its skeptics and detractors for nearly three generations. And well it should, since Sun Ra has been both a part of and ahead of the jazz tradition during that time. Like Duke Ellington and swing-era pioneer Fletcher Henderson, Sun Ra learned early on to write music in an arranged form that showcased the specific talents of his individual Arkestra members. Sun Ra was the first jazz musician to perform on electronic keyboards (56), the first to pursue full-scale collective improvisation in a big band setting, and his preoccupation with space travel as a compositional subject predated bands like Weather Report by about 15 years. All this from someone who refused to even cite the earth as his home planet, preferring to have arrived from Saturn. As Sun Ra once explained it, “I never wanted to be a part of planet Earth, but I am compelled to be here, so anything I do for this planet is because the Master-Creator of the Universe is making me do it. I am of another dimension. I am on this planet because people need me”.
Marshall Allen assumed the helm of the Sun Ra Arkestra in 1995 after the ascension of Sun Ra in 1993 and John Gilmore in 1995. Mr. Allen continues to reside at the Sun Ra Residence in Philadelphia, composing, writing and arranging for the Arkestra much like his mentor, totally committed to a life of discipline centered totally on the study, research, and further development of Sun Ra’s musical precepts.
Marshall maintains the Sun Ra residence as a living museum dedicated to the compilation, restoration and preservation of Sun Ra’s music, memorabilia, and artifacts. Marshall has launched the Sun Ra Arkestra into a dimension beyond that of mere “ghost” band by writing fresh arrangements of Sun Ra’s music, as well as composing new music for the Arkestra. He works unceasingly to keep the big-band tradition alive, reworking arrangements of the music of Fletcher Henderson and Jimmie Lunceford for the Arkestra to play, along with many other American standards.
Angela ‘Sadio’ Watson
Angela “Sadio” Watson is the founder of Camara Arts a Rites of Passage organization. She began training & studying traditional African dance in 1989, has traveled all over the world dancing, and was a Fulbright scholar in Guinea in 1997-98. Angela is currently a member of KuluMele African dance ensemble, the oldest African dance company in Philly.
Rhetta Morgan
Rhetta Morgan is a well-known music recitalist, educator, and innovator. She blends musical elements from her conservatory education, gospel music background, and love for popular music into the songs she creates and performs. She boldly intertwines various spiritual principles to create a unique sound.
Taina Asili y La Banda Rebelde
Taína Asili carries on the tradition of her ancestors, fusing present and past struggles into one poetic song-voice. She is a puertorriqueña vocalist, poet, visual artist, educator, activist and mother from Philadelphia, PA and Albany, NY. Her newest artistic work is with her live band, Taína Asili y La Banda Rebelde, soulful vocals laid over a unique infusion of rock, neo-soul, reggae, hip hop, and Afro-Caribbean sounds.
Nuala Cabral
“Affording Progress”
Rhode Island native Nuala Cabral is a filmmaker and educator who is passionate about using media to highlight underrepresented voices and promote social justice and youth empowerment. Her first documentary film, “Who’s That Girl: Women of Color and Hip Hop” has screened at numerous festivals, conferences and classrooms across the United States and aired on PBS-New England. Nuala is a recent alumna of the Third World Newsreel’s production program in NYC, where she directed “Affording Progress” a short film about gentrification in Brooklyn. Currently, Nuala is pursuing a graduate degree in media studies at Temple University and co-directing a media literacy camp at the Russell Byers Charter School in Philadelphia.
Chloe Davis
Chloe attended Hampton University, VA and graduated in 2004 with a Bachelors in Fine Arts. She then continued her graduate studies at Temple University, PA and received her Masters in Tourism and Hospitality Management in 2007. Chloe is a current member of The Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO) and has also worked with world renown choreographers such as Ronald K. Brown, Rennie Harris, Christopher Huggins, Milton Myers and Tania Isaac. In addition she has performed a 2007 American Masterpiece “Southern Landscape” choreographed by the great Talley Beatty. Chloe also shares a love for event planner and has recently started an event management firm called Tigerlily Events, LLC.
Rhythm
Who is rhythm?..rhythm is a regular recurrence of an action or function, as of the beat of a heart; and that is who she is: a regular recurrence of “thinking out loud,” using poetry and spoken word to express social and cultural issues as well as personal thoughts and aspirations. A wildflower from the start, rhythm began to spread her roots in Greenville, SC in the early 1980s. Almost as soon as she could hold a pen, she could pen a poem, and she’s been doing just that ever since. She specializes in semi-biographical poetry, as highlighted in the first of a series of books entitled Libations. The series includes original poems and images (by acclaimed philadelphia muralist Willis Nomo) celebrating artists and musicians who have passed away. The first volume focuses on black artists who died young. Drawing upon influences from blues, r&b, rock, and jazz, rhythm often marries music with spoken word to form a signature blend of words, melodies, thoughts, emotions, and rhythm…
Cocosol
Burning with a distinct & intoxicating life force, CocoSol is an International Songstress & multi-instrumentalist. Her music is a wonderful world funk symphony woven with catchy guitar licks, sultry voice, fiery rhythms and longing melodies. In Montreal, CocoSol grew up in a large family of nine, Brady Bunch style. While a teenager, she took the stage as a root dancer and singer percussionist with Ayana & Batanes; two Malian/Cuban premier ensembles and appeared as a recording artist on their release, Batanes. Since her arrival on the Philadelphia’s art scene in the late nineties, CocoSol has collaborated with multiple artists, companies and formed three distinct musical groups: “Do it Duo, Les Tourterelles and SOWELU.” For more on this artist: www.cocosmusic.com.
Anonamas
The Black Women’s Arts Festival (BWAF) was founded and produced in March 2003 by Founder and Organizer Cassendre Xavier. Xavier a writer, singer, musician, visual artist, and producer, “…grew up with little support and [role] models of Black women making a good living from their art only.” In response to this lack of visibility Xavier produced a 3-day event, which showcased the work of black women artists in: performance, visual arts, literary arts, and film.
Now in its 6th year BWAF has become a non-profit which produces a once-yearly 4-day festival showcasing: Music/Live Performance, Spoken Word, Visual Arts, Film, Vendors, and Dance/Theater. BWAF is committed to being a platform that values black women and their work; emphasizing unique, under-represented art forms, showcasing new and emerging artists while promoting the necessity of health and well-being. Led by Creative Director Monica McIntyre, Founder/Organizer Cassendre Xavier, Organizer Maleka Diggs, and a myriad of volunteers; BWAF is further building its reputation as a world-renowned arts festival.
Catalyst for Change: “Crafts for a Cause” to Benefit Citizens for a No-Kill Philadelphia
Citizens for a No-Kill Philadelphia (CNKP) is hosting the first animal welfare “Crafts for a Cause” event in Philadelphia to raise money for the growing movement to make Philadelphia a “No-Kill City.” (“No-Kill” is commonly defined as a community where all healthy and treatable animals in shelters are saved. Currently 12,000 adoptable dogs and cats die each year in Philadelphia shelters.)
CNKP has been high profile this summer collecting signatures for its petition to City Council to enact a law that will stop the killing of cats and dogs as a means of population control. The group currently has more than 6,000 signatures. “Crafts for a Cause” will be another opportunity for the group to raise awareness for its cause.
“The location for ‘Crafts for a Cause’ is fitting,” notes CNKP Founder and President Garrett Elwood. “The Rotunda is a West Philadelphia community-gathering place where art is viewed as a catalyst for social change. CNKP also is trying to make profound change. We are a group of taxpayers and pet lovers who are committed to working with City Hall to solve the problem of overcrowding in our shelters without killing.”
Food: Snacks and beverages will be sold, vegetarian friendly
Vendors: 30+ vendors selling handmade goods, including many well known local artists such as Gretchen Diehl, Nicole Wiegand, and Cat Flowers
Live Music:
Nadine Brosnan
Red & Orange
Afferent Cue
Sounds from Atlantis
John Morrison
The Nervous Rex
Special Guests: Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), Pinups for Pitbulls, Opportunity Barks, Central Bark Doggy Daycare, author Kellianne Peterson (available for booksigning)
Special bonus: Come meet adoptable dogs from PAWS!
For More Information: Erin VanBremen, Citizens for a No-Kill Philadelphia, VanBremenE@usa.redcross.org
or Tina Dillon, Dillon Events, tdillonevents@gmail.com
THE FEMME SHOW RETURNS TO PHILADELPHIA
An all-new show exploring femme identity and queer femininity
Fresh from their smash hit Boston performances, the Femme Show brings their all-new show to The Rotunda on Friday, August 21. The Femme Show in a follow-up to their sold-out 2008 Baltimore show. From Barbie dolls to garter belts, from 1950’s dyke bars to suburban back yards and late night taco joints, from hula hooping to clowning, this show takes audiences on a wild ride. The Femme Show offers a variety of diverse perspectives on femme identity with subject matter that is at times thoughtful, sad, sexy, funny, and fun. Local guest artists will be
Joining the touring cast to bring you another evening of film, dance, storytelling, burlesque, drag, and performance art that is sure to delight.
Tickets are $10 and will soon be available online.
In October of 2007, the Boston debut of The Femme Show sold out and received rave reviews from audience members, who called it “wild, raw, transparent, and unique,” and “a fantastic, funny, powerful show.” The second-annual Boston performance was well-received by almost 400 audience members and was an editor’s choice in the Boston Globe. Since then, The Femme Show has been seen True Colors, the country’s largest LGBTQI youth conference; at Emerson College in Boston; at Queer Spirit Camp in Greenwich, New York; Baltimore; and Philadelphia; and Portland, ME. Cast members have recently been seen at the HOT Festival at Dixon Place in New York City, the Femme2008 Conference in Chicago, and the Eugene O’Neill Cabaret Conference, among others.
Featured pieces include:
• “Femme Lesson Number Two” features Havalah Backus and The Femme Show ensemble with a harrowing and hilarious story about assumptions and mistaken identity.
• “CHECK ONE PLEASE” is a humorous look at the conundrum of having to choose a label for one’s gender. Physical theater and gendered props overflow in this exploration of the question: what must one give up when choosing a label?
• “Phyllis and Beatrice’s Guide to Revolution and Comportment for Feminine Sapphists.”
• Spoken word from Alicia Greene and Amy Rain Adams
• “Split Personality,”the hilarious end result of a lifetime of classical dance training, this highfemme dance solo is performed with a pointe shoe on one foot and a Doc Marten boot on the other.
About the Artists
Amy Rain Adams received her BFA in Printmaking from Maine College of Art and resides in Portland, ME. She spends her days working as a graphic designer and her evenings as a kittyloving artist, dancer, educator, and plant enthusiast. She has taught numerous workshops on art and activism to both youth and adults. Amy was the director of University of Southern Maine’s The Vagina Monologues, part of the 2008 Global V-Day Campaign. She is also known in Portland for her ‘zinester antics and creation of Why Is Cunt A Dirty Word?! ‘Zine (WICAD Word). Working from autobiographical narrative, her art investigates feminist topics such as: gender, sexuality, spirituality and relationships.
havalah grace backus hails from Chicago, and just recently moved from Durham, North Carolina, where she received her AA from Durham Technical Community College and organized the Sweaty Southern Radical Queer and Trans Convergence among other things. She is currently a BFA Acting student at Emerson College where she is crazy busy taking classes and performing in a variety of things from plays and performance art to sketch comedy and improv.
Johnny Blazes is known throughout Boston’s drag and burlesque scenes for hir genre-bending, gender-blending, tongue-in-cheek performances. After training in traditional performance arts, theater, opera and ballet, Johnny started to develop hir own style of performance and art. While attending Oberlin College in Ohio, Johnny founded and directed OCircus! which toured to Detroit, Columbus, Boston, New York, DC and Richmond. Since Johnny’s return to hir home town of Boston in the fall of 2007, Johnny has emerged full force with art that refuses to be labeled. Ze is a regular performer at Truth Serum’s TraniWreck and has choreographed for Boston’s only all-sizes dance troupe, Big Moves. Johnny is currently creating on a one-man show, working with clowning, drag and classical voice.
Maggie Crowley (artistic director) is an artist, activist, and teacher committed to community, social change, and sequins. She performs regularly with Boston’s Traniwreck and Works in Progress at the Theater Offensive. She recently appeared at the HOT Festival at Dixon Place in New York City, at the Femme2008 Conference, and as a guest artist with Body Heat: the Femme Porn Tour. She is a former wiz kid activist and teen prodigy poet currently trying to figure out how to be a grown up.
Alicia Greene is a black queer educator, activist and performer. She is an alumni of Kansas State University, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts-NYC and the Improv Asylum Training Center in Boston, MA.
M. Hanora is a community organizer, abortion care provider, artist, and writer. She was recently published in the anthology Queer and Catholic. Mallory has performed in Boston at the Works in Progress series, Boston University, Emerson College, the Boston Common, Jacques Cabaret, at parties and special events, and with the Reflect and Strengthen Street Theatre troupe. She
graduated from the Emerson College Honors Program with a degree in Writing and experience in the performing arts.
Rachel Kahn: A recent transplant to Boston by way of New York City, Rachel is a freelance writer, poet, and performer, but spends the vast majority of her time pretending to be a therapist. Her work has been heard at a variety of venues, including the Apocalypse Lounge, the Ear Inn Poetry Series, and The New York Writers’ Coalition ‘Writing Aloud’ series. After a semi-successful stint pulling the movie screen down for the first Femme Show, Rachel is excited to be on the other side of the stage. She recently performed at the HOT Festival at Dixon Place in New York, and with the Femme Show’s fabulous summer tour. Rachel’s first novel came out earlier this year under an assumed identity.
Hosted By: The Lovely Ashley Brockington
In the past couple of years, Ashley has been throwing her energy backstage and taken up producing small community theater in the Lower East Side in New York City. Ashley curates The Cabaret Cataplexy at The Slipper Room with her creative partner, Monstah Black. Cataplexy is a show that features performance art, costume design & music within a community of emerging and evolving artists. She just closed her new play Black Girl Ugly that she produced and co-wrote. You can find her hosting these and other cabarets around New York City.
Teri Knox
Poet, Performer, and Naughty Girl..Teri Knox will have you holding your breath, blushing, and laughing as you hear her deliver poems such as: ‘Her Panties’ and ‘I’ll Be Your Purse’. She is accompanied on Upright Bass by Dave Walsh and they call their electric collaboration, Black Ink and Bass.
Nikki Powerhouse
Nikki Powerhouse is a native of Philadelphia, PA soil. An actor, playwright, poet, nude figure model and freedom dancer who uses her many artistic expressions to promote healing. She began her extensive theater training at the Philadelphia Creative Performing Arts High School, and continued honing her passion at Black Nexxus, and Theatre for New Generation. Her New York City stage credits include: ‘Notice Me’, presented in NYC Fringe Festival, ‘Sex, God, and Heels’, ‘Queen Mary of Scotland’ and ‘Khepera’. In Philadelphia she has trained with The New Freedom Theater, and currently in her second year at Community College of Philadelphia and will finish her BFA at Temple University School of Theater Communications. Philadelphia stage credits includes: her one-woman show ‘Fantasy Is An Addiction’ (2005 Philly Fringe Festival), lead role in ‘Antigone’, ‘Seven Guitars’, ‘Fences’, and ‘Merry Wives of Windsor’. Ms. Powerhouse’s flexibility leaves her audiences captivated by each every performance giving true mean to the name: Powerhouse!
Zuri
Zuri has been involved in the creative and performing arts since childhood, but came to dance as an adult, beginning with the Latin dances. She discovered belly dance 3 years ago and found a home.
As music is her profession, Zuri incorporates her solid knowledge of timing and musical interpretation into her performances. Her show formats can range from traditional to a fusion with Caribbean and/or Latin flavor depending on client venue and preference. currently studies with Serena Wilson trained NYC based instructor/performer Layla, and is a member of her Veiled Visions dance ensemble. For more info www.zuribellydancer.com.
Misty Sol
2006 and 2007 Leeway Art and Change Grant recipient, Misty Sol is a writer, vocalist and performance artist. Her interdisciplinary work often brings together elements of song, poetry, drama and documentary film to explore issues as varied as politics, sexuality and spirituality, all through the lens of Black Diasporic experience. In 2008 and 2009, her company, SolEl Multimedia produced two documentaries commissioned by the United Way. During that time Misty also worked in collaboration to establish Sanctuary Wholistic Arts as a performance space and artist collective in North Philadelphia. There, she produced her two-woman choreopoem Songs of the Blue Goddess, which originally premiered at the 2007 Philadelphia Fringe Festival. As an educator, Misty has begun designing and facilitating workshops based on the late Agusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed. Most recently, she began performing and touring locally in rock/soul music duo, Kungfu Jane. Misty Sol is currently working toward an M.F.A. in Interdisciplinary Arts at Goddard College.
The Black Women’s Arts Festival (BWAF) was founded and produced in March 2003 by Founder and Organizer Cassendre Xavier. Xavier a writer, singer, musician, visual artist, and producer, “…grew up with little support and [role] models of Black women making a good living from their art only.” In response to this lack of visibility Xavier produced a 3-day event, which showcased the work of black women artists in: performance, visual arts, literary arts, and film.
Now in its 6th year BWAF has become a non-profit which produces a once-yearly 4-day festival showcasing: Music/Live Performance, Spoken Word, Visual Arts, Film, Vendors, and Dance/Theater. BWAF is committed to being a platform that values black women and their work; emphasizing unique, under-represented art forms, showcasing new and emerging artists while promoting the necessity of health and well-being. Led by Creative Director Monica McIntyre, Founder/Organizer Cassendre Xavier, Organizer Maleka Diggs, and a myriad of volunteers; BWAF is further building its reputation as a world-renowned arts festival.
CONSPIRING FOR CHANGE: the politics of protest in the post 9-11 world
A benefit for the RNC8 and the SF8
$8 and up suggested donation; no one turned away
Join us for an evening of inspiration and resistance! The War on Terror has entangled long histories of state violence with new forms of repression. From yesterday’s COINTELPRO to today’s PATRIOT ACT, the government has attempted to criminalize U.S. political movements in the courts, in the media, and on the streets. This event brings together longtime activists locally and from around the country to discuss the use of conspiracy and terrorism charges against contemporary organizers, to connect legacies of social justice struggles, and to chart paths of opposition.
There will also be artwork by local Puerto Rican artists Danny Torres and Ismael Avila and the first Philadelphia showing of the exhibit Voices Outside: Artists Against the Prison Industrial Complex, a portfolio created by artists in the Justseed’s Artist Cooperative.
THE PANELISTS
Ramona Africa
Ramona Africa is an international spokesperson for the MOVE organization, a revolutionary back-to-nature organization whose main belief is in life. This organization has experienced violent repression at the hands of the government, with nine members– known as the MOVE 9– incarcerated for a crime they did not commit. In 1985, Philadelphia police dropped a military-grade bomb on MOVE headquarters, killing six adults and five children. Ramona, the only adult survivor of that attack, was immediately arrested on charges including “conspiracy to riot,” and served seven years in prison.
Laura Whitehorn
Laura Whitehorn, an anti-imperialist activist, served nearly 15 years in prison for militant actions against U.S. policies during the 1980s. For many years before that, she was active in a variety of radical organizations, including the Weather Underground and the John Brown Anti-Klan Committee. Released from prison in 1999, she lives in New York City with her partner, Susie Day. Whitehorn is an editor at POZ magazine, a national source of information and news about HIV, and works with other activists in the New York State Taskforce for the Release of Political Prisoners.
Luce Guillén-Givins
Luce began her political work at age 15, joining a Tucson-based immigrant and border rights group. Since then she has expanded her focus to include other issues of globalization, capitalism and empire, and found that anarchist organizing methods best suited her desire for anti-oppression struggle. In addition to organizing as part of the RNC Welcoming Committee, Luce has spent much of the past couple years working with EWOK! (Earth Warriors are OK!), a Twin Cities-based eco-prisoner support group.
Luis Sanabria
Luis Sanabria was a founding member of the National Committee to Free Puerto Rican POW and Political Prisoners and a member of the Movimiento de Liberacion Nacional (MLN), which spearheaded the campaigns for freeing two generations of Puerto Rican political prisoners. He is a founding member of the Juan A. Corretjer Centers in San Francisco and in Philadelphia, and a board member of Philadelphia’s Centro Pedro Claver, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.
Soffiyah Elijah
Soffiyah Elijah is a Clinical Instructor at the Criminal Justice Institute at Harvard Law School. She has had a distinguished career as an attorney and was an assistant professor of law at the City University of New York. She has represented a number of political prisoners and activists in the U.S. including Kwame Turé, Marilyn Buck, and Sundiata Acoli. Dr. Elijah has done extensive research on the U.S. criminal justice and prison systems over the past 20 years. She is currently representing Francisco Torres in the San Francisco 8 case.
Francisco Torres (Invited)
Cisco was born in Puerto Rico and raised in this country. He is a Vietnam Veteran who fought for the grievances of Black and Latino soldiers upon his return to the states. A former Black Panther, he has been a community activist since his discharge from the military in 1969. His presence at the event depends on whether he will be able to travel during the preliminary hearings, which start in July.
THE CASES
The San Francisco 8 are the eight Black community activists – Black Panthers and others – who were arrested January 23, 2007, in California, New York, and Florida on charges related to the 1971 killing of a San Francisco police officer. Similar charges were thrown out thirty-five years ago after it was revealed that police used torture to extract confessions when some of these same men were arrested in New Orleans in 1973. The original charges against them came out of COINTELPRO, and the reopening of the case was made possible by the PATRIOT act. After more than two years, preliminary hearings in the case begin in July 2009. For more info check out www.freethesf8.org
The RNC8 are the eight activists facing conspiracy and terrorism charges for their work organizing against the 2008 Republican National Convention in Saint Paul, Minnesota. They were arrested before the convention even began, and charged with “conspiracy to riot in furtherance of terrorism,” making them the first people ever charged under Minnesota’s version of the PATRIOT act. They are not being charged with actually doing anything, but face the possibility of several years in prison for publicly organizing against the RNC. For more info check out www.rnc8.org
This event is sponsored by Philly RNC8 Support Committee and the National Boricua Human Rights Network
The End (1962) 16mm, black and white, sound, 12 min
Genre: Experimental
A satire on business. We see a distinguished business man speaking gibberish, telephone ploes being ripped down to make room for
beautiful farmlands, prices tumbling. I hoped the end would justify the means. –D. H.
Takahiko Iimura On Eye Rape (1962) 16mm, black and white, silent, 10 min
Co-produced with Natsuyuki Nakanishi A found educational film about the sex of plants and animals was punched with big holes in almost every frame throughout the film by myself and an artist friend Natsuyuki Nakanishi who found the film in a garbage. At several points there are inserts of a few frames of a pornographic photo (which would work on a subliminal sense) in which the sex part was covered by black. The film is an irony and at the same time a protest against sex censorship in Japan at the time in which pornographic scenes had to be covered by black. At the end we even punched holes in these subliminal pictures, thereby “censoring” the censored image. A superior work. Considering the whole situation of film/image works at the time, one could say that this is an exceptional film. The film was picked up from garbage by Nakanishi and then Iimura punched with holes throughout the film. The work, which directly attacks both the film physically and the eyes of the audience, was Iimura’s first film (according to the filmography) as well as the first master piece which relates to his later film works of conceptual-art.” Masaaki Hirakata, from catalogue “META MEDIA”, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, 1995
Mark Abramson Shoot The Actor (1967) 16mm, black and white, sound, 18 min
The film begins in the cluttered apartment of an unemployed actor, We become familiar with his way of life and routine. As he carries out his daily tasks, he becomes aware of an unknown threat. We watch as a stranger follows him and makes his presence known in increasingly disturbing ways. The more the actor tries to elude the danger, the more persistent the stranger becomes. As the film progresses, we become involved in the horror-fantasy that is his constant companion. The stranger silently confronts him in the subway and in the streets; becomes a terrifying opponent in a fencing match and eventually traps him in this apartment. In desperation, he flees to the roof where his attacker confronts him. Suddenly the actor realizes that he is in front of a movie camera and is being encouraged to perform. His actor’s instincts take over and he begins to sing and dance for the camera. The intensity of his performance increases. He is loved. He has found approval. As the camera pans closer and closer to the edge of the roof, the actor, in the glory of his performance, falls to his death.
Will Bragger Portrait of a Crooked Cross (1993) 16mm, color, sound, 16 min
Mental trials of a woman who has been through twenty years of the Catholic experience. The images of the film are literal interpretations of dreams from this time period.
Owen Land What’s Wrong With This Picture? (1972) 16mm, color & b/w, sound, 12.5 min
“The first portion of this film is an old instructional film about being a ‘good citizen,’ presented intact; the second section is a
color reconstruction of this black and white film by Land. The original film abounds in absurdities in both image and sound; [Land's]
‘copy’ is even more bizarre. Both are also extremely funny, and the humor is not totally without meaning: it comes out of the way that
each line of dialog, each direction given, implies a situation or character so absurdly plodding as to be almost inconceivable. In
[Land's] version he creates an additional paradox — one of depth — by matting out certain parts of the frame.” — Fred Camper
Martha Colburn Skelehellavision (2002) 16mm, color, sound, 8 min
This is a film exploiting inventive techniques of animation in an attempt to realize the world that may await us after death. Using
found pornography as part of the film and literally scratching skeletons over the footage frame-by-frame.
The Mural Arts Program of Philadelphia
presents Mural Dedication: Tuskegee Airmen: They Met the Challenge
dedication time and location: 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm at 20 S. 39th Street (39th & Market Streets)
The dedication will be followed by a “Salon” exhibition of student work associated with the project, to be held at The Rotunda from 3:15 - 5:15 p.m.
Please note: rain location for the dedication will be The Rotunda.
This mural celebrates the achievements of the Tuskegee Airmen, the nation’s first African American military airmen and women. African American men and women participated in air crew, ground crew and operations support training in the Army Air Corp during WWII, and distinguished themselves in combat. Many of the original Tuskegee Airmen hail from Philadelphia, and this mural honors their contribution.
Muralist Marcus Akinlana worked with original members of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen to create a mural design that incorporates images of the airmen when they were young men. The mural has an intergenerational scope. Elements of the design were inspired by Airmen descriptions about their boyhood dreams of learning how to fly.
Last summer, Marcus Akinlana led sculpture workshops with students from the Mural Arts Program Diego Rivera Mural Academy. Bas-relief sculptures designed and created by the students were incorporated in the mural. Students also created portraits of the Airmen, which were exhibited last summer at the Paul Green School of Rock art gallery.
For more information, please contact Cheryl Durgans, Project Manager, at 215.685.0739 or cheryl.durgans@muralarts.org.
DEEP BLUE is a magic journey through the elements of Earth, Air, Water, and Fire and features great solo and group dances as well as wild and captivating characters in hand-painted masks and costumes. Suitable for all ages.
ArcheDream uses archetypal characters that perform allegories, or dreams, to personify vital issues pertaining to our lives. Psychologically speaking, an archetype is a primordial mental image inherited by all. For example, personifications of Anger, Death, Love, War and Peace all play their part in our visions of life. ArcheDream’s costumes are illuminated with ultra-violet light, which accentuates the supernatural aspect and reveals the dreamscape as the action unfolds. Admission is free.
DEFLAG HAEMORRHAGE / HAIEN KONTRA formed in East London in 2001.
DEFLAG HAEMORRHAGE / HAIEN KONTRA perform internationally.
DEFLAG HAEMORRHAGE / HAIEN KONTRA work with noise, silence and abjection.
DEFLAG HAEMORRHAGE / HAIEN KONTRA transgress all notions of what a performance can be.
First North American tour coinciding with their new release:
“Humiliated” CD Tochnit Aleph (Berlin)
And a reissue of their first work
“Luxury” CD Tochnit Aleph (Berlin)
“Defusing preconceptions of what a live event should be and degrading its components - the sound, the performance, the audience - without imposing aesthetic or moral limits: this is the reason for being of Deflag Haemorrhage/Haien Kontra, the project born in 2001 from the minds of two of the most unpredictable and ‘conceptual’ contemporary sonic activists: Mattin and ” “[sic] Goldie. Ferocity and immobility, instruments abused and unused, musicians zombiefied in their ’stage persona’ and in general the sense of psychosis, of necessary superfluousness that gushes from every gesture, from each decision taken by this anglo-basco duo make their live event an experience that is all but impossible to relate to, at least until they’ve stripped you of the costuming of dominant culture. ” “[sic] Goldie is one of the most original noise musician/performers on the European scene. His double album “ABJECTOR”[sic] is a violent and considered examination of the fragmentation of language, the de-composition of instrumental research and the painful suffering that accompanies it. Far from any current or cultural influence, Goldie’s work places itself in a unique conceptual universe, and its cruel voice warbles a mix of agony and ecstasy. Netmage Festival, Italy 2009″
“The most abject music ever made against the reproduction of stereotypes. When noise becomes impotence, when impotence becomes a weapon. Noise and improvisation never done before, including elements of performance and conceptual art. Overdose of meaning, sucked into vacuum of dissolution. You never know where your are. DEFLAG HAEMORRHAGE/HAIEN KONTRA formed in 2001 in Hackney, East London. Noumenal power improv where anything can happen. The improvisation is no longer happening just with musicians and their instruments but on the head of the spectator. Frustration as psychological danger.
We all are spectators: appearance of dissolution mirroring the averageness of our lives. Something must be done.” Mattin 2009
DEFLAG HAEMORRHAGE/HAIEN KONTRA collaborated with some of the most radical and legendary musicians in the avant-garde such as Eddie Prevost (AMM) and Philip Best (Consumer Electronics, ex-Whitehouse).
DEFLAG HAEMORRHAGE/HAIEN KONTRA performed in European festivals such as Netmage (Bologna), Abject Music (Berlin), MEM (Bilbao) and TheErrorIsMedia (London). They recently depleted a residency at Worm (Rotterdam).
Over the past several months, a dedicated core of people, once strangers to each other and now companions on a vital journey, has been thinking critically about what we do and why we do it. In particular, we have been examining the role of excess in our lives by diving deeply into memories, behavior, and values to determine why we stuff our lives with food, ideas, technology, etc., and yet feel so disconnected so often. In taking this further, we have reflected upon the contrast between ideas and action, creating a new ritual that will be performed and passed on to the audience so they can use it in their lives to shed excess.
We’re not advocating a particularly ascetic lifestyle. Instead, we’re asking you to be mindful of what you do and why, and think about the impact on the earth and other people as you gain more in life.
On May 30 only, we will share with you three segments: Pre-Ceremony (reflecting upon excess and why, but perhaps indifferent or resistant to change), Ceremony (the ritual you can take with you), and Post-Ceremony (reflection upon a new way of living/starting anew). The participants will use dance, music, spoken word, surrealism, and more to bring these segments to you.
For the uninitiated, the Rite of Passage project is a community arts project that aims to create new rituals. Last year, we worked on Phase 1, which culminated in a performance at the beginning of this year. Phase 1 produced a variety show, so to speak, in which each act, distinct from that before and after it, addressed a ritual or rite of passage (death, union, birth, adolescence, etc).
The purpose of Phase II of this experiment is for a group comprised of different kinds of people, many of whom were once strangers to one another, to collectively create a new ritual that can be used in everyday life. The *form* is new, but not the intent of the ritual. For example, traditional rituals represent archaic power structures (ex. who ‘leads’ the ritual?). How have these power structures changed? And how would we represent whoever has the power today in a new ritual? While we will shed some excess during this piece, we will ask you to think of that which sustains you. It’s probably not your ipod or your TV, but instead a community of some kind. And if you lack this community, you probably do feel a void from time to time that is occasionally and temporarily filled by food, noise, ideas, stuff….
If You Attend
In thinking about the entire event, but especially the ceremony, think about what you would do/what you’d be like if you had to start all over again, as a person, as a society. What if our thinking was no longer stuck in, say, our childhood or that of our parents? Think about the various people you’ve come in contact with or even read about somewhere, and how their thinking on some or all matters seems stuck in another time. What if you had to label that thinking with the year it reflects? Would all of us be a 2009 or would some of us be, say, an 1800? a 79 B.C.E.? Think about what you really need and what holds you back. Release this thinking and the objects that go along with it. Remember that you do not need to change your entire life at once. Small change sets in motion larger more significant change, as long as you are open to it.
Garden of Sounds: John Cage’s Ryoanji Inspired by the legendary rock garden in Kyoto, Japan, John Cage’s composition Ryoanji is a meditative exploration of presence and absence, sound and silence. Brooke Eplee, a recent graduate of the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, will illuminate the musical and philosophical dimensions of Cage’s work in the context of Zen Buddhism and Japanese aesthetics. Drawing from scholarly research and her firsthand experience of Ryoan-ji, the lecture will feature photographs of the garden as well as a recorded performance of the composition. Presented by the Center for Experimental Culture.
The Center for Experimental Culture is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching modern life through a variety of free public events exploring the aesthetic, intellectual, and political dimensions of the world in which we live.
Jewish Dialogue Group Spring 2009 Benefit Concert
(doors open at 6, show begins at 6:30)
Featuring:
West Philadelphia (Klezmer) Orchestra — According to the Philadelphia Weekly, “The lurching accordion, impassioned vocals and moaning fiddle will make you want to laugh, cry and dance your pretty little heart out.”
and
Sara Felder, renowned juggler and performer of “queer Talmudic Vaudville” will open the show.
Plus delicious food (including babka from West Philly’s own Four Worlds Bakery that would make your grandmother weep). Children of all ages are welcome. Suggested donation: $18 to $36 per person — more if you can, no one turned away for lack of funds.
To download a copy of the flyer, click HERE.
About the performers:
West Philadelphia (Klezmer) Orchestra
The West Philadelphia (Klezmer) Orchestra is a new offshoot of the West Philadelphia Orchestra, a band that has established itself as Philadelphia’s most exciting interpreter of music from Eastern European traditions. WPO’s new klezmer ensemble plays classic and reinterpreted songs from the Jewish tradition.
With a diverse and accomplished lineup of Philly musicians, West Philadelphia Orchestra is an unusual ensemble in today’s musical world. They began playing Romanian songs, Serbian brass band tunes, Macedonian folk-dance songs, Bulgarian wedding music, and various klezmer tunes in late 2006, and have continued expanding and refining their sound and repertoire. The band also plays original tunes which blend other sounds, like jazz and classical, together with traditional sounds. As much a community as a band, WPO’s live show always feels like a celebratory event, even in a concert setting. With their pounding drums and shimmering brass sounds, they inspire audiences to hold hands, dance, and sing along. Their debut record, released in fall of 2008 and called ‘WPO,’ is a unique combination of traditional Balkan music an sounds, and is an expression of their radical collectivity. Cheerful music, groovy rhythms, exciting improvisations, fine singing, and Philly soul explains the popularity and enthusiasm generated by West Philadelphia Orchestra.
Sara Felder
Sara Felder is a solo theater artist, playwright and juggler. While the themes of her plays and performances are serious, her form is comic, engaging, vaudevillian. She strives to integrate personal experiences with the urgency of this moment in history. Out of that mix she creates funny and provocative theater.
Sara began performing in 1984 with San Francisco’s Pickle Family Circus. She has also toured with Jugglers for Peace in Cuba, the Women’s Circus in Nicaragua, Joel Grey’s Borscht Capades and at Festivals of Jewish/Yiddish Culture in Berlin, London, Amsterdam, New York, Los Angeles and Toronto. Sara has received fellowships in performance from the Pennsylvania Council for the Arts and the Independence Foundation, and has been awarded the Philadelphia Theatre Initiative. She has been commissioned by the San Francisco Art Commission, the National Performance Network and the Irvine Foundation for New Plays. Her work has received nominations from the Bay Area Critics Circle (The Lady Upstairs, best play) and the Cable Car Awards (best performer.)
The Jewish Dialogue Group is a non-partisan, grassroots organization that formed in November 2001 to foster constructive dialogue within Jewish communities about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Since 2006, we have also been offering dialogue sessions that focus on other difficult issues, such as the war in Iraq.
Our board members, volunteers, and advisors have many different political perspectives, on the conflict and on other issues. As an organization, we do not take positions on any issues, but focus solely on promoting dialogue.
We are teachers, rabbis, students, librarians, writers, film-makers, editors, mediators, community organizers, café workers, construction workers, and artists. We come from many different streams of Judaism: Conservative, Reconstructionist, Orthodox, Reform, Renewal, and Secular. We are Ashkenazi and Mizrahi; fourth generation Philadelphians, and recent immigrants from Israel and Australia.
To date, the Jewish Dialogue Group has facilitated nearly 200 dialogue sessions involving approximately 2000 people. They have taken place in Philadelphia, New York, Washington, Boston, other parts of North America, and even Jerusalem.
“She has become an eloquent, dramatic tone-warping free-jazz artist, right out of Ayler’s anti-bebop tradition.” -Guardian
Matana Roberts is a dynamic saxophonist, composer and improviser who exposes in her music the mystical roots and spiritual traditions of African American creative expression.
A Chicago native, she was fortunate enough to be surrounded by elder musicians who showed her by distinct example the importance of listening to one’s personal creative voice while at the same time using the profound and many layered traditions of jazz and improvised music to act only as her creative guide, not as her creative definer. Their mentorship has inspired her own true artistic individuality.
An expert improviser, Matana’s playing can be heard on recordings as disparate as Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s Yanqui UXO, Daniel Givens’ Day Clear and First Dark, and Golden Pollen by Savath and Savalas (aka Guillermo Scott Herren aka Prefuse 73), amongst others. She has also played alongside such musical and artistic luminaries as Fred Anderson, Roscoe Mitchell, Oliver Lake, Marty Ehrlich, Eugene Chadbourne, Henry Grimes, Butch Morris, reg e gaines, George Lewis, Nicole Mitchell, Robert Barry, Joe Maneri, Miya Masaoka, Marty Erhlich, Beans, Guillermo E. Brown, Liberty Ellman, Vernon Reid, Jayne Cortez, Bill T. Jones and Savion Glover. Matana Roberts currently lives and works in New York City and is a member of the AACM.
“Poet-tree In Motion…”
$ilent Auction (antiques, estate & handcrafted jewelry, clothing & textiles, goods & services, etc.)
& Performance Fundrai$er For the CD Release Project
“Poet-tree’s”/”Quests in Poetics”
by “PlumDRAGONESS & The ELEMENTS!”
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.
DJ Ambush, DJ Juice E., Double E, and Fem Star spin Hiphop, breaks, and funk all night, and there are open cyphas, a tag wall, and a featured performance and graffiti panel each month.
Rafael Toral - Tatsuya Nakatani
Alex Nagle - Joe Lentini
Dave Smolen
Admission is FREE.
Rafael Toral is researching performance possibilities in electronic music. Using custom-built or modified electronic instruments, he’s developing the long-term Space Program to structure musical phrasing in “post-free jazz electronic music”. Approaching jazz as a system of individual decision-making from the viewpoint of electronics, his conception deals with gestural performance, “phrasing and swing”, instruments with a clear sonic identity, and articulation of silence and sound.
Formerly known for his drone/ ambient work with guitar and electronics and records such as Wave Field (1994) or Violence of Discovery and Calm of Acceptance (2000), in 2003 he decided to completely renew his approach to music, launching the Space Program in 2004. In 2006 he released Space, followed by Space Solo 1 in 2007 and Space Elements Vol. I in 2008. Also in 2008 premiered the Space Collective, a slowly developing orchestral group.
In the course of his work, collaborating with other musicians has been a decisive factor in learning and development. Among these, the most important is a long time connection with Sei Miguel (since 1993), Portuguese master of avant-Jazz, a key figure in the development of the Space program. In 1998 Rafael became a member of MIMEO electronic orchestra, a forum where surprising and uncontrollable events take place. Often described as a ’supergroup’, its other members are Keith Rowe, Thomas Lehn, Kaffe Matthews, Marcus Schmickler, Jérome Noetinger, Christian Fennesz, Peter Rehberg, Gert-Jan Prins, Cor Fuhler and Phil Durrant. Throughout his path, Rafael Toral has kept collaborating with other people, among which are Jim O’Rourke, João Paulo Feliciano, Phill Niblock, Sonic Youth, Lee Ranaldo, Evan Parker, Dean Roberts, Manuel Mota, Roger Turner, David Toop, Alvin Lucier, John Zorn, Christian Marclay, Rhys Chatham, C Spencer Yeh, Trevor Tremaine, and many others.
An artist as well, he had activity in visual and spatial arts, having produced video and several installations from 1994 to 2003. The demanding Space Program called for suspending this output for fully focusing on music.
Special Saturday Afternoon Events:
Saturday May 9 at 4pm: SPECIAL APPEARANCE by Kate Harding and Maria Kirby, with their new book ‘Lessons from the Fatosphere’; free
Saturday May 9 at 5pm: Size-friendly hip hop workshop ($5)
Fat Camp Performances:
Friday May 8 at 8pm
Saturday May 9 at 2pm and 8pm
BigMoves Boston is taking over the phrase “fat camp” and making it our own, with an all-new, summer-camp-themed revue, Fat Camp (”leave your baggage behind”).
Forget what you know about fat camps. This is totally different. Sing, dance, eat s’mores, have crushes on hot counselors, and above all, love the skin you’re in!
Written, choreographed, and directed by Marina Wolf Ahmad
with additional work by Erin Ayers, Jordan Crouser, and Maggie Crowley
Tickets are $10 in advance. CLICK HERE to buy. Tickets at the door are $12.
Every body can dance…but not everybody is ready to get out on the dance floor and do it. That’s where Big Moves steps in…
Founded in 2000, Big Moves is the only producing, training, and service organization in the world dedicated to getting more people of all sizes into the dance studio and up on stage. It started in San Francisco with a single day-long dance clinic. Since then, Big Moves has expanded to encompass a modern choreography commission, award-winning performing ensembles on two coasts, and a touring dance revue. We offer tons of dance workshops taught by size-accepting instructors, who have been trained to create an environment in which beginning dancers of all shapes and sizes can find their feet and discover the joy of dance. And our shows present a vision of a world transformed, where exciting performances can and do come from artists who resist the narrow dance-world norms.
Special Saturday Afternoon Events:
Saturday May 9 at 4pm: SPECIAL APPEARANCE by Kate Harding and Maria Kirby, with their new book ‘Lessons from the Fatosphere’; free
Saturday May 9 at 5pm: Size-friendly hip hop workshop ($5)
Fat Camp Performances:
Friday May 8 at 8pm
Saturday May 9 at 2pm and 8pm
BigMoves Boston is taking over the phrase “fat camp” and making it our own, with an all-new, summer-camp-themed revue, Fat Camp (”leave your baggage behind”).
Forget what you know about fat camps. This is totally different. Sing, dance, eat s’mores, have crushes on hot counselors, and above all, love the skin you’re in!
Written, choreographed, and directed by Marina Wolf Ahmad
with additional work by Erin Ayers, Jordan Crouser, and Maggie Crowley
Tickets are $10 in advance. CLICK HERE to buy. Tickets at the door are $12.
Every body can dance…but not everybody is ready to get out on the dance floor and do it. That’s where Big Moves steps in…
Founded in 2000, Big Moves is the only producing, training, and service organization in the world dedicated to getting more people of all sizes into the dance studio and up on stage. It started in San Francisco with a single day-long dance clinic. Since then, Big Moves has expanded to encompass a modern choreography commission, award-winning performing ensembles on two coasts, and a touring dance revue. We offer tons of dance workshops taught by size-accepting instructors, who have been trained to create an environment in which beginning dancers of all shapes and sizes can find their feet and discover the joy of dance. And our shows present a vision of a world transformed, where exciting performances can and do come from artists who resist the narrow dance-world norms.
Join the 30 Penn student organizations and university departments and offices who sponsored and painted hand-crafted squirrel statues in celebration of Penn’s first collaborative public art exhibit.
All 30 squirrel statues will be on display at the event along with a slide show of the artistic process.
Opening remarks begin at 5pm.
refreshments, mingling, live music, and remarks by:
Squirrels on Locust Director John Agbaje
sculptor Sean Williams
and other distinguished guests
Guest musical performance by Colonel Mustard and the Foreign Policy
Sponsored by Vice Provost for University Life, Tangible Change, and Platt Student Performing Arts House
Performances:
Friday May 8 at 8pm
Saturday May 9 at 2pm and 8pm
Special Saturday Afternoon Events:
Saturday May 9 at 4pm: SPECIAL APPEARANCE by Kate Harding and Marianne Kirby, with their new book ‘Lessons from the Fatosphere’
Saturday May 9 at 5pm: Size-friendly hip hop workshop ($5)
BigMoves Boston is taking over the phrase “fat camp” and making it our own, with an all-new, summer-camp-themed revue, Fat Camp (”leave your baggage behind”).
Forget what you know about fat camps. This is totally different. Sing, dance, eat s’mores, have crushes on hot counselors, and above all, love the skin you’re in!
Written, choreographed, and directed by Marina Wolf Ahmad
with additional work by Erin Ayers, Jordan Crouser, and Maggie Crowley
Tickets are $10 in advance. CLICK HERE to buy. Tickets at the door are $12.
Every body can dance…but not everybody is ready to get out on the dance floor and do it. That’s where Big Moves steps in…
Founded in 2000, Big Moves is the only producing, training, and service organization in the world dedicated to getting more people of all sizes into the dance studio and up on stage. It started in San Francisco with a single day-long dance clinic. Since then, Big Moves has expanded to encompass a modern choreography commission, award-winning performing ensembles on two coasts, and a touring dance revue. We offer tons of dance workshops taught by size-accepting instructors, who have been trained to create an environment in which beginning dancers of all shapes and sizes can find their feet and discover the joy of dance. And our shows present a vision of a world transformed, where exciting performances can and do come from artists who resist the narrow dance-world norms.
Performances:
Friday May 8 at 8pm
Saturday May 9 at 2pm and 8pm
Special Saturday Afternoon Events:
Saturday May 9 at 4pm: SPECIAL APPEARANCE by Kate Harding and Marianne Kirby, with their new book ‘Lessons from the Fatosphere’
Saturday May 9 at 5pm: Size-friendly hip hop workshop ($5)
BigMoves Boston is taking over the phrase “fat camp” and making it our own, with an all-new, summer-camp-themed revue, Fat Camp (”leave your baggage behind”).
Forget what you know about fat camps. This is totally different. Sing, dance, eat s’mores, have crushes on hot counselors, and above all, love the skin you’re in!
Written, choreographed, and directed by Marina Wolf Ahmad
with additional work by Erin Ayers, Jordan Crouser, and Maggie Crowley
Tickets are $10 in advance. CLICK HERE to buy. Tickets at the door are $12.
Every body can dance…but not everybody is ready to get out on the dance floor and do it. That’s where Big Moves steps in…
Founded in 2000, Big Moves is the only producing, training, and service organization in the world dedicated to getting more people of all sizes into the dance studio and up on stage. It started in San Francisco with a single day-long dance clinic. Since then, Big Moves has expanded to encompass a modern choreography commission, award-winning performing ensembles on two coasts, and a touring dance revue. We offer tons of dance workshops taught by size-accepting instructors, who have been trained to create an environment in which beginning dancers of all shapes and sizes can find their feet and discover the joy of dance. And our shows present a vision of a world transformed, where exciting performances can and do come from artists who resist the narrow dance-world norms.
Performances:
Friday May 8 at 8pm
Saturday May 9 at 2pm and 8pm
Special Saturday Afternoon Events:
Saturday May 9 at 4pm: SPECIAL APPEARANCE by Kate Harding and Marianne Kirby, with their new book ‘Lessons from the Fatosphere’
Saturday May 9 at 5pm: Size-friendly hip hop workshop ($5)
BigMoves Boston is taking over the phrase “fat camp” and making it our own, with an all-new, summer-camp-themed revue, Fat Camp (”leave your baggage behind”).
Forget what you know about fat camps. This is totally different. Sing, dance, eat s’mores, have crushes on hot counselors, and above all, love the skin you’re in!
Written, choreographed, and directed by Marina Wolf Ahmad
with additional work by Erin Ayers, Jordan Crouser, and Maggie Crowley
Tickets are $10 in advance. CLICK HERE to buy. Tickets at the door are $12.
Every body can dance…but not everybody is ready to get out on the dance floor and do it. That’s where Big Moves steps in…
Founded in 2000, Big Moves is the only producing, training, and service organization in the world dedicated to getting more people of all sizes into the dance studio and up on stage. It started in San Francisco with a single day-long dance clinic. Since then, Big Moves has expanded to encompass a modern choreography commission, award-winning performing ensembles on two coasts, and a touring dance revue. We offer tons of dance workshops taught by size-accepting instructors, who have been trained to create an environment in which beginning dancers of all shapes and sizes can find their feet and discover the joy of dance. And our shows present a vision of a world transformed, where exciting performances can and do come from artists who resist the narrow dance-world norms.
Gov. Ed Rendell is suggesting legalizing video poker in thousands of restaurants and bars in Pennsylvania, with the argument that revenues could help some students pay for college. Simultaneously, the governor continues to push for two casinos in residential neighborhoods of Philadelphia, despite the fact that city residents voted in overwhelming numbers against such an idea less than two years ago.
Come hear about the issues around casinos and education. Learn why sustainable funding for education is necessary, but not through a regressive tax on the economically hardest-hit parts of our community. Join us in the fight against predatory gambling in Philadelphia.
Casino-Free Philadelphia is a proud member of the Coalition for Essential Services, urging the mayor to investing in our neighborhoods and creating quality jobs for our residents.
Casinos will cost the city more than it will raise in revenue, and money will be taken out of our communities — away from neighborhood restaurants and shops — for the benefit of wealthy investors. When the mayor is closing libraries and opening casinos, it’s clear something has to be done! The Coalition for Essential Services’ petition to city council and mayor is available here: http://www.gpop.org/downloads/Petition10.pdf
PLEASE JOIN US TONIGHT FOR THE STUDENT TOWN HALL ON CASINOS!
info@casinofreephila.org
http://www.CasinoFreePhila.org
CONSPIRACIES OF REALITY- A SEMI-IMPROVISED SPECTACLE
please join us as we celebrate the release of Reid Books’ new CD CONSPIRACIES OF REALITY. The CD itself is an enthralling set of 4-track instrumentals performed on prepared guitar & horns, and comes with an accompanying text & somewhat fancy hand-printed sleeves. For live performance, Reid will recite the text while performing on guitar & horns, accompanied by a host of improvising musicians, including Charles Cohen (synthesizer), Syd Torchio (french horn), Stephen Buono, & Shawn Thornton (guitars). With sets & ambient projections by Erik Ruin.
REID BOOKS is the author/composer of the Nothing Factory, and a veteran performer in various DIY art-punk ensembles, including Greetings From Urbania, International Anthems for Irrational Numbers, and Vulgar Remedies. www.myspace.com/reidbooks
WITH SIX SHORT FILMS BY ISH KLEIN
Ish says
“These 6 videos all have puppets and some have humans in them.
My Puppets are made by a human (me) but they are not only of human origin.
A relationship similar to the human/spirit thing:
one of shifting percentage with the opening and closing of channels.
I hope these videos are enjoyable for you; they are meant to be fun and helpful.”
ISH KLEIN is a self-taught film and puppet maker who also writes poems. Her poems have been published in Bridge,The Canary, Gare du Nord, and more recently in Hat magazine, X-connect, big Bridge. Spork and Gut Cult. Her book, “Union!” will be available April 2009 through the Canarium Press and amazon. http://unionbook.blogspot.com/
Puppet Uprising presents DALI’S LIQUID LADIES
A new play by Bedlam Theatre from Minneapolis
Suggested donation $5-$10
Puppet Uprising regulars may remember Bedlam Theatre’s brilliant interpretation of Act One of King Lear. Well, they’re back from Minneapolis with Dali’s Liquid Ladies, a dark and subversive comedy about three mermaids plotting to kill Salvador Dali at the 1939 World’s Fair. The show features live music from renowned knob-twiddler Hot Tony Biele.
“Welcome to the World’s Fair. Deep in the heart of Coney Island, we bring you the Midway’s only surrealist funhouse, where you can take a tour through your own most perverted secrets and your most terrifying nightmares. See social conventions tossed to the wind! Beautiful mermaids swim in the waters of our collective fantasies, clothed only in their commitment to high art! Come one, come all to Salvador Dali’s Dream of Venus. Where even your most shameful desires come true.”
Written by Savannah Reich with music by Hot Tony. Directed by Samantha Johns. Starring Katie Melby, Jon Mac Cole, Savannah Reich, Mark Rehani and Kait Sergenian. Custom Couture by Emrys Mariel Stramer.
Revival: Old Time Fiddle Concert and All Levels Square Dance
8pm: Concert with Rafe and Clelia Stefanini
9pm: Square Dance with Stefanini dance band and caller Keith Brand
Sliding scale $5-10
There is a widespread interest in American Old Time fiddle music and dance among the youth of Philadelphia. Minus an accessible local old-time scene, many travel the Eastern sea board to attend dances, workshops and festivals. Old Time music in Philadelphia is latent. There is an older generation of Philadelphians steeped in Old Time music who at one time generated a strong local scene, particularly in West Philadelphia. In the mid 1970s and 1980s there were “Tuesday Nights” at International House with Old Time dance bands and square dances, bringing people together from all around the Philly area. Many of the people involved in that scene are still actively playing music but lack an outlet here. The goal of this concert is to unite the younger generation with local Old Time veterans to help generate a revival of Old Time music and dance in West Philadelphia.
Rafe and Clelia Stefanini, father and daughter, are the perfect duo to be at the helm of such a revival. RAFE STEFANINI was a fixture of the “Tuesday Nights” scene and needs no introduction to Old Time Music audiences. He is undoubtedly one of the finest and truest interpreters of the genre, with a vast repertoire of fiddle and banjo tunes that reaches back into the 19th century. He has been a member of such influential bands as The Wildcats, Big Hoedown and The Rockinghams. His recorded work spans 2 decades and over 20 albums.
CLELIA STEFANINI is following in her father’s footsteps with skills on the fiddle and guitar far exceeding her age of 18, with a style solidly grounded in the older tradition. Together they present an entertaining show that includes rousing fiddle duets, Old Time ballads and songs and banjo tunes.
Keith Brand has been calling square dances in Philadelphia and beyond for decades. He is particularly skilled at bringing all ages and levels of experience into the dances. As well as being a caller and old-time musician, he is a veteran dj of WXPN’s “Sleepy Hollow.”
The strength and popularity of this ensemble will pull people out of the woodwork, unite generations of old time enthusiasts, stir up a frenzy of dance, and hopefully, mark the beginning of a new revival of Old Time music in West Philadelphia.
Featuring improvising shredders from Philadelphia and NY:
Nick Millevoi
David Fishkin
Dan Scofield
Drew Ceccato
Dan Blacksberg
Jesse Moynihan
Adam Caine
Alison Conard
John DeBlase
Matt Engle
Robert Ludington
Pete Angevine
Eli Litwin
Eric Slick
SHREDfest V: Festival of SHRED will consist of three 30-minute sets of
music composed specifically for this
epic event. Set I will be performed by Nick Millevoi
(guitar/conductor), Adam Caine (guitar), Jesse Moynihan (violin),
John DeBlase (el. bass), Alison Conard (keys), Robert Ludington
(drums), and Pete Angevine (drums).
Set II will be performed by Nick Millevoi (guitar/conductor), Dan
Blacksberg (trombone) David Fishkin (baritone and tenor sax/electric
sax),
Dan Scofield (alto sax), Drew Cecatto (tenor sax, EVI), Matt Engle
(bass), Eli Litwin (drums), and Eric Slick (drums).
Set III will be a full combination of both sets I and II.
SHREDfest is a series of experimental compositions by Nick Millevoi.
Each composition is performed only once
with a unique group of musicians, around whom each piece is based.
When SHREDfest occurs, the music performed
is mostly improvisation-based high-energy shredding.
Curtis Hasselbring’s New Mellow Edwards
with
Curtis Hasselbring, trombone
Chris Speed, tenor saxophone/clarinet
Trevor Dunn, string bass
Ches Smith, drums
“A smart ensemble that harnesses the forward thrust of rock in the service of an almost chamberlike group cohesiveness.” -The New York Times
Curtis Hasselbring’s New Mellow Edwards is a group that was originally formed in 1988. Known back then as the Mellow Edwards, the trio of trombone, electric guitar and drums explored a unique combination of free jazz and heavy rock that was very unique for it’s time. Continuing through the 90s as a sextet with a similar musical onus, Hasselbring reformed the group as an acoustic quartet in 2002 and has made the New Mellow Edwards the focal point of his composing and band-leading.
Curtis’s compositions and the New Mellow Edwards’ playing defies traditional jazz conventions and favors primal garage rock-derived grooves, textural explorations and classicaly-influenced structures. The repertiore of the group can be humerous, dark, accessible and exciting, often simultaneously.
The New Mellow Edwards’ self-titled debut album made many top ten lists for 2006, included the #2 spot in the Village Voice Jazz Critics Poll for best debut and several critics’ lists in All About Jazz NYC. Curtis’s tweaked version of a modern instrumental supergroup features strong performances from three of New York’s most innovative musicians: Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle, Electric Masada, Melvins), Ches Smith (Mark Ribot’s Ceramic Dog, Xiu Xiu, Good for Cows) and Chris Speed (Human Feel, Bloodcount, Pachora) - ably led by the beautifully unorthodox and virtuostic trombonist.
Early 2009 brings a new New Mellow Edwards recording, “Big Choantza” (Skirl 10), which will feature 10 Hasselbring originals as well as a cover of the Sonic Youth classic, “Youth Against Fascism”.
In addition to NME, Hasselbring currently leads Decoupage (with Mary Halvorson and Matt Moran) and the Curha-chestra, as well as co-leads the DaHa Orchestra with Andrew D’Angelo. He appears on dozens of recordings with such notable acts as Medeski, Martin & Wood, Satoko Fujii, Slavic Soul Party, Mr. Dorgon, Bobby Previte, Either/Orchestra and Beat Circus. He has performed internationally with many of the above-mentioned groups in addition to projects led by Josh Roseman, Anthony Coleman and Dave Douglas. Curtis appears on over 60 recordings including his first release as a leader with the New Mellow Edwards on Skirl Records.
We–you and I– have this beautiful, active building that allows all sorts of arts and culture events to occur but asks little in return. Well, folks, the building is in need of some love and attention from ALL of us.
On Tuesday April 7, Sunday April 12, and Monday April 13, we will tackle a list of fun and necessary repairs and upgrades, and we need your help.
You can help by doing one or more of the following:
1. volunteering to work one, two, or three dates, either for the whole day or a portion of it (even a half hour counts!)
2. donatingmoney (Paypal it to gina@therotunda.org with ‘Work Party’ in the subject line. We’ll email a receipt). We need money for snacks and supplies.
3. donating supplies (paint, brushes, rollers, tarps, eco cleaning supplies, rags, various tools). Please contact us for specifics.
4. donating snacks (preferably healthy and vegan)
Some tasks require little to no experience, such as cleaning windows and floors and organizing closets. Others require some experience, such as touching up paint or running cables.
WHEN: 3 dates! Tuesday April 7, 11am-7pm
Sunday April 12, 11am-7pm
Monday April 13, 11am-7pm
WHERE: The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street
WHO: us!
WHY? Because we owe it to our venue
Members of The Rotunda’s Action and Advisory board will be on site. We’ll provide the list of repairs and upgrades, as well as some elbow grease, supplies, and snacks.
To sign up to work/donate something, please email gina@therotunda.org. Make sure you tell us your name, phone number, number of people you are bringing/what you’re donating, and the times you can volunteer.
We–you and I– have this beautiful, active building that allows all sorts of arts and culture events to occur but asks little in return. Well, folks, the building is in need of some love and attention from ALL of us.
On Tuesday April 7, Sunday April 12, and Monday April 13, we will tackle a list of fun and necessary repairs and upgrades, and we need your help.
You can help by doing one or more of the following:
1. volunteering to work one, two, or three dates, either for the whole day or a portion of it (even a half hour counts!)
2. donatingmoney (Paypal it to gina@therotunda.org with ‘Work Party’ in the subject line. We’ll email a receipt). We need money for snacks and supplies.
3. donating supplies (paint, brushes, rollers, tarps, eco cleaning supplies, rags, various tools). Please contact us for specifics.
4. donating snacks (preferably healthy and vegan)
Some tasks require little to no experience, such as cleaning windows and floors and organizing closets. Others require some experience, such as touching up paint or running cables.
WHEN: 3 dates! Tuesday April 7, 11am-7pm
Sunday April 12, 11am-7pm
Monday April 13, 11am-7pm
WHERE: The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street
WHO: us!
WHY? Because we owe it to our venue
Members of The Rotunda’s Action and Advisory board will be on site. We’ll provide the list of repairs and upgrades, as well as some elbow grease, supplies, and snacks.
To sign up to work/donate something, please email gina@therotunda.org. Make sure you tell us your name, phone number, number of people you are bringing/what you’re donating, and the times you can volunteer.
We–you and I– have this beautiful, active building that allows all sorts of arts and culture events to occur but asks little in return. Well, folks, the building is in need of some love and attention from ALL of us.
On Tuesday April 7, Sunday April 12, and Monday April 13, we will tackle a list of fun and necessary repairs and upgrades, and we need your help.
You can help by doing one or more of the following:
1. volunteering to work one, two, or three dates, either for the whole day or a portion of it (even a half hour counts!)
2. donatingmoney (Paypal it to gina@therotunda.org with ‘Work Party’ in the subject line. We’ll email a receipt). We need money for snacks and supplies.
3. donating supplies (paint, brushes, rollers, tarps, eco cleaning supplies, rags, various tools). Please contact us for specifics.
4. donating snacks (preferably healthy and vegan)
Some tasks require little to no experience, such as cleaning windows and floors and organizing closets. Others require some experience, such as touching up paint or running cables.
WHEN: 3 dates! Tuesday April 7, 11am-7pm
Sunday April 12, 11am-7pm
Monday April 13, 11am-7pm
WHERE: The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street
WHO: us!
WHY? Because we owe it to our venue
Members of The Rotunda’s Action and Advisory board will be on site. We’ll provide the list of repairs and upgrades, as well as some elbow grease, supplies, and snacks.
To sign up to work/donate something, please email gina@therotunda.org. Make sure you tell us your name, phone number, number of people you are bringing/what you’re donating, and the times you can volunteer.
SOARS (Story of a Rape Survivor) is considered one of the most innovative and entertaining programs of its kind, SOARS documents Professor Salamishah Tillet’s personal journey of surviving and healing from sexual violence by featuring a diverse cast of women who use modern dance, spoken-word, music, and photography to retell this universal story of triumph and hope.
SOARS is one woman’s journey to reclaim her body, sexuality, spirituality, and self-esteem after being sexually assaulted. SOARS aims to educate the public about sexual violence and help ease the shame, guilt, and self-blame that sexual assault and rape victims experience.
ITVS and WHYY, in partnership with the Philadelphia Anti-Drug Anti-Violence Network, Scribe Video Center and United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania
Present A Community Cinema Premiere
STACY PERALTA’S, CRIPS AND BLOODS: MADE IN AMERICA
Panel afterwards includes Deputy Mayor of Public Safety, Mothers in Charge, and former drug gang prosecutor addressing violence reduction in Philadelphia.
(Philadelphia, PA)— In the southern portion of the richest city in the richest state in America, a civil war has been raging for more than 40 years. This war has taken more than 15,000 lives, and it passes its legacy from father to son. CRIPS AND BLOODS: Made in America searches for answers by providing a historical and sociological context for the rise of the devastating gang violence.
Combining unprecedented access to active gangs with political and social commentary and gripping archival footage, CRIPS AND BLOODS is a compassionate examination of the men and women for whom the promise of the American dream has crumbled away. Hard-hitting, yet ultimately hopeful, the film not only documents the emergence of the Bloods and the Crips and their growth beyond the borders of South Central, but also offers insight as to how this ongoing tragedy might be resolved. Director Stacy Peralta interviews current and former gang members, family members and experts to examine the conditions that have lead to the devastating gang violence.
CRIPS AND BLOODS provides a context for reflecting on the history of gangs in Philadelphia as well as the proliferation of gun violence in more recent years. Representatives in city and state government, and grassroots organizations working for change, share their perspectives and strategies for violence reduction on the streets of Philadelphia.
WHAT:
Community Cinema Premiere of CRIPS AND BLOODS: Made in America.
FREE and Open to the Public. Panel after film to address the streets of Philadelphia and violence reduction strategies: City of Philadelphia Deputy Mayor of Public Safety, Everett Gillison; Darryl Coates, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Anti-Drug Anti-Violence Network;
Dorothy Speight-Johnson, Executive Director of Mothers In Charge; Jack Stollsteimer, PA Safe Schools Advocate and and former federal prosecutor of drug gangs in Philadelphia. Moderated by Cliff Akiyama, Lecturer in the Division of Family and Community Health–University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing
WHO:
ITVS, WHYY and The Rotunda in partnership with the Philadelphia Anti-Drug Anti-Violence Network, Scribe Video Center and United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania
WHEN:
Wednesday, April 22nd at 6:30PM (Doors Open, 6:00PM). Reservations are Required to Guarantee a Seat. For More Information and to Reserve Seats: http://www.whyy.org/memberexperience/ or call 215-351-0511
CRIPS AND BLOODS: Made in America is the featured film for April 2009 in the ITVS COMMUNITY CINEMA line-up. Presented in partnership with local public television stations and leading community organizations, Community Cinema holds monthly preview screenings in select markets across the country, showcasing selections from the new season of Independent Lens and making a real contribution on a range of current social issues by connecting communities with organizations, information and the opportunity to get involved.
CRIPS AND BLOODS: Made in America is directed by Stacy Peralta and written by Peralta and Sam George. The film is produced by Baron Davis, Cash Warren, Dan Halsted and Jesse Dylan. Executive producers are Steve Luczo and Quincy D. Jones III. Co-Producers are Shaun Murphy, Gus Roxburgh and Cash Warren.
CRIPS AND BLOODS: Made in America will premiere on the PBS series Independent Lens, hosted by Terrence Howard, on Tuesday, May 12, 2009, at 10 PM (check local listings).
To learn more, visit the CRIPS AND BLOODS: Made in America interactive companion website http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/cripsandbloods/, which features detailed information on the film, including an interview with the filmmakers and links and resources pertaining to the film’s subject matter. The site also features a Talkback section for viewers to share their ideas and opinions, preview clips of the film, and more.
Mariposa Food Co-op presents a screening of The Garden.
Running time is 80 minutes. Post film reflection.
The Garden has the pulse of verite with the narrative pull of fiction, telling the story of the country’s largest urban farm (situated in South Central Los Angeles), backroom deals, land developers, green politics, money, poverty, power, and racial discord. The film explores and exposes the fault lines in American society and raises crucial and challenging questions about liberty, equality, and justice for the poorest and most vulnerable among us.
Hosted by Mariposa Food Co-op’s Food Justice and Anti-Racism Working Group.
Mariposa is a local food store co-operatively owned and operated by its members.
THE BREADWINNER Graham Lambkin and Jason Lescalleet are both highly respected artists, with small but intensely hardcore followings. Since 2001, they’ve been gradually moving closer towards realizing a collaborative project, and The Breadwinner is the results of two years of recording, reworking and polishing.
Lambkin first entered the public consciousness at 19 when he formed his band The Shadow Ring, in Folkestone, a small town in Kent, England. The band was memorable and built an rabidly passionate fan base because of its sui generis approach, blending elements of folk, noise, cracked electronics, and surrealist poetry, while radically changing the overall formula with each release. A decade of increasingly skewed and inspired work culminated in 2003’s I’m Some Songs, constructed long distance as Lambkin had relocated to the US in 1998. Over the last few years, Lambkin has primarily worked under his own name, most notably with 2007’s brilliant Salmon Run, a precursor to The Breadwinner.
Lescalleet has gradually and painstakingly built a compelling discography over the past decade. He uses reel-to-reel tape decks to explore the textures of low fidelity analog sounds and the natural phenomena of old tape and obsolete technology. He is one of a growing list of master producer/musicians, whose skill lies as much in reworking, assembling and mastering the material available as in creating it (or helping create it) in the first place. He has worked with such wide-ranging artists as Ron Lessard, Joe Colley and Phill Niblock, and has released a string of superb solo discs in Mattresslessness (Cut), Electronic Music (RRR) and The Pilgrim (Glistening Examples). This is his second release for Erstwhile, after 2001’s Forlorn Green (w/Greg Kelley), and his third is already in preparation, a duo with Bhob Rainey, planned for release in early 2009.
The material for The Breadwinner was recorded at Lambkin’s house in upstate NY, over two recording sessions. The duo treated the entire building and its surrounding grounds as a studio, welcoming in outside sounds, which were later kept or eliminated as they felt appropriate. The subtitle on the front cover is “musical settings for common environments and domestic situations”, layering numerous submerged fragments to find beauty in everyday life.
Jason Lescalleet’s influence was palpably present long before the average Joe knew how many L’s were in his last name (or could successfully google it). He spun tape loops with nmperign from the get-go, frequently signified the endings of his characteristically foundation-shaking performances by hurling a nearly indestructible, hundred-pound Peavy amp across the stage, and provided the bulk of the “disaster” in legendary drummer Laurence Cook’s “Disaster Unit 2000″. But as the smoke cleared and the Peavy met its demise in a white-walled room, it became apparent to an awful lot of people that Lescalleet was making some amazing music; beautifully constructed symphonies of decay born of an intimacy with items and ideas lesser minds might discard: tape machines, lo-bit samplers, the tedium of everyday life. His ability to evoke powerfully complex emotional experiences from such muck made a collaboration with Graham Lambkin practically inevitable.
Composer Walter Marchetti once made a statement to the effect that he was seeking to reach the “bottom” of music. Some more diligent attention to this task might lead him to the music of Graham Lambkin. Already marking out a glorious bottom with his former band, The Shadow Ring, Lambkin has pursued a music so removed from prescribed aesthetics that one is flooded by the beauty it seems to ruthlessly avoid. He puts the mundane to tape and carves out its horror, its sweetness, and its unsettling ambivalence. Shrouded in a disarming naiveté, the music leaves the listener ill-prepared for its very adult take on being-in-the-world. We are fortunate that humor can be so black, that we may surrender happily and willingly to an experience not many artists are willing or capable of delivering.
This event is made possible with support from the Philadelphia Cultural Fund and The Rotunda, with additional support from Washington College.
Contact:
Gerald van Wilgen: vanwilgen@mac.com
Gina Renzi: gina@TheRotunda.org
The RiteofPassage project continues. Next we will collectively create an actual initiation ritual. This will be performed to the public at The Rotunda on Saturday May 30th, 2009.
For the uninitiated, the RiteofPassage project is a community arts project that aims to create new rituals.This project is open to ALL
individuals, performers, activists, parents, community groups, company troupes, church groups, fraternities, sports fans, and everyone else! We would like to see diversity in geography, age, cultural background, gender identity, income, and political and religious views.
The purpose of Phase II of this experiment is to see if it is possible for a group comprised of different kinds of people, many of whom are
strangers to one another, to collectively create a new ritual. We would like to stress that the *form* is new, not the intent of the ritual. We want to initiate a single person or multiple people into a group. How we are going to do this, and what the identity of this group is, still has to be decided.
For example, traditional rituals represent archaic power structures (ex. who ‘leads’ the ritual?). How have these power structures changed? And how would we represent whoever has the power today in a new ritual?
And we also have to look at the elements that are of value to us. Fire, for instance, is used in many rituals because, back in prehistoric times, the sustenance of fire determined whether the tribe would live or die. What would be today’s fire? What is an essential element without which we can’t live? Is it the car? Chocolate? Books? Or is it different for everybody, and if so, how would we implement
this liquidity in the ritual? Do we have to create one generic ritual or a modular one that can be fitted to the inductees personality?
This project needs people who can put in time, enjoy open discourse and debate, and are amenable to compromise; we would like this to be a consensus-based process without endless discussions. No performance or artistic experience is necessary.
The point is to create something that will be inspiring to other people.
We will be working together at The Rotunda, on the following dates:
Tuesday, March 10, 7:00 PM.
Tuesday, March 31, 7:00 PM.
Tuesday, April 28, 7:00 PM.
Tuesday, May 12 at 7:00 PM.
Tuesday, May 26 at 7:00 PM.
Rehearsal Friday May 29, 5:00-9:00 PM.
Performance Saturday May 30, Call 5:00 PM. Curtain 7:30 PM.
If you are interested in participating in this inclusive community project, please contact Gerald and Gina (contact info above).
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.
DJ Ambush, DJ Juice E., Double E, and Fem Star spin Hiphop, breaks, and funk all night, and there are open cyphas, a tag wall, and a featured performance and graffiti panel each month.
Hosted by I-Be4EVR, Agent Moe, And Nile Hardin
It’s ONLY A DOLLAR $1.00/ALL AGES and always packed, so come out for the MOST LEGENDARY event in the city!
THE BREAD & PUPPET THEATER returns to Philadelphia as The Lubberland National Dance Company in “27 Dirt-Cheap Dances,” a topical play for these trying times of economic crisis. Bread & Puppet’s itinerant Lubberlanders will enact problem-solving dances for our problems, collateral damage dances for victims, victory dances for victories, wedding dances for hostile populations and their rulers, funeral dances in response to the most recent wars of Lubberland, and total peace and harmony dances with no meaning whatsoever. Karl Marx makes a cameo appearance to duke it out with Uncle Money, and yeah, there will be giant puppets, the notorious Cheap Art Store, and maybe even some sourdough bread after the show.
WHY A DANCE COMPANY? In the 1950s Peter Schumann, Bread & Puppet’s founder, moved from Germany to New York to work with Merce Cunningham’s modern dance troupe. Schumann was both a choreographer and a sculptor with an interest in reviving the avant-garde and folkloric arts that had been diminished in the Second World War. The merging of these forms laid the foundations for the Bread & Puppet Theater, whose puppets can be considered “choreographed sculpture” steeped in a tradition of experimental rusticism. After over 40 years of being known for his puppetry, Schumann has returned to his roots by forming The Lubberland Dance Company with a mixed group of dancers and non-dancers. So far the Lubberland Dances have only been seen in Vermont and New York City. This tour will bring more people to see—and to perform as—Lubberland Dancers in cities and towns around North America.
Mary Robinette Kowal is the 2008 recipient of the Campbell Award for Best New Writer. Her short fiction has appeared in Strange Horizons,
Cosmos and is forthcoming in Asimov’s. In addition to fiction, Mary makes her living as a professional puppeteer and voice actor. She
lives in NYC with her husband Rob and nine manual typewriters.
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.
Wednesdays March 11th, April 8th, May 6th, and June 17th 2009
Admission is free
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…!
~SAVE THE DATE~
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17TH!
Silent Auction & performance fundraiser for the CD Project “Quests in Poetics” by PlumDragoness & The Elements!
Visual Projections for the Event TBA!
Wednesdays March 11th, April 8th, May 6th, and June 17th 2009
Admission is free
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…!
~SAVE THE DATE~
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17TH!
Silent Auction & performance fundraiser for the CD Project “Quests in Poetics” by PlumDragoness & The Elements!
Visual Projections for the Event TBA!
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…!
~SAVE THE DATE~
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17TH!
Silent Auction & performance fundraiser for the CD Project “Quests in Poetics” by PlumDragoness & The Elements!
Visual Projections for the Event TBA!
Saturday Cipher Students & The G.O.D. Power Movement Present:
A PRO-PEACE CHANGE: A WORLD SEEKING PEACE WITH ITSELF
Youth Hip Hop & Poetry Night
Date: Friday, March 6th
Time: 8pm - 10pm
Location: The Rotunda (4014 Walnut, Philly)
Cost: FREE!!!
(FREE VENDING SPACE. More info below. Going fast! Only 4 spaces left!)
*This event is to, once again, return the youth to the center of hip hop and of manifesting peace in the current times. Furthermore, this event is to bring the community and those servicing the community together to resource-share & share in the art of poetry and performance.
WE ARE SEEKING COMMUNITY ARTISTS & ORGANIZATIONS TO VEND. VENDING IS FREE.
PLEASE CONTACT: SATURDAY.CIPHER@GMAIL.COM
DEADLINE FOR RESPONDING IS TUESDAY, MARCH 3RD AT 9PM
PEACE ABOUND & SELF-DISCOVERY
–
Langston Hughes cultivated youth artists wherever he went.Let’s continue in the same tradition!
Shayna SheNess Israel
Founder of Saturday Cipher:
Poetry, Rap & Performance Classes
Housed at the Community Education Center
(3500 Lancaster, Philadelphia, PA)
SONIC MIRRORS
For as much as the duo format highlights the creative boundaries of its individual artists, duos featuring two of the same instrument push these frontiers even further. Hidden beneath a veneer of sameness, the minute and nuanced details of sound and structure rise to the foreground.
Perhaps the most sensuous example of this can be found in Kai Fagaschinski and Michael Thieke’s Berlin-based clarinet duo International Nothing. As Brian Olewnick notes in his Bagatellen review of their recently release CD, “Fagaschinski seems very preoccupied with the reinvestigation of more “traditional” clarinet sonorities and he and Thieke do so with a vengeance here. The first sounds you hear, on “Einfache Freuden”, are the paired reeds, one full and burred, one breathier, tracing long lines in closely spaced pitches, splintering out into adjacent areas, recombining a bit later. It’s a lovely effect, slightly reminiscent of Alvin Lucier’s experiments with sine waves and pitched percussion though there’s no tinge of the laboratory here.”
A similar exploration of interweaving sonorities is the Philadelphia based accordion duo of Alban Bailly and Dustin Hurt called Ko Koed. Named for a small town in Bailly’s native France, Ko Koed is almost completely devoid of the instrument’s idiomatic heritage, and instead explores the rich and enigmatic characteristics of dense and complex harmonies, and the dancing acoustic phenomenon that occur in its overtones.
Translating this idea of a matched duo to the name of an instrument designer rather than an exact instrument will significantly broaden the sonic palette. However, when that designer is Don Buchla, creator of Charles Cohen’s Buchla Music Easel, as well as the Buchla 200 Modular Analog Synthesizer, the Easel’s “mothership”, here piloted by Christian Mirande, the musical explorations become no less interesting.
The International Nothing is kindly supported by Goethe-Institut San Fransisco and Kulturverwaltung des Landes Berlin. This event is made possible with the support of the Rotunda.
Schedule of Movies
Total run time of all films: 171 minutes 82 seconds Admission is $5
*Underneath by: Katrina Deaton Type of film: Feature Run time: 107 minutes
“Underneath” captures the compelling journey of a young woman, Taylor Hayes, and her pursuit for happiness, acceptance, and self-discovery. Beneath the veil of sexuality, her deceit invokes the basic human need for love.
*Release by: Nadine Patterson Type of film: Super 16mm Run time: 13:05
This film is about the power of dance to communicate the things that we cannot express in words. Husband and wife dance couple separate when she pursues a career overseas. He stays behind to raise their daughter.
*Lick Film by: Nadine Patterson Type of film: 16mm color Run time: 2:30
This film is about filmmaker’s fascination and love of film, its texture, color, and vibrancy. Dance and images of an editor at work are juxtaposed with a quote- that is spoken in Portuguese, Spanish, English, and French.
*Locusts by: Invincible Run time: 11 minutes 27 seconds Type of film: Music Video/Documentary
Film addresses the physical displacement/gentrification happening in Invincible’s home city of Detroit
*Ring of Fire by: Rini Keagy Type of film: Animation Run time: 4 minutes
A short-hand painted animation that explores the “shape of things” as the volcanic Mount Merapi erupts on the island of Java in 2006.
* Uncle Mike
by: Suzi Nash Type of film: Animation Run time: 3 minutes 20 seconds
Uncle Mike is the story of a young girl’s struggle to understand what will happen when her beloved Uncle Mike becomes her Aunt Michelle. An animated video taken from Philadelphia singer/songwriter Suzi Nash’s children’s CD, “Rainbow Sprinkles”, a collection of kid’s songs designed to empower children from LGBT families. This could be the worlds first trans friendly kids cartoon! Fun for adults too…
*Jazzyfatnastees: In Process
by: Mike D. Type of film: Short Documentary Run time: 21 minutes
A behind-the scenes look at Philly’s hottest singing duo as they prepare their new band to perform at Black Lily, the alternative soul music showcase they founded in 1999. Black Lily has been the proving ground for the current wave of Philly “Neo-Soul Artists” including Jill Scott, Musiq, Kndred, Floetry and Jazmine Sullivan.
Festivals and screenings:
WYBE-TV’s Philadelphia Stories (Premiere), Denver Pan African Film Festival, Cine Noir Festival (Winner: Best Documentary), S.E. Manly Short Film Showcase, Blacksoil Festival (Netherlands).
Complete Cast and Credits:
Starring Mercedes Martinez and Tracey Moore. Featuring appearances by Rich Nichols, Jill Scott, Floetry, Kindred, Jazmine Sullivan, D. Ryva Parker, Nou Ra, Dan Deluca. Running Time 21 minutes. Produced Directed and edited by Michael Dennis. Camera by Raymond Morgan, Daryl DeBrest and Tracey Moore.
*A Taste of Lady Alma
by: Mike D. Type of film: Short Documentary Run time: 10 minutes
10 minute portrait of world renowned, Philly based dance music diva, best known for her work with producers King Britt and 4-hero. After years of hard work, she’s ready to do things on her own.
Festivals and Screenings:
2004 Denver Pan African Film Festival. 2004 Cine Noir Festival, 2004 Blacksoil Festival.
Complete Cast and Credits:
Starring Lady Alma, Rich Medina, Ursula Rucker and KC Bajai. Interviews conducted by Sheena Lester. Camera by Mike D and Deyril Debrest. Produced and Edited by Mike D.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Underground Literary Alliance presents
The Idiom Magazine Anthology with Walking English publication action-reading
An evening of underground poetry, music, artwork, and other hijinx
Contact:
Frank D. Walsh
Underground Literary Alliance
nohbard@gmail.com
Gina Renzi
The Rotunda
gina@TheRotunda.org
February 23, 2009
PHILADELPHIA, PA—On Saturday, March 7th, from 6PM until 10 PM,
The Rotunda (4014 Walnut St., Philadelphia) will host “The Underground Literary Alliance presents: The Idiom Magazine Anthology with Walking English publication action-reading”, featuring poetry, music, underground artwork by Kali Clark, and other literary high-jinx by: ULA members Mark Baird, anthology editor and publisher; Frank Walsh (FDW) reading poetry from the book; Walking English notables and anthology asst. editors Chris McIntyre and Steve McNamara; Erin, Matt and Eric Broomfield of Carnivolution and West Philth Productions (just back from a European tour of their “Squidling Brothers Circus Side-Show”) and Special Guest appearances by lit-crit promoter KING Wenclas recently returned from Detroit; poet and vocalist Rebecca Roe of the Mighty Paradocs; musician Shakespearian Anna Christie; and Devin D’Andrea, epic bard.
Chris McIntyre’s writing is both self-refelective and keenly observant of the world around him. He notices things like park benches going out of style and the anger he feels for Walt Whitman both the man and the bridge.
Steven McNamara is a retired ferris wheel operator. His poetry focuses on the eternal aspects of life derived mainly from his time spent crossing the country, seeing a groundhog predict the weather 10 years in a row, and some time in Peru building houses.
Mark Brunetti is the publisher of The Idiom Magazine. He won the 2007 Do-It-Yourself Book Competition based out of Los Angeles for his poetry chapbook, “Airplane Lies and other Poems Without a Home”. His lines are simple and concrete, while still attempting to be lyrical and poetic.
The Idiom Magazine is going into its 4th year of publication. It won the London Book Festival: Magazine Category in 2007 and was banned from Rutger’s zine festival for obscene material and a 4 1/2 foot paper mache volcano which attracted a lot more attention than expected. The Idiom Book is 18 bucks but the Idiom is sympathetic to economical strain.
The Idiom Anthology, which includes all issues comprising volume I and II of the magazine— the largest underground ‘zine in New Jersey— and is for sale on Amazon.com will be available at the Rotunda at a deal. Also, copies will be officially presented during this event to the Kelly Writers House at Penn, the Lancaster Avenue Autonomous (LAVA) space library, as well as West Philly neighborhood Free Library branches.
The ULA is the most radical and notorious underground lit and arts Alliance in the USA with active members in Europe. For over eight years its advocacy and direct action has gained interest and coverage in the local, regional, national and international media. As of 2008. the ULAPress has placed a line of independent alternative populist novels, trade-books, and affiliated “zeens” in independent bookstores across the country as well as e- books and a ULAPress store on the web. In Philadelphia this line of publications can be found at West Philly Comics, Germ Books, and the Wooden Shoe.
On display at the event will be samples, replete with contact information, for sale, trade, and perusal, of current ‘zeens and meta-’zines from around the Country as well as heaping helpings of propaganda, circulars, and other diverse affects committed to the rising tide of the underground literary resistance.
Free and open to the reading/writing public. Attend, collaborate, commiserate, and instigate.
All event participants are available to be interviewed even photographed by local journalists and reporters to the extent civility permits.
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 $7 with food, toys, or clothing for the needy; $10 without
Basquiat (1996) is a piercing look into the ’80s art market seen through the eyes of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. A young graffiti artist of Haitian and Puerto-Rican descent, Basquiat is discovered by gallery owner Annina Nosei in 1981. He is thrust headlong into the Manhattan art scene, a hype engine fueled by young artists and wealthy collectors.
From the one-line witticisms of the prophet SAMO to collaborative works with Andy Warhol, the art of Jean-Michel Basquiat speaks volumes about the prejudice, classism, and consumerism he encountered during his career. As he transitions from working primarily as a graffiti artist to more conventional art, Basquiat is faced with a difficult choice between gaining acceptance from the art community or remaining loyal to the friends who have supported him. He allows himself to be seduced by the promise of wealth and recognition only to quickly learn that the path to success is laden with pitfalls.
Basquiat is a film that is a treat for the senses—the vivid colors that leap from the screen are reminiscent of the work of the artist himself. The downtown club scene and unforgiving streets of Reagan-era Manhattan are brought to life with a stirring soundtrack of jazz, rock, and early hip-hop that reflects the simultaneous feelings of ambition and disillusionment experienced by a young man who sought fame and won it, but at the cost of his life.
Originally released in 1996 and directed by Julian Schnabel, Basquiat stars Jeffrey Wright in the title role alongside a richly talented cast including David Bowie, Benicio del Toro, and Parker Posey. The recipient of the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for Benicio del Toro’s performance as Al Diaz, Basquiat was also nominated for the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion Award.
Note: Basquiat is rated R for drug use and strong language
ONE FILM The One Film Selection Committee has chosen Julian Schnabel’s Basquiat (1996) as the featured selection for 2009. The film follows the career of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat from his beginnings as a spray painting walls as SAMO to traveling among the decadent circles of the art elite. But despite gaining international acclaim, the politics and prejudices of the art market quickly teach him that the world isn’t as welcoming as it seems. Featuring Jeffrey Wright in the title role and supporting performances by David Bowie and Benicio del Toro, the film offers a piercing look into the life of a young artist who sought success and fame and won it—but at a terrible cost.One Film is a partner program of One Book, One Philadelphia and promotes film education, library usage and community building by engaging Philadelphians in critical discussion and analysis of the annual featured film. Now in its second year, One Film program runs from February 18 through March 11, 2009.
WHAT’S ON TAP?
in honor of World Water Week and The Tap Project
What do you love about water?
What are your favorite bodies of water?
What lessons have you learned from water?
Have you ever run out of water?
What would you do for clean water?
Admission: Suggested donation $12, $6 for students and seniors. No one turned away for lack of funds.
A portion of the money raised from this show will go to support The Tap Project and World Water Week working to bring safe and clean drinking water to the world’s children.
WHAT IS PLAYBACK THEATRE? Artistically we weave together spoken word, dance, music, storytelling, and physical theatre in an improvisational form that can be serious, deeply moving, and often hilarious. The content comes from audience members telling their real life experiences, stories, and dreams.
The Company: Bianca Adger, Eric Brunner, Jessie Cocks, Pamela Freeman, Sarah Halley, Ron Kravitz, Davis Rodriguez Melendes, and Patrick Seyler.
For more information about the performance, please call 215-844-7566
It’s Friday the 13th and that means it’s time to open your mind (and your spirit) and FACE THE UNKNOWN. The spirit world is calling you and so are we. Get ready for a night of mystical mayhem at the Rotunda with all of the experts we could conjure up. You may not know it, but the “other” world is haunting you and these people can help.
To all hearts. One Love. One Night. Retrospective presents a passionate prospective for your pleasure with poets, rappers, comedians, giveaways, raffle and much more. plus an open mic!
This event is free.
“Even if we don’t have a pulse, we still have heartbeat,if love live”
Inner Visions 2009!
A cultural Infusion of Art and Sound
Featuring:
The Hiphop great Chen Lo (coming down from Brooklyn) - MTV and BET
The Fresh Sounds of Tree House Coalition (Llyod Alexander and Antoine McRae)
The Classic Moves of Philadanco Dancer Cloe Davis
The Live Debut of ASAFO
This is not your ordinary show. Dope beats, Dope Rhymes, and Fresh Soul and a Live Band. A multi-media presentation will be playing as the backdrop to the artists performances (Now That’s ill)! If you know like I know, you’ll be there.
8pm - Balkan dance workshop. Learn to dance cocek, kolo, daichovo, and ruchenitsa the traditional way. Members of WPO and folk dancing friends show you how.
9pm - traditional dance session with WPO (Chamber)
10pm - full out WPO rumblings with the whole crew.
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.
DJ Ambush, DJ Juice E., Double E, and Fem Star spin Hiphop, breaks, and funk all night, and there are open cyphas, a tag wall, and a featured performance and graffiti panel each month.
Hosted by I-Be4EVR, Agent Moe, And Nile Hardin
It’s ONLY A DOLLAR $1.00/ALL AGES and always packed, so come out for the MOST lEGENDARY event in the city!
A GOSPEL EXPLOSION
FEATURING GOSPEL SAXOPHONIST KENNY SYKES!
IT WILL BE A NIGHT OF PRAISE AND WORSHIP ALSO FEATURING:
• Cornerstone Christian Academy’s “VIP” Children’s Choir
• Soloist: Valerie Gay
• Soloist: Diane Watson
• Joyful Noise of The Calvary Baptist Church of Philadelphia
• Praise Dance By Miss Lakesha Monique McGraw
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Vitamin D Productions’ Womynsfest is celebrating 10 years!
The seminal festival occurs this year on Sunday March 8th, from 3pm until 11pm, at The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street in Philadelphia.
Contact: Vitamin D Productions
Womynsfest is one of the longest, free admission, women’s festivals running in the Philadelphia area. This festival has been showcasing various styles of music at The Rotunda, almost since day one, for ten years!
Throughout its lifetime thus far, the festival has featured acoustic acts, rock & roll, punk, m-f, Afro-Brazilian, African, Medieval, Middle Eastern, Percussion solo’s, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Celtic, poetry, dance and performance artists, film, and much more. Over the years, we’ve also raised money for Breast cancer research and awareness. This festival has seen it all!
Vitamin D imagined how it would be with all of the various styles of music in one room. The original goal of the diverse line up was to help promote a community and attract a diverse audience as well as visualize=2 0an array of styles all on one stage during the course of an evening. Over the years, the festival has managed to bring out granola crunch, gutter punk, rock diva’s, jazz heads, cultured musicians, dancers, and people of all walks of life, together under one roof! This was one of a kind when we started at other venues, and then we were one of the first to do it at The Rotunda!
Vitamin D Productions is proud to announce the 10th Annual Womynsfest performers. The performances of this year’s Womynsfest from ages 5 to 48 and will certainly turn some heads../Not to mention the day time activities from 3pm until 6pm. The day time will host some performances, as well as: a free box for womyn, clothing/jewelry vendors, short films, local entrepreneurs, and food vendors.
Our line up includes:
Evening Portion from 7-11pm
Steph Hayes & Susan Rosetti
Dangerous Ponies
Naughty Naughty Nurses
The Tara Lynne band
Carolyn Malachi
Vitamin-D-3
Peek-A-Boo-Review
A.J. Shanti
Meryl Joan Lammers
Kelly Carvin
Sharon, Audrey, Amber Lee, Alexa and Shannon performing “Jive Talkin”
DAILY PERFORMANCES AND FILM SHORTS PROGRAM FROM 3 - 6 PM.
Performances from 3-5:30
FILM SHORTS 5:30 PM
(not in order)
Vitamin D Productions presents “The Breast Portrait Project” featuring Clarity Haines & “The Butch/Femme Series” featuring Train Song music by Stargazer Lily and performances by Steph Hayes and Megan Roberts.
Joel Ludivich - presents “Cradle” A piece featuring a Philadelphia Dance Company
Q - “Pink on a man”
Wren - “Rock it”
Joan Roman - “Coming Out” is a short story capturing a very significant moment in the life of a homosexual. It is the night before her college graduation and after months of suspicion, Mia Spimoni questions her mother on the
unusual behavior she has been noticing. After a lifetime of tradition and “normalcy”, Mia suddenly finds h erself in the middle of a community she never thought herself to be a member of while revealing her mothers
deepest secret. In this battle for personal freedom and family, Coming Out aims to capture the essence of the consequence of truth.
So don’t miss this year’s amazing, free, all ages, diverse line up of performances and activities at The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street in Philadelphia. For more info, visit vitamindproductions.us
Open Mic/ Slam Poetry at its finest
every 3rd Saturday through May 2009.
“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 $5 with food, toys, or clothing for the needy; $7 without
Sunday Musicale
Showcasing local singer/songwriters:
Phyllis Chapell
Multi-Lingual Singer/Guitarist
Penance
Bluesy Alternative, with Aimé DiDonato
Mezclado
World Fusion Pop, featuring Victor Rodriguez
Admission: Adults - $15, seniors and students with i.d. - $10
Light refreshments will be provided.
Bahian food served at 8, followed by screening of two short documentaries (The Branches Turn Green (20 minutes)
and Until Daybreak (14 minutes)) and ending with a performance by Old Goats.
All proceeds go to the musical instrument fund of Irecê, Bahia, Brazil
Nate Wooley / Ivar Grydeland
Ben Hall / Chris Riggs
Bring It Inside with McOmber
Toshi Makihara
Guitarist Ivar Grydeland (b.Trondheim 1976) started his music education degree in the mid-nineties. Having a base as a free jazz artist, Grydeland has continually expanded his experimental style to include new sounds. This unique style set it’s roots while Grydeland studied improvised chamber music at Norway’s College of Music (2001-2003), together with percussionist Ingar Zach. Since, the musical style of Grydeland has burst the improvisational traditions, whether it is called free jazz, or intuitive music. As a improvisational artist, Grydeland has had the change to play with countless groups, as well as being part of numerous recordings. This fluid approach to musical collaboration might be a condition for the boundary breaking genre this style of music represents.
As such, it is not surprising that Ivar Grydeland is a very adaptive musician: He takes pieces of his own surroundings and weaves them into his own unique style. This proves true, whether it be an adaptation to the sounds of Japanese artist Yumiko Tanaka with her traditional shamisen, or pianist Christian Wallumrøds sober, repetitive sounds. Like many musicians, improvisers, and composers, Grydeland has developed an artistic practice which results in hybrid musical forms, working styles, and genre stretching cooperation. There doesn’t appear to be a deliberate ideological drive behind this development, rather a continual search of music’s communicative possibilities.
One of Grydelands distinguishing features is his work with prepared string instruments. With the use of various metal, plastic, rubber and wooden objects, Grydeland manipulates the strings, sound board, and skin of his instrument (one of his instruments is also a guitar-banjo: a guitar neck with a banjo body). He experiments with various tuning of the instrument with the use of various sympathetic strings to give his instrument new sounds. Here one sees influence from John Cages work with the prepared piano during the 1940s. However, where Cages has a prosaic desire to create a percussion instrument using a piano, Grydeland transforms his instrument into something unknown. In this way, Grydeland is able to develop a hybrid style which also includes the string instrument he works with. Using an instrument whose sound is well known, he has mutated and transformed his guitars sound to something unknown.
CANCELLED TONIGHT. PLEASE COME BACK FEB. 26 AND ALL OTHER FINAL THURSDAYS
PLEASE NOTE: A major water pipe has burst at The Rotunda, causing a serious leak that has forced the property management to turn off our water until the problem is fixed (hopefully by tomorrow afternoon). Being as we are not permitted to allow the public to use a venue without water, we must cancel tonight’s show. This issue should not affect the rest of our events this weekend.
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.
DJ Ambush, DJ Juice E., Double E, and Fem Star spin Hiphop, breaks, and funk all night, and there are open cyphas, a tag wall, and a featured performance and graffiti panel each month.
Hosted by I-Be4EVR, Agent Moe, And Nile Hardin
It’s ONLY A DOLLAR $1.00/ALL AGES and always packed, so come out for the MOST lEGENDARY event in the city!
Unifying through the Hip Hop Culture, Inc. presents a seminar and forum on Hip Hop Against Violence.
Panelists: Chip Fu (Fu-Schnickens), Jah Jah Shakeur (Temple of Hip Hop), Zulu Queen Michelle (Universal Zulu Nation, Unifying Through Hip Hop), TG (Old School Radio Hour), Marvin Thompson (Brother of Jam Master Jay, Pioneer of Jam Master Jay Foundation 4 Youth), Lord Yoda A, The Original Larry Luv, et al
Admission: $10 for adults, $5 for youth
UNIFYING THROUGH THE HIP HOP CULTURE, INC.Founder Michele A. Hairston, a Hip Hop Educator and Historian, had a vision to unify the inner city Youth, Teachers and Parents through the Hip-Hop culture by incorporating Education, Entertainment, and Art in the curriculum. Ms. Hairston started Unifying Through The Hip Hop Culture in 2001 through researching the youth in the inner- community to learn that they spend 75% of their time watching videos and listening to the rap music and imitating the art of life that usually ends in violence. Ms. Hairston also works in the classroom with teachers and educators by implementing lesson plans to fit the curriculum for their students. Through this, Ms Hairston started incorporating Hip Hop into the lesson plans such as; Math, Phonics, Literacy and Social Skills. In Addition, the Youth learn hands-on activities such as Graffiti (Art), Break Dancing, Emceeing (Rap), DJing and learning the Knowledge of the hip hop culture. The youth also engage in topics like violence, drugs, alcohol and the degrading of females and harsh use of the N-Word.
The mission is to bridge the gap between Hip Hop and educating to enforce it in the classroom and after-school programs as a part of curriculum. In addition, we help children to succeed in their academics and social skills along with providing lesson plans for Educators and Youth Directors to enhance their student’s academics, attendance and self-esteem.
As result of this, Michele Hairston created such groups as the Hip Hop Against Violence Movement, Harrisburg City Breakers, Educated Emcees and the Harrisburg Graffiti Crew to keep the youth off the street. The Harrisburg City Breakers won the Best B-Boy award at the Central Pennsylvania Hip Hop Awards in March 2007
Hip Hop Against Violence movement started in Harrisburg PA by Michele Hairston of the Unifying Through The Hip Hop Culture and the Universal Zulu Nation in 2005. The Hip Hop Against Violence is a youth movement that incorporates all elements of Hip Hop through performances, lectures and reaching out to the community. In 2006, the No N-Word movement was incorporated into this organization to educate the youth about the harsh word and how it is degrading towards the African American race.
Hip Hop Against Violence Movement wants to seek peace and unity in the culture of Hip Hop, wants to see more positive videos and uplifting music for the youth while not using females as pornographic models and not using the N-Words as a part of everyday speech. It also aims to create a way for rap artists to use their music to educate the youth and rhyming about solutions and not always the problem.
AUDIO EMOTIF combine elements of Indian Raga, Middle Eastern modes, along with elements of folk, rock & jazz into a unique
musical blend; a healthy stimulant to the mind, body & spirit.
For more on Michael Mantra/Audio Emotif go to:
KAVEH SAIDIis a violinist and composer who, besides having an extensive classical background, works in an exciting jazz/fusion style, a la Jean Luc Ponty.
Inspired by traditions ancient to new, eight acts will explore transition and transformation revealed through birth, growth, membership, union, healing, and death, as they perform and share brand new rituals they have created for this experiment in theatre and community
Doors at 7:30pm
Free admission for all ages
featured:
Countdown to Creation by Djo Fortunado
Lara Vracarich of Eclectic Spirit Dance & Music
Laurencio Carlos Ruiz
Charlyn
Underground Dance Works
Gabrielle Burke Casella
Keyboard Cathy
Adom McGaia
The Auerbachs and co.
Please bring photos, poems, stories, art work, pieces from nature, and other items that define your personal rituals and rites of passage.
These will be displayed in our gallery space during the event.
Background on the project:
The Rotunda is a unique arts and culture venue that encourages and empowers self expression and community-building in a variety of ways. One of our favorite ways to work with the public is to create collaborative projects that are shaped by the people who participate in th
