The News Review:
- What’s n: Salons & Soirees
- EVERYBDY FRM EVERYWHERE DANCE NW
- CLASS IS IN SESSIN: STREET KATA; Hard Easy or Just Right?
What’s n: Salons & Soirees
Toronto Star – Jan 18, 2007
ne Night Stand Experience the Vibe presents the launch of this showcase of independent artists in the genres of R&B dance spoken word and more all entertaining in a "safe and fun setting. " Performers include Promise Baeshawn Mike Alan Booga KB thello Boice Valentine Brown poet Candee Bunz and break dance crew Funk Fanatics. Tonight doors open 8:30 p. The Cottage 1220 Danforth Ave.
EVERYBDY FRM EVERYWHERE DANCE NW
San Francisco Chronicle – Jan 18, 2007
You’re going to make this rock ‘n’ roll for the rest of the afternoon. All right?” “Five six seven eight” the dance captain shouted as Aguilar looked on sternly and the room filled with the swish of straw and muffled calls of “h sorry sorry” as the women ran through their steps — and into one another — in the too-tight space. But what are close confines to keep you from rehearsing when an appearance in the 29th annual San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival is on the line? More than 100 dance groups from across Northern California converged to compete for about 25 spots Friday through Monday. The auditions were packed with “It’s a Small World” moments: flamenco dancers in polka-dot shawls charging to their warm-up room while Indian folk dancers folded sari pleats; a Polish dancer in embroidered black pants stopping a 14-year-old Peruvian star to check out his badge which bore a picture of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Korean performers floated onstage with feathered fans while Mexican folklorico mujeres high-fived around the water cooler. Tango vixens waved their hands — the silent backstage stand-in for clapping — as a Bharatanatyam practitioner rushed for the wings panting. It could have been a pep rally for the United Nations… The soloist lost her crown and had to kick it toward the pounding drummers. But back in their dressing room the floor now piled with loose straw the dancers bounded giddily with triumph. And during the lunch break cloistered in their meeting room from the lobby mobs the judges liked what they were seeing. “I’ve seen some dances performed as fine as in their indigenous countries” said Chinese choreographer Maria Cheng. CK Ladzekpo a world-renowned expert in African dance and music was also in a celebratory mood. “None of us who were with this from the beginning thought it would become this big” he said thinking back to his early involvement with the festival — the first of its kind — in 1978. “As an old man in this business you can’t hope for a better future.
CLASS IS IN SESSIN: STREET KATA; Hard Easy or Just Right?
New York Times – Jan 18, 2007
”They move with grace and balance. ” This class blends elements from tae kwon do shodokan aikido capoeira and tai chi with serious dance moves. Imagine ”The Karate Kid Goes Break Dancing. ” Street Kata according to a class description is about ”understanding movement which flows into understanding self. ” What that means remains a mystery but we were asked to visualize clocking an unseen opponent in the knee kidneys and head with swift kicks. Then we blocked ducked punched; eventually Mr. Garland strung moves together into choreographed sequences until we had a fairly involved dance routine going.