June 17, 2009 Recalling back to May 28, when Culture Shock Dance Troupe performed their first production in 2-3 years, "Graffit Life," written by graffiti artist Pose 2 from New York, not only was the work based on important subject matter that should be confronted more directly in communities everywhere, it was a refreshing reminder of how lucky San Diego is to have such a talented company in our city. We don't hear much about Cuture Shock in the local community these days, but they are keeping busy. Angie Bunch, founder of Culture Shock shares they've been performing regularly at Sea World -- something everyone should try to check out if they can. I asked Angie after the performance on May 28, "Why so few performances these days? You guys are fabulous!" She replied, "This is the way it's always been. We're just always involved in other projects." Glad to know Culture Shock is still thriving during these tough times. Just hoping that at some point, there will be more shows performed regularly because there's no other company like them in San Diego. Stay tuned for the REVIEW of Culture Shock's "Graffiti Life" in the September issue of Dancer Magazine; by yours truly of course.

June 10, 2009 Just got back from reviewing the Bolshoi, San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, and Foreign Cinema restaurant in San Francisco. Was an amazing weekend. Great food and spectacular performances. The only draw back this trip was coming across how so few restaurants on Chestnut Street in Cows Hollow and Union Street in Pacific Heights were serving food past 10pm. These are busting communities with countless restaurants to choose from and not a single cafe, bistro, or fine fining establishment was open. After seeing the SF Ethnic Dance Festival at the Palace of Fine Arts, it would have been nice to have a simple semi-upscale meal in one of these two neighborhoods. The only real choices near the Palace were Johnny Rockets and Mel's Diner. Oh and of course there was the IHOP on Lombard, but that just wasn't going to cut it. Finally, Perry's on Union was our final destination. Simple American food was offered, but it was nicely presented and satisfying. The service was also excellent. The lesson learned on this night was... know in advance which parts of town have restaurants serving past 10pm because sometimes even the most happening parts of town have an early bedtime. Sad to come across this in a city like SF, but the reasons could have a lot to do with our struggling economy; restaurants are probably just cutting back. Understandable from that standpoint. Next time... we'll head to North Beach or SOMA. ____________________________________________________ June 4, 2009 Fantastic news! Truly... Underworld is coming back to the US this August. Only three cities this year: Las Vegas 8/6, Oakland 8/7, and Los Angeles 8/8. Last year on 8/8/08, Underworld played at the inaugural All Points West - Arts & Music Festival in Jersey City, NJ. Since their tours to the US are so rare, I dropped everything and flew to Jersey for the weekend just to see them last summer. Absolutley worth every effort and penny it took to get there. No other setting could come close after seeing the show with the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan skyline as the concert backdrop. Ahh memories....See my pics from last year CLICK HERE. I'll of course be at one of these upcoming shows in August; perhaps two... maybe even all three! VISIT UNDERWORLD _________________________________________________________________________________ May 30, 2009 In recent music news, it was announced that lead singer David Gahan of Depeche Mode underwent surgery earlier this month to remove a malignant tumor in his bladder. He is expected to make a full recovery and resume the Tour of the Universe as soon as June 8. The band has shown unprecedented commitment to their fans by assuring them that the show will go on. As devout fans, we appreciate Depeche Mode's eagerness to return to the stage, but we also share the pain in learning this news and just want what's best for Dave -- that he take all the time he needs to regain his full strength. Anyone who has ever seen Dave perform live knows no other baritone on the planet can strut quite like him. When the time arrives --- and he's ready to showcase that famous Gahan strut we all love, we'll be anxiously awaiting.  Reply VISIT DEPECHE HERE

May 28, 2009 Mina Communications will be launching a new arts publication this summer and would like to hear from professional dancers in the San Diego community and beyond. Please share your thoughts/concerns about how the state of our economy has affected your dance career. Other topics of concern are also encouraged. If you choose to keep your comments anonymous, please specify in your submission.  Mina's Journal covers Essential Arts News 4 the Masses; a product designed to fill the communication gap between the arts community and the general public at large. SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS ___________________________________________________________________________ May 23, 2009 The Bolshoi Ballet is looking for 20 men to participate in the production as supernumeraries (sizes 38-42); no ballet experience is necessary. A casting call will be held on Saturday, May 30 from 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. at San Francisco Ballet. For more information, please contact Laura Abrams, Cal Performances’ Director of Education & Community Programs, at laura@calperfs.berkeley.edu. CLICK HERE FOR MORE ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE ______________________________________________________________ April 28, 2009 NATIONAL DANCE WEEK 2009 is in progress and Mina Communications proudly salutes those dance organizations supporting the effort. Here is a list of states honoring the event along with links to specific organizations celebrating National Dance Week from April 24 - May 3: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Conneticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.  http://www.nationaldanceweek.org/ http://www.bayareandw.org/ http://ndw-nyc.org/ http://www.nationaldanceweekstl.com/ http://www.loyno.edu/news/story/2009/4/9/1777 http://www.chicagoartistsresource.org/dance/node/20469

April 11, 2009 The Fifth Annual San Diego Indie Fest in North Park had a fantastic turn out on March 28. If you missed it this year, better get it together for 2010. Here's a glimpse of 2009. Photos of Juliette Lewis & the New Romantiques by Rebecca Rios.   Juliette Lewis at San Diego Indie Fest V. Photo by Rebecca Rios. Juliette Lewis looking very Mick Jaggeresque. Photo by Rebecca Rios. Juliette Lewis performing. Photo by Rebecca Rios. Juliette Lewis. Photo by Rebecca Rios.

March 31, 2009 The $10,000 David Patrone Swing Dance Competition held from January 11 - March 29, 2009 at Viejas Casino in Alpine was a major boost for the local swing scene. It was promoted everywhere, even on Free Format radio stations like FM 94/9. Coming from a station that plays a lot of Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, and Radiohead, promoting swing was a stretch, nonetheless listeners responded to the buzz. Patrone shares, "94/9 had Mike Halloran come out and I think he was well received with the crowd. Many people tell me they heard about our event so I know it's definitely had an impact." The local swing community is all about building the scene so inviting young audiences was a smart move. "Swing speaks for itself," says Patrone. "There's a certain romantic nostalgia associated with the dress and the music that speaks to all ages." Non-competitors also showed up for the great live music and free one-hour class for beginners before each weekly competition. If you didn't make it in 2009, make the effort in 2010. Viejas and David Patrone have plans to keep this party going indefinitley! http://www.davidpatrone.com/

March 10, 2009 The San Diego Film Commission & Hollywood Reporter "Made in San Diego" event last week, at the swank new San Diego Hard Rock Hotel, was a great excuse to get out on a Tuesday night.  SD Film Commissioner/CEO Cathy Anderson invited me to cover the event and I was happy to oblige.  "The Edge" reception hall on the second floor, overlooking the Gaslamp, was buzzing with behind the scenes film people, local politicians such as Mayor Jerry Sanders, Supervisor Ron Roberts, and Councilman Kevin Faulconer, along with corporate execs., and members of the media (myself among them).  After some mingling with local filmmaker, Tim Ryan, and members of the SD Asian Film Festival/Foundation, which included founder Lee Ann Kim, Marketing Coor. Daniel Matthews, and Operations Dir. Phillip Luque, the official business of the evening commenced. Several speakers took the stage including all attendees from the political community and Cathy Anderson among others, to share their gratitude to the Hollywood Reporter for producing the "Made in San Diego" Feb. 26 special issue about why filmmakers should consider San Diego for their upcoming film projects. The event also celebrated the recent California Production Incentive approved by Governor Schwarzenegger which will go into effect on July 1 (http://www.film.ca.gov/Incentives/).   The standout reminder of how exciting it is in San Diego when film has a strong local presence were the great film moments shown on the giant screen next to the stage. The San Diego filmography is pretty impressive. Among the films shot here are Citizen Kane, Some Like It Hot, Top Gun, Almost Famous, Traffic, Babel, the Lords of Dogtown, A Day Without A Mexican, Anchor Man, Bruce Almighty, Antwone Fisher, Pearl Harbor, Bring It On... and on and on and on....

June 26, 2008 There's always a lot of significant dance news in San Diego that the general public doesn't hear about. Two amazing young male dancers from San Diego, Kiril Kulish and David Alvarez have made it to Broadway at the age of 13 and no one is reporting this in the local media. The two dancers are alternating the lead role of "Billy Elliot" at the Imperial Theatre in NYC beginning Oct. 1, 2008. Check it out .... http://www.playbill.com/events/event_detail/10974.html

May 10, 2008 ON THE SUBJECT OF "SEEKING A HEALTHY DANCE COMMUNITY"... my two articles in the February & March '08 issues of Dancer Magazine provided an opportunity for dance artists to voice their concerns on the many shortcomings in medical treatment for dance injuries and affordable health insurance options. Various medical treatment, health care, and arts advocacy sources were listed in the March article and I am pleased to share that since this article was published, several artists in the dance community have pursued these service providers and have yielded some encouraging results.

January 1, 2008   To most people, Luce Auditorium at the NTC Promenade may be just another vacant structure pending development like so many other buildings inside the new arts district of Liberty Station. The dance companies that reside next door to Luce Auditorium, at Dance Place San Diego, understand its value and have long envisioned its potential. This historical structure, Luce Auditorium is a symbol of longevity. Thousands of World War II navy veterans have frequented this building to view some of the nations leading entertainers of our time such as Bob Hope and Nat King Cole. But a majority of the San Diego community is unaware of this. The resident dance companies at Dance Place San Diego would like to pay tribute to this historically significant site by carrying on the tradition of bringing great entertainment to San Diego audiences. Some interest groups are suggesting to transform the historic site into conference room space or even a multi-plex theatre. New conference room space can be developed in any part of the NTC at Liberty Station and a multi-plex theatre would dimish all plans of creating a thriving arts district. Both financial support and community involvement is necessary to restore Luce Auditorium for the arts. If you'd like to help,  please click on the following link.    http://www.ntcfoundation.org/donate.php#luce