Mary Damiano Photo by David Vance

Mary Damiano’s Arts Scene

North Beach Arts Fest
Deadlines prevented me from much of the festivities of the Coldwell Banker North Beach Arts Festival, but we did make it just before the artists closed up shop late Sunday. This is one of my personal favorite art festivals, as much for the quality of the work as for the laid back vibe and the stunning beach location. This year did not disappoint. From bright colors and sly work of Stephen Gamson, the artist who created the official poster for this year’s festival to the vivid paintings of Michelle Oravitz and the subdued but whimsical work of Kana Handel, the artwork was interesting and impressive.

The work of artist Stephen Gamson, seen here holding his piece Soulmate 1, was one of the many highlights of the Coldwell Banker North Beach Arts Festival. Photo: Sam Damiano

In addition to attracting artists from New England the Carolinas and other parts of Florida, our local artists were out in full force. To see what I mean, check out the photo gallery of the event in this issue, which features many artists with their work. And note how in many cases, the artists’ clothing reflects their artwork. We did have several curious encounters with artists who refused to allow us to photograph them with their work. This baffled us. Occasionally we’ve encountered a person who declines to be photographed, but we’ve never been turned down by an artist attempting to sell their work. After all, appearing in a publication gives artists of all disciplines free publicity and a chance for their work to be seen. If you have any thoughts on why an artist might turn down such free publicity we’d love to hear from you.

Chana will perform February 13, part of the free Downtown Concert Series

Chana Headlines Free Concert
Chana, (whose real name is Rosanna Tavarez), will be the featured performer at the next Downtown Concert Series, sponsored by the Miami Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and produced by The Rhythm Foundation. The free concert, the third in the series, will take place on Friday, February 13, 5:30 p.m., at the Tina Hills Pavilion in Bayfront Park, 301 N. Biscayne Blvd. in Downtown Miami. Chana recently released two singles “No Me Mandes Flores” and “Icaro” from her debut album, Manos Arriba, which she wrote and produced with Martin Chan, guitarist and songwriter for Volumen Cero. Chana also performed at the Billboard Latin Music Conference April 2008 with pop-rock singer and song writer, Aleks Syntek. In addition to her recording career, Chana is an actress and talk show host, who has appeared on the TV Guide Channel; playing the Latin sidekick on “On-Air with Ryan Seacrest;” “Fuzion”, a Latin entertainment magazine show on Telemundo; and “Sabrina, The Teenage Witch.” She was originally discovered when she appeared on the WB’s “Pop Stars,” as one of four girls selected to form the pop music group Eden’s Crush. The Downtown Concert Series was launched in November 2008 with percussionist Sammy Figueroa as headliner. It is scheduled to run on the second Friday of each month through April, and is designed to promote and cultivate the development of the arts downtown. The Downtown Concert Series is open to the public and free of charge. For more information, visit www.miamidda.com.

The cast of A Chorus Line, which plays Broward Center February 17 through March 1

Theatre Openings
In addition to Liberty City, which you can read all about in this issue, there’s lots in store for the theatre lover over the next two weeks. Chazz Palminteri brings the stage version of his 1993 film A Bronx Tale to Parker Playhouse. In the one-man show, which runs through February 15, Palminteri portrays all of the characters of the story, which is based on his upbringing in the Bronx. For more info check out the Broward Center website. That one singular sensation is back. A Chorus Line, the longest-running American-produced musical in Broadway history, comes to Broward Center February 17 through March 1. www.browardcenter.org. The night after A Chorus Line opens at Broward Center, it’s composer, Marvin Hamlisch, will perform at the Arsht Center in Miami. www.arshtcenter.og. At the Stage Door in Coral Springs there’s Sugar, the musical version of the classic Billy Wilder movie Some Like It Hot, about two male musicians who don drag to hide out in an all girl band. Sugar runs February 13 through March 29. www.stagedoortheatre.com. Also at the Stage Door is a reprise of a fabulous show I saw last year, Zero Hour, which is a one-man show about Zero Mostel starring Jim Brochu. Brochu does such a terrific job that you will feel like you’re actually in the presence of the late Mostel. Zero Hour runs February 20 through April 5. Palm Beach Dramaworks has Conor McPhereson’s play The Weir. It takes place in rural Ireland, where local men swap spooky stories in an attempt to impress a young woman who recently moved into a nearby “haunted” house. The tables are soon turned when she tells a tale of her own. The Weir runs February 20 through April 5. www.palmbeachdramaworks.org. And at the GableStage Theatre in Coral Gables there’s Defiance by John Patrick Shanley, about two officers, one black and one white, on a Marine Corps base in 1971, on a collision course over race, women and the high cost of doing the right thing. Defiance runs February 20 through March 22. www.gablestage.org.

Karen Peterson and Dancers Jessica Pusceddu, Shawn Buller, Veronica Zayas, Marjorie Burnett, Jennifer Smallwood, John Beauregard and Carlota Pradera. Photo: Karime Arabia.

Valentine’s Day Dance
Here’s a unique way to spend Valentine’s Day: Karen Peterson and Dancers invite you to share the love with the wider community at a fundraiser in support of their groundbreaking mixed-ability dance work. Their Valentine Day +1 event on Sunday, February 15, 6 p.m. at the company’s South Dade Excello Dance Space, includes dinner with a complimentary glass of wine, dance performances, ballroom dance lessons, a silent auction and a cash bar, all for a $25 per person donation. Founded in 1990, Karen Peterson and Dancers is Miami’s only integrated and inclusive company of dancers with and without disabilities. The company provides a positive role model for the disability community and offers new visual inspiration for traditional dance audiences. It presents community performances and educational workshops, commissions and produces the work of mixed-ability dance artists, promotes and supports international cultural exchange. Valentine Day +1 will feature a “love duet” between Enid Harum Alvarez and wheelchair dancer John Beauregard, along with ballroom dance lessons by Alex Suarez-Mondsheinand. The Excello Dance Space, where the event will be held, is at 8700B SW 129th Terrace, Miami, off of U.S. 1/South Dixie Highway, just north of the Falls Shopping Center in the Pinecrest/Kendall area. For more visit www.karenpetersondancers.org.

Grandma and the boys from Nonna’s Pasta Dance, part of Miami Contemporary Dance Company’s Miami-Italia

Pasta Dances
From the comically edgy and ethereal to the precisely executed and zany, Miami Contemporary Dance Company presents two new world premieres in Miami-Italia International, February 20 and 21, 8 p.m. at the Colony Theater in Miami Beach. The performance features the works of two award-winning choreographers, Ray Sullivan of Miami Contemporary Dance Company and Paolo Mohovich of Balleto dell’ Esperia. The evening will open with the world premiere of Mohovich’s Strange News From Another Star, a piece veers between unison phrases and frenetic abandonment. The evening also features the world premiere of Nonna’s Pasta Dances, based on Sullivan’s childhood experiences of the time he spent with his Italian grandmother, when she prepared large feasts for holiday gatherings and family dinners. “This was our time...she would tell me stories about her favorite Hollywood movies, or where she always wanted to travel, or how she loved to dance,” Sullivan says. “I would look in on the boiling pasta, dancing around in the pot.” The result is zany, off-the-wall dances and a comedic tribute to all things Italian-American. For more information about Miami-Italia, call 305-865-6232. Tickets can be purchased at the Colony Theater box office, 305-674-1040, or through www.ticketmaster.com.

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