Arts Orbit Radar 3/3/11

Arts Orbit Radar 3/3/11 By Jay Gabler, TC Daily Planet What's happening this week Thursday, March 3 On the radar: Even more embarrassing than the Twins' continual inability to get past the Yankees in the MLB playoffs is the inability of local musicians to come up with a decent rally song for any of our sports teams. No one expected much from G.B. Leighton, but the Hold Steady's Twins-themed "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" also fell flat, and we won't even discuss Prince's pennywhistle-laden "Purple and Gold." We need someone to step up to the plate like Boston's Dropkick Murphys did for the Red Sox with their rewrite of "Tessie," the anthem that propelled the Boston Americans to victory in the 1903 World Series. Now there's a song that makes you want to spill some beer! The Dropkick Murphys will be the visiting team tonight at First Avenue. Under the radar: Speaking of sports, tonight at the Bryant-Lake Bowl there's a double-header featuring versatile local actor Patrick O'Brien. First up, O'Brien co-stars in a new production of Tom Stoppard's translation of Gerald Sibleyras's Heroes; then, he comes back on stage at 10 to reprise his most famous character: Mr. Dewey from Saved By the Bell. Friday, March 4 On the radar: There are so many Minnesotans going down to Austin for the South By Southwest music festival, one wonders how there will be room left for all the Texans—let alone people from the other 48 states. Several of the bands headed to SXSW are playing a sendoff showcase today at the Varsity Theater. Under the radar: It's not the Choreographers' Evening, but it's a Choreographers' Evening. Well, actually it's technically "a Choreographer's Evening," despite the fact that there are many choreographers involved and it takes place over the course of multiple evenings. The point is, there's some good dancing going on up Ritzward. Saturday, March 5 On the radar: This country is in bad shape, writes musician Jeremy Walker on mnartists.org. "Contemporary U.S. culture is loud, adolescent, self-aggrandizing, greedy, divisive, and rude, bloated by opinion without knowledge and bereft of any sense of its own history." What's his prescription? "We need jazz music [...] It is so hard to play well, to sound good. And we need things that require us to reach beyond what can be purchased on demand." If you're ready to fasten your bootstraps, hunker down, and be part of the solution, head to the University of Minnesota for this weekend's jazz festival. Under the radar: With no fewer than 11 proposals on the table at tonight's FEAST, competition will be tough—keep that ballot secret, because you don't want to piss off any poets! Sunday, March 6 On the radar: Nearly a year after the Last Prom on Earth, local supergroup Gayngs return to First Avenue to host annother epic event: the Gayngs Affilyated Showcase. Will this be like Golden Smog's Down by the Old Mainstream or like the Traveling Wilburys' Volume Three? Under the radar: In local theater, 2011 is the Year of the Puppet. The Walker Art Center is spotlighting puppetry in its performing arts season, and both Open Eye Figure Theatre and In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre are going great guns with original productions and with stellar guest productions. This weekend at Open Eye is an example of the latter: Thingumajig Theatre presents the fable The November Day. Monday, March 7 On the radar: It's St. Patrick's Month, so the hard-partying Irish rock bands are all stumbling through town for predictably sold-out shows. Tonight at First Ave: Flogging Molly. Under the radar: Holly Newsom, the dynamic frontwoman of Zoo Animal, is playing a free set tonight in the cozy confines of the Red Stag Supperclub. Expect her to showcase some of the lauded new solo material she's lately been playing. Tuesday, March 8 On the radar: "There are 800 people on ecstasy in there!" protested an underager who was thrown out of First Avenue the last time Girl Talk was in town. "How could they kick me out for being drunk?" Pro tip: stick to Adderall this time around...and after the show, do your homework! Under the radar: Even in post-Legacy-Amendment Minnesota, when performance artists standing naked on garages are singing the praises of the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008, many artists and artlovers believe that state legislators need to be reminded of the importantance of supporting the finer things in life. If you agree, book it to the Capitol today for Arts Advocacy Day. Wednesday, March 9 On the radar: Sarah McLachlan's Lillith Fair revival fizzled last year at Target Center, but the Minnesotans paying $75 apiece to see her at the Orpheum tonight seem convinced that she's still got that soulful way with a syllable. Under the radar: The Irish seem to be the last ethnicity people are comfortable telling jokes about. As it happens, the Irish give as good as they get. Daily Planet arts roundup Books • Black Books event draws literature fans of all ages in St. Paul (feature by Erica Deanes) Design and Style • University of Minnesota fashion design senior spotlight: Kathryn Sterner (photos by Jay Gabler) • University of Minnesota fashion design senior spotlight: Allison Danzl (photos by Jay Gabler) • University of Minnesota fashion design senior spotlight: Tierra Oliver (photos by Jay Gabler) • University of Minnesota fashion design senior spotlight: Kayla Frazier (photos by Jay Gabler) • University of Minnesota fashion design senior spotlight: Laura Henslin (photos by Jay Gabler) Movies • Academy Awards and social networking: Where the Oscar comes to you (feature by Barb Teed) • 83rd Academy Awards Governors Ball preview feeds the hungry press (feature by Barb Teed, photos by Jeff Rutherford) • Farrelly Brothers' Hall Pass: Pefect for a low-expectations date night (review by Jay Gabler) • Want a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? Former Minnesotan chairs the selection committee (feature by Barb Teed, photos by Jeff Rutherford) • Academy Awards makeup artists and hairstylists demonstrate why they were nominated (feature by Barb Teed, photos by Jeff Rutherford) • Red carpet arrivals at the Academy Awards: Halle Berry, Reese Witherspoon, Mark Wahlberg, and more (photos by Jeff Rutherford) • More Oscars attendees, from Celine Dion to Christian Bale to Colin Firth to The Donald (photos by Jeff Rutherford) • Stars walk the red carpet at the Academy Awards (photos by Jeff Rutherford) Music • Jeremy Walker of the Small City Trio: "There is always something to improve on and discover" (interview by Dwight Hobbes) • Josh Ritter at First Avenue: So happy (review by Kate Gallagher, photos by Mandy Dwyer) • Baths, Braids, Houses: Fun with plurals at the 7th Street Entry (review by Sarah Heuer, photos by Jay Gabler) • Biffy Clyro rock the 7th Street Entry like an arena (review by David Jarnstrom) Theater and Dance • Blank Slate's Pinocchio is a sterling page-to-stage adaptation (review by Sraah Rattanavong-Wash) • Mixed Blood Theatre's Agnes Under the Big Top: Six rings shy (review by Christopher Kehoe) • Conference, play highlight Islam's Western legacy (feature by Amanda Bankston) • Mad Munchkin and Eclectic Edge present an ode to winter, with dancing and puppets (review by Sheila Regan) • History Theatre's Adrift on the Mississippi tells the true story of slaves who escaped to Minnesota (feature by Jeanette Fordyce) • Jesus Christ Superstar at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres: Crucifixion blues (review by Jay Gabler) • Guthrie Theater screens a riveting King Lear, direct from London (review by Caitlin McHugh) • The Pillowman by Six Elements Theatre: Cold, hard truth (blog enty by Jay Gabler) Visual Arts • NoMi bus stop bouquet is now complete (blog entry by John Hoff) Food and Dining • Northeast Minneapolis Arts District features art and eats (blog entry by Mary Treacy) • Azariah Acres Farm (blog entry by Amy Doeun) • Vincent—A Restaurant, in Minneapolis (blog entry by Amy Rea) • Peanut butter from Champions (blog entry by Amy Doeun) Lifestyle • The Hmong wedding (blog entry by Bao Vang) • Best tweets of February (blog entry by Jay Gabler) • Remembering Rev. Peter J. Gomes of Harvard University (blog entry by Jay Gabler) • Baseball: Not an obsession, but a love (blog entry by Jean Gabler) Not a subscriber? Click here to get Arts Orbit Radar in your inbox every Wednesday—and follow ArtsOrbit on Twitter or Tumblr for 24/7 updates on the local arts scene.   Second Annual Cuban Film Festival raises the curtain on our embargoed neighbor By Jim Brunzell III, The Optimistic Pessimist While many filmgoers in the Twin Cities look forward to the annual Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival (MSPIFF), taking place in six weeks, there are a few other film festivals upcoming, including the Minneapolis Jewish Film Festival and the Italian Film Festival, which both start at the end of March. At the present time, the Second Annual Cuban Film Festival (CFF) is taking place at St. Anthony Main Theatre, for the next five Thursdays (the first screening was last Thursday). Greg Klave, the festival curator, has brought six Cuban films to the Twin Cities. I wanted to ask Greg a few questions about the Cuban Film Festival, not knowing too much about Cuban films or the Cuban population in the Twin Cities, and he seemed to be game about talking about the importance of Cuban films, how to get involved, support from the Twin Cities, and why most Americans are not allowed to travel to Cuba. This is the second year of the CFF. How was the turnout last year? The first year we had a surprising response from the community, with two of the shows sold out and many turned away. Two of the others were close to sell-outs, and the others had a respectable turnout, with over half the theater seats filled. Our discussion groups after the films about the movie and the history of U.S./Cuban relations were also well-attended, and people enjoyed them immensely. We get so much propaganda from the U.S. government and the corporate media that they were a breath of fresh air and information about Cuba's culture and people. As a result of last year's success we were able to fund the visits of three Cuban film directors to Minneapolis for events around MSPIFF. What got you interested in doing a CFF? Film is an international language and has helped me stay in touch with people around the world. I had managed a film program in college and was always interested in the foreign and independent films since that awakening of what else in the film world there was. Cuba started their Film Institute after the Revolution in 1959 and now they are known as the pioneer for independent film programs in Latin American countries. They hold the most prestigious Latin American Film Festival every year in December in Havana and have the highest amount of filmgoers per capita of any nation in the world. They see films from all over the world including top films from the USA. Tickets for them are about 10 cents because of the government's support of arts and culture. Cubans are a strong, intelligent, and talented people with a very rich culture and history very much similar to ours in many ways. Americans should be able to know their story without all the U.S. and media propaganda that comes with the mention of "Cuba" in the U.S. Do you plan on having a CFF every year moving forward? The Minnesota Cuba Committee is the group behind the Cuban Film Festival, but I hope in the future that it will develop into a Latin America Film Festival as I think we have a large Latin American community in the Twin Cities and we are not exposed to enough views of the nations and peoples who share our hemisphere and are Americans also. There is a large amount of incredible Latin Films coming out or past films that have not been seen by Minnesota audiences. This year's theme is "The U.S. Government says we can't travel to Cuba, so let's go to the Cuban movies." Why is it that the U.S. can't travel to Cuba? So the government says. The vast majority of Americans are not allowed to travel to Cuba because the U.S. government and a small percentage of rich Cuban Americans want to starve the people of Cuba into submission to U.S. interests by stopping the flow of any money or goods into their economy. They feel if they make families suffer enough they will blame their government and chose political system and economy more aligned with U.S. foreign policy and business interests. But also the U.S. government and business interests do not trust American citizens' participation in the shaping of U.S. foreign policy, so we are not allowed to see for ourselves what Cuba is like and the Cuban people think because we would come back feeling ashamed and applauded at what our government has been doing to them since 1898 when the U.S. took control from Spain. They also do not want Americans to know that despite a small economy and a restrictive 50 year U.S. embargo, Cuba has been able to have national health care and education system, to the Ph.D. level, free of charge, and are leading the world in music and dance, biotechnology, environmental protection and organic farming. How did you decide which films to screen for the second annual CFF? When I went to Cuba on an academic license, the only way to legally get to Cuba from the U.S. unless you are a Cuban-American with family there, I asked people I met what films Americans should see, what Cuban films they were most affected by. I also met with staff from the Cuban Film Institute (ICAIC) and found out what was available to bring to the US. The Havana Film Festival in NYC was also a big help as they are the American link to Cuba's film industry. There are many films I'd like to show from the past 50 years, but primarily we are concentrating on contemporary films to show Americans that the Cuban film industry puts out many films poking fun at the Cuban system and bureaucracy and the Cuban filmgoers are critical thinkers and sophisticated. So we hope that's the way Americans should approach the policies of our government. What can people expect when they go to a movie or movies in the festival? Are there discussions afterwards? Are there parties and/or events following each movie? They can expect to meet interesting people who like to discuss films and Latin America in the great setting of the historic riverfront overlooking downtown Minneapolis. It's romantic and visually stunning. After each film we grab a drink or beer from Pracna on Main and meet to discuss the topics that the film has brought up, led by a professional from the academic community studying Cuba or a Cuban themselves. Expect to earn new viewpoints and perspectives. I love it as much as going to the film. Also we have a closing reception at Pracna on Main after the last film of the festival, on Cuba's most popular band, Los Van Van [above], with Cuban musical artists from the area. They are Viviana Pintado and Frank Rivera of Salsabrosa and Gloria Riviera of Salsa del Soul, and they will treat us to the best of Cuba's musical traditions. There will be dancers from Cuban choreographer and instructor Rene Thompson's dance studio. How can people in the Twin Cities community become active or learn more about what's going on in Cuba after they've seen movies at the festival? It is easy just go to minnesotacubacommittee.org for local or lawg.org for national news links and events about Cuba. Support people to people programs and travel ban challenging trips to Cuba like we advocate at the Minnesota Cuba Committee website. We want to raise enough money through the film festival to showcase more Cuban film directors and actors here in Minnesota and help fund the production of films in Cuba by Cubans for the American audience to see! What has been the biggest surprise or challenge in putting the CFF on? The biggest challenge is in organizing and putting this Cuban Film Festival on. It's takes a huge amount of energy, time, and committed volunteers. The next big challenge is from U.S. journalists who throw an editorial jab at Cuba's government whenever they get a chance, even when it's reviewing Cuban movies or something apolitical. It's like they are obliged to toe the U.S. propaganda line or no one will read their paper or pay their salary. There is very little independence in the U.S. media networks. Therefore it is a challenge to talk with people about the issues that keep us alienated from our closest neighbor and keep Americans from focusing on changing this policy through political and community involvement. The surprise is the outpouring of interest in the Cuban history, people and culture through the Film Festival. The quality of the films from a small country is outstanding. Cubans are so aware of their literature and film arts. The surprise has also been my personal and spiritual growth as I've come into contact with the people and institutions who have helped to put this film festival together. St. Anthony Main Theatre Q: Who IS that? A: Alicia Zobbe-Hogdal, a.k.a. Meatpit By Jay Gabler, Who IS that?   Name: Alicia Zobbe-Hogdal Twitter: @meatpit Website: "I once tried having a blog in which i ask questions about things i see in porn, but it turns out the answers weren't that complex. So, just @meatpit." What's your job? "Driving the Paratransit van for the U of M—which means I drive injured athletes and old people to their classes/work." Other than your job, what are your claims to fame? "I'm Meatpit. I like to think that has the same effect as saying 'I'm Chuck Bass.' I just go out a lot." What's your relationship status? "The .5 boyfriend has recently been promoted to 1.0, but no one can tame this wild stallion." Where are you most likely to be seen? "I go out every night, but I'm afraid of crowds, so I'm usually sitting in a corner at the bar trying to get some air. Tuesdays i hang out on the old bar side of Triple Rock, thursdays I'm at Jäger, those don't change much. Other nights you can find me at Neddies, CC Club, Turf, or First Ave." Where are you most likely not to be seen? "The venue side at Triple Double, Too Much Love, the Library. Anywhere I run the chance of being the oldest one there (I'm 22). I kinda stopped going to the 'secret' venues too—it has to do with the 'need for air' thing." With what person or people are you most likely to be seen? "I'm usually in the vicinity of Mark McGee, Emily Angelo, or 1.0, but I'm kind of a compulsive mingler. So go to the places listed above, and I'll probably be talking to someone you know." Where were you born? "A farm in Ham Lake, Minnesota." What neighborhood do you live in now? "North Minneapolis, but like, a nice part." What's your ride? "My Pontiac Grand Am is a memento from my suburban past." What's the best way for someone to start a conversation with you? "Just pretend you know me. I'll spend the entire time quietly trying to figure out how I know you and will feel too guilty to excuse myself."
The Twin Cities Daily Planet is a project of the Twin Cities Media Alliance 2600 East Franklin Avenue Minneapolis, MN, 55406 Unsubscribe