Culture - The Daily Lobo

Evon Harrison rehearses a samba piece in preparation for East Meets West at Farfesha Belly Dance Studios on Monday. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at the Filling Station.

Culture

Showcase blends world dance styles

Hunter Riley | October 7

“Farfesha” is Arabic for “laugh joyfully,” said Michelle Morrison, founder and owner of Farfesha Belly Dance. This weekend, Farfesha is hosting a show at the Filling Station to celebrate the differences and similarities in Eastern and Western styles of dancing. “For me, belly dance was kind of a gateway dance, where once I kind of got into it, things like samba, and Bhangra and Bollywood were all the sudden a lot easier,” Morrison said.

Culture

DJ's 'mushroom jazz' brings down the house

Alisha Catanach | October 7

Listening to Mark Farina is like taking the melody train all over the city of sound. Farina said his style fuses house beats with hip-hop and acid jazz — and he calls it “mushroom jazz.” “Acid Jazz started as a kind of English style of funk and hip-hop type of thing in the early 90s and was popular in San Francisco in the mid 90s,” Farina said.

Cole Whitman feeds a miniature horse at Wagner’s Farmland Experience on Monday. It was Whitman’s second visit to the farm.

Culture

Corrales farm cultivates tradition

Chris Quintana | October 5

Harvest-time visitors can get lost and find their inner children at Wagner’s Farmland Experience in Corrales.

Culture

Students find release in swing dancing

Nicole Raz | October 5

UNM junior Kevin Clark started dancing four years ago, thanks to his girlfriend at the time. Now he dances across the nation and is an active advocate for the growing dance scene at UNM. Swing dance is rooted in a sense of community, Clark said. “Swing is about making it a dance between two people rather than two people dancing while holding hands,” he said. Clark said he realized community was the focal point of this dance at his first out-of-state dance event in San Diego. “Sometimes you get jaded to your own dance community, just like any family,” he said.

Roi Kuper in his home Monday. Kuper, UNM’s first artist in residence, will give a lecture tonight at the UNM Art Museum.

Culture

Looking for meaning in the NM landscape

Tomas E. Moralez | October 5

Roi Kuper is an Israeli landscape photographer and UNM’s first artist in residence. He has worked in England, France, Spain and Scotland. “Whenever I go somewhere to photograph landscapes, it’s not that I’m looking for an interesting landscape to photograph,” Kuper said. “I already know there is something interesting at the particular area, and I go there to find more interesting things within the landscape.” Kuper will give a lecture today at 5:30 p.m.

Tortilla pizza is a cheap and quick idea for pizza lovers.

Culture

Colin’s Collegiate Cooking

Colin Bridge | October 5

Deep dish, thin crust, New York, Chicago or California — whatever form you pick, I’m guessing you love pizza like I do.

Culture

Keyboardist fuses styles in thrilling live shows

Alisha Catanach | October 1

Mark Mallman, famed for his exciting live shows, plays a keyboard that might as well be an electric guitar.

Culture

Zombies attack during epic quest for Twinkie

Chris Quintana | October 1

“Zombieland,” directed by Ruben Fleischer, has all the great makings of a zombie film: zombies, survivors killing the zombies with shotguns and cars, and more zombies to take their fallen comrades’ places. The flick succeeds in character development, top-notch visual effects and zombie-based dark humor, so it’s forgivable that the movie lacks a strong story and tries too hard to be quirky. Fleischer immediately immerses the viewer in the zombie-filled world, starting the film with rapid shots of zombies chasing down and devouring humans in a fountain of blood and entrails.

Culture

Bright Ideas

Hunter Riley | October 1

As guest of honor at Albuquerque’s 10th Annual Solar Fiesta last weekend, the sun made a strong enough appearance to power a solar oven over 20 feet tall. New Mexico is exposed to about 7.5 kilowatts of solar energy per square meter every day, according to a 2004 report from the Center for Electric and Hydrogen Technologies and Systems, and it looks like Albuquerqueans are getting serious about harnessing that power. Hundreds of people flocked to the fiesta on Sept.

Culture

Plays put unique spin on traditional ‘Dracula’ tale

Chris Quintana | September 29

Dracula swoops into UNM this weekend as a harbinger of the Halloween season. “The Land Beyond the Forest: Dracula and Swoop,” produced by the UNM Theatre Department in conjunction with the Tricklock Theater Company, features the original adventure of everyone’s favorite vampire and a new tale set over the skies of Manhattan.

John Abrams, left, and Professor Miguel Gandert talk at the Jonathan Abrams MD Art Gallery in the UNM Hospital. Gandert was the first artist to show his work at the gallery, which has hosted over 100 exhibitions.

Culture

UNMH gallery benefits artists, uplifts patients

Hunter Riley | September 29

Hospitals usually aren’t known for high-class art, but cardiologist John Abrams is trying to change that. For about 20 years, the UNM Hospital has provided space in its hallways on four floors for artists to show their work, Abrams said. The hospital recently named the gallery after Abrams to honor his dedication to the gallery, which has exhibited more than 100 shows.

Culture

Artist's Avenue

Hunter Riley | September 28

Tony Mark, who lives in Santa Fe, produced the film “Georgia O’Keeffe,” which debuted Sept. 19 on Lifetime Television.

Culture

Religion across the board

Chris Quintana | September 24

A game where Buddha, Jesus, Moses, Kali and an unnamed Muslim figure battle against one another might be considered anti-religious, but Ben Radford, creator of “Playing Gods,” disagrees.

Culture

World music showcased at local festival

Hunter Riley , Chris Quintana and Tomás Morález | September 24

— Indian Ocean plays a mélange of familiar classical, western and Indian folk music that creates its own genre. The band plays Saturday at Globalquerque in Mayor Plaza at 10:20 p.m.

Culture

Quirky clips unearthed in comedic hodgepodge

Pat Lohmann | September 24

A bachelor on an 80s dating show leans coolly in a denim jacket and v-neck shirt, his mullet reflecting the bright stage lights. “I’m looking for the goddess,” he says, a rose held daintily at his side.

Manuel Mendoza shows off a giant corn dog Sept. 15at the State Fair. The fair has several vendors offering a variety of foods, from turkey legs to deep-fried Twinkies.

Culture

State Fair a feast of cultures, food

Tómas Morález | September 21

When the smell of corn dogs and fresh animal waste hits your nose, you know it’s time for the State Fair. I’ve lived in Germany for the past three years, during which time I haven’t been to a single state fair. I felt like a kid again last week when I went to the New Mexico State Fair for the first time. I was simply having fun, something we often forget to do in the daily hustle of school and work.

Culture

Split-action play pokes fun at marriage

Hunter Riley | September 21

The Fusion Theatre Company is the first company in Albuquerque to perform “How the Other Half Loves,” a play written by Alan Ayckbourn, who also wrote “Standing Room Only.” Director Gil Lazier said “How the Other Half Loves” is a fast-paced classic comedy that has entertained audiences since the show opened Sept.

Culture

Hungarian band gets audience hopping

Chris Quintana | September 21

Little Cow, a band from Hungary, is a “gypsy, punk, ska and rock band,” said Ben Yonas, the band’s producer.

Hatch green and red chile are being picked and shipped to restaurants and grocers around the country. Bags of roasted green chile are $25 at the Fruit Basket.

Culture

Local Heat

Hunter Riley | September 16

New Mexicans are seeing green: it’s chile roasting season. Roasting season means business for farms and grocery stores as natives and visitors alike flock to get their fix of the spicy pepper. Lee Romero, who is one of three owners of the Fruit Basket stores in Albuquerque, enjoys the extra business. The green chile has been roasting since mid-August, and Romero said this year the harvest has been especially good because of additional labor to help pick at the chile farms.

Susannah Calzada-Garrett performs an improvised dance while reciting a poem by Ángel González during a rehearsal for “Para que yo me llame Ángel González” at the National Hispanic Cultural Center on Sunday.

Culture

Poetry of Ángel González brought to life in theater

Chris Quintana | September 16

Guitar, flamenco and dramatic acting have been fused together in an unforgettable poetry presentation. “Para que yo me llame Ángel González,” or “For me to be called Ángel González,” premieres this Saturday at the National Hispanic Cultural Center downtown.