Rha Goddess is using hip-hop to fight for the rights of people who have mental health issues. The New York-based spoken-word artist and social activist who coined the term "floetry" will stage her one-woman show, "Low," Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. at VSA North Fourth Art Center.
On Sunday, MTV's "Total Request Live" issued its swan song, and I wasn't listening. Dubbed "TRL" by its hordes of devotees - among whose ranks I used to count myself - the show marked a generation of awkward and not-so-awkward teenagers who tuned in for a decade to watch, fanatically, their favorite "celebs" battle it out for the top spot on the show's daily music video countdown.
Third time's the charm for open-mic night. Steven Nery took the reins of the open mic at the Blue Dragon before it closed for good two years ago, had a short-lived run at the now-defunct Hunab Hookah Lounge, and then developed the event into an above-average open mic extending beyond the standard guitar/singer setup.
Life is ridiculous. That's the focus of award-winning artist and clown Courtney Cunningham's workshop, "Finding Your Ridiculous: An Introduction to Clown." She will teach a workshop from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Orpheum Arts Space, at 500 Second St.
An ensemble of UNM students is baring it all onstage. Baring their souls, that is. "Full Frontal Poetry," showing at Theatre X, features the confessional works of 13 actor-writers. The show, directed by Paul Ford, explores the themes of sin, confession, journey and the loss of innocence through poetry, fable, art and nursery rhyme.
Dance major Andrea Hernandez-Gonzales is an animated performer, and she's quick on her feet. She's getting ready to dance in this weekend's faculty dance show, and she studies physical therapy so she can one day help injured dancers. Hernandez-Gonzales hails from San Antonio.
Ever since 1985, when women started demonstrating in front of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the performance group the Guerrilla Girls has exposed sexism and racism with their humor. On Friday and Saturday, they will continue to spread their message by screening a video at the KiMo Theatre and offering a workshop at the UNM ARTS Lab.
This year's Pornotopia extended its vision into an art show at the Stove Gallery. Organized by Matie Fricker and Molly Adler, who own the sex shop Self Serve, last weekend's Pornotopia film festival at the Guild Cinema emphasizes using porn as an art form and screening it in public theaters.
The movie "Role Models" is clichéd in its comedic-yet-sincere formula. But the sincerity of the characters and dialogue raises this film above typical Hollywood comedy. Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott play Danny Donahue and Wheeler, a duo who drive a truck shaped like a minotaur, campaigning against drugs and promoting an equally bad energy drink, Minotaur.
People want a saint but with a cowboy mouth. Or so Cavale tells Slim in "Cowboy Mouth," a 1971 play written by Sam Shepard and his then-lover, musician Patti Smith. The play, produced by SCRAP Productions and opening today at the Box Performance Space at 1025 Lomas Blvd.
Bag-maker Fernando Webb knows what makes a good bag, and it isn't big leather tassels. "They seem unnecessary - they just look stupid," Webb said. "And I really can't stand the designer labels like Chanel or Louis Vuitton, where it's their print all over the bag.
Recording studios and fencing classes - that's what you'll get at church-turned-performance space 1Kind Studios. Studio manager Adrian Griego and sound engineer Roman Garcia came up with the name long before the studio opened in June at 1016 Coal Ave. S.W.
There are too many damn games coming out this month. It is a constant avalanche of quality gaming that is taxing the budget of even the most financially solvent players. Take, for example, the forthcoming "Mirror's Edge" ($59.99). This game sells itself just through the short demo that was released on Xbox Live and PSN.
Video by Michael Demko Interview by Xochitl Campos Production by: Joseph Trisolini Xochitl Campos
Self-proclaimed rap nerd Slug, of the music group Atmosphere, said going to a hip-hop show is similar to going to church or Alcoholics Anonymous. "In a weird way, when you can get a room full of people to laugh together or throw their hands and wave them around together, that's as close as some of these people get to church," Slug said.
Radio producer Debra West likened the Saturday night show "The Director's Cut" to a Thanksgiving meal. "The movie is the turkey of the radio show. Boobs are the cranberry sauce - we talk about those a lot," she said. "Davenport's 'Pick of the Week' would be the pumpkin pie.
The world has now seen far more of Jason Mewes than necessary. "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" is the least-restrained Kevin Smith movie ever made. If he had made this in 2001, when he had to cut bits out of the relatively tame "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" to avoid an NC-17 rating, there is no way he could have made this movie without removing so much of the plot as to make it incomprehensible.
The 999 Eyes Freak Show will blow your mind without making a mess. It's the first vaudevillian freak show to tour in more than 45 years. Samantha X and accordionist Dylan Blackthorn created 999 Eyes four years ago. Based out of Austin, Texas, their first tour featured more than 30 acts and included a zombie rock opera, a puppet show and people hanging from hooks pierced through their flesh.
UNM theater major and senior Shannon Flynn wonders if he's found his true calling in playwriting, and he said he might stay extra years to study it. He'll showcase his two plays, "The Burglar" and "Slice," at Full Frontal Poetry this fall and at Words Afire in the spring.
Old western nostalgia is making a comeback in the form of musical theater thanks to the performing arts group ArcTisTics. ArcTisTics is made up of actors with developmental disabilities, the only organization of its kind in Taos. "It brings a fresher way of expression, and in the context of theater it is amazing," director Cristina Masoliver said.
Solutions by The State News
