Growing Deeper: 3rd Annual Ahimsa House Garden Benefit Show

6 PM - 9:30 PM

For the 3rd year we are organizing a super fun show at the Rotunda! There will be food, dancing, great music, beautiful people and fabulous raffle items! 

doors at 6, show at 6:30

Philadelphia Women's Slavic Ensemble https://www.facebook.com/singslavic/

Red Cedar Strings https://www.facebook.com/redcedarstrings/

Maya Simone @iammayasimone

Cultureal https://www.facebook.com/CulturealMusic/

Boy Wonder https://boywonderrocks.bandcamp.com/

Tickets are $8-$20 (no one turned away for lack of funds)

All donations will be helping pay down the $37,183 still owed on the Ahimsa House garden! The garden is open to all and is a community greenspace that is collectively cared for. 

Our previous shows, BIG LOVE, and NOT FOR SALE raised over $3,800 for the garden. Please come!

For more details about the garden please visit: https://www.gofundme.com/ahimsagarden

Come by and get some FREE vegan ice cream! 

Robert Rich Sleep ConcertLive atThe Gatherings Concert Series

Sunday 4 June 2017 Midnight to 8:00AM

Doors Open Saturday June 3, 10:30PM-11:30PMPatrons will be admitted after midnight only at the discretion of the management. 

This event is in our sanctuary space in the front of the building. PLEASE ENTER ON WALNUT STREET. 

Robert Rich returns to Philadelphia and The Gatherings Concert Series for an eight hour sleep concert performance, from Midnight to 8AM, on Sunday June 4, within The Rotunda Sanctuary. Attendance is limited to 100 quietly prone attendees with proper sleeping apparatus. Advance tickets are $32 and are highly recommended. Purchase HERE

Robert Rich finds expression in his works by fusing nature, technology, art and craft into a sonic replica of our earthly macrocosm. His music is concise, exhilarating and charged by a keen sense of drama. Moving through his many albums we find multi-layered realizations enlivened by misty flute solos, floating glissando guitar, and ethereal synth pads. Less active areas within the meshes of musical fabric are like an oasis nestled inside his ambitious design.

Conjuring soundscapes derived from the darkest regions of the earth, to the brightest grain of stardust, Rich's performances evoke the enigmatic nature of the universe while emphasizing its harmony with the human spirit. With his steel guitar, flutes, field recordings, synthesizers and samplers Robert Rich delves into the mysteries of the cosmos, and our place in it.

The term "Sleep Concert" can be a bit misleading, as it implies that this music is intended to help the listener sleep deeply. On the contrary, at this unique all-night event, the audience may find that they sleep less deeply, and wake up more often. The idea is to let the music incorporate itself into our perceptual framework during the night, to create a sonic surround, an environment for unique states of consciousness.

The music is aimed at the nebulous territory that exists in our minds when we are hovering between awake and asleep, and still aware of our environment - yet detached, as the half-sleeping mind wanders into the realm of hypnogogic images and dreamlike non-linearity. This music may be found to act as a trigger for these flowing thoughts, and the activation of the surrounding environment can help us skate around the edges of sleep, with part of us in the dream world, and part in the physical space where we are sleeping.

The experience of listening privately will differ from the experience of audience members during the Sleep Concert. In the concert situation, an additional state of heightened arousal can occur from social factors, whereas the environment of the home is more relaxed.

People become more physiologically activated merely by being in the proximity of other people. Perhaps this arousal is a purely chemical phenomenon - which is an interesting feature that distinguishes a live Sleep Concert from listening to a recorded version at home. In the act of bringing a group of people together in the same room, we create an energized environment, which can contribute to the intensity of personal experiences. But for these factors to contribute to an interesting aesthetic experience, listeners must combine this activation with an increase in attention to internal states of mind. The music hopes to intensify this internal focus.

Fore much more info on The Gatherings Concert Series, Robert Rich, Stars End, and more, please visit thegatherings.org/120gather.html

Attendance is limited to 100 quietly prone attendees with proper sleeping apparatus. Advance tickets are $32 and are highly recommended. Purchase HERE

Beatrice Arthur: Astral Dame

Calling Golden Girls fans, Maude maniacs, and all those who carry a torch for tough broads with soft hearts, Bea is back. Repeat: Bea Arthur, all five foot ten inches of her, has come back from the cosmos to perform at a theatre near you in Beatrice Arthur: Astral Dame! Through the artistry of Jason B. Schmidt (who played the Bea Arthur role in Thank You For Being a Friend: The Musical), the Tony- and Emmy Award-winning star performs her signature numbers along with a few surprises only the original Queen Bea can deliver. Be there for an out-of-this-world afternoon of comedy, quips and tender tributes to the remarkable Bea Arthur.

Some material may not be suitable for all audiences.

Admission is $15. Advance tickets can be purchased at http://beaarthurastraldame.bpt.me/

Please join us for a "gently staged" reading of Shiny Objects, a musical by Chad Gorn. Loosely based on Cinderella, Shiny Objects follows the story of Cheyenne Wheeler who, after the death of her mother, is left to live with her uncaring stepfather and bratty stepsister. Alone, Cheyenne deals with her grief and unanwered questions about her past, while she struggles with how to rise above her situation.

Admission is FREE but donations are encouraged. 

Andrew’s Video Vault at The Rotunda

FREE Screenings Continuous From 8 PMon the Second THURSDAY of Every Month!Since 2004, Andrew’s Video Vault is a free, once-a-month screening series at The Rotunda in West Philadelphia programed by film director and educator Andrew Repasky McElhinney.  Andrew’s Video Vault programs original, obscure, neglected, marginalized and commercial unavailable video media. It connects the West Philly neighborhood to the University of Pennsylvania community and fosters a multicultural examination of motion pictures in a relaxed, educational setting.

This program is made possible through the generous support of the Cinema Studies Program and The Rotunda at the University of Pennsylvania. 

VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. 

JUNE 8 – ART HOUSE EROTICA DOUBLE FEATURELa Marge (1976 / 88 minutes)This little seen erotic film about a Parisian prostitute (Sylvia Kristel) who meets a businessman (Joe Dallesandro) from the countryside is one of director Walerian Borowczyk’s greatest achievements. Despite her aloofness, their encounters develop into a deep emotional attachment as his home life falls apart and tragedy strikes.Der Bomberpilot (1970 / 65 minutes)One of the most experimental films of New German Cinema is this colorful, somewhat lurid tale from Werner Schroeter, which follows the lives of three women in a traveling cabaret troupe from the excesses of Nazi Germany to hardship in the postwar years.Guest Host and Curator: Samm Deighan 

JULY 13 – CLARA BOW DOUBLE FEATUREKid Boots (1926 / 60 minutes)Eddie Cantor stars in this slapstick comedy. His friend Tom wants a divorce, but must stay married long enough to receive an inheritance. Unfortunately, he’s in Palm Beach, and tempted by all the beautiful girls there. Cantor tries to help him stay faithful, but then falls for Clara Bow himself (and who wouldn’t?).Mantrap (1926 / 70 minutes)Lonely Canadian bachelor Joe (Ernest Torrence) takes a trip to Minneapolis. He meets a pretty manicurist (Clara Bow) in a barber shop, and soon takes her back to Mantrap, Canada to marry her. The only trouble is she can’t help constantly flirting with other men – including the divorce lawyer who comes to town.Guest Host and Curator: Andrew Gilmore 

AUGUST 10 – ’90s DRUG-FUELED FREAK-OUTSGift (1993 / 80 minues)Perry Farrell and Casey Niccoli’s experimental, shot-on-video feature telling a story of a couple’s heroin addiction, set in the rock and roll world of Farrell’s band Jane’s Addiction. Made while the band was at the height of success and publicly struggling with real-life substance abuse issues, Gift wavers uncomfortably between death-wish braggadocio and an eerie call for help. The stripped-down lovers’ melodrama is framed by vivid Tijuana-shot concert footage of Jane’s Addiction in their fleeting heyday.The Love God (1997 / 82 minutes)Director Frank Grow’s little-seen masterpiece is a phantasmagorical tale of love and obsession at lower Manhattan’s Love Hotel, a dumping ground for prematurely-released mental patients. Grow sees the film through the deranged eyes of his bugged-out characters while never losing sight of their humanity. Awash with garish day-glo colors and madly stomping along to a score by Australia’s Lubricated Goat, The Love God unloads some wild shocks while barely hiding a deep compassion just beneath the mayhem.Guest Host and Curator: Dan Buskirk

SEPTEMBER 14 – BOLDLY INTO THE DARKSelected ShortsThe men and women who made these animated films were free; they did not have to answer to any studio, appeal to any demographic, or argue with actors, nor were they were bound by the laws of gravity, time and logic.  Each answered only to his or her heart and imagination.  As a result, these films go places and do things no feature film would dare… Begotten (1990 / 72 minutes)In Begotten, Edmund Elias Merhige separates the darkness from the light to reveal the beginning of everything: matter, motion, myth, sex and Cinema itself are born on the screen in blood and fire.  We are witness to forbidden rituals and images that conjure the savage poetry of James Dickey and terrible beauty of Ingmar Bergman.  Though we can’t look away, we feel we shouldn’t be watching…Guest Host and Curator: Ted Knighton

OCTOBER 12 – GRINDHOUSE GOTHICThe Witch Who Came From the Sea (1976 / 88 minutes)“Molly really knows how to cut men down to size!” was the tagline for this deeply atmospheric “video nasty” with great location cinematography, dramatic heft, and a haunting turn from Millie Perkins as Molly, who seems to leave a trail of deadly sexual multialtions in her wake, but why…? Toys Are Not For Children (1972 / 85 minutes)Jamie’s (Marcia Forbes) obsession with her absent father and the toys he gave her as a child ruins her marriage and leads her into a life of prostitution in this exploitation drama filled with equal parts of the bizarre and of melancholy.Guest Host and Curator: Mike Zaleski 

NOVEMBER 9 – PRE-CODE COMEDYShow Girl in Hollywood (1930 / 77 minutes)Flapper comedienne Alice White stars in this musical comedy as an unemployed chorus girl who decides to leave Broadway and go to Hollywood to find a job in the new field of “talking pictures”, but finds it’s not as easy to get into the movies as she had hoped.Girl Crazy (1932 / 74 minutes)Zany vaudevillians Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey star in this George & Ira Gershwin-scored musical comedy. Gambler Woolsey hires taxi driver Wheeler to drive him to Custerville, Arizona, where the sheriffs always get bumped off. Woolsey tries to get out of paying his taxi bill by talking Wheeler into running for sheriff against the town’s nastiest bandit, and hilarity ensues.Guest Host and Curator: Andrew Gilmore

DECEMBER 14 – DIABOLICAL FRENCH DRAMAUnder The Sun of Satan [Sous le soleil de Satan] (1976 / 97 minutes)Gerard Depardieu stars in Maurice Pialat’s film about the nature of evil, where a particularly zealous priest in the French countryside becomes tempted by the devil and is obsessed with saving a young murderess (Sandrine Bonnaire) who has killed one of her lovers. The Devil, Probably [Le diable, probablement] (1977 / 95 minutes)Robert Bresson’s penultimate film follows the attempts of a suicidal young man (Antoine Monnier) to find some meaning or value in society by immersing himself in religion, politics, and even psychology, all for nought.Guest Host and Curator: Samm Deighan

Event Horizon SeriespresentsElkhorn, Datadrift and Ombient with  Chuck van Zyl

Ombient is the moniker under which Mike Hunter performs his Ombient is the monikr un which Mike Hunter performs his style of ambient/drone/experimental music.His ambient/drone/electronic music, being of a live and improvisational nature, is representative of the feeling of the moment in which it is performed and of the subtle feedback between the audience and the performer. Ombient users various vintage and contemporary analog synthesizers, a large Synthesizers.com Modular, and occasionally computers running Ableton Live with various synth plug-in's. Most of the older music of Ombient features 6 string guitar and/or 12 string Warr Touch Guitar which is processed and layered using digital looping equipment. Mike is also the host of the radio show Music With Space on WPRB 103.3 FM out of Princeton, NJ

Mike will be joined by multi-instrumentalist, Chuck van Zyl, who is best known as host of Stars End, WXPN's renowned radio program of spacemusic dreamscapes) and as coordinator of The Gatherings (Philadelphia's premiere concert series of innovative music), Chuck van Zyl has also been making his own unique style of electronic music since 1983. Over the course of his musical existence Chuck van Zyl has developed a signature exploratory style. By blending the primitive machine beauty of classics like "Ricochet" with the highly formed values of more recent groups such as Redshift and Arc, his solo studio works are the result of a persistent creativity.

Datadrift is the electronic music project of Guinevere Molly Campbell. Creating soundscapes since 1996, she uses an east-coast, hardware-focused approach, based on her love for the keyboard interface as well as the corralling of machines with unique interfaces and timbres to communicate with one another and find dialog or harmony.

Her principal approach is texture-driven, creating synthesizer patches that resonate with a mood or idea, then working with that sonic palette to create a soundscape that combines improvisation with sequenced aspects.

While predominantly instrumental and ambient, her work includes some forays into indie/experimental pop-driven song structures, including vocals. Her influences include Brian Eno, Jean-Michel Jarre, Tangerine Dream, Dead Can Dance, The Legendary Pink Dots, David Sylvian, Kate Bush, and atmospheric songs and trance-like passages in 60s-80s pop, cold and new wave, and post-punk..

Elkhorn is the electric/acoustic guitar project of Drew Gardner and Jesse Sheppard. The duo cmbines Sheppard's American Primitive-style acoustic finger picking with Gardner's extended improvisational and textural electric playing. The duo grew up together in the deep woods and rotting industrial husks of central New Jersey and have been collaborating on and off since the mid-1980s. A filmmaker as well as musician, Sheppard directed The Things That We Used To Do (2010) a documentary about Jack Rose and Glenn Jones. He lives in the Brandywine region of Pennsylvania. Drew Gardner lives in New York City and combines poetry and music in spontaneously conducted ensembles. His CD, Flarf Orchestra, appeared in 2011.

Admission is FREE

future Event Horizon shows September 23rd - TBA

October 27th - TBA

December 1st - TBA

The Secret Cinema presents BICYCLE SHORTS 

On Saturday, June 10, The Secret Cinema will present BICYCLE SHORTS, a program of vintage short films all about the bicycle. BICYCLE SHORTS will include rare retro educational films on bike safety, as well as bicycle-focused documentary, drama, and even a musical short. This popular special program was last shown eight years ago (at Moore College of Art) -- and is being revived as part of the ongoing celebration of the Secret Cinema's 25th anniversary.*

There will be one complete screening at 8:00 pm. Admission is $8.00.

As usual, all Secret Cinema programs are projected in 16mm film on a giant screen (not video).

Just a few highlights are:

THE DAY THE BICYCLES DISAPPEARED (1967) - By way of intriguing special effects, a town's population of bicycles ride off by themselves and announce they are on strike, until they can be convinced that local kids will adopt safer riding practices.

WE DECIDE: TRADE-OFFS (1978) - In what will likely prove to be a prescient educational film, a class must analyze and then vote on how to solve a serious problem in their school: a severe shortage of bike rack spaces!

I'M NO FOOL WITH A BICYCLE (1955) - A colorful, animated history of self-propelled locomotion precedes a comical safety lesson, hosted by beloved Disney character Jiminy Cricket (voiced by Cliff "Ukulele Ike" Edwards).

THE BIKE (1969) - When two young boys steal a neighbor's fancy new banana-seated bike for a joyride, it's just the beginning of their problems. A surprisingly compelling mini-drama, with then-unusual handheld camerawork from future Oscar-winning cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, a Philadelphia native (and father of actress/singer Zooey Deschanel).

PSYCHLING (1981) - This fascinating documentary chronicles cyclist John Marino's grueling attempt to set a speed record for riding a bicycle from coast to coast.

THE ETON BOYS: "BICYCLE BUILT FOR TWO" (1941) - A "Soundies" musical clip originally shown on coin-operated film jukeboxes, this features the Eton Boys belting out the title song (a.k.a. "Daisy Bell") in a barbershop quartet style that was already quite retro in 1941.

…plus MORE.

*The Secret Cinema presented a second, completely different program of films about bicycles in 2012, at the Broad Street Ministry (it included a talk by author Steven Rea). Our Rotunda screening will be a repeat of the original Moore program from 2009.

SECRET CINEMA WEBSITE: http://www.thesecretcinema.com

Admission is $8. 

 This event has been postponed due to circumstances beyond our control. A new date will be announced in the future. 

The Rotunda & Vision Driven Consulting are teaming up to bring resources and capacity-building workshops to self-producing artists/musicians and event curators in all disciplines.

Workshops are held: 2nd Monday of each month

6:00 – 8:00pm at The Rotunda (4014 Walnut St, Philadelphia)

All workshops in the series are FREE and OPEN to the public! Refreshments provided. 

Special guest presenters and facilitators will be announced each month.

If you want to receive workshop reminders, join Vision Driven Artists - Philadelphia, a closed Facebook group for Philadelphia-based artist/arts organizations.

http://www.visiondrivenconsulting.com/artists.html

2016 - 2017 WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

Developing Campus/Community Collaborations (September 12th)

• Hear stories of successful campus and community collaborations

• Learn how to find campus and community partners

• Avoid common problems and learn how to build mutually beneficial partnerships

Goal Identification & Measurement (October 10th)

• Identify what you want to achieve in your projects

• Incorporate critical feedback and self-reflection into your arts practice

• Brainstorm and receive tools for measuring success

Nonprofit, LLC, or Fiscal Sponsorship (November 14th)

• Discuss the pros and cons of various structures – pool experiences and get new ideas

• Craft your mission statement to determine the structure that best suits your practice

• Sole-proprietor, LLC, 501(c)3: understand the structures and how your projects fit into them

2017 Planning (December 12th)

• Plan your upcoming year of work 

• Identify your goals and break them into achievable tasks

• Plot your tasks on a timeline for 2016

Fundraising Basics (January 9th)

• Learn the language of fundraising 

• Maximize opportunities beyond grants to support your projects

• Brainstorm actual fundraising ideas for your work

Taxes for Artists (January 23rd)

• Learn the language of fundraising 

• Maximize opportunities beyond grants to support your projects

• Brainstorm actual fundraising ideas for your work

Grant Writing – Beginner (February 13th) 

• Demystify the language and process behind grant writing

• Receive tools for finding grants 

• Read actual grant proposals to learn common mistakes and important proposal components 

Grant Writing – Intermediate (March 13th)

• Review aspects of a strong grant proposal

• Practice writing an actual grant 

• Receive feedback on your draft proposal 

Real Budgeting for Real Work (April 10th)

• Look at sample budgets and learn how to interpret the story behind the numbers 

• Create a budget tailored to your goals for 2016

• Learn how to assemble a project budget for potential funders

Getting People to Show Up (May 8th) 

• Learn new techniques for building an audience and your ideal project participant

• Troubleshoot issues with audience development that you may have had in the past

• Identify marketing techniques to keep people showing up to your future events

Getting New Projects off the Ground (June 12th)

• Identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and potential threats of a new project 

• Think through the components of your project and its goals 

• Hone in on the details of your program or project and begin a draft project plan

Crowdfunding 101 (September 11th)

• Learn how to tell if crowdfunding is right for your project

• Discover the pros and cons of  crowdfunding platforms

• Hear from a panel of artists who have run successful crowdfunding campaigns

Speaking Tech (September 25th)

• Learn what event curators and sound engineers wish you knew when arriving to a performance

• Receive sample templates of contracts, tech riders, and advance sheets

• Practice using templates with real-life examples

Setting & Measuring Goals (October 9th)

• Identify what you want to achieve in your projects

• Incorporate critical feedback and self-reflection into your arts practice

• Brainstorm and receive tools for measuring success

LONG/GONE Erik Ruin, shadow puppets and projections Ominous Cloud Ensemble, live soundtrack

ABOUT THE EVENT

Currently over 100 feet in length, LONG/GONE is a single intricately-cut piece of paper which flows freely from image to image. Narratives and scenarios (often drawn from classic works of literature from Homer to Dante) emerge and collapse and spill over into each other. In performance, Erik scrolls the paper-cut continually across the surface of an over-head projector, creating an epic and immersive shadow-show. His musical group, the Ominous Cloud Ensemble, will provide a live soundtrack. 

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Erik Ruin is a Michigan-raised, Philadelphia-based printmaker, shadow puppeteer, paper-cut artist, etc., who has been lauded by the New York Times for his "spell-binding cut-paper animations." His work oscillates between the poles of apocalyptic anxieties and utopian yearnings, with an emphasis on empathy, transcendence and obsessive detail. He frequently works collaboratively with musicians, theater performers, other artists and activist campaigns. He is a founding member of the international Justseeds Artists' Cooperative, and co-author of the book Paths Toward Utopia: Graphic Explorations of Everyday Anarchism (w/ Cindy Milstein, PM Press, 2012). 

Erik Ruin's Ominous Cloud Ensemble is an ever-evolving, collectively-improvising large ensemble for projections and music, led by visual artist Erik Ruin. Erik manipulates intricate paper-cuts and painted films on overhead projectors to create abstract landscapes and fragmentary scenes that are nonetheless charged with meaning, merging with music that ranges from dark atmospherics to ecstatic peaks of dissonance. Members of the ensemble include a rotating cast of Philly's finest musicians, who have collaborated with everyone from Anthony Braxton to the Sun Ra Arkestra, Chris Forsyth to Bardo Pond. 

Admission is FREE

THIS IS NOT AT THE ROTUNDA. IT IS OUTDOORS AT THE 40TH STREET FIELD, A LOVELT GREEN SPACE ON 40TH STREET BETWEEN LOCUST AND WALNUT. RAIN OR SHINE.

The 40th Street Summer Series 

presents

Brian Sanders' JUNKOn Saturday, June 17th we are welcoming Brian Sanders' JUNK to the 40th Street Summer Series. Sanders’ JUNK is known for their ingenious use of found objects and clever inventions that bridge the gap between dance and physical theater. For this performance, JUNK will perform selections from their family-friendly production "My Funny Bone," which takes on decoding just what makes funny so...funny. This review style program features a running display of the troupe’s most humorous work welcoming audiences to experience what The Philadelphia Inquirer has called, “exquisite beauty, slapstick humor, and gasp-inducing feats of derring-do…” 

Opening the show will be Unidos da Filadelfia Samba School, a group performing earth-shaking Brazilian percussion. Modeled after the neighborhood drumming groups of Rio and Salvador, Unidos da Filadelfia brings the joy and excitement of Carnaval to every performance. Come, celebrate, and DANCE with Unidos!

This is the 13th Anniversary of the 40th Street Summer Series. Stop by beginning at 6 pm for free scoops of ice cream from Ben & Jerry's, free samples of healthy snacks from honeygrow, free cold brew coffee from Saxbys, and free bicycle and helmet safety checks from Keswick Cycle University City. 

The 40th Street Summer Series is sponsored by University of Pennsylvania, Keswick Cycle University City, Univest Corporation, Campus Philly, and Inspire.

FREE admission

RAIN OR SHINE

Re-Entry Film Festival Featuring: "They Call Us Monsters"Presented by Spoken Soul 215

A Re-Entry Film Festival and Panel discussion featuring the documentary: "They Call Us Monsters". This film explores the dynamics of the criminal justice system in which juveniles are treated like adults and held in adult prisons, sometimes for life. The panel discussion will feature expert criminologists, community activists and formerly incarcerated juvenile lifers who will share their experiences, insights and solutions for addressing this horrible practice. This film is one in a series that addresses the impact of mass incarceration on communities and families.

Admission is FREE

Poet~tree EnMotion PresentsThe 2017 Summer Solstice Celebration! Wednesday, June 21st, 6-10pm (Doors @ 6pm)!This ongoing seasonal series features a variety of multi-disciplinary performance, arts & culture presentations… Doors open @ 6pm to find a spot to participate in the Yoga/Chi-kung Moving Meditation & Soundscape Exploration. The performance portion begins @ 7:30pm featuring a Fierce Lineup of Artists ranging from Live Musical Acts to Spoken Word Flowetry to Tribal Dance Movements. 

A FREE community event … but Donations are Appreciated!

• Happy Is: Flow Arts, Dance & Theatrical Storytelling: facebook.com/happyispresents 

• Irene Reinke & Mary David: American Tribal Style © Belly Dance: sabeelatribal.com 

• Music Over Matter (w/ Founder Jan Jeffries): Soulful Beatz Rhythms, Vocals & Participation: facebook.com/jan.jeffries.58 

• Naeemah Z. Maddox (a.k.a. NaeemBot): Singer/Songwriter, Composer & Multi Instrumentalist: naeembot.com 

• Nastasia Zorya (a.k.a. Anastasia): Visual Artist, Live Painter & Illustrating of the Subconscious: agnilibra.squarespace.com

• Plum Dragoness (a.k.a. Gabrielle de Burke): Resident Performance Artist, Event Organizer & Arts Educator: dragonspiritarts.com / ThePlumDragoness.com 

• Setu Tribe (w/ Founder Geri Vanore): Dancing Stories w/ Powerful Moves, Crafted Costumes & Fire Arts: setutribe.com

ARTIST BIOS:

• Happy Is: Flow Arts, Dance & Theatrical Storytelling: facebook.com/happyispresents 

• Irene Reinke & Mary David: Irene Reinke is the former director of Barajagala dance troupe and a certified American Tribal Style® dance instructor. She performs in Philadelphia as a soloist and recently has joined with fellow ATS® dancer, Mary David in performing duets.

Mary David is also a certified American Tribal Style® dance instructor has performed many times in the Philadelphia area and will be starting up ATS® dance classes in the spring.

American Tribal Style® dance or ATS® is an American fusion dance that was created by Carolena Nericcio in the late 70's in SanFrancisco. It is a dance influenced by elements of bellydance, flamenco, and folkloric dance. It is unique in that at it's core it is an improvised dance performed within a group of dancers with its leaders constantly changing. However, from the audience point of view, the dancing appears to be choreographed because the dancers perform so perfectly in synch with each other.For performance contact Irene Reinke at ireinke56@gmail.com or Mary David at sabeelatribal@gmail.com : sabeelatribal.com 

• Music Over Matter (w/ Founder Jan Jeffries) M.O.M. is made up of a group of dedicated people from many walks of life who express profound rhythm which beats within us all. The music of M.O.M feeds the souls of children, teens, & adults alike. The Maha Sound of M.O.M inspires; transporting the observer to an emotionally invigorating, uplifting dance of Pure Spiritual Beauty. facebook.com/jan.jeffries.58 

• Naeemah Z. Maddox (a.k.a. NaeemBot) Philly born and bred, Naeemah Maddox aka NaeemBot is a singer songwriter, composer, and multi- instrumentalist. Naeemah's style is a unique combination of soul, progressive rock, singer-songwriter, and neoclassical influences. NaeemBot has been on a musical journey that’s led her to produce her most ambitious work yet. Vile Tyrant and the MiddleMen (VTMM) is a fusion of chamber pop, progressive rock and soul, blended into a unique and original style. Five years in the making, VTMM started as a collection of GarageBand demos that Naeemah initially began recording as early as 2007. Constantly writing and recording elaborate demos, Naeemah soon had a growing collection of songs bridging many styles with her quirky writing sensibility. Using the musical skeletons of the songs, she reimagined the harmonies, articulation, and scoring. Now unleashed and unrestrained, in addition to playing guitar and singing, Naeemah has recorded all of the flutes, violins, and keyboard parts as well as composing, and producing it herself. "Vile Tyrant and the MiddleMen" is scheduled for a March 2017 release. In addition to performing her original music, Naeemah also plays guitar in the RoseMary Fiki Band, Bkgvox for artist Donn T., guitar for artist Alexa Gold, vocals for Jewish-World Music ensemble - Ezuz. Naeemah also contributed backing vocals on progressive thrash metal band Vektor 's 2016 release "Terminal Redux". naeembot.com 

• Nastasia Zorya (a.k.a. Anastasia) Born and raised in the Russian federation, She grew up in a family that had liberal views and open minds about the roles of creativity and art in people’s lives. At an early age, Nastasia decided to study different art forms, receiving an education at a traditional fine art schools in Russia. In her early 20’s, her dream to explore world cultures combined with her desire to learn and grow as a visual artist, led her to travel through several countries, and ultimately landed her in Philadelphia. Constantly involved in creative projects, it is a joy for Nastasia to be part of the worldwide creative movement and to have opportunities to collaborate with other artists. She loves being able to inspire and nurture imagination in others, especially when they can express themselves through hands-on creativity.

Creative expression through the medium of visual art is one of the most defining aspects in Nastasia's life and work. Mythology and storytelling from world cultures have been fueling her diverse set of interests from a young age. Her artwork carries a strong connection to the realm of mysticism and exploration of the dream state of mind. The surreal flow of composition, bold vibrant hues, and passion for eye-grabbing contrast have become the intrinsic traits in Nastasia's paintings. One of her trademark expressive devices is dream visualization – a meditative interpretive process of illustrating the subconscious by delving into the philosophy of Nature's Five Elements, the tension inherent in the duality of light and dark, individual and collective consciousness esoteric symbolism and animal spirits. Nastasia Zorya is a multi-medium artist/illustrator with an innovative mind. She finds her unique style and specific fusion of mediums through open-minded experimentation while remaining mindful of artistic balance. Nastasia’s visual art has a unique symbiosis of abstract, surreal, impressionist, and visionary art. Her skills have developed and flourished over the years thanks to her varying opportunities for practical application, including work in SFX makeup and body art for film and entertainment, sculpture, art installation and set design, and painting across multiple mediums. Currently, Nastasia Zorya is creating a whole new brand of art that merges holistic living, natural organic materials, functionality in design, and uniqueness of vision. The mission of her new art brand is to awaken the imagination of the audiences that interact with her pieces, as well as raise awareness and introduce more Natural Esthetic and beauty to their everyday lives. agnilibra.squarespace.com

• The Plum Dragoness (a.k.a. Gabrielle de Burke) Native to West Philadelphia, Plum is a multi-talented thespian, dancer, martial artist, instructor, poetess and writer who has been involved with performing arts since childhood. She is known for her poetic style, vocal performance, fire dance, flow arts and choreographic flair throughout Philadelphia and abroad. Over the past 15 years, she has toured not only as a solo artist, founding member/core performer/assistant artistic director of Archedream for HumanKind among many others. She has also independently released 2 albums of original work with the project Plum Dragoness & the Elements, known for its fusion of multi-media, live world beat musical infusions, spoken word vocals & lyrical poetry. She has also helped bring together the all female performance group trio known as The Femme-Mynistiques, who will officially release their debut EP “Here She Comes…” in the summer of 2016. Since 2007, Plum has been a resident performance artist, as well as host and organizer for the successful performing arts series known as Poet-tree En Motion at The Rotunda! This has allowed her the opportunity to share her own creative performances (including collaborative projects she initiated) and work created by a plethora of other unique artists with the west Philadelphia community and beyond! Gabrielle’s work as a healing arts practitioner and instructor continues to intersect with her work as an inter-disciplinary performance artist through the incorporation of Internal and Martial Arts forms in combination with Dance, Poetry and Theater presentation. Gabrielle has been teaching in, around the Philadelphia area & abroad since 2000.  If you dig It…then follow:

(Healing Arts) DragonSpiritArts.com & facebook.com/dragonspiritarts (Performance Arts/Music & Lyrical Poetry) ThePlumDragoness.com & facebook.com/4plumdragoness 

Listen on: soundcloud.com/plum-dragoness, cdbaby.com/Artist/PlumDragonessandtheElements, tunecore.com/music/plumdragoness 

• Setu Tribe (w/ Founder Geri Vanore)The Setu Tribe consists of… the Warrior Goddess, Connection, Fire Lotus, Men At Work... these are just a few of the movements created by Setu Tribe, a growing group of women (currently 21 and counting), led by Geri Omni, who come together to perform a collectively choreographed dance. Each movement is derived from a single, memorable experience belonging to each woman, making the dance into a series of pivotal moments that each Tribes Woman shares. In addition to creating their own movements, each Tribes Woman also crafts their own costume. Setu Tribe connects us all to these powerful moments as it heals and uplifts through the dance.

The Tribes founder, Geri Vanore (“Lady Omni”) has been inspired by the Tribal qualities of the Phamily known as The Philadelphia Experiment, the amazing, strong and beautiful women and men of the community, and the uplifting creations and music of the artists. facebook.com/setu.tribe, facebook.com/groups/136211769890796, setutribe.com

sign up for a spot at 7:30pm, space is limited...

Open Mic will close the night!

Can't Stop the Serenity - Philadelphia

CSTS Philly is pleased to announce that we will be hosting a Can't Stop the Serenity event in 2017!

We hope you will join us on June 24, 2017 from 2-6 pm

for a screening of Joss Whedon's cult favorite, Serenity, based on his much loved, though short lived television series, Firefly.

Before we show the movie, we'll have fun games, light refreshments, a special guest appearance by musician Sean Faust, and a raffle auction, featuring many wonderful prizes donated by our generous sponsors. (Bring cash if you'd like to participate!)

"Verse" inspired garb/costumes are highly encouraged!

Serenity is rated PG-13. Children attending must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Advance tickets are highly recommended. They are $10 each and can be purchased at http://cstsphilly.webs.com/apps/webstore/products/show/2996432 . Space is limited. If any tickets remain after 6/19/17, they will be sold at the door for $15 each. 

All proceeds benefit Equality Now.