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Dance with me, I’m Irish!

In this month of St Patrick’s Day, it’s good to remember that Irish culture is more that just a dirty pub pouring gallons of beer and a bunch of college kids wandering around the city with clovers stamped all over their faces.

Ireland also brought us the phenomenal Riverdance. For over 12-years now, people all over the country applauded the 20 dancers in various numbers all inspired by Celtic culture. The production marked the re-birth of traditional Irish step dance into an audience-friendly, modern and energetic show.

After many years of touring all over the world, Riverdance is currently on its farewell tour and the Kimmel Center will be hosting their eight final Philadelphia performances at the Academy of Music, from March 31 to April 5. If you haven’t had a chance to see the show, don’t miss it; all the YouTube in the world cannot replace the live stage experience of perfect rhythmic cohesion.

Kimmel Center
300 S Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19102
(215) 790-5800
www.kimmelcenter.org/broadway

The Painted Bride Art Center – Photo by Jason Smith

Tomorrow, on March 21st, Painted Bride Art Center will be the host of Latin Fiesta’s third annual festival: “Hispanos: Many Roots “¦ Many Faces”. The Mount Airy based musical ensemble works to promote the multiple faces of Latin culture through music and dance.

This year, Latin Fiesta will present “Tres Cuartos, Una Casa” (three rooms, one house), a musical piece composed and arranged by Grammy Award Winner (and Mark Anthony and J-Lo musical director): Angel Fernandez. On the guest artists’ menu, you’ll also find poet Sonia Sanchez and Oscar Hernandez, director of the Harlem Spanish Orchestra, whom will both be performing with the band.

The show starts at 8:00 PM and will be preceded by a pre-concert family workshop with music and crafts, and followed by a meet-the-artists reception. On this first official spring weekend, treat yourself with a full evening of hot salsa, sensual rhythms and Latin vibes! No better ways to celebrate the return of the warm weather.

Painted Bride Art Center
230 Vine St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 925-9914
www.paintedbride.org

Are you a tree-lover? Do you spend summer days lounging under a leafy oak at Rittenhouse Square? Do you wish your own neighborhood had more greenery? (I know I do.) Well, now your block can have its own tree!

From now until Friday, March 27th, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is offering interested homeowners their very own street tree! “But my block is surrounded by cement sidewalks!” you protest. Relax. If you are approved for a tree, the City of Philadelphia removes any sidewalk block that needs to be removed for FREE.

I know, I know. I’m excited too. No worries, the process is simple. Here’s how it works. First contact Mike Toklish, President of Friends of Jefferson Square Park. You’ll get a form to be filled out by the property owner. After the request is approved, an arborist chooses the appropriate tree for your neighborhood. You should get your tree by fall. Dig a hole. Plant the tree. Then water. And water again. Repeat weekly for two years. And then? Then enjoy.

Friends of Jefferson Square Park
www.jeffersonsquarepark.org

I love Cantina and I love their brunch. It really doesn’t take much for me get “strong armed” into going there, especially on Saturday morning/afternoon. The geniuses at Cantina have found a new way to entice me, though. They have started a monthly brunch event that features food and drink specials and a live deejay.

This Saturday–March 21st– they are bringing in one of my best buds (and a killer deejay) Shawn Ryan of Hurrah. He’ll be spinning soul, funk, motown and other good “brunchy” jams. Although there will be 1/2 off drafts and $1 off mimosas at the bar, since it’s Saturday afternoon (12-4pm), you can also bring your family and hang out in the dining room, or sit outside.

Cantina is in the lovely East Passyunk neighborhood and it’s always sunny in our neck of Philadelphia.

Cantina Los Caballitos
1651 East Passyunk Ave, Philadelphia, PA
(215) 755-3550
www.cantinaloscaballitos.com

Photo by Sara Allen

In the Berenstain tree house, there’s more than baked treats in the cookie jar. It’s also full of mystery! Brother bear’s missing quiz? Sister’s new frog friend? Papa’s secret sweet stash? Let’s follow the trail of crumbs to solve this cookie jar caper.

The maiden performance of The Berenstain Bears Family Matters takes place at The Walnut Street Theatre on Friday March 20th at 10:30 am. The show runs for eight performances through mid April in America’s oldest theatre.

The Berenstain Bears Family Matters musical is exemplary of The Walnut Street Theatre for Kids Series’ commitment to bring the stage alive for children. The union of reading and musical performance entices their imaginations and encourages future involvement with the arts.

Director and theater veteran Meghan Heimbecker teamed with musical director Gina Giachero, and Michael Borton, the playwright who infused characters and themes from three different Berenstain Bears tales to create this escapade, written especially for grades K-6.

Click here to view a detailed calendar of all the performances’ dates and times. Tickets ($12-$14) are available through the Walnut Street Theatre’s website. Make it a true family and friends affair with discounted rates for groups of 15 or more.

The Walnut Street Theatre
825 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA19107
www.WalnutStreetTheatre.org
(215) 574-3550

To all my friends of the queer persuasion, the second annual Pink Pub Crawl is set to take place this Saturday March 21st at a number of your favorite “gayborhood” night spots. What better way to usher in the Spring season than with a bunch of friends, winding through the city streets and absorbing local color “” the color pink to be exact.

Grab any article of clothing you could find that’s pink, special discounts will be offered for your bold and trendy statement.

Festivities are slated to begin sharply at 9:00 PM at Tavern on Camac (243 S. Camac St). At 10:30 PM crawlers will work their way to the second venue of the evening, The Bike Stop (206 S. Quince St) then its off to Woody’s, (13th and Walnut St) for music, dancing, and great drinks before the night ends at Philly’s most exclusive after hours club, PURE (1221 James St).

Tickets for the Pink Pub Crawl are $20.00 for those sporting pink clothing, and $30.00 for those who opt on more traditional colors. In return, party patron will receive one drink at each of the first three stops, as well as free admission to PURE. Altogether it’s a $35.00 value offered at a discounted price.

And for those of you who often run behind schedule and don’t make it to Tavern on Camac, you can join the crawlers at The Bike Stop with a $3.00 discount off the ticket prices.

For more information about the PINK Pub Crawl, visit www.pinkpubcrawl.com.

“A Year with Frog and Toad” is back at Old City’s Arden Theatre. The Arden first produced the hit kids’ musical in 2004, when it was nominated for a whopping six Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre and a Tony Award for Best Musical. The revival, which brings back Jeff Coon and Ben Dibble to reprise their titular roles, is every bit as magical as the original production.

Based on Arnold Lobel’s children’s books, the play tells the story of the friendship between a happy-go-lucky frog and a rather anxious and depressive (“grumpy” in kid-language) toad. Frog’s joie de vivre is Toad’s Prozac, and their friendship is idyllic “” problems are resolved, egos are boosted, and they learn endlessly from one another. It’s a perfect model of friendship for the little ones, and a nice escape from the harsh realities of most adult theater. (I couldn’t help but see the “friendship” as more akin to a Bert-and-Ernie-esque love affair, but maybe that was just me.)

The musical features a whole host of marshland creatures along with Frog and Toad, including a trio of trilling birds, a turtle, a mouse, and Nick Gaswirth’s show-stealing snail (I’m still humming “I’m a snail with the mail, I’ll deliver without fail!”). The music is fabulously catchy and excellently performed by the live orchestra, and many songs led to squeals of delight and children bouncing in their seats.

The fanciful fairytale set, lights, and costumes created a captivating world for both young and old(er) eyes, and the technical magic delighted the kids, as evidenced by all of their questions at the post-show Q & A session. Opening night saw a standing ovation; if you’ve got kids, “A Year with Frog and Toad” is not to be missed.

A Year with Frog and Toad
Now through April 19th

Arden Theatre Company
40 N 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 922-8900
www.ardentheatre.org

Near the end of Lady Dove’s one-woman spoken-word show “Little Girl Blue,” she calls upon her audience to “take the infinite beauty that is within and spread it throughout the universe.” And that is just what Pheralyn Dove, also known as Lady Dove, has been doing for years, not just with her poetry and spoken-word performances, but with her reporting for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Tribune and her educational work at Southwest Philly’s Shaw Middle School and Temple University’s Pan African Studies Community Education Program. A true artist-activist, Lady Dove sees her art as being an essential part of her efforts to make the world a better place.

To Lady Dove, whose poetry has been featured on albums by vibraphonist Khan Jamal and whose poetry book Color In Motion has a foreword by legendary drummer Max Roach, “Little Girl Blue” is the culmination of decades of work as a poet and community activist–and decades of dealing with life’s trials and tribulations. It is her response to the hatred and discrimination she has experienced as a black woman–but it is much more than that, too. The piece combines narrative, monologue, poetry, movement, photography, video, and live music (composed and performed by bassist Warren Oree of Philadelphia’s Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble) to bring to life 17 different female characters who face issues such as domestic abuse, HIV/AIDS, and relationship troubles.

In the past Lady Dove has performed “Little Girl Blue” for audiences including female residents of a halfway house, Philadelphia youth under the jurisdiction of DHS, jazz fans at the Jazz a la Villette Festival in Paris, and theater enthusiasts at last year’s Philly Fringe Festival. Now, she brings this unique piece to the Community Education Center, located near the campus of Drexel University.

Little Girl Blue
Saturday, March 21 2009, at 8 P.M. and Sunday March 22, 2009 at 3 P.M., $15

Community Education Center
3500 Lancaster Ave, Philadelphia, PA
215-877-5165
www.cecarts.org

This weekend, at Philly’s Israeli Film Festival, you can catch The Galilee Eskimos. When a kibbutz in Israel’s north goes broke, the members of the community scatter to the whims leaving behind a dozen elderly kibbutz members living in the community’s old age home. At first, shocked and saddened, the 12 feisty members join together and vow to rebuild the kibbutz bit by bit.

The Galilee Eskimos explores one of the most persistent themes of Israeli society “” the Kibbutz and its pioneering spirit, even when it comes in unconventional ways.

The film was directed by Jonathan Paz Ҭand stars Mosco Alcalay, Gabi Amrani and Levana Finkelstein. It won the First Prize in Berlin Jewish Film Festival.Ӭ

The Galilee Eskimos (Hebrew with English subtitles)
Saturday, March 21, 8:30 pm

Gratz College
7605 Old York Road, Melrose Park, PA

Hey Philadelphia! Sign up to participate in the Get Your Rear in Gear 5K Event. It’s an upcoming fund raising run/walk for the Colon Cancer Coalition. The run/walk on West River Drive will be dedicated to recognizing Colon Cancer survivors and honoring those we have lost. All the funds raised will be distributed to local organizations to raise awareness and promote patient screenings.

If you’d like to run and don’t want to run alone, please feel free to sign up and run with our group (mostly made up of Philly Techies) — Team Get Off Your Duff!

You can get all the information you’ll need over on , their official website. Hope to see you all there!

Get Your Rear in Gear: Philadelphia – March 22nd, 2009
Registration @ 7:30 am