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Feel good in mind and body both at this fun-filled fundraiser. (Photo by J. Posse courtesy Living Beyond Breast Cancer)

Strike a warrior pose for a cause with Yoga on the Steps, taking place on the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps on Sunday, May 15 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Yoga on the Steps is an initiative of Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC), an organization that aims to empower the nearly 200,000 women a year that are diagnosed with breast cancer to live the longest and best lives possible.

Yoga on the Steps is one of LBBC’s signature events, and it’s also one of the largest outdoor yoga classes in the entire world. Television personality Lu Ann Cahn of NBC Philadelphia’s The 10! Show, a breast cancer survivor, will be serving as the Mistress of Ceremonies.

Yogis will gather on the famed steps at 8:30 a.m. for a one-hour yoga class, designed for all skill levels. After a good stretch, a light breakfast will be served, and visitors are invited to attend a Healthy Living Expo to learn more about products and services that enrich one’s quality of life, such as fitness, healthful eating and natural products.

There is no fee to pre-register for the event, but participants are asked to raise $50 before the event as a donation.

Yoga on the Steps
When: Sunday, May 15, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Where: East Steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Cost: $50 donation
More info: www.yogaonthesteps.org

(Photo courtesy Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts)

Philly 360° Insider Rakia Reynolds recently caught up with actor Boris Kodjoe, who will be the host of this Friday’s Last Party in Paris PIFA event at the Kimmel Center.

This is far from Kodjoe’s first time in Philadelphia; during the Q+A the television and movie star discusses why he loves Philly, his favorite places to eat and stay when in town, why he’s looking forward to Friday’s event and much more.

The Last Party in Paris is a dance party under the Kimmel Center’s Eiffel Tower featuring live music from up-and-coming artists and tasty cocktails and, obviously, hosted by Boris Kodjoe.

Head over to PIFA’s official site to RSVP.

Last Party in Paris
When: April 29, 9 p.m.-2 a.m.
Where: Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Streets
Cost: $30
More info: www.pifa.org

Rakia’s Style Nation: Exclusive Q+A With Boris Kodjoe [Philly 360°]

[This is our "PIFA Picks Du Jour" post series, a daily guide to assist you in selecting from the hundreds of events and activities going on during the month-long arts festival. Location, time and ticket information are included in each event link.]

• Free to Be at the African American Museum in Philadelphia: Explore the unique experiences of African Americans who lived and created art abroad. You’ll learn the stories of African American cultural contributions in both The City of Light and The City of Brotherly Love during the era of Jim Crow and jazz. Open until 5 p.m. $8-$10.

• Tania Mouraud’s Part III: J’entends les trains depuis toujours at the Kimmel Center: Contemporary French artist Tania Mouraud’s video diary takes viewers from Paris to India, according to her peregrinations. A series of iPods are on display at the lower level of the Kimmel Center. Open until 10 p.m. FREE.

• Exile Among Expats: James Joyce in Paris at the Rosenbach Museum & Library: The Rosenbach explores the artistic energy and brashly innovative spirit of Paris in the early 20th century through this new exhibition which offers a rare look at the prolific Irish author. Highlights include pages from the manuscript to Ulysses, Man Ray’s iconic photographic portrait of Joyce and a false dust jacket in which a banned copy of Ulysses was smuggled into the U.S. for Dr. Rosenbach in 1922. Open until 5 p.m. $5-$10.

• Augmented Reality Check: Seeing the Future Now at the Philadelphia Museum of Art: In this panel presented in conjunction with the Philadelphia Science Festival, cutting-edge artists and software developers working at the intersection of art and science offer a tour through the potentials for an augmented future. 6 p.m. FREE, but tickets required.

• First Person Arts Slam Nation at the Kimmel Center: Part Reading Rainbow, part Comedy Central, Slam Nation features the top spoken word savants from around the country as they spin stories and awkward humor from the Perelman Theatre stage. 8 p.m. $25.

Journeys South, produced by the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, examines the evolving immigrant histories of South Philadelphia through four unique interactive public arts projects.

Decorative vendor awnings, poetic broadsides, footprint journeys with movement videos and a life-size zoetrope (a cylindrical story-telling optical device) tell varying stories of immigration of the residents of the diverse South Philly neighborhood.

This exciting arts initiative’s end products can be found at four specific locations along South 9th Street and East Passyunk Avenue between Christian and West Moore Streets.

Interviews with Jewish, Italian, Chinese, Mexican, Vietnamese, African and Colombian immigrants and descendants of immigration in South Philadelphia contributed to the creation of this rich, multilayered community-based public art project.

Free walking tours will provide opportunities for public engagement each Saturday throughout the Journeys South festival (April 27-June 11). The tours depart from Pronto at 9th and Montrose Streets at 10 a.m., beginning this weekend.

To register for a tour and for more details on each of the arts projects, check online.

Mural Arts’ Journeys South
When: April 27-June 11
Where: South Philadelphia
Cost: FREE
More info: www.muralarts.org

Tickets are on sale now for the event, Philadelphia's answer to the super popular Food & Wine Festival burger bashes.
(Photo courtesy 500 Degrees)

Everyone has a hankering for a good burger every now and again (and again). But what if you want to sample all of the city’s best burgers at a single event?

Enter the Philadelphia Burger Brawl, coming Saturday, June 4, tickets for which are now officially on sale.

Eighteen of the biggest burger boasters in the city will be at Meredith Elementary School in Queen Village grilling up their own most popular burger. Ticket proceeds go to Meredith Elementary to help the students get a refurbished computer lab.

You can attend this charitable event for $60, eat all the burgers you can handle and bestow your best Top Chef judgery upon them.

Competitors include: Chef Marcie Turney of Barbuzzo, Bindi and Lolita; Chef Matt Levin of Adsum restaurant; Top Chef contestant Chef Jennifer Carroll of 10Arts; Fairmount legend London Grill; Chef Daniel Stern of Midatlantic and R2L; Chef Chris Scarduzio of Table 31; Butcher & Singer; Pub & Kitchen; Good Dog; North Third; Alfa; Royal Tavern; Ladder 15; PYT; Paesano’s; Rouge and their sister restaurant, 500˚. Top Chef contestant Spike Mendelsohn will also be on hand with the famed burger from his Washington, D.C. restaurant Good Stuff Eatery.

Rob and Maggie Wasserman, owners of Rittenhouse Square’s Rouge — home to one of the city’s most famous burgers (is it the best? You decide.) — conceived and organized the event. Participating chefs have donated the ingredients necessary to construct their burgers, while Rouge has supplied the grills, charcoals, storage space and serving equipment for the event.

All-stars Food Network host Marc Summers, former Governor Ed Rendell and Fox29’s Mike Jerrick will be there to help elect the “Best Burger,” so wipe the ketchup from your drooling mouth.

Tickets are on sale now online. Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to combine popular culture, philanthropy and America’s favorite comfort food.

Philadelphia Burger Brawl
When: Saturday, June 4, 2-6 p.m.
Where: 725 S. 5th Street
Cost: $60
More info: www.philadelphia-burger-brawl.ticketleap.com

The Sister Cities Plaza redesign will be majorly green, with elements like a boat pond for children, a green wall and roof on the cafe pavilion, plus geothermal technology. (Image courtesy Center City District)

The Center City District has been working for more than a decade to improve the Benjamin Franklin Parkway with lighting, new signage and crosswalks, the renovation of park space and more. The goal is to transform the Parkway into a “pedestrian-friendly cultural campus.”

One major step towards that goal is the renovation of the Sister Cities Plaza, located at Logan Square, which commemorates Philadelphia’s special relationship with Tel-Aviv and Florence.

Sister Cities Park will be transformed into a richly planted, well-illuminated and overall welcoming civic space for people of all ages. The renovation plans include a new café, an active, educational play garden for kids and a boat pond.

There will also be a fountain that will commemorate Philadelphia’s Sister Cities program, which dedicates landmarks to the city’s “sisters,” of which Tel-Aviv and Florence were the first two of ten total.

The pavilion housing the café and a community room incorporates green architecture, including geothermal technologies, a green wall and a green roof. The award-winning design team includes DIGSAU architects, Pennoni Engineers, Inc. and Studio Bryan Hanes, landscape architect.

Groundbreaking on the park takes place May 10. The renovations are expected to be completed in spring 2012.

Yet another serious advancement towards Mayor Nutter’s Green 2015 program’s pledge to transform 500 acres of underused land into publicly accessible green space by 2015.

Check out another rendering of the park, below.

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Enjoy Mexican snacks and sips all afternoon and night long. (Photo courtesy Distrito)

While the unofficial start of summer may be Memorial Day, everyone knows the celebrating starts on Cinco de Mayo. And where better to celebrate Mexico’s victory over the French (did you know that was the basis of the holiday?) than at Jose Garces’ Mexican hot spot Distrito.

The day starts downstairs with Mexican snacks like tacos, guacamole, nachos and a special Cinco de Mayo margarita, all specially priced from $5-7. DJ Lips will get the fiesta going, spinning everything from hip hop to classic rock to her own special mash-ups.

For those looking for a more intimate experience with their tequila, Distrito will host a Tequila Tasting from 8 to 11 p.m. in the upstairs private dining room. A limited number of guests (80) will delight in 10 varieties of tequila as well as passed dishes such as Atun Ceviche, Los Hongos Huaraches and Duck Barbacoa Quesadillas.

Still need a reason to skip out of work early on May 5? Did we mention the $5 margaritas?

Cinco de Mayo at Distrito
Where: 3945 Chestnut Street
When: 3 p.m. to 12 a.m. (Tequila Tasting from 8 to 11 p.m.)
Cost: Party is free, Tequila Tasting is $35 in advance; $45 at the door
More info: www.distritorestaurant.com

 
You could become one of the PIFA Street Fair street performers by participating in the next Dance Flashmob, scheduled for this Saturday, April 30 between 1-2 p.m.

Use the video above to learn the dance moves step by step; register to participate in the end product by emailing danceflashmob@PIFA.org. You’ll be contacted with the exact location and rehearsal schedule.

The PIFA Dance Flashmob is choreographed by Kate Watson-Wallace, the artist behind PIFA movement installation piece AUTO: A Dance In and Around a Moving Vehicle.

You could be part of viral Internet fame, à la the wildly popular Opera Company of Philadelphia’s Random Acts of Culture we’ve shared with you.

Check out a more detailed instructional video, below. And whether you’re a dancer or bystander, get pumped for Saturday!

PIFA Street Fair
When: Saturday, April 30, 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m.
Where: Broad Street from Chestnut to Lombard
Cost: FREE
More info: www.pifa.org

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Founded in 1805, PAFA is the nation’s first art museum and school of fine arts. (Photo by T. Crane courtesy PAFA)

Have you been staring at blank walls, promising yourself you’d decorate your living space with interesting, original pieces since you moved in a year, five years, ten years ago?

You must head to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA)’s 110th Annual Student Exhibition, running from May 13 to June 5 in the Galleries of the Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building.

The exhibition includes more than 1,000 paintings, sculptures, works on paper and installations created by BFA students, third-year and fourth-year certificate program students and MFA candidates.

At the special Women’s Board of PAFA-hosted May 12 preview party, the student exhibitors will be present to discuss their work (plus, they retain the majority of the purchase price of the pieces they sell to you). The party is a great chance to purchase incredible art before it’s available to the masses. For more information on the party and to purchase tickets, click here. Heads up: you can snag Young Friends tickets for $75 (under age 35).

In addition to displaying and selling their art, the students will be competing for coveted scholarships.

So, take that Animal House still of John Belushi in his college sweatshirt down off your living room wall, and head to PAFA to find something a bit more tasteful.

The exhibit officially opens to the public on Friday, May 13 with special evening hours from 5-8:30 p.m., and continues through June 5.

PAFA 110th Annual Student Exhibition
When: May 13-June 5
Where: Galleries of the Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building, 118-128 N. Broad Street
Cost: Adults $15, Seniors (60+) and Students with I.D. $12, Youth Ages 13-18, $12.
More info: www.pafa.org

Celebrate the arrival of spring with music, food, entertainment, plants, shopping and more at this weekend's festival in Chestnut Hill.
(Photo courtesy Chestnut Hill Business Association)

Gorgeous spring weather is upon us and that means festival season has officially arrived — this weekend alone, there’s the epic PIFA Street Fair Festival, The Penn Relays, Flavors of the Avenue, Equality Forum, the Broad Street Run, and Chestnut Hill’s Annual Home & Garden Festival.

For the latter, Germantown Avenue will be transformed into an outdoor garden marketplace this Sunday, May 1 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The 15th annual Spring Festival will feature a wide selection of activities and entertainment, including tons of home and garden offerings. There will be tomato plants and flower seedlings; lush orchids, hanging baskets and garden sculptures; plus hand-made furniture, quilts, jewelry, art and collectibles.

“Eco Alley” will feature a whole city block of more than 20 vendors offering sustainable products from organic plants to electric bikes.

Plus, there will be live music, games and giveaways from B101 Radio; festival food; yoga for children; and amusement rides, face painting and arts and crafts activities.

And, of course, great food. Restaurants like McNally’s, Tavern on the Hill, Baker Street Bread Co., Campells, Chestnut Grill, and Chestnut Hill Cheese Shop will be setting up shop outside on the Avenue so you can pick up something tasty and take it with you as you stroll up and down the Hill.

Come for the great food, music, company and wares; or for the green celebration; the fun-filled kids’ programming; or simply to celebrate the fresh spring Philadelphia weather!

Note: rain date is Sunday, May 15.

Chestnut Hill’s 15th Annual Home & Garden Festival
When: Sunday, May 1, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Germantown Avenue
Cost: FREE
More info: www.chestnuthillpa.com