Mike Brooks

Viva Dallas Burlesque at the Lakewood Theatre.

The first Friday of every month brings Viva Dallas burlesque to the Lakewood Theater, and this past Friday included an extra helping of sauce: a Mardi Gras theme.

Hosted by Violet O'Hara, the show included performances by Iris Le Mour, Ruby Joule, Jolie Goodnight, Honey Cocoa Bordeaux and Pearl Lux, and live jazz from Club Wood. See photographer Mike Brooks' visual dispatch from the event at dallasobserver.com/slideshow.

Herbert Migdoll

Igor Stravinsky's Rite of Spring is like the Beethoven's Fifth of 20th-century classical music. It's such an iconic work that even if you don't know it, you probably know it.

In 1940, Walt Disney's animators, inspired by the primitive undertones of Stravinsky's aggressive, pulsating music, set to the score visions of a prehistoric world of floating fireballs, bubbling globs of lava, roaming dinosaurs and earthquake-cracked continents. The opening scenes of Fantasia made the Rite of Spring accessible to the masses, but Stravinsky's original plot was a bit more disturbing.

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Matthew Lawson

The show started with an explosion of acrobatics

It's around this time of year that everyone's holiday buzz begins to fizzle, and the glow of enthusiasm that met the late year celebrations wanes into exhaustion. We all get the holiday hangover, but there is an energetic and live antidote to those blues that you may not have thought of: the circus. More precisely Cirque Banquiste! presented by the Lone Star Circus. But if you want this powerful pick-me-up, then you'd better act fast.

This one won't be here long.

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Richland College

It's not the first prestigious invitation that Dallas Black Dance Theatre has received, simply the most recent. The oldest, continuously operated professional dance company in Dallas, DBDT has built an extensive résumé of elite performances, representing the city everywhere from Washington state to New York to Austria. Since its founding in 1976 by Ann Williams, the ensemble has cultivated an enduring national and international audience through its eclectic repertoire of "modern, jazz, ethnic and spiritual works," fostered by globally recognized choreographers.

Helmed by Executive Director Zenetta Drew, the company - which was the first Texas arts organization ever invited to perform at an Olympic Cultural Olympiad event during the Arts Festival in Atalanta in 1996 - has been asked to participate this year at both the Olympic Preview Performance at Bryan Park in New York on June 29 and during the Olympic Games at the 2012 Cultural Olympiad from August 15-19.

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Immediately after passing away last year at 96, LaLanne challenged The Lord to a push-up contest.

Somewhere in Fitness Heaven, Jack LaLanne's biceps are smiling down, preparing their spiritual descent upon Dallas tomorrow night in a Pentecost of absurd artistic revelry. You see, just like the late-great LaLanne's epic stature, from his Kilimanjaro pectorals to his Stonehenge quadriceps, monumental strength is often best realized in concert, and that's just the concept behind In Cooperation With Muscle Nation, a collective of seven artists holding their first collaborative show, Flex-Us, on Saturday night at Ro2 Downtown.

A play on the 1960s Fluxus movement, Flex-Us will combine live performance art, photography, video, and "found objects [transformed] into sculptures covered in paint," all with an aim to "bring the outside in."

Cryptic, no?

Having recently met one of the artists involved - CentralTrack resident, Ph.D. candidate, teacher, and dancer/performance artist (among other intriguing things) Danielle Georgiou - we decided to investigate the beautiful madness promised by Ro2 co-owner, Jordan Roth. First, a down-and-dirty art history lesson from MoMa:

Derived from Latin for "flow," Fluxus is most commonly associated with George Maciunas, Dick Higgins, and Yoko Ono, and is occasionally grouped with Neo-Dadaism and Pop Art. Very broadly, it consisted of festivals showcasing myriad artistic media, relying heavily on audience participation, free play, and anti-aestheticism as seen through the mundane. Most importantly, Fluxus exists "in the moment," emphasizing "unfettered play in search of uncharted insights." A prominent name in the Fluxus movement, as it exists today, Kent State's Allen Buckoff put together these impeccable graphs detailing fluxus as a both cultural phenomenon and as a formal movement in art history.

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Katie Toohil does all kinds of things I can't do on a daily basis.

A couple weeks ago, I'd expressed some anxiety about attending JourneyDance with Katie Toohil at SYNC Yoga and Wellbeing in Oak Cliff. Dancing, huh?

My own my mom has likened my moves to Elaine from Seinfeld; but, they might be described more accurately as Woody Allen: the Broadway Musical. Further context? I wear suits. And, black. Black on black. I grind my teeth. I power through. I work ceaselessly. I work alone. I've actually drank coffee to the verge of throwing up. I don't really do "relax." I've never so much as stepped into a yoga studio.

Which is exactly why I needed to. Not only would it be a learning experience, one that I could use to push through the multitude of insecurities I've been facing about my body and its place in the world, but it was also a perfect time to experiment with methods of release outside of substance abuse or seething, unrealized and unexpressed, rage. Indeed, it's been a stressful year. And, we're not even through February.

And, since Katie Toohil's the kind of person who, upon first meeting her, you feel as though you've known her for centuries, she tends to make people feel safe and smart and good about themselves. I'd been reading online about her experiences becoming certified as a JourneyDance facilitator, and though I had no idea what that meant, if Toohil felt so passionately about something, I figured it would be worthwhile exploring, if for no reason other than curiosity. As it turns out, JourneyDance was created by Toni Bergins, and it involves moving in a "Shamanic" style, allowing the music to dictate your physical and emotional state. So, I headed over to SYNC last night from 8-10 for Toohil's $15 workshop. While things are still a bit 'up in the air' as to whether JourneyDance will become a permanent fixture at SYNC, the strong turnout and seemingly uniform enjoyment by attendees suggests that there might be more JourneyDance in the near future. I'd sign up today. SYNC would be crazy to turn it down.

The long and the short - I was impressed. I can't wait for another session. Read about my "journey" after the jump.

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Becky Bornhorst

Toohil (of the bitchin' dreads) and the cast of Grieve perform last fall.

Not to get all Alex P. Keaton on you, but there's something intensely gratifying when an investment pays off. Last December, the Observer put down some seed money for two artists and a non-profit, with an aim to reward the already-incalculable contribution that they had made to our community and to encourage further growth and creativity.

Well, dancer, performance artist, "dreadlocks maven," and occasional Mixmaster contributor, Katie Toohil is makin' us proud, just like we always knew she would.

When we last spoke to Toohil back in November, she said that a portion of her MasterMinds award would go toward training to increase her capacity as a teacher. Already a choreographer, creative director, and indie-dance extraordinaire, Toohil has most recently become certified as a JourneyDance facilitator, and she is holding her first workshop on February 15.

If you find yourself asking, What the hell is JourneyDance, find out after the jump.

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You could dance in front of couches that aren't even yours!

Start stretching now. This Friday and Saturday Dallas' most limber fight it out for a pretty giant prize: a coveted spot on So You Think You Can Dance. Are you still on the fence about auditioning? No worries, we got you. Here are five reasons why you should (or shouldn't) flex your skills at McFarlin Memorial Auditorium this weekend.

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Via Roxie Moxie

Play with that fire, girl! Buck convention!

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Never underestimate the power of a well-placed flip of nipple tassel. That's what my grandmother always told me, anyway. Grandpa always looked so happy ...

It's okay if you don't have the shimmy to shake or if your trunk junk drags deep. Burlesque is about celebrating what you got: You.

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Courtesy of Pure Barre

Pure Barre is located next to Pinkberry on Greenville so yeah, I'd seen it a couple of times. I never paid any attention though because I figured it was for leggy, dancer types and I'm more of a stumpy, TV-watching type. But I happen to know one of those leggy types and she wanted to take the class so I said, "OK."

We signed up for a 6:00 a.m. Wednesday class because dark circles are, like, so en vogue. When we walked in they said, "Is this your first class?" "Yes."
"OK, don't be surprised if you get shaky leg. We're literally wearing out and reshaping the muscle." Scoff. Yeah right, lady, I have the leg might of a midget. I ain't scared.

Cut to 20 minutes into the hour class. My legs were shaking so bad the Richter scale expressed concern. I don't know how to adequately explain how difficult this class is. Well, maybe I do ... what comes after impossible? I kid, I kid. It's not impossible, but it is a challenge. A wonderful, wonderful not-sure-I'm-going-to-make-it-up-the-stairs challenge.

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