12.11-12.18.19
Keep Dancing
If you’ve ever been on stage, you learn it is best to keep moving, keep singing and keep dancing, no matter what else is going on around you. The same applies to life in general.We take this lesson from entrepreneurs like Star Pop’s Troy Schwartz, celebrating 10 years strong, and Ted Sikora, who is signing his latest comic Tap Dance Killer: Friday the 13th, as well as dancer Mary Verdi Fletcher, whose Dancing Wheels returned from a recent trip to China that sets the stage for their 40th anniversary.
Others are now making their moves. Musician/artist/poet Robert Alexa changed direction after his partner’s tragic murder, and is now focusing more on community efforts like the Lottery League showcase he’s organizing. Bill Peters at WJCU is putting together the Heavy Metal Food Drive to help the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, Friends of the Cleveland Kennel and the Alzheimer’s Foundation. And Cedar Fairmount’s Holiday Walk will certainly keep you moving.
One artist who kept moving and never stopped until his own shocking death was David Bowie, and we celebrate with David Bowie Month, which includes a trio of consecutive Fridays we call A Friday Night With(out) David Bowie, at The Winchester, BOP STOP and CLE Urban Winery. This show surveys the artist’s entire life and career, which is inspiring to any artist or entrepreneur who needs to keep moving forward with new challenges, new audiences and new work. –Thomas Mulready
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In October, Dancing Wheels, the Cleveland-based company that integrates wheelchair and stand-up dancers, traveled to Beijing for the Luminous Festival, China’s first to include artists in disabilities. It was the first time the full company – 12 dancers strong – had performed overseas. It built on the excitement of the company’s first year in its new home & the anticipation of its 40th anniversary season in 2020-2021.
Obviously the experience and what they saw there evoked a flood of thoughts and ideas. Six of the dancers created new works fueled by the culture of Beijing and how it made them feel. They’re debuting these pieces in a performance at moCa Cleveland called “East Meets West… A Tale of Two Cities.” Thu 11/12.
It takes a whole evening to reveal the backstories behind David Bowie’s entire life from his birth in the suburbs of London to his death from liver cancer in New York City, two days after his 69th birthday.
So for three consecutive Fridays in January, CoolCleveland publisher and music historian Thomas Mulready presents A Friday Night With(out) David Bowie, a survey of the complete life and music of (arguably) the most influential artist of the past 50 years. This is not a tribute act. No one dresses up like David Bowie. Instead, think of it as a documentary film narrated live, with plenty of rare videos, outtakes, needle drops, and revealing back stories to bring light to some of the extraordinary highlights a most remarkable artistic career. And each evening is capped with a cathartic live music set by one of the most exciting bands around, Vanity Crash.
Tickets available now for all three shows: Fri 1/3 at The Winchester Music Tavern; Fri 1/10 at BOP STOP; and Fri 1/17 at CLE Urban Winery. Each show will differ. Parental advisory for all shows. Because of the intimate nature of these venues, it is recommended to secure tickets early. [Photo of Bowie in 1978 by Janet Macoska, used with permission]
Star Pop Vintage + Modern on Waterloo Road is a tiny shop but it’s packed to overflowing with toys, memorabilia and collectibles from about four or five different generations of childhood. It’s been a mainstay on the street for a decade, beckoning visitors with the chance to find that action figure or video game you were obsessed with as a child.
Troy Schwartz, Star Pop’s owner, is thanking old friends and customers and hoping to see some new ones when he hosts a 10th anniversary holiday party & sale this weekend. Maybe you’ll find that exact toy you thought your mom tossed out when you went to college. Sat 12/14-Sun 12/15.
SPONSORED: Experience the tallest, fastest toboggan chutes in Ohio – at Cleveland Metroparks Chalet in Strongsville. Feel the thrill of wind blowing through your hair and the heart-pumping rush of adrenaline as you race down one of two 700-foot ice chutes at speeds up to 50 miles per hour. Plan your visit at ClevelandMetroparks.com/tchutes.
For more than a decade, Bill Peters, host of WJCU 88.7FM’s Metal on Metal show, has put together the Heavy Metal Food Drive at the Beachland Ballroom, a long night of loud bands in both the tavern and ballroom. It’s free to get in but cash and food donations for the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, Friends of the Cleveland Kennel and the Alzheimer’s Foundation are gratefully accepted.
Given Peters’ propensity for the heavier end of heavy metal, this year’s headliner is a surprise: local pop metal stars Priscilla, who blazed brightly for a few years (1988-91) before fizzling, but fondly remembered for being entertaining, flashy and fun. It’s the first time they’ve played together in almost 20 years. They’re just one of a dozen bands who will be performing. Sat 12/14.
Cleveland musician/artist/poet Robert Olexa’s priorities changed after the murder of his partner, writer Nikki Delamotte. “The desire to help other bands and other people come together took precedent over doing my own things.” That led to the two-night show case of former Lottery League participants he’s put together at the Happy Dog this weekend. Fri 12/13-Sat 12/14
Read more picks by Anastasia Pantsios here
WED 12/11
WVIZ’s Sound of Ideas presents a showcase of local creatives, including a trio of rockers, a one-woman band, two dancers, a storyteller, a poet and a Korean papermaker, each of whom will do a short presentation before being interview by Sound of Ideas host Michael McIntyre.
Click here for more events on Wed 12/11
THU 12/12
The Cedar Fairmount district in Cleveland Heights puts on its festive finery for its annual Holiday Walk, where you can stroll between the various eateries and shops, conveniently located within a couple of blocks, and shop, eat and drink while listening to live bands and strolling carollers.
Click here for more events on Thu 12/12
FRI 12/13
In the years since it debuted in 1892, The Nutcracker, with its familiar Tchaikovsky music, has become a holiday staple. But new takes on it are always cropping up, such as the Hip Hop Nutcracker which will be performed at Playhouse Square’s State Theatre.
Click here for more events on Fri 12/13
SAT 12/14
Ingenuity Cleveland’s holiday party Flannel & Finery is an informal event that’s both a thank you to the festival’s many participants and a gathering for supporters and would-be supporters. It takes place at Ingenuity Labs at the Hamilton Collaborative where there’ll be food, drinks & music.
Click here for more events on Sat 12/14
SUN 12/15
Burning River Brass offers a bright, upbeat takes on popular Christmas music, and its annual holiday concerts at Pilgrim Church for Arts Renaissance Cleveland have become so popular they do two nights – tonight and tomorrow evening.
Click here for more events on Sun 12/15
MON 12/16
Grab the kids and head down to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History for the new Ultimate Dinosaurs exhibit. It focuses on lesser-known Southern Hemisphere dinosaurs, some only recently discovered, with 16 life-sized reconstructions. Yes, CMNH is open on Mondays.
Click here for more events on Mon 12/16
TUE 12/17
Local artists Jacqueline Bon and Samantha Bias have recently done residencies at the Cleveland Print Room to develop new projects. They’re showing their latest work and discussing what inspired it at an artist talk at CPR’s gallery tonight.
Click here for more events on Tue 12/17
WED 12/18
Ken Schneck is sort of a modern Renaissance man. He’s an author, podcast host, comedian, magazine editor and a professor of education at Baldwin Wallace. Tonight he’s talk at the Maltz Museum about his Jewish and gay identity and how people define themselves and find their voices.
Click here for more events on Wed 12/18
Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com
tRump is sending his favorite person of color, Cleveland Heights pastor and suspected con man, Darrell Scott, to Cleveland to host an event that’s a bald-faced attempt at vote-buying on the super cheap. City councilman Blaine Griffin was approached by Scott and his partner-in-crime Kareem Lanier, and invited to become involved in this shameful political charade. Griffin politely declined to allow the use of his good name and reputation…
* A Life-Changing Occurrence Last month I received a phone call which I almost didn’t answer since it was from an 800 number and the last thing in the world I wanted was to be reminded for the umteenth time that it’s healthcare open enrollment season again. No kidding – some days I get a dozen or more calls. But I digress…
Read other stories from Mansfield Frazier here
A look back at the last week
Submit your own review or commentary to Events@CoolCleveland.com
THEATER REVIEW: Shrek The Musical @ Beck Center by Linda Eisenstein
THEATER REVIEW: A Christmas Carol @ Great Lakes Theater by Lisa DeBenedictis
THEATER REVIEW: Mean Girls @ Playhouse Square by Roy Berko
Read and comment here: http://www.coolcleveland.com/blog
The next move is yours,
–Thomas Mulready
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