July 8, 2013
Downtown News 15
Celebrating 40 Years
EVENTS
t h e D o n 't M i s s L i s t
Friday, July 12 Dance Downtown Music Center, 135 N. Grand, (213) 972-7211 or musiccenter.org. 6:30 p.m.: No experience is necessary to participate in this celebration of K-Pop. Free dance lessons and amplified sound help make this one of the most accessible events at which to flail in public. Will the Bicycle Kill the Car? Grand Park, 200 N. Grand Ave. or zocalopublicsquare.com. 6 p.m.: Our hunch says no, but LADOT transportation expert Nate Baird might shed some new insights at this free Zocalo Public Square event. sunday, July 14 Bob Baker Marionettes at Grand Performances 350 S. Grand Ave., (213) 687-2159 or grandperformances.org.
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photo courtesy of Outfest
P.T. Barnum once said, “There’s a sucker born every minute.” That seems a bit cynical. Then again, Bush did get a second term. Anyway, we digress. If the promotional materials for the three ring spectacle Built to Amaze are any indication, the only suckers in Downtown this week will be those who miss out on Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus’ stint at Staples Center. The 14 performances on July 10-16 are a tribute to ringmaster Andre McClain’s decade in his current position. They’ll be pulling out all the stops with an aerial act straight from Kiev, mass quantities of “Ringlettes” dancers and unicycle-riding basketball dunkers. At 1111 S. Figueroa St., (213) 742-7326 or staplescenter.com.
On Saturday, July 13, from 1-4 p.m., the good folks at Brookfield Properties are bringing the Red Feather Dance Company to the FIGat7th shopping center. The Native American dance troupe has a multi-century history in Southern California that will make your five years on Spring Street seem laughable. Hoop dancing, oral history, bracelet making and tribal face painting demonstrations will highlight the San Diego area Pala tribe’s rich heritage. The show is free. At 735 S. Figueroa St., (213) 955-7150 or figat7th.com.
It’s Outfest time again, and how judicially fitting. The series dedicated to LGBT story lines kicks off its 31st annual film festival with a robust program on Thursday, July 11, at the Orpheum Theatre. The night begins with the presentation of the 17th annual Achievement Award to Boys Don’t Cry director Kimberly Peirce. Once the speeches have been made and the plaque accepted, the lights will dim and the crowd will hush for a screening of the film medium’s first David Sedaris adaptation, C.O.G. Outfest runs until July 21 with a broad spectrum of programming; check the website for the rundown of movies at REDCAT. At 842 S. Broadway, (213) 480-7068 or outfest.org. photo courtesy LuchaVaVoom
Thursday, July 11 Downtown Art Walk Historic Core, (213) 617-4929 or downtownartwalk.org. 6 p.m.: You will know it for the copious cardboard trashcans on the sidewalk and the general attitude of intoxicated entitlement. Batten down the hatches friends, or check out special promotions by WSS shoes and Fiji Water at the Art Walk Lounge. Lucha VaVoom 1038 S. Hill St., (213) 746-4287 or luchavavoom.com. 7 p.m.: A little man dressed in a chicken costume and a masked wrestler with the sobriquet Dirty Sanchez are but two of the wonders in store at this burlesque and Mexican wrestling show. Soba Noodle Demonstration 350 S. Grand Ave., (213) 687-2159 or grandperformances.org. 8 p.m.: Master chef Sonoko Sakai drops by the Cal Plaza Watercourt to edify the general public on the proper process by which we derive soba noodles. Black Iconic Poets of the 20th Century Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 2287500 or lfla.org. 7:15 p.m.: Alice Quinn, executive director of the Poetry Society of America, hosts poets Wanda Coleman, Major Jackson and Brighde Mullins in a night put together by the Aloud series.
anD soMe native aMeriCan DanCers
by Dan Johnson, listings eDitor calendar@downtownnews.com
photo courtesy Red Feather Dance Company
Tuesday, July 9 What’s Next For Marriage Rights? MOCA, 250 S. Grand Ave. or zocalopublicsquare.com. 7:30 p.m.: While it was scheduled before the recent landmark SCOTUS ruling, this Zocalo Public Square-hosted forum on same sex marriage still has a lot of nebulous legal territory to assess.
the CirCus is in town, anD so are outfest
photo courtesy Feld Entertainment
SPONSORED LISTINGS L.A.’s Largest Mixer XV Shrine Auditorium Expo Center, 700 W. 32nd St., (323) 230-5656 or lamixer.com. July 18, 5-9 p.m.: Join Los Angeles area chambers and business organizations for the ultimate business networking event. Mix and mingle with hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of business people representing industries and companies in and around Southern California. Reach small to large companies, meet new clients and learn how the different chambers of commerce and business organizations can make your business grow. Mixer admission: $20 per person (no credit cards). Friday Night Flicks Pershing Square, 532 S. Olive St., (213) 8474970 or laparks.org/pershingsquare. July 12, 8:30 p.m.: Free movies in the park continue at Pershing Square with Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, in which two kids from San Dimas need help from historical figures to help them pass their history test, and keep their band The Wyld Stallyns together. Show The Money Sheraton Los Angeles Downtown, 711 S. Hope St., (818) 907-9977 or vedc.org. July 20, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.: The Valley Economic Development Center wants people to find the money they need for their business with the Access to Capital Business Expo. Network over breakfast with small business owners and attend workshops focused on finding, managing and growing business capital. Connect with bankers and other business organizations and check out the “Loan Pavilion,” where small business owners can get a personal financial assessment. Registration is $10.
Public philosophical facilitators Zocalo Public Square are back with an evening of well groomed rhetorical debate: The topic on Friday, July 12, at Grand Park reads like a Zen Buddhist riddle: “Will the bicycle kill the car?” In a no holds barred back alley brawl at 6 p.m., Zocalo has LADOT bicycle coordinator Nate Baird and Art Center mobility researcher Geoff Wardle doing some of the talking. Better yet, consider the event a referendum on the issue: Do you drive to the debate, take a bicycle or cruise by smugly on the Metro Red Line? At 200 N. Grand Ave., (424) 229-9493 or zocalopublicsquare.org.
The heat has settled in for the summer. If you’re looking for relief, Lucha VaVoom won’t bring the temperature down, but on Thursday, July 11, the parade of burlesque and Mexican wrestling promises to dull your mind to the physical ardors of sultry July with a performance steeped in “sexo y violencia.” You can anticipate gaudy acts of machisimo mortal combat, ever-sensual dance routines, enthusiastic crowd members, muscle cars and an all-pervading lust for tequila. Which is fitting, because they dub the night Cinco in July. It has a nice ring to it. At the Mayan Theatre, 1038 S. Hill St., (213) 746-4287 or clubmayan.com. Send information and possible Don’t Miss List submissions to calendar@downtownnews.com.