Don’t miss I DREAM OF MAHARANI - Houston Young People for the Arts’ annual party on February 6!

Also, join us for our kick-off party, Saris & Samosas — more info HERE.

6 pm, Monday, January 4 - Inaugural Free Concert

Discovery Green, 1500 McKinney, discoverygreen.com
Archie Bell, Mango Punch, Yvonne Washington, Roy Head & Jennifer Holliday headline this free concert celebrating the inauguration of Mayor Annise Parker. Fireworks follow at 8:55 pm. In the event of severe weather, the festivities will take place in the George R. Brown Convention Center, right across the street.

7 pm - 9 pm, Tuesday, January 5 - First Tuesday at Houston Center for Photography

HCP, 1441 W. Alabama, hcponline.org
HCP invites you to bring your photographic work to share with other local photographers and gain insight from fellow participants. HCP Ed. Coordinator, Rachel Hewlett, will also let you know what’s going on at HCP and other photography venues around town incl. opportunities around the country. It’s first-come, first-serve with room for only 11, so get there on-time or early!

8 pm, Wednesday, January 6 - Master Class at Main Street Theater
Previews end tonight and performances run through January 24, 2010. Maria Callas is teaching a master class. She’s glamorous, commanding, larger than life—and incredibly funny. An accompanist sits at the piano, at the ready. Callas’ first “victim” is Sophie, a ridiculous, overly-perky soprano. Before the girl can sing a note, Callas stops her—she can’t stand hearing music massacred! And now what has started out as a class has become another stage for Callas herself. She glories in her own career, dabbles in opera dish and flat-out seduces the audience. MST’s production will star Celeste Roberts as Callas.
Being performed at the Chelsea Market location and PG-13. Call 713-524-6706 for tickets or more info or visit mainstreettheater.com. p.s. Tickets to the preview run about $26 less than other tickets…either way, this is going to be great!

7-10 pm, Thursday, January 7 - Celebrate Dance!

It’s Dance Month at the Kaplan Theatre 2010 with festivities kicking off and honoring Houston’s premier presenters who have helped cultivate the Houston dance community. Honorees include June Christensen (Society for the Performing Arts), Andrea Cody (Dance Houston + HYPA Steering Committee member), Christina Giannelli (Dance Source Houston), Nancy Henderek (Dance Salad), Sixto Wagan (DiverseWorks), Jennifer Wood and Louie Saletan (Barnevelder Movement/Arts Complex). Brad Marks (Champion Benefactor of Dance) will also be honored for underwriting I W Marks Master Class Series, which allows hundreds of students to take classes from dance masters around the world.

The party happens at Warehouse Live for a very inexpensive $25 to honor these outstanding individuals that bring so much to Houston’s art + dance community. Live world sounds from Moodafaruka, mixing Flamenco, Middle Eastern, Spanish and Western, along with guest performances in Bollywood by Mahira Dance Company, Samba by the Brazilian Arts Foundation, Tango with Luna Tango and more! Catering by Bowl Cafe.

Tickets and more information at jcchouston.org.

Congratulations to all of the honorees!

8 pm, Friday, January 8, 2010 - Bobbindoctrin’s 6th Annual Puppet Festival

Midtown Arts Center, 2414 LaBranch
Cost: $10 for evening shows; Sunday’s Fambly Day is pay-what-you-will.
Bobbindoctrin, once again, presents their most daring contemporary puppetry for adults (they do bring a “Fambly Day” to the mix on Sunday) and includes company members and local artists with live works of puppetry, along with short films from national and international puppetry artists, distributed by Heather Henson’s Handmade Puppet Dreams.

10 am, Saturday, January 9, 2010 - Ice Carving with the Magnificent 7
Discovery Green, 1500 McKinney, discoverygreen.com
Cost: $Free
Watch as ice artists from around the U.S. return to DG to transform blocks of ice into frozen masterpieces using chainsaws and blowtorches. Finished sculptures will be lit, displayed and judged by ice experts and park visitors (aka you). After the awards, Reverend Butter of DLG Ice Factory puts on an ice carvinig display set to music.

Sunday, January 10 - Project Row Houses

Open 12-5 pm, 2505-2521 Holman Street
Admission is free
It can get hot in these non-airconditioned row houses, so take advantage of the brisk weather and tour the latest installation, Round 31 Life Path 5: Action/Restlessness. You can also view a special traveling exhibition of Travis Whitfield, a landscape/portrait painter and photographer, that has created a multi-media installation that serves as a historic reflection and celebration of the lives of rural African-American residents in northwest Louisiana in the early 1970s. Exhibition includes original photographs and a repeating, 50-minute long video.

Monday, January 11 - Adult Beginner Ballet Class at Hope Stone.
6:30 pm - 8 pm, 1210 W. Clay, Suite 26, www.hopestoneinc.org
These classes are weekly and they also offer them for different levels but what better way to start out your new year? Go test it out for a nominal fee ($18 drop-in) to see if it is for you. Hope Stone also offers programs for children and adults in several disciplines aside from ballet. Visit their site for more information. Aside from being a board member, I’m also a student.

Don’t Miss HYPA’s Upcoming Events for Members + Non-Members including

Cocktails + Culture Crawl - Thursday, September 24, 6-9p, Houston Pavilions - open to the public, more information here.

Red Light Winter with Horse Head Theatre Co., Saturday, September 26 - HYPA members receive $10 tickets, more information here.

An Evening at Barbara Davis Gallery - Tuesday, September 29, 7-8:30p, more information here.

Culture Collision IV - Tuesday, October 13, 6-8 pm, Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, info coming soon.

September 18, 19, 23 | Out of the Dark: Bobbindoctrin Nightclub Acts. Bobbindoctrin Puppet Theatre proudly returns to its rowdy roots with a collection of old and new short shows built specifically for nightclub venues.  www.bobbindoctrin.org for showtimes.  Super Happy Fun Land, 3801 Polk. $10, Friday & Saturday.  Wednesday is Pay-What-You-Wish. No reservations. Super Happy Fun Land, 3801 Polk.

Wednesday, September 23, 5:30 p | Opera in the Heights Presents Ann Thompson.  One of Houston’s most popular opera lecturer since 1975, Ann Thompson wants everyone to enjoy his/her visit to the opera.  She’ll tell you about love and sexual intrigue, myster and murder and guarantee you enjoy your trip to the opera. Free. Music. Fun. Wine. Networking.  Houston Piano Company, 1518 W. 13th Street.  Visit here for more information.

Thursday, September 24 - COCKTAILS + CULTURE CRAWL WITH FRESH ARTS.  Featuring performances by Opera in the Heights, Main Street Theater, Matthew Manalo of Via Colori, Aurora Picture Show, art cars from the Orange Show, and winding down with a live show by Runaway Sun at House of Blues.  5 different drinks, 5 different restaurants. $30 all inclusive w/ valet parking.  www.downtownhouston.org for tickets!  Houston Pavilions, 1201 Fannin.

September 25 - November 7 | Second Seating - a visual arts installation of fanciful chandeliers and elegant dinner tables made with found objects and recycled products from Houston’s East End industry.  Created by Mary Margaret Hansen with participating artists Teodora Estrada, Agnes Welch Eyster, Mercedes Fernandez, Gonzo247, Victor Rodriguez, Jesse Sifuentes, Jose Solis and Catarina Williams.  Open M-F, 9:30a-4p; Sat, 11a-5p.  20 N. Chenevert.

September 25-27 | Strange Fruit at Discovery Green.  Strange Fruit, an aerial performance troupe, makes is Texas premiere this weekend.  A fusion of theatre, dance and circus in a elevated medium.  Visit www.discoverygreen.com for specific performance times.

September 25-26 | A Weekend of Texas Contemporary Dance.  Performances include American Repertory Ensemble of Austin, Amy Ell and CORE Performance Company, Paola Georgudis and Lindsey McGill, Freneticore, HIStory Dance Company, Jane Weiner with Hope Stone Dance, Houston Metropolitan Dance Company, REDDance, Urban Souls Dance Company.  For schedules, visit www.milleroutdoortheatre.com.  FREE.

Saturday, September 26 | Aurora Picture Show Garden Party - an evening of film, food and flowers.  Bring your blankets and chairs to a night under teh stars in Mandell Park feat. short films about gardening and nature.  Free.  Mandell Park, corner of Richmond and Mandell.  www.aurorapictureshow.org.

Saturday, September 26 | Dinner + Dancing in Schulenberg at Sengelmann Hall.  Houston artists Dana Harper and Hana Hillerova bought and renovated Sengelmann Hall to its original 1880’s saloon elegance.  There is a Czech restaurant and dance hall with live music every weekend.  Ticket: $100 incl. bus, dinner and dancing. E-mail lookatart@aol.com for more information.  Read about the renovation here or www.sengelmannhall.com.

Saturday, September 26, 7:30pm | Opera Under the Stars at Bayou Bend.  Bayou Bend and Opera Vista team up for their third opera.  Enjoy a memorable evening of music and beauty under the stars on the Diana Lawn outside the MFAH’s stunning house museum.  A Fiddler’s Tale by Wynton Marsalis will be performed.  www.mfah.org/bayoubend. 

Wednesday, October 1 | UH Red Block Bash - Arts Open House.  Celebrate and experience UH arts and get a sneak peek of upcoming fall events.  Evening incl. on-site screen printing with the School of Art, performances from the School of Theatre & Dance, Blaffer Gallery’s Red Block Bash activities, live music, free food and drink and more.  Free.  UH Arts Quadrangle at Entrance 16 off Cullen Blvd.  www.mitchellcenterforarts.org.

Thursday, August 20

6-8 pm | Houston magazine Summer Cocktail Tour at The Grove with artists Katy Anderson + Patrick Medrano + The Fodice Foundation.  The Grove, 1611 Lamar.  Open to the public, free.

8-12 midnight | The Fodice Foundation After Party.

HYPA members attend the after party for free or make a $35 donation to The Fodice Foundation.  Invitation below.

Friday and Saturday, August 21 and 22 

7 pm | Performance: Pianist Jade Simmons presents Scriabin and Kandinsky: Hearing Color, Seeing Sound - a multimedia performance.  Witness Jade’s latest innovative performance project alongside the projected artwork of Kandinsky.  Only 50 seats per concert.  $10, advance tickets required, www.jademedia.org.  Wade Wilson Art, 4411 Montrose.

8 pm | Play | Mildred’s Umbrella: Alice and the Underground.  March 6, 1970, three characters from the classic children’s story find themselves at a defining moment in the Weather Underground movement.  A part of the Frenetic Fringe Festival.  Tickets $18 or if purchased on-line, $15.  www.freneticore.net.   www.mildredsumbrella.com.

Saturday, August 22

6-9 pm | Gallery Opening | Deborah Colton Gallery - Maripol “Little Red Riding Hood” and Luis Arsenio Gonzalez “Dreams of a Diva.”  Two artists who were part of the downtown early 80’s New York art scene who continue to create fashion, art and design reflecting this early influence.  Exhibition runs through September 12.  2445 North Blvd.  www.deborahcoltongallery.com.

August 21, 22, 28 & 29

8 pm | Play: North Blvd - A One Woman Show.  Written and performed by native Houstonian Amy Esacove.  North Blvd. is an autobiographic story written and performed by native Houstonian Amy Esacove.  It’s a story about adoption, abuse, survival and subsequent journey towards the discovery of her birth parents.  This rare and special performance of North Blvd. in its raw and original form, serves as a fund-raising endeavor in which all proceeds will go towards producing the show in Los Angeles on a larger scale in the hopes of generating buzz around the feature-length screenplay which the show has been converted into.  Tickets for opening wknd are $20. $40 all other shows.  August 29 includes post-performance party and silent auction for $50.  Tickets and information at www.littlegirlproductions.com.

August 21 through August 30

Film | 4th Annual Italian Retrospective - Signore e Signore:  Leading Ladies of Italian Cinema.  Postwar Italian cinema is enshrined in film history books for its neorealist movement but it produced another phemonenon: the arrival of a new generation of Italian actresses who revolutionized the image of women on screen like Gina Lollobrigida, Sophia Loren and Anna Magnani.  Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.  www.mfah.org/film

Sunday, August 23

9 pm | Frenetic Fringe Festival | Anything Goes Night + Closing Party.  Performances by Eric Fensler and Jay Rajeck’s band TRS-80 (from Los Angeles) and food and drinks. $15 when purchased online.  www.freneticore.net.

Thursday, August 27

6-8 pm | The Heritage Society | Connect to Houston + Miles and Miles of Texas: The Lone Star State Through the Eyes of Buck Schiwetz.  Join members of Buffalo Bayou Partnership, Houston Downtown Alliance, Leadership Houston and Rice University for this exhibition mixer.  Enjoy light refreshments and entertainment.  $5.  RSVP: 713-655-1912, ext. 113.  The Heritage Society, 1100 Bagby.  www.heritagesociety.org.

6 pm | Opening: Lawndale from 1979 | James Surls.  Lawndale Art Center’s 30th anniversary with founder James Surls presenting a talk on the origins of Lawndale and its unique place in Houston’s art community and its relevance today.  Reception follows at Barbara Davis Gallery where James Surls’ From 2009 is on view through August 29.  Lawndale Art Center, 4912 Main Street.  www.lawndaleartcenter.org.