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.