Orlando Story Club – Resolution!

Posted on by Thor

The Downtown Arts District and The Abbey (100 S Eola Dr, Orlando, Florida) presented the first Orlando Story Club event of 2016: Resolution! Admission was $5 at the door.  Producer/Director Robin Cowie, produces the unique and fun series, in which anyone who wishes
to tell a personal story is invited to put their name in a hat, and
selected individuals are chosen at random to showcase their story
telling for the enrichment of the Orlando community.  Judges award
prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners.  A guest story teller
headlines every show, which has its own theme, and food, drinks and
laughter are available in abundance.  The January Orlando Story Club theme was
“Resolution,” and the benefiting charity was the Boys and Girls Clubs of
Central Florida, which provide safe places to learn and grow for nearly
14,000 at-risk children in the local community every year.

The word resolution has two great meanings for stories:
1. a firm decision to do or not to do something.
2. the action of solving a problem, dispute, or contentious matter

Cowie formed Orlando Story Club and held the first event in March of 2014 after returning to Orlando from Los Angeles where he participated in a similar story telling group.  “It’s important to talk about the value of sharing your story,” says Cowie, alumni of the University of Central Florida.  “There is a reason why in a hectic, intense, media bombarded world the simple act of standing up and sharing your story is so enjoyable.  Anyone can put their name in a hat to tell a story.  This process is almost therapeutic for both the audience and the tellers.”  He continues, “I believe storytelling has more power to unite and build community than any other activity.  By sharing our raw life experiences with complete strangers we build incredibly strong bonds.  Besides, it’s always a truly hilarious and entertaining experience, and the proceeds benefit great local causes.”

 Banks Helfrich and Tisse Mallon from Living room Theater gave brief performances between storytellers based on audience prompts which were in a pink plastic storage container.  Robin acted as the MC, picking names from a hat and introducing the storytellers. My vote for the funniest Resolution story was told is Mike Calvo. He had a seeing eye dog who sat next to me to watch his masters story. Mike was assisted on the stage and stepped up to the microphone. He told a story a bout go, drinking with several buddies who ended up having to many drinks. There were smart enough to realize that they shouldn’t drive in their condition. Mike however was sober. The only problem was that Mike didn’t have a drivers license and he is blind. Where there is a will there is away, and his friends resolved to teach Mike how to drive. He got behind the wheel and slowly did loops around the parking lot with his friends shouting guidance. A policeman noticed the uncertain driving and he flashed his lights. He asked for Mikes license and registration which wasn’t available. Then he asked Mike to step out of the vehicle. Mike did so and unfurled his fold up tapping cane which snapped to attention. “You have got to be kidding me.” the officer responded. He called for back up just to share the experience because no one would believe him back at the station.

Mark tour Calendar! The next Orlando Story Club is March 2. Doors open at 6pm for food and drink. Show, laughter, and awe starts at 7pm. The March theme is “Body“. Like it or lump it we are all born with our bodies. It seems much of our life is spent just taking care of them. Join us as the Orlando Story Club explores our topsy turvey relationship with them. Every part will be explored! Anyone who wants to tell a story can put their name in the hat. Bring friends!

The Mardi Gras Soiree at Dexter’s of Winter Park.

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I got to Dexter’s of Winter Park (558 W New England Ave, Winter Park, Florida) fairly early to get a table with a decent view of the band. I explained that I needed to sketch and the Maitra d’ set me up front and center.  Fat Tuesday was being celebrated in grand style with a fantastic celebration of life and music. The Brown Bag Brass Band was already playing New Orleans standards loud and proud. I had received a text from Frankie Messina earlier in the day about the Mardi Gras Soiree. A friend from my past who I worked with over 30 years ago at Zip Mailing, is snow birding in Winter Park for several months. I told her about the Soiree and she had to weight her options between a Condo Association meeting or Mardi Gras. She arrived as I was finishing up my first sketch.

One of the patrons at the table next to me had a decibel reading app on his smart phone. He pointed it out to me and the needle kept spiking to over 103 decibels. The woman with him liked my sketch and I typed my site URL onto her smart phone. She said she could set me up with new clients. I really should always carry business cards A woman seated next to my friend shouted in her ear. The two of them were the first to get up to dance as I kept sketching.

The second act was Louisianna’s own Beth McKee and the Local Brass Band Heroes.  Fat Tire Beer was offering specials all night, so that is what I drank to loosen up the line work. Beth’s band got everyone in Dexter’s on their feet. With my second sketch done, I had to get up and dance as well to “When the Saints Go Marching In“. Beth asked the Brown Bag Brass Band to join in and we were all dancing only inches from the musicians. Frankie got on the dance floor and gave me a high five.

When all the festivities died down, my friend and I got a chance to talk at length. Catching up on 30 plus years of history takes time. I had no idea that she had become an artist since the last time I saw her, and I scrolled through her art on my cell phone. She creates intricate worlds with flowing volumetric forms. Some feel like intimate looks inside of living organisms. Colors were vibrant and though abstract, the work seemed familiar and alive. Round canvases give some of the paintings a calming appeal. At Zip Mail in Tenafly NJ, we were trained to become machines who collated, tied and moved a constant stream of junk mail. From that industrial crucible it is amazing that art managed to take root and thrive.

Do Good Date Night at Quantum Leap Winery

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Happy Valentines Day. 

Kristen Walmsley-Manieri, founder of Orlando Date Night Guide, has organized a wonderful series of “Do Good Date Nights“.  This sold out evening, right before Valentines Day had couples putting together sanitation. kits for Clean the World. The event was held at Quantum Leap Winery (1312 Wilfred Drive Orland FL).  A core value of Quantum Leap’s business
plan is to find an environmentally friendly solution for transporting
wine to markets and ultimately the consumer. They have reinvented the wine-to-market delivery process. They search for good quality, sustainable grown wine, wherever they are around the world but transport it in large vessels to the Orlando winery.
It is in this facility where wine is stored, finished, blended and
packaged. This process substantially reduces the
carbon footprint associated with traditional wine production.

Clean the World gathers soap, shampoo and other disguarded items from thousands of hotels world wide and recycles them to create clean hygiene kits for third world countries. Most hotel guests stay for just one night and all those bars of soap used to go to landfills. Now that soap saves lives. They recycle soap and create hope. Nearly one in 5 child deaths in third world countries is due to diarrhea, about 1.5 million lives lost every year. Diarrheal diseases also contribute to malnutrition, stunted growth, burden in healthcare costs and time lost at school or work. Research studies have demonstrated that the risk of diarrhea can be reduced 44-47% through hand washing interventions. Promotion of hand washing with soap has been shown to reduce the risk of acute respiratory infection in children below the age of 5 by half. Handwashing promotion campaigns are increasingly being implemented as part of an effort to improve child survival.

The couples gathered at long tables topped with hygiene products. The person standing at the wine barrels started the production line by grabbing a plastic bag and putting a bar of soap in. The bag was then passed down the line where other items were put in the bags. The stakes were heightened when it was announced that this was a race, with prizes. Laughter and competitive joking ensued as everyone raced to do good. The first full box of packaged goods brought a cheer from the leading team. Other teams rushed to catch up, while the foreground team seemed more concerned with pristine and neat kits. Full boxes were stacked on a skit beside me and before you knew it, that skit was full.

After the Clean the World packaging was complete, everyone was given a tour of the winery. I listened in as I continued to splash watercolors on the page. Several couples admired my sketch. One woman thought she was pictured in the sketch, although it wasn’t her, I placed black striped on her shirt in the sketch to match what she was wearing as she spoke to me. That delighted her and she called her husband over. One of the Clean the World marketing people came over and he said to me, “How does it feel to make people happy everyday.” I don’t actually think many people notice what I do daily, but his comment certainly warmed my heart.

After the tour, couples went in the front of the winery where tables were set up to create a perfect blend of wine. The winery’s best wine is named after a co-owners rescue dog named Kaley. This perfect blend of wines was developed over many months. The couples were given samples of the wines that were used to create this magical blend. The table that came closest to matching the blends taste would get a prize. There was another prize for the table that created their own delicious and unique blend. One person had to be the mixer and measurer and the most important member of the team had to be good at math to calculate the percentages used. Crackers and cheese were also on each table to cleans the palette. The excitement in the room bubbled up even as the rules were explained. The expert wine tasters would remix the blends based on the percentages couples gave them. The race was on to discover the perfect blend of tastes. Taste and smell are my weaker senses. On top of that I’m not exactly a math wiz. I left as the room buzzed with excitement. I know I’ll be back however to get a bottle of that magic blend.

Fairvilla Megastore presented 5 Senses of Sexy: A Valentine’s Party.

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I followed the 104.1 talk radio station truck into the parking lot of Fairvilla Megastore (1740 North Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando, Florida). Two lovely ladies at the entrance gave me a pink wrist band, two drink tickets, and a card that listed all the vendors I should visit during the course of the night. I’ve never been inside the adult store before, so I was a bit nervous and excited. I explored the store before deciding what to sketch. There were two floors of every imaginable sex toy, lotion, lingerie and leather. Several employees knew about AADW and soon I was being given a  tour.

The senses included:

Taste: Complimentary cocktails, sweets and treats.

Touch: Pug Kissing Booth, Presented by Pug Rescue of Florida.

Sight: A performance by Big Bang Boom! Cabaret
Hear, and The Poetry Vending Machine

Smell: Pheremone perfumes and massage candles.

Nikki Meir showed me a vibrator from the Rabbit Company. The company had black T-Shirts with what looked like a pink human nose on it. It turned out the nose was actually the company logo which features Rabbit ears. The vibrator I was shown was small, fitting neatly in the palm of my hand. It comes apart and resembles a thumb drive for a computer. This small USB plug is how the device is quickly recharged. It was purple and had the shape of a goats hoof, or as I later realized, small rabbit ears. Those vibrating ears could be slipped like two fingers around any sensitive spots. I immediately saw its appeal.

Upstairs there was a bed set up with restraints. Couples could try out the restraint system to see if it suited their needs. There was a game called “Pin the cock on the jock” which featured a bold bulls eye right where you would expect it. I decided to sketch the more refined and subtle Poetry Vending Machine. The vending machine is featured at the International Fringe Festival each year. Tod Caviness explained that the poems written at Fringe get most interesting late at night when patrons have been drinking too many beers at the beer tent. They give the poets several words to act as inspiration and late at night all those words become deprived and filthy. That is why the Poetry Vending Machine fit right in at Fairvilla. Some of Orlando’s best poets came out for the event. Actually, perhaps all of Orlando’s male poets came out for the night. A Haiku was just $2 and a custom poem was $5. At the end of the evening, Todd, who is now a dad, walked away with multiple red whips and eye masks. They were some mighty fine spoils for an evening of writing poetry.  

Weekend Top 6 Picks for February 13th and 14th.

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Saturday February 13, 2016

10am to 5pm $125. Orlando Sketch Tour offers visitors and local artists a chance to slow down, see and sketch the true Orlando. Thor from Analog Artist Digital World and Kelly Medford a plein air painter from Rome Italy will be your guides for this full day sketching tour around the Mennello Museum of Art. We will meet at 10am at a small gazebo just to the east of the Mennello museum on the lake shore.

The Indie-Folkfest happening on the 13th puts a twist on the traditional Orlando Folk Festival turning it into a Valentine’s Day-themed family folk picnic that features local music, art and food. They partnered with East End Market for food, Joseph Martens for the music lineup, as well as local bars to throw a fun-filled picnic in the beautiful Sculpture Garden of The Mennello Museum of American Art. Approximately 3,000 guests – including plenty of dogs and kids – spread out picnic blankets, make Valentine cards and enjoy a daylong lineup of music against the backdrop of Lake Formosa in the winter sunshine.

The sketch tour will be part of a day dedicated to Music + Art + Picnic + Love. At 10am before the Folkfest gets started, Kelly Medford will give a lesson in composing landscape scenes. Her insights in to light, color and environment should get everyone accustomed to the pastoral lakeside setting. After we all finish our first sketch, we’ll break for lunch and then Thor will give tips on how to populate your sketches. The focus will be on adding multiple figures into to scene to add depth and tell a story. We will then spend the afternoon creating multiple sketches of performers on the stage, or patrons enjoying the festival. The sketch opportunities are limitless. Kelly and Thor will circulate to offer tips and suggestions.

All skill levels are welcome you can be a full time artist or a weekend dabber and you will sill pick up something to help spark the rewarding trend of documenting your life with sketches.

Each student gets a complete Urban Sketching Kit that includes:

hardbound sketchbook,

travel sized watercolor palette,

pencil and eraser,

micron pen,

Pentel water brush

all enclosed in a zippered carrying case.

6pm to Midnight $22 Nude Nite. Artegon 5250 International Dr, Orlando, FL.Nude
Nite is a dazzling art and entertainment event celebrating the beauty
of the nude. Nude Nite brings together hundreds of artists for three
evenings of visual art, performance and a cast of characters both in
costume and out…  Open to the public, tickets can be purchased at the
door. Show is 21+. 

8pm to 11:30pm Now That’s What I Call The 90s! The Abbey 100 S Eola Dr, Orlando, Florida. Don’t be clueless! Grab your LA Gear and get jiggy #atTheAbbey as we celebrate all things 90s! Dance to the music and videos you love while enjoying drink specials all night long! No cover
21+

Sunday February 14, 2016 Valentines Day 

11am to 5pm Free. The 2016 Dragon Parade Lunar New Year Festival. Orlando Fashion Square, 3201 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, FL. The 2016 Dragon Parade Lunar New Year Festival will take place on Sunday, February 14 from 11am until 5pm at Fashion Square Mall.
Sponsors include Bright House Networks, Fashion Square Mall, Florida Hospital and Walgreen’s.
For sponsor, vendor and parade information:
www.centralfloridadragonparade.org 

9am to 5pm $200. Nude Couples Portraits. Couples reserve a two hour time slot and Thor executes an intimate couples portrait. Couples are reclined in bed and settle into a relaxed embrace. The couple then gets to keep their favorite sketch. 

1pm to 4pm Donations. Fur, Fun and Folk Art. Jeanine Taylor Folk Art, 211 E. 1st St., Sanford, FL. Have your precious pet captured forever in the charming folk art style by internationally acclaimed folk artist, Theresa Disney. Bring your pet in person or a photo and for a donation, Theresa will paint them on canvas in her inimitable style. Talk about a unique Valentines Day gift for that special someone and a real family treasure.

Pepper’s Ghost appeared at Nerd Nite Orlando XXVIII.

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Nerd Nite Orlando is an evening of entertaining yet thought-provoking talks across many disciplines, all while the audience drinks along in a casual bar atmosphere. Speakers present for 15-20 minutes each on a fascinating subject of their choice, often in an uncanny and unconventional way. Following each presentation is a brief question and answer session with the audience. The event happens at The Geek Easy 114 S Semoran Blvd Suite 6, Winter Park, Florida.

The most fascinating talk was by Travis Winkler about Pepper’s ghost which is an illusion technique used in theater, amusement parks, museums, television, and concerts. In 1862, inventor Henry Dircks developed the Dircksian Phantasmagoria, his version of the long-established phantasmagoria performances. This technique was used to make a ghost appear on-stage. He tried
unsuccessfully to sell his idea to theaters. It required that theaters
be completely rebuilt to support the effect, which they found too costly
to consider. Later in the year, Dircks set up a booth at the Royal
Polytechnic, where it was seen by John Pepper.

Pepper realized that the method could be modified to make it easy to
incorporate into existing theatres. Pepper first showed the effect
during a scene of Charles Dickens‘s The Haunted Man,
to great success. Pepper’s implementation of the effect tied his name
to it permanently. Dircks eventually signed over to Pepper all financial
rights in their joint patent. Though Pepper tried many times to give
credit to Dircks, the title “Pepper’s ghost” endured.

Theaters have had reasons to stage the appearances of ghosts for centuries. Early attempts at making ghosts appear involved trap doors, ramps and dollies that could make a figure appear to weightlessly appear in a scene. The Pepper’s Ghost technique does away with all the rope, pulleys and trap doors. The audience views a stage or room with various objects in it. On
command, ghostly objects appear to fade in or out of existence in the
room, or objects in the room magically transform into different objects. The effect is achieved with a carefully angle sheet of glass.

The basic trick involves a stage that is specially arranged into two
rooms, one that people can see into or the stage as a whole, and a
second that is hidden to the side, the “blue room”. The plate of glass (or Plexiglas
or plastic film) is placed somewhere in the main room at an angle that
reflects the view of the blue room towards the audience. Generally this
is arranged with the blue room to one side of the stage, and the plate
on the stage rotated around its vertical axis at 45 degrees. Care must be taken to make the glass as invisible as possible, normally
hiding the lower edge in patterning on the floor and ensuring lights do
not reflect off it. When the lights are bright in the main room and dark in the blue room,
the reflected image cannot be seen. When the lighting in the blue room
is increased, often with the main room lights dimming to make the effect
more pronounced, the reflection becomes visible and the objects within
the blue room seem to appear in thin air.

 Notable examples of the illusion are virtual pop stars and the appearance of “ghosts” at the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. Hidden in the corner of the stage at Nerd Night was a glass box. It was unveiled and the used for a magic trick. Inside the glass box was a light bulb. The light bulb miraculously disappeared using the principles of Pepper’s Ghost. Even knowing how the trick was done, it was impressive given the theatrics of the performance.

The Art of Beer at Artegon.

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Artegon is located where the old Festival Bay Mall used to be, at 5250 International Drivenear all the Outlet Malls. The promoters pitched the venue as an exotic artist’s market. In the first months, quite a few local artists set up shop in cages to sell their art. Robin Van Arsdol, (RV) took over a large gallery space near the movie theater which was prime retail space. He left as did most other artist’s. At a First Thursdays even at The Orlando Museum of art, I asked him why he left Artegon. His response was rather simple, “They lied to me.” I left it at than.

The metal cages have been replaced by walls that give the market a more quaint feeling. The cage ceilings remain. In the large open area at the center of Artegon, a sky trail was set up. In the first few months after Artegon opened, a tourist fell to his death from this attraction. I was told that benches were placed around the body to keep people away. Today there is a six foot open topped box that could be used for the same purpose. Four people could lift the four walled box and place it where it was needed. Only the tallest people could peek inside.

The Art of Beer was hell in this large open area. Free samples of beer were dispensed to the long lines of people. John Jacob Williams performed covers with his guitar. The music was just background noise as people waited for their free beer. Mark your calendar, the Art of Beer happens on the Second Tuesday of every month, at 5 p.m. Don’t climb up into the rafters after you have had a few.

The Dawn Branch Works “Journey” has been posponed.

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I went to a Dawn Branch Works dance rehearsal for “Journey“. The show is describe as a walk through faith. One section of new choreography was being worked out. Dawn sat leaning against the mirrored wall. Dancers gathered as a group and then one was asked to volunteer to fall backwards. When the dancers stood became their spot in the new gelled scene. Cindy Michelle Heen was the dancer who offered the most support when the dancer fell back. This move was rehearsed many times giving me a chance to capture every dancers gesture while studying the staging as a whole. I’m amazed by the trust and faith the dancers have in each other. It was fascinating to watch as chance encounters fell into place as the final choreography. Dancers and the choreographer added their creative input. Another dance felt like laborers working in the field who dreamed of freedom expressed in dance.

Dawn Branch Works was formed after The Center for Contemporary dance
brought choreographer Dawn Branch together with local professional
dancers for a project for the 2012 Olympics. The experience of dancing
together was so rewarding that the group decided to work together after
the project’s conclusion and form a professional company. “A creative
bond was formed among the artists,” says Branch, “Sometimes things just
fall into place, and this was one of those divine moments.” Inaugural
member Lindsey Salfran agrees: “Collaboration between the dancers of DBW
and Dawn Branch is an exciting experience. We are constantly pushed
beyond our perceived imitations–you dance in ways you never thought you
could dance before, and you feel the difference at every rehearsal.”

I was sad to find out that “Journey” the show has been postponed . The new dates will be in the spring to summer season. Previously purchased tickets to the January show will be honored at the upcoming dates.

Emotions Dance Presents Untold Stories.

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Emotions Dance has a new rehearsal space at 105 Melody Lane west. Casselberry, FL. Founder and choreographer, Larissa Humiston,  greeted me in the lobby. Others in the lobby turned out to be members of the Emotions Dance board of directors. They were here to see a full run through of the latest show entitled, UntoId Stories.  This show explores stories of everyday life with a message of
courage and hope. The performance engages audiences with stories about
struggles to inspire dialogue and societal change.

The new rehearsal space is cavernous. Larissa let the board know that she has developed so m mad skills as a light in designer. Indeed each dance piece was colorfully lit, giving the individual piece their own color tone from warm to cool. The first dance had two dancers in black tights who wore white kabuki masks. This gave the dance a rather mysterious and primal feel. I was amazed by how many young new dancers were in the company. I didn’t count but there must have been over a dozen. This allowed some dancers to rest and change costume as of he performed. Several powerful dancers from last year were gone, but I was amazed by the new talent.

The black costuming was replace by white flowing that its in the next dance. Earthy weighted movements turned to a graceful flowing routine. The spark that ignites each performance is always an inner emotion. A dancers face and body gesture can show that emotion and bring it to light. I usually identify with one dancers crisp performance and I follow that one dancer and use line to try and rediscover what they are expressing.

In the notes session after the run through, It became clear that different dancers helped choreograph each piece. In one dance, the performers wore loose men’s stiff collared dress shirts. One dancer was bound in a red ribbon. The choreographer explained that it was a story about diabetes which is an invisible affliction. The ribbon was unfurled and it tied all the dancers together with one crimson line.

Other dances felt familiar, like being reunited with old friends. Larissa’s touch must have been in those routines. Angst, hope, and striving all radiated through in the dances. The modern dance was at times gymnastic as dancers tumbled and supported each other. It takes an amazing amount of trust to know you will be caught when to fall.



Untold Stories

Friday Feb 19 and Saturday Feb 20 at 8pm.

Lowndes Shakespeare Center’s Mandell Theatre (812 E. Rollins St. Orlando).

Pre-sale ticketing will be available until Feb 15 GA $18 and
Students/Seniors are $14. At the door- general audience is $20 and Students/Seniors
(65+) are $15

Art in the Chambers & Sculpture Lighting Party.

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Terry Olson invited guests for light refreshments to celebrate the Judy Albertson–Louis Peterson Galleries Art in the Chambers opening, part of Art Legends of Orange County.  Art Legends is remembrance of distinguished artists and patrons of the arts who made
their mark between 1932 and 1982, critical years in local development of
the visual arts. The chambers show features Judy Albertson and Louise Peterson all year, with others like
Grady Kimsey and Steve Lotz being featured for shorter exhibitions. Later that evening there was a lighting ceremony on the lawn for the Temporary Sculpture Exhibition at 201 N Rosalind Ave, Orlando, FL.

I arrived as the sun was setting and wanted to catch the orange glow on the Christian condominium or retirement home. I found it ironic that the was a red light on top of the cross. Perhaps they were worried it might get hit by a low flying aircraft. In the foreground was a wooden sculpture by Julia Ousley titled Skyline I I. As it grew darker, the lights came on to illuminate the sculptures. One artist, walking y the Chambers Opening joked with me saying ” You could get arrested for doing that.” I laughed, but as a matter of fact he was right. I could be mistake for a panhandle outside my designated blue box. It was a cold night for Orlando, so I had on my wood cap and put up my hood to conserve heat. the tablet processor helped keep my fingers a bit warm.

I never did get inside, since capturing the light in the cold was challenging enough. Gradually people wandered outside to take pictures. Then everything went black for the official lighting ceremony. Banks Helfrich and his wife stopped to say hello. They asked if I as going to SAK Comedy Lab after m sketch, and ironically, I was. I’ve been bumping into them all over town. My plan was to meet Terry for a night out, but she had to work late. The huge blue wind chimes remained silent.