Weekend Top 6 Picks for December 10th and 11th.

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<10am 4pm="" b="" free.="" to="">Elite Animation Academy Open House. 8933 Conroy Windermere Rd, Orlando, FL 32835. Learn what Elite Animation Academy has to offer at this free open house.

Elite Animation Academy is an art and Animation program designed for
students interested in the Art of Animation. Elite Animation is proud to
be a “Partners in Education” with Dr. Phillips High School, Olympia
High School, Chain of Lakes Middle School, Foundation Academy, Trinity
Preparatory School, Windermere Preparatory, Windy Ridge Elementary,
Providence Foundation, Holy Family Catholic School, Saint Margaret Mary
Catholic School and The Orlando Science Center. We have also partnered
with Orange County Library System and the Autism Society of Greater
Orlando (ASGO).

We offer classes for children as well as Adults. Our
classes are during the week and on Saturdays, with convenient afternoon
and evening hours. We focus on basic to intermediate levels with an
emphasis on history, theory, and sketch along with Animation exercises
each week after the topic. Our classes are small to provide you with a
more personal connection with the teachers and get the most out of the
lessons.

Combined, our
instructors have over 50 years experience in the industry working for
Walt Disney Feature Animation, Marvel and other major movie studios’ Developing young minds through the art of animation.

7pm Free. The Annual “Violectric Holiday Show”. Walt Disney Amphitheatre at Lake Eola Park, 99 N Rosalind Avenue, Orlando, Florida 32801. Rock Into The Holiday Season With Strings Sensation Violectric At The Annual “Violectric Holiday Show” Saturday, December 10 At Lake Eola Park In Downtown Orlando.

Central Florida’s Top Strings Rock Group Return to the Walt Disney Amphitheatre and Offer a Fun and Free Concert Featuring All the Classic Holiday Tunes with a Twist and More

Festivities Include VIP Pre-Party with Concert Behind-the-Scenes Presented by Old Forester and End of Prohibition After-Party With 1920’s Theme Costume Contest.

Bring a Non-Perishable Food Item to Benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.

Sunday December 5, 2016 

11am to 4pm Free. A Florida Highwaymen. See a Florida Highwayman painter at work. Orange County Regional History Center, East Central Boulevard, Orlando, FL.

Noon to 3pm Free. Music at the Casa. Casa Feliz Historic Home Museum, 656 N Park Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789. Chris Belt, classical and contemporary guitar recital.

1pm to 5:30pm Free. Family Day on the Second Sunday. The Mennello Museum of American Art, 900 East Princeton Street, Orlando, FL 32803. The make-and-take craft table is open from noon-2:30 p.m., and docents are available to give mini-tours of the museum. Then it’s open house in the galleries until 4:30 p.m.

The Stories of Christmas

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After a radio interview, Joshua Vickery invited me to a dress rehearsal for The Stories of Christmas, at Central Florida Community Arts
(250 SW Ivanhoe Blvd, Orlando, Florida 32804).  

This holiday season, the 300 voice
CFCArts Community Choir and members of the CFCArts Symphony Orchestra will perform their rendition of The Stories of Christmas. This year, the show
will share family traditions, childhood memories, personal stories and
much more through their favorite Christmas songs, as well as the
incorporation of “Noel: The Carols of Christmas”, the retelling of the
Christmas story through traditional Christmas hymns. Don’t miss this
fantastic holiday production as only CFCArts can present.

The
Stories of Christmas will be held on Thursday, December 8th and Friday,
December 9th at 7:30pm at Northland Church, (530 Dog Track Rd, Longwood
FL, 32750). They are offering the convenience
of assigned seating for this event! That’s right, you will be able to
CHOOSE YOUR SEATS when you order your tickets. All seats in the
auditorium will be assigned and will not be first come, first served. So
buy your tickets now! Tickets are $10 each for advance sale ($15 at the
door), Priority Seating tickets are $25 each, and tickets for Premium
seating (which also includes a CFCArts Cookbook and Autographed Poster)
are $50 each.

Please note that tickets will NOT be available
for walk up purchase at Northland at any time prior to the night of the
show. Tickets may be purchased online or by calling the CFCArts Box
Office at 407-937-1800 x 710.

Balcony seating is not
handicapped accessible. For handicapped accessible seating, please call
the CFCArts Box Office at 407-937-1800 x 710. Children ages 3 and under
will be admitted for free. For those parents wishing for their 3 and
under child to have his/her own seat, a free ticket will be available
for reservation. Doors will open at approximately 7 p.m. Nature’s Table
Cafe will be open at 5:30pm both evenings – come early and join us for
dinner!

Ticketing problems or questions? Contact the CFCArts Box Office: (407) 937-1800 ext. 710 or boxoffice@cfcommunityarts.com

Heartfulness Meditation

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I went to the Maitland Public Library (501 S. Maitland Ave., Maitland, FL) to “learn simple techniques that improve wellness of being.” This Heartfulness Meditation happens every second and fourth Monday of every month, 6-8 p.m.  I have attended group meditations before which consisted of 45 minutes of silent meditation, followed by a group discussion. I focused on the blankets on the floor thinking people would be sitting there as they meditated. I was wrong: they sat classroom-style in rows of tables and chairs outside the sketch’s composition.

Only one person was in the room when I first entered. She had bright blue hair and confided that this was her first time meditating here. She had tried YouTube meditation videos and was afraid that the PC hooked up to the TV meant more of the same. The mediator for the session was a young Indian fellow whose name I never caught.

For most of November I had to spar with a friend who I feared would be a delinquent client. My head was spinning, wondering what I could have done differently to preserve the friendship. The damage was done. My instructor seemed to sense this and he began by talking about someone who is obsessed with a fight. He had a nervous laugh that reminded me of a nephew of mine. With thoughts of the fight in mind, a person is already on guard, prepared for another fight. He offered us a guided cleaning. He used the metaphor of a dirty home. Sometimes cleaning just moves the dirt around. He equated a meditated cleaning to be like opening all the windows and doors to air out the space. The weather is finally cool enough to allow for that. My mind definitely needs to be aired out.

The goal of his meditation session was to clear the heart space. He wanted us to imagine a source of light within which has no luminosity or radiance. Light is the most subtle thing to meditate on. When we imagine a light without illumination, it puts the mind on the edge of an inner dimension where we don’t deal with thoughts but build heartfulness based on silence. He dimmed the lights to the room and everyone closed their eyes. I, of course, sketched, searching for the light in the dark room. Halfway into the sketch I realized everyone had taken their shoes off. Darn it, I couldn’t even get that unspoken cue right. The brush sounded insanely loud on the page, so I slowed down my painting to try and stay silent. I doubt I succeeded.

After the cleaning, we proceeded to a silent meditation which lasted perhaps half an hour. The goal was to stop chasing impressions and thoughts. To live life calmly. Our thoughts derive their power from our attention. Thoughts are like a river or clouds in the sky: when we feel them coming, then we have to let them go. Will power must be used to remove impressions. The will needs to be precise and firm. There were four others seated on folding chairs in the room. One left early and the woman with the blue hair left during silent meditation. Heather confided afterwards that meditation cultivated negative feelings in her mind. Her results were the opposite of what was hoped for. He let her know that this session had been short, and with regular daily practice she could achieve the heartfulness that would allow a life of being balanced and poised.

With the sketch complete I lowered my head and relaxed. A minute later the session was over. I’m hoping that sketching gives the heartfulness he was talking about. My thoughts were limited to lighter, darker, larger, smaller. My inner dialogue about conflict had no room to grow. My heart stopped pounding in my ears. A truce meant a hope for peace.

Orange Grove Construction.

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Each day I sketched at the Orlando Science Center‘s new Kids Zone construction site, I was issued a hard hat at the front admissions desk. The day I stopped in to sketch the Orange Grove, it looked close to being complete. The construction foreman let me know that the hard hat wasn’t needed since there was no overhead work being done. Large plastic sheets still isolated the construction site so museum goers couldn’t see the progress.

Only one young construction worker was doing minor work in the grove. He stood in a window of light, and inspected the elevated rails that would late transport oranges around the room. The oranges were orange balls and there were a few green balls as well. The bulbous plastic trees were ripe with fruit. Balls would automatically feed into openings in the trees waiting to be picked. A ladder was needed to get up high and check that the ramps were secure.

I went back to the grove several days ago when it was filled with children. This quiet scene suddenly became a scene of chaos. Kids were running everywhere, picking fruit and getting it to market. One little girl ran right into me, knocking my sketchbook to the floor. She was in a rush to get a box of balls to the market. If you have children, trust me, the will love the new Kids Zone.

“Angel Action Wings For Orlando” Find New Home at The GLBT Community Center Of Central Florida.

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Orlando Shakespeare Theater (The Shakes) in Partnership with UCF permanently relocated the “Angel Action Wings for Orlando” to The GLBT Community Center of Central Florida (The Center). The “Angel Action Wings for Orlando” were originally constructed by volunteers from the community to shield mourners from anti-gay protesters during the funerals of Pulse massacre victims. They have since been used at the “Beautiful Together” benefit concert held at the Dr. Phillips Center and other local and national community events, including the recent Orlando “Come Out with Pride Parade” on Saturday, November 12, 2016.


 The wings were first used to block a hate group after the Matthew Shepard murder in 1998. After Pulse, the Shakespeare Scenic Shop built 49 Angel wings. “Orlando’s Angel Wings have become an inspiring image of love and unity in our community,” said Jim Helsinger, Artistic Director at Orlando Shakespeare Theater. “We have been honored to use them to pay tribute to those who lost their lives because they chose to love openly and wholly. In the end, love always wins.”

Due to the demanding performance
schedule of Orlando Shakes, The Center has graciously agreed to assume
responsibility of the “Angel Wings.” With this transition, the Center will
manage the future use of the “Angel Wings.” All funds raised to support the
care of the “Angel Wings” have been passed along to the Center as well.

“The Center is very honored to
accept responsibility for the “Angel Action Wings for Orlando,” said Terry
DeCarlo, Executive Director of The Center. “Personally knowing the history of
the wings, what they stand for, and their specific mission, The Center is prepared
to take on this assignment and will treat the wings with the utmost respect.
The Center will also be creating a community “Angel Force” made up of
individuals who will be trained and dispatched to special events where the
wings are needed.”

In addition to the 49 sets of “Angel
Wings” provided to the Center, two sets of “Angel
Wings” were also donated to the Orange County Regional History Center today for
a new community display.

“It has been a privilege to be the
guardians of the Angel Wings over the past several months,” said Helsinger. “We
look forward to seeing them shed light and love in our community in their new
home at The Center.”

The Perfect Gift is an emotional holiday cIassic.

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Dangerous Theatre (115 W. 1st St., Sanford, Florida 32771) has just moved to Sanford. At a find dress rehearsal for The Perfect Gift, Winnie Wenglewick explained that she had been moving all day So the rehearsal promised to be a big one. Written and Directed by Winnie Wenglewick, the show features the talents of Winnie Wenglewick, Thomas C. Taffinder and Larry Stallings. This is the first show in the new Sanford Theater space. Blue tape on the floor showed how the cavernous space would be divided into two theaters each seating about 50 people. For now the place look like an abandoned warehouse which suits the theme of the production. Blue tarps stretched between metal pillars served as the dressing room. 

The play opens with a homeless man playfully sparring with an imaginary character.  He is caught in a headlock when Stacia (Winnie Wenglewick)  walks into the scene. They meet for lunch often on this park bench. She admires and accepts his quirky behavior. He is excited about the approaching Christmas Holidays but she is jaded, despising the religious hypocrisy and commercialism of the season. They both have fond memories from their childhoods but only he keeps that sense of wonder alive. He invites her to have a holiday feast with him and a buddy under a bridge. 

In the second act, the PVC supported black curtain is removed to open the space for a table covered in a tacky Christmas table cloth.  A Christmas tree made from a series of hangers is suspended from a coat rack. The sumptuous feast consists of exotic holiday fair, like Doritos, chocolate covered pretzels and spam. Both men explain why they live off the grid. One lost his wife and then was put in a retirement home by his daughter. He escaped and prefers life on the streets to the stagnant home. His wife, whom he often speaks to, watches over him. when Stacia said, “Oh, you have an imaginary friend too.” He responds, “She’s not imaginary.” The invisible friends are guardian angels. She
comes to realize that sometimes all you have to do is listen with your
heart.

Stacia has to leave the banquet to give a present to her daughter. She approaches a small headstone and places a small doll up against it. In a flashback she recalls a holiday argument with her daughter who wanted an expensive doll for Christmas. Since it isn’t in her budget she tries to convince her daughter that the present isn’t what is most important. Unswayed , the daughter shouts “I hate you!’ and runs off into traffic. what follows is an incredible monologue about loss and sorrow. 

After the show, Winnie explained that she has lost many dear friends in 2016. Kim Stalling who played a part in this production last year died. She listed other friends lost an then Pulse. She taped photos to the back of the headstone  to remind her of the pain and sorrow felt this year. There might not be room to tape 49 portraits, but they were in her heart. She looked completely emotionally spent after the performance. 1960’s animated holiday classic tunes filled the empty warehouse. 

The Perfect Gift Dates: December 2nd – 18th
Fridays and Saturdays @ 8pm and Sundays @ 1pm
Tickets $20.00
$5.00 discount for students, seniors, military and anyone wearing a Fringe Button from any year.

The ticket price includes holiday refreshments and treats.

Special Performances:
Monday, December 5th @ 8pm Theatre Industry Night
Tickets only $10 for any theatre folks
Thursday, December 8th @ 8pm “Alive After 5”
Pay-what-you-can performance.
Every 2nd Thursday is Sanford’s monthly Alive After 5 event from 5pm to 8pm just a block from the theatre on 1st Street.
Be alive after 5 then come see The Perfect Gift.
Donations collected at the end of the show.

Please note: Seating for this show will be very limited, less than 40
seats per show. It is strongly recommended that you purchase tickets
online or make a reservation by calling the Box Office at 407-358-6677.

We only accept cash at the door. Credit/debit card purchases online only

Marshall Ellis Theatre presents The Nuthouse.

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I went to a tech rehearsal at Marshall Ellis Theatre
(1300 La Quinta Drive #3, Orlando, Florida 32809) for the world premiere of The Nuthouse. The ME Dance company has created a fun and inspired story with dance routines set to s music of the Nutcracker. The show promises to be a New Holiday Tradition for Orlando, Florida.

Several years ago on Christmas Eve, Doctor Ebenezer, a caring
and passionate inventor that dreams of revolutionizing the mental health
industry at Nuremberg Asylum, was making a great discovery in
supplemental medicines. The Doctor recognized that his patients served
as prisoners in there own illnesses and so, in the hopes of cracking nuts, he began to perform lab experiments in order to create the perfect chemistry of drugs that would cure his patients.

The Doctor continues to seek to provide a medical diagnosis of
individuals by an assessment of their symptoms and signs associated with
particular types of mental disorders. The Asylum is filled with various
patients that suffer from anxiety, bipolar, insomnia, schizophrenia,
attention deficit hyperactivity, and drug dependence disorders just to
name a few. It is no easy task for the staff at Nuremberg Asylum to
handle these challenges. However, it is Christmas Eve and the patients
have been anticipating the annual Christmas festivities and the arrival
of a new patient.

Upon the arrival of Claire, the newest
patient, Doctor Ebenezer assures her that she is safe for the general
population and he releases her into the recreational room in the asylum.
After the annual Christmas traditions have taken place it is back to
the usual treatments of recovery. Claire, lost, scared and hopeless,
finds herself in the Doctor’s lab. She decides to take action to set
herself free. While slipping off into a sleep state she thinks, “Is this
the real life?’ Locked
in the asylum, she is different but still the same. The patients, nurses
and Doctor continue to perform bizarre activities. The head nurse is suddenly dancing a hot romantic Flamenco with a male doctor.

Young dancers from Marshal’s dance class performed in the second act. They sat in front o me during the first act. This was their first opportunity to see the show from the audience. On stage a dancer was on the floor building a house of cards. When the house collapsed, she screamed. The young dancers reacted with surprise and delight. I loved watching a dancer that held a broom as her dance partner. Her dance was graceful and elegant as was her imagined partner.

The Nuthouse will
be performed at ME Theatre. Doors
open 30 minutes prior to the start of the performance. Each show lasts
an hour and 10 minutes, including an interactive 15-minute intermission.
Beer, wine, water, soda and light snacks are available for purchase.
Tickets are $20 per person. Select discounts at the door. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit DanceTheatreOfOrlando.com or call 407-816-7080. Show times are December 2 at 8:30 PM to December 11 at 10 PM. #NotyournormalNutcracker

Weekend Top 6 Picks for December 3rd and 4th.

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Saturday December 3, 2016.

4pm to 7pm. Free. Small Things Considered. Arts on Douglas. 123 Douglas St, New Smyrna Beach, FL 32168 Exhibit runs through January 10, 2016. Arts on Douglas is pleased to announce the opening of its premier
year-end group exhibition and holiday sale, Small Things Considered.
This annual exhibition features original small-scale works of art sized
10” x 10” or smaller.

7pm to 9pm  Second Ybor City Art Walk. 7th Ave Ybor Tampa, Florida 33605. Officially beginning the second Saturday of July (the 9th) we are bringing back the Ybor City Art Walk! Featuring a number of arts organizations and artsy businesses, be sure to R.S.V.P. here to get the official map for the walk!

This event will begin at 7pm and end at 11pm (or maybe there will be an after party!)

Here are the participating locations:

The Bricks of Ybor

Bloodline Tattoo

Ybor Arts Colony

Hot Wax

Wandering Eye Art Gallery

Dysfunctional Grace

Moon Over Havana Arts Gallery

Live Arts Labs

There will be other businesses joining the lineup so stay tuned! For any questions please feel free to contact the Ybor Art Alliance here through Facebook.

Expect to be wowed!

8pm to 10pm Shuffleboard at Orlando’s Beardall Courts. Orlando’s Beardall Courts 800 Delaney Ave Orlando FL. On the 1st Saturday of each month. Free fun!



Sunday December 4, 2016.

10am to 6pm Free. Ciclovia. Downtown Orlando. Live music, food, Beer, Dancing, Yoga, walking, Biking, Skating.

10am to 4pm Free. Sparkle Art Market. Dandelion Communitea Cafe 618 N Thornton Ave, Orlando, Florida 32803. Sparkle is an annual Art Market made up of Central Florida’s best artists, crafters, jewelers, designers, ceramicists and lots more. For one day, Sunday December 4th these makers, of all things beautiful, will gather for you to support local artists and keep your money in the community!

The location is Dandelion Communitea Cafe, a healthy food venue where they prepare meals with love. The cafe is Certified Green by Co-op America and features rain barrels, a community herb garden and compostable to-go ware.

Parking is free.

2pm to 6pm. Free. Light Up SoDo 2016. Sodo S Orange Ave at W Grant St, Orlando, Florida 32806. This is the BIGGEST Light Up SoDo event yet! We’re taking over Sodo and lighting up Main Street for the holidays. This is a family-friendly event with a “naughty and nice” theme. Kick off the season with Santa, princesses, face painting, train rides, a beer garden, holiday market, live wreath making, DJ and more!

Drip Drop Splash is a hit with the kids.

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The Orlando Science Center, (777 E Princeton St, Orlando, FL 32803) invested $5 million dollars to create a brand new Kids Town.I sketched the construction once a week and I was fascinated by Drip Drop Splash.Three towers surrounded a central pool from which water flowed outwards in three directions.  The towers have hand cranks and when I are turned the illuminated water rises up to cascade down blue kite shaped gutter which then send the water into an elevated clear bowl. Hole as in the bowl allow the water to rain down into the circular reservoir. Kids can crawl under the reservoir and stand up in the middle where no rain falls. There is magic when standing in a rain storm and remaining dry.

This sketch a s done at a VIP preview reception where donors were encouraged to bring their children. I started the sketch before the ribbon cutting. Once the ribbon was cut, the kids swarmed in to play. Staff were excited because they we rent cells that the new interactive exhibits would be a hit.  The kids assembled water wheels and to redirect the flow. Photographers and video crews shot footage of the kits at play. One child watched me work and asked if he could sketch as well. I gave him another sketchbook and be drew three cartoon faces for me.

New Kids Town construction at the Orlando Science Center.

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For the past several months [ have been going to the Orlando Science Center (777 E Princeton St, Orlando, FL 32803) once a week, to sketch the five million dollar construction of the New Kids Town. A company in Ohio designed all the interactive exhibits. Seven rooms were constructed to house the huge play areas. The first area under construction consisted of a maze of green metal support rods. The inner skeleton was still visible. Each support beam was numbered and a large architects drawing was consulted to see which beam went where.

A Genie lift was used to get up high or some times to suport a horizontal beam before it was secured. Workers climbed ladders and walked the beams like tightrope walkers. I was issued a hard hat and it came in useful since I had to duck to avoid a beam being lifted into place. Above me, a worker was sparkling wall joints a the supervisor advised me to move aside for a while. I took his advice because he had my safety in mind.

Workers looked over my shoulder, to see if they had been caught in the sketch. One worker told me about a friend of his who made decent money doing tattoos. Perhaps I’ve missed my calling. I could imagine this Climb Time area will be very popular once the kids get a chance to explore it.