The Citrus Bowl Gets a Face Lift

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Driving on the East West Expressway to work, I’ve often glanced over to see the Citrus Bowl being stripped down to it’s cement skeleton. I finally decided I needed to get off at the next exit to sketch the work in progress. I know that Orlando plans to host another Bowl game this year, so I’m assuming the reconstruction needs to be done by then. About 90% of the stadium will be torn down and replaced, including
portions that have stood since its original construction in 1937. Only
the upper decks, which were added in 1990 and remain viable as part of a
modern facility, will remain.

The new Citrus Bowl will offer an enhanced fan experience at every
level, with wider, chair-back seating, new concessions areas and
restrooms, and new club and premium spaces throughout the building. 

When the stadium reopens in fall 2014, it will continue to host
signature events including the Capital One Bowl, Russell Athletic Bowl,
Florida Blue Florida Classic and Monster Jam. In addition, the new venue
will allow Orlando to pursue more high-profile sports tourism events
such as neutral-site college football games, NFL preseason games,
international soccer matches, big-name concerts and more.

November 2013

Pre-construction mobilization began.

January 2014

Demolition of lower seating levels began.

March 2014

New seating bowl construction began.

Late Spring 2014

Construction of new concessions, restrooms, team locker rooms and operation/support areas began.

November 2014

Substantial completion achieved (95%) in time to be operational for fall events.

April 2015

Target for 100% completion.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for August 30 and 31

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Saturday August 30, 2014

9am to 3pm Free.  Sanford Farmers Market. First and Magnolia in Downtown Sanford. A small farmer’s market.

10am to 3pm Free. Summer Write-In. Downtown Orlando library in the Palm Room. Writers of all genres are welcome to bring your laptops or notebooks and write along fellow authors. This informal event provides you with quiet writing time allows you to come and leave at any time. There will be a few activities and breaks to keep you awake and inspired.

7:30pm to 9:30pm Free. Amy Watkins and Open Mic. The Geek Easy 114 S. Semoran Blvd Suite #6, Winter Park, Florida. Open to all: Musicians-Lyricists-Artists-and Poets of all kinds

Bring out the cape and have some fun.

http://poetry.meetup.com/362/

Sunday August 31, 2014

10am to Noon Free. Super Joy Riders. Eastern entrance of the Lake Eola Farmers’ Market. Participants dress as superheroes and ride en Masses around the city as they check off their scavenger hunt-like list of Do Gooder Duties; collecting litter, helping senior citizens cross the road, returning shopping carts, basically performing small acts of kindness for an hour and a half of hilarity and love.

The Super Joy Riders: Do Gooder Bike Ride is an exercise in community organizing and active engagement. We hope to use the ride as an opportunity to show how helping people can be simple, fun, and easy, especially while wearing a cape.

http://www.superjoyriders.com/

You + Superhero Costume + Bike = Best Sunday Ever

Noon to 5pm Free but get a beer. Sunday’s with Smiling Dan. The Falcon Bar and Gallery, 819 East Washington Street, Orlando, FL.

1pm to 3pm Free. Yoga. Weekly. Lake Eola Park, North Rosalind Avenue, Orlando, FL.

Lake Highland was Home to the Annual Max Starks NFL Youth Football and Speed Camp

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As a way to give back to the community, a free football camp was offered for two days at Lake Highland Preparatory School (901 Highland Ave, Orlando, FL). Hundreds of children sat in the bleachers as the professional athletes introduced themselves. Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl Champion Max Starks, who calls Orlando home, hosted the
annual Max Starks NFL Youth Football and Speed Camp along with special guest and NFL Hall of Fame defensive
back Darrell Green.Then everyone flooded out onto the football field to warm up and run on the field. The school has classic architecture that makes it look like an Ivy League School. I sat down and leaned against a fence as I sketched the students on the field.

This was a free camp to girls and boys (minimum age 7) up to 18 years of
age. Registration forms can be picked up and returned to the Florida
Citrus Sports offices located on the second floor of the south end zone
office building at the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium (1610 W. Church
Street, Orlando, FL 32805) or downloaded at www.maxstarks.com.

Friday’s speed camp, led by Darrell Green, will include NFL combine
simulations for high school athletes. Saturday’s Youth Football Camp
will teach the fundamentals and techniques of each position. All campers
received a free t-shirt, camp bag filled with goods, one ticket to
the MEAC/SWAC Challenge Presented by Disney, lunch and a one- hour life
skills and educational segment stressing the importance of staying in
school and developing a sterling image on and off the field.

Travis Blaise Works on His Cintique

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Travis Blaise worked with students at Misty Forest to help create storyboards for a short animated film titled “Rosalie and the Bottle Tree.” As I sketched Travis, he told me about the equipment he was using, and I decided to purchase the same scanner and printer he was using. The Epson has been serving me well. Misty Forest is a small private school that offers kids creative courses after regular school hours. A bottle tree consists of bottles stuck onto branches and they are created to bring good luck. Travis had the kids create all the storyboards and he was using the Cintique to edit together the images along with the sound track.

Travis is an amazing animator that worked at Disney Feature Animation when hand drawn animation was in it’s hay day. He is a master at working straight ahead, letting the scene develop organically.  He showed me how he uses the Cintique to animate using Flash. I was amazed that the program could be used to create organically drawn animation. I always assumed that Flash created flat, cut out type characters that were then moved like puppets.

Travis ended up leaving Orlando to work at Digital Domain, a computer animation studio. Digital Domain then closed down and I’m not sure where Travis went after that. Working in the animation industry is like tap dancing on quick sand.

Riding Horses on Vacation

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My wife Terry used to love to ride horses. She used to volunteer for the Police Equestrian Unit in Orlando riding the police horses  to make sure they got enough exercise. On a vacation to visit my family in Pennsylvania she went for a trail ride while I sketched the horses in the coral. She stopped riding abruptly when a police horse got spooked and threw her to the ground. She ended up with a huge bruise down her leg which had her limping for a week.Horse riders say that it isn’t a matter of “if” you will be thrown, but a matter of “when” you will be thrown. I have never trusted horses and I have never sat on top of a horse. I suspect they don’t have my best interests at heart.

 On a vacation to the Canadian Rockies this year, Terry once again went on a trail ride that went for miles up a muddy path to a glacier lookout. I stayed behind and did a sketch. The trail horses were super calm and she didn’t get thrown or injured. Perhaps as the saying goes, she is back in the saddle. The trail horses had Western saddles that have that horn to grab onto. The police horses have English saddles that leave a rider with nothing to grab if they loose their balance. Regardless of the saddle though, I still prefer to sketch horses rather than ride them.

The Shift to feature a Multiple Dance Company Ccollaboration

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Emotions Dance  founded by Larissa Humiston is teaming up with Orlando’s best in modern, improv, and contemporary dance to engage and enlighten audiences with new, experimental, and in-progress works all under one roof.

After the performance, there will be a Question and Answer session with the Artistic Directors to allow audiences to provide feedback as well as gain insight into the creative process.

A one-of-a-kind annual event hosted by Emotions Dance Company, The Shift: Calm and Chaos focuses primarily on shifting our perception of movement, dance, and art while allowing companies to grow and change as artists.

Companies participating this year include: Voci Dance, Yow Dance, Dawn Branch Works, Canvas Creative Coalition, Red Right Return Dance Company, Mary Love Dance Projects, Coby Dance Project and more!

Mark Your Calendar! The Shift: Calm and Chaos  will be performed on

Friday September 19 and Saturday Sept 20, 2014

8pm

at the Lowndes Shakespeare Center’s Mandell Theatre

(812 E Rollins St. Orlando FL). Presale tickets are available Aug 12 until September 12
GA- $18
Students/Seniors (65+)- $14
At the door- GA- $20
Students/ Seniors (65+)- $15
Discounted tickets available for parties of 10+.

Also on the horizon is  7 Deadly Sins happening October 17-25th at The Venue (511 Virginia Dr, Orlando, Fl). 7 Deadly Sins is an original work that combines
contemporary dance, visual art, performance art, poetry, music and
culinary art to examine topics of temptation and sin. Lust, pride,
gluttony, sloth, wrath, envy and greed come together to entice audience
members through an interactive art gallery setting. 

Featuring performances
by Emotions Dance Company, visual art by award winning body painter and
Skin Wars Season 1 contestant, Shannon Holt, visual art by award
winning body painter, Brit Lytle, artwork by Patrick Fatica, Amanda
Wegman, Scott Hodges, Thomas Thorspecken and others, spoken word
performances by E.J. Younes, J. Bradley, and Ashley Inguanta, aeral
performances by American Circus Academy, and a variety of refreshments
from local food vendors to satisfy your inner glutton.

Friday October 17
Saturday October 18
Friday October 24
Saturday October 25

7-10pm

The Venue (511 Virginia Drive. Orlando FL)

Presale tickets- $20 (available Sept 19-Oct 12)
At The Door- $25

This program contains some mature themes and may not be appropriate for children under 13.

The Creative Mind Project was the Birthplace of Dog Powered Robot

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At Fringe two years ago, I was invited by Jessica Mariko to be part of the Creative Mind Project. A select group of artists were given the same music and told to create a theatrical presentation based on what they heard. I decided to edit together a series of sketches to create a video montage paced to the music.

On the opening night, I had to be backstage as the Creative Mind project was presented. My only responsibility was to walk out a projector when my piece was to be presented. I also had borrowed a film screen that I had help setting up. From backstage I peeked out from behind the curtains to see the other presentations.

This sketch is of Tisse Mallon and a cross dressing male performer right before they went on stage. I never actually saw their performance. The cardboard buildings they are standing in front of are set pieces for Dog Powered Robot. When it was Dog Powered Robot’s turn, the audience went wild with laughter.

 Evan and Christie Miga had build a simple blue cardboard robot with a square head that rotated with wild abandon. A center chest compartment opened to showcase their adorable Pomeranian dog named Fisher. As the music played, Evan as the narrator waxed poetic about his childhood dreams of living in the city. Then a loud nuclear warning clamored, and Dog Powered Robot walked out into the cardboard cityscape. Like Godzilla in a cheap B grade sci-fi movie he began to destroy the city. The odd sight of this cute dog powering the robot’s rampage was hilarious and people in the audience shouted “Dog Powered Robot!” with delight as they laughed. I only saw glimpses of that first performance from backstage, but the riotous audience was easy to hear.

Dog Powered Robot is still going strong today. They staged their own Fringe show twice and just this week, they made an appearance at the Maker Fair in the Orlando Science Center. I’m convinced that someday the stars will align and Dog Powered Robot will become an international cult sensation. Kids love these cardboard robots but adults can’t get enough. Jessica Mariko is still bringing together creative minds by hosting Local Arts Nights at Drip (8747 International Dr #102, Orlando, FL) every 4th Thursday of the month.

The Creature From the Black Lagoon Screened at the Enzian

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As part of the Cult Classics Series, the Enzian Theater screened the original 3-D version of The Creature From the Black Lagoon made in 1954. Gina Stanley, the actress that was the Creatures on screen crush was at the screening. In the film she wore a stunning white swimsuit that was quite revealing for its day. Much of the film was shot in Florida swamps. In the film, Gina is screaming every time she sees the creature. The actor inside the creature suit, Ben Chapman, who was 6 foot three, played the creature on land. He was a former Polynesian dancer under contract with Universal Studios. His height and size made him perfect to play the creature. A second actor, then a college student, Ricou Browning, played the “underwater Creature” for
the film, and he wore the “underwater Creature suit” for the sequences
shot in Florida

Julia had an incredible career as an actress outside the lagoon. She starred
opposite Tyrone Power, Glenn Ford, Tony Curtis, Rock Hudson, Jimmy
Stewart, and Charlton Heston. Working on a horror film was considered a step down for many actresses so she almost turned the film down. It is ironic that today, this is the film she is most known for.

There was a somewhat disastrous design of the Creature’s head, that
almost made it into the final film. But a screen test at the eleventh
hour convinced the studio head that the look of the
creature did not work, and the head was redesigned and became the
classic we know and love today. The film was impressive on the big screen and it became clear that many scenes were staged to take advantage of the 3-D effects. After the screening Gina signed autographs and I had her sign my sketch.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for August 23rd and 24th

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Saturday August 23, 2014

11am to 2pm Free. Orlando Shakes Open House. Orlando Shakespeare Theater, 812 E Rollins St, Orlando, FL. Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Partnership with UCF invites the public to a free Open House on Saturday, August 23 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Theater staff will lead guests on a tour of the building, providing them with behind the scenes access, insider info, and fun facts about Orlando Shakes. Visitors will also enjoy a sneak peek rehearsal of this fall’s highly anticipated production, Les Misérables, and may enter to win tickets and prizes from Orlando Shakes and other local arts organizations. Families are encouraged to participate in fun crafts and photo opportunities with costumed characters free of charge.

7pm to 10pm Free. Eat your Art Out. Homegrown Local Food Cooperative 2310 N Orange Ave, Orlando, Fl. Homegrown Local Food Cooperative is pleased to present original artwork, for ONE NIGHT ONLY by Orlando artists Victor Bokas and Dawn Schreiner.

Homegrown Local Food Cooperative welcomes you to our store to launch the Exhibit while mingling with friends and enjoying music by Sharon Center Lowe and Ben Tiptonford. Delicious local food will be served, including kombucha by Living Vitalitea, baked goods by Olde Hearth Bread, sweet treats from Sweet Utopian and other Homegrown goodies. There will also be other drinks available.

Tonight and Saturday 8pm to 2am $14. Corsets and Cuties- A Burlesque Cabaret! The Venue 511 Virginia Dr, Orlando, Fl. Join us for our encore performance of a sold out weekend. Lovely ladies and one not-so-gentleman sing, dance, and take their clothes off in a rollicking 90-minute full show!

Sunday August 24, 2014

Noon to 5pm Free but grab a beer. Sunday’s with Smiling Dan. The Falcon Bar & Gallery, 819 East Washington Street, Orlando, FL. DJ music to rock your Sunday afternoon.

 Noon to 2pm Free. Florida Gospel Jam. Fish on Fire 7937 Daetwyler Drive Belle Isle FL. Every 2nd and 4th Sunday

1pm to 3pm Free. Irish Music. Olivia’s Coffee House, 108 North Bay Street, Eustis, FL. http://www.oliviascoffeehouse.com/

Psycadelic Spirals at Alice Takes Wonderland

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Lewis Carroll‘s Alice In Wonderland has infused its way into so many productions in Orlando. At this rehearsal, Tisse Mellon and dancers were busy painting spirals onto cardboard disks. They were all hung in the entry as people entered the venue which was on Hanging Moss Drive right near Full Sail University. The black box theater was a nice big warehouse space and unfortunately this is the only production I ever saw staged there. Linda Eve Elchak of  NAO Dance choreographed this playful production.

A whimsical, playful post show environment was created with a minimal budget using little more than cardboard paint and fabrics. The theme as audience members entered was the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. These spiral disks were suspended to create a dizzying perspective. Actors arms jutted out from behind black curtains holding trays of sumptuous treats. The dance performance itself was incredibly playful, incorporating dancers improvisational contributions as well as crisp choreography.

NAO Dances mission, is to explore honest perspectives in the human condition through movement that inspires, enlightens, and entertains. When you dance only from your ego or your conscious mind you are just
skimming the surface. Develop your voice and imagine what is really
possible when you dance from your authentic person. The Nao Dance Collective is not interested in programming individuals, instead they let every dancer have their own voice and allow them to
develop themselves through self-discovery.

Nao Dance Collective, pronounced “now” came from the word Tao which is
“the way of life”. Ancient Chinese considered Tao as the highest,
omnipresent order of universe. A life following Tao implies a life with
the highest fulfillment. Nao Dance Collective company members are bold, intuitive, risk-takers with a strong base of technical training. Linda offers classes in the NAO technique on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday’s .  Classes are located at different Dance
Studios every Sunday from 5pm to 630pm $10.00 drop in rate.