Tag Archives: CA

The Lively Reading: A HUGE Success

Sunday afternoon, June 25, 68 people gathered over Zoom to hear five writers read from their works. The audience represented every US time zone and many different states. The event also attracted one friend vacationing on an island in the Baltic Sea. Jimmy Kolker, a distinguished US foreign service office called in over Zoom to let everyone know that he was watching, too. This writer will not take a bet on what time zone that was.

The authors were Randall Nicholas, poet, Ogden Dunes, Indiana; Judith Offer, playwright and poet, Oakland, California; Joy Passanante, Univ. of Idaho professor emerita, Creative Writing, author of creative non-fiction, poetry, fiction, Moscow, Idaho; David Shepard, poet, musician, and psychiatrist, Denver, Colorado; Leslie Friedman, dancer-choreographer, historian, author, Mountain View, California.

Dr. Leslie Friedman, Artistic Director of The Lively Foundation, observed that bookstores and venues that supported live readings had gone out of business during the height of the pandemic. “I realized that there could be a reading over Zoom which would reach those interested in poetry and literature in many areas. It took a little while to line up the writers and get a date set. Then, we were ready to take off. I knew the writers were terrific. Turns out they were TERRIFIC.”

The program offered a wide variety of styles and subjects. The audience was truly appreciative. Emails with words like “stunning,” “brilliant,” “gorgeous,” “touching,” came from everywhere.

Lively has sent a recording of the readings to 17 more individuals who were not able to attend due to prior commitments. The recording will remain available to those who did not know about the event or who attended and want to hear it again. Interested in the recording? Email livelyfoundation@sbcglobal.net and let us know you would like to receive it.

“As The Lively Foundation’s activities had to be slowed or disappeared in the past 3 years, we are delighted by the great response to the Lively Reading,” says Dr. Friedman, “There have been requests for more such programs. ‘Watch this space’ to find out about exciting new events.”

Registration & Payment Questions for IDF@SV 2016

Flying leslie Left Small The great news is that registrations are coming in now for the most wonderful, unique summer festival: International Dance Festival@Silicon Valley, 2016. Be part of the beauty and fun; come dance with us! Registration form is on this blog. Go to http://www.livelyfoundation.org/wordpress/?cat=2 Just scroll down a bit from where you are now. You may copy the questions on the reg form and email it to The Lively Foundation: livelyfoundation@sbcglobal.net

There are two ways to make your payments: You can mail a check made out to The Lively Foundation and mail it to: The Lively Foundation, Attn. Leslie Friedman, 550 Mountain View Avenue, Mountain View, CA 94041-1941. OR if you want to use your credit card, you can follow these easy steps:

go to livelyfoundation.org, click on legacy website at the bottom of the landing page, you will see a home page with menu selections at its top. Select Donate. On the right side of the Donate page you will see the Paypal logo. Click on it. Please follow the directions for a donation so that The Lively Foundation, a not for profit, tax exempt organization, will not have to pay service charges to Paypal. Let us know by your registration which classes you are signing up for. THE ARTIST/TEACHERS ARE EAGER TO WORK WITH YOU and DEDICATED TO BRINGING YOU TO YOUR GREATEST DANCE EXPERIENCES!! More questions? contact livelyfoundation@sbcglobal.net

International Dance Festival@Silicon Valley: PROGRAM DATES!

IDF@SV, 2015, the fourth season of this amazing, unique festival, opens August 9. Please take a look at the program dates below. You won’t want to miss your opportunity to dance, perform, create, watch and enjoy great dance. All events and classes at the Mountain View Masonic Center, 890 Church St., Mountain View, CA, 94041. Accessible building. Free parking.

FESTIVAL PREVIEW: Sunday, AUGUST 9, Features 2 drop-in classes, Afro-Haitian/Dunham Technique, and Cuban Salsa. No partner needed. FREE COFFEE TASTING PRESENTED BY GAVINA GOURMET COFFEE, FREE SALSA PERFORMANCE LED BY SENSUOUS, FABULOUS SALSA-ISTA, LEANNE RINELLI.

M2F© INTENSIVE WORKSHOPS: MON-FRI, AUGUST 10-14, practice technique & learn repertory in Classical Chinese Dance, Contemporary Dance, Cuban Salsa, Afro-Haitian/Dunham Tech, and the all new Choreo-Cubator© which is your opportunity to create or polish your own dance. Classical Chinese Dance is offered in two classes: one for ages 12-14, one for mid-teens to any adult age. M2F© workshops are best for intermediate to advanced/professional dancers. You might be advanced in contemporary but a newbie in Chinese, that’s fine. Choreo-Cubator© dancers show their work on Aug. 14, 6 p.m.

FULL DAY OF DANCE©: Saturday, Aug. 15, The Original, Wonderful Full Day offers 7 open master classes. All are mixed levels. Take something you love; try something new. Classes start at 9 a.m.; end at 5 p.m. Take one or more. Best Deal & Most Fun: take them all. Price per class reduces with each added class. Afro-Haitian/Dunham, Leslie Arbogast; Tap, Audreyanne Covarrubias; Classical Chinese Dance, Ann Woo; Pilates mat, Amity Johnson; Contemporary, Leslie Friedman; Cuban Salsa, Leanne Rinelli; Line Dances, Etta Walton. No partners needed for Lines or Salsa. Please bring a mat or big towel for Pilates, tap shoes preferable for tap class. Ages 15- any age adult.

FESTIVAL CONCERT! Sunday, August 16, 3 p.m.,The Gala Celebration of Dance, Premiere Works & Guest Artists. Performances & Choreography by our Nationally & Internationally Acclaimed Artists: Leslie Arbogast, Audreyanne Covarrubias, Leslie Friedman, Leanne Rinelli, Etta Walton, Ann Woo, and The Festival Dancers. Complimentary refreshments. Open Seating. Tickets: $15 general/$10 over 65 or under 10/$25 Sponsor: best seats & $10 is a tax deductible donation.

For information & reservations, contact livelyfoundation@sbcglobal.net or call 650/969-4110 follow IDF@SV on facebook/international dance festival silicon valley & facebook/The Lively Foundation see more details on prices and programs here on the Livelyblog http://www.livelyfoundation.org/wordpress/?=cat2

Pictures: at top: Leslie Friedman (L); Leslie Arbogast (R); middle head shot, Etta Walton; bottom, Leanne Rinelli.

WWW. = Wonderful Winter Workshop

The International Dance Festival@Silicon Valley presents WWW. a wonderful winter workshop. Open Master Classes led by beloved artist/teachers will help you to dance into the New Year! Classes will be offered on Sunday afternoon, January 18, and Tuesday evening, January 20. Artist/teachers are coming from around the country to participate. We welcome back Leanne Rinelli from New York and Leslie Arbogast from San Diego. All classes take place at the Festival HQ: the Mountain View Masonic Center, 890 Church Street, Mtn. View. All classes are mixed levels. A prima ballerina might be a complete beginner at salsa; a salsa dancer will love to learn Dunham technique. Do what you love; try something new to you. Classes offered will include:

Salsa – NO partner necessary; Line Dances – NO partner necessary; Dunham Technique – Katherine Dunham introduced Afro-Haitian & Afro-Cuban dance to the US; Pilates mat – no previous experience required, a great body tune up for Pilates lovers or newbies; Contemporary -technique & repertory.

The price per class reduces with each added class. For example, Early Bird fee for a single class is $20. EB fee for two classes is $36 ($18 X 2). The fees continue like that except for the fee for 7 classes which is $63. TAKE ALL THE CLASSES AND ONE OF THEM WILL BE FREE!!!!! WHAT A GREAT DEAL!!!!! EARLY BIRD fees available until Jan. 3, 2015. We are making this easy for you to come and dance: the two dates are not priced separately. Take one class on the 18th and three on the 20th and you get the rate for four classes.

Don’t miss this opportunity to dance and have a great time. Contact: livelyfoundation@sbcglobal.net with any questions. Watch the news on this livelyblog and also on our facebook pages:

facebook/The Lively Foundation – facebook/international dance festival silicon valleypictures: above L to Rt: Leslie Arbogast, Dunham Technique; Etta Walton leading a whole audience in Line Dances; Leslie Friedman, Contemporary; bottom: Leanne Rinelli leading Salsa performance. Amity Johnson, Pilates master teacher.

All pictures from Festival Concert, Aug., 2014.

Posh Bagel Mountain View: THANK YOU!

Great big thanks to The Posh Bagel on Castro St., in Mountain View, CA. For all three seasons they have supported the International Dance Festival@Silicon Valley by donating many varieties of many, MANY bagels. We set these out all day for the Full Day of Dance© participants and before the Festival Concert and during intermission for the audience to enjoy. We are so grateful to Marie, the lovely and generous manager, and her team. Support our Supporters! Visit The Posh Bagel for a great lunch, morning coffee and bagels, special treats throughout the day. Here is Marie at The Posh Bagel and Marie with her team. They are all as talented as they are good looking!The Lively Foundation says,”THANKS!”

Gold Rush in Fremont!

Bringing The Gold Rush! to the Brookvale School, Fremont, CA, was a fantastic way to close this spring season. Wonderful students and teachers filled the auditorium. The Lively Foundation performers truly hit it out of the park; a great performance by dancers Amity Johnson & Audreyanne Delgado Covarrubias, singer & banjo player Jonathan Clark. Ms Johnson & Ms Covarrubias also narrate comments originally written by people living in the mining fields. Mr. Clark is the tech director setting up and running the sound (recorded narrations, music for the dances) and projections of the archival photographs, engravings, paintings which HE researched, found, photographed and made into slides for our absolutely unique, wonderful show. Director Leslie Friedman choreographed the dances, narrates, and wrote the show. She dances in Sweet Betsy From Pike which is appropriate as both Sweet Betsy and Leslie are Californians originally from Missouri. Here are pictures of some of the Broncos from Brookvale, teachers and performers. Thanks to teacher Laura Dean for organizing this great event!Top: two of the classes attending The Gold Rush! May 30, 2014. Bottom row, L to R: Audreyanne Covarrubias, Amity Johnson backstage preparing to perform.

Lively’s Gold Rush comes to Fremont!

The Lively Foundation presented its rousing performance, The Gold Rush! at the Harvey Green School, Fremont, CA, April 4, 2014. Response was tremendous for this entertaining and painlessly educational show. The students had a lottery to see who would get to be in a picture with the performers. Here are the winning students, performers Audreyanne Covarrubias, Jonathan Clark, Amity Johnson, and teacher Melanie MacAdams. Ms MacAdams already told us she wants us back next year. The Gold Rush is part of the core curriculum for California students. The Lively Foundation has supported educators and students with our amazing program since 2000.

Posh Bagel Mountain View, Thank you!

The Lively Foundation thanks the Mountain View businesses which gave us so much help for the International Dance Festival-Silicon Valley. The Posh Bagel, on Castro Street, donated so many wonderful, assorted bagels to feed the hungry, hard working dancers during the Full Day of Dance and also the audience at the Festival Concert, August 25, at the Mountain View Masonic Lodge. Here’s a picture of The Posh Bagel in progress. This was the 2nd season of the Festival and also the 2nd time that Marie, the Manager at Posh Bagel, gave Lively this great support. Please patronize the wonderful businesses helping us: Posh Bagel, Starbucks and Le Boulanger are all on Castro Street in Mountain View and all demonstrated their care for art & community. Thanks!

Thanks for helping the Festival!