YOUR WEEKEND: Yoga, Vampires, Langston Hughes and a Downtown Cieli

Yoga + A Movie

FRIDAY, JAN. 27 – Yoga on Union (1 Johnny Cake Hill, NB) turns the downward dog undead tonight with an hour of Yoga followed by a screening of “Interview with a Vampire.” Practice with Juliet Loranger from 6:00 – 7:00pm then sit back beneath a big screen with some popcorn, Anne Rice and her sexy bloodsuckers. $20 for the evening. RSVP here.

Celebrating the Harlem Renaissance

FRIDAY, JAN. 27 – Come celebrate the Harlem Renaissance tonight on the UMass Dartmouth campus in the main auditorium. Long before white suburban kids ripped off rap from the inner cities, American culture appropriated the Harlem Renaissance and used it as a springboard for culture throughout the 20th century. Tonight, Of Ebony Embers offers the audience “Vignettes of the Harlem Renaissance.” It’s a chamber music theatre work for an actor and trio (cello, piano & percussion) examining the lives of Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen and Claude McKay as seen through the eyes of the great painter and muralist Aaron Douglas. Get a taste of the performance at this link. The show begins at 7:00pm and is free and open to the public.

Downtown Cieli

SATURDAY, JAN. 28 – The First Unitarian Church in New Bedford holds a Downtown Ceili tonight from 6:00 – 9:00pm – the first of a new monthly event that sounds fantastic. Here’s the 411, from the FB event page:

Ceili (pr. kay-lee): a social event at which there is traditionally folk music, singing, dancing, and storytelling.

Instrumentalists, vocalists, actors, poets, and performance artists of all stripes and skill levels are invited to attend and participate in this monthly gathering. This event is open to the public and non-participants are very welcome to come and watch/listen.

We will open this month’s Downtown Ceili with a play/sing-along of (TBD – suggestions and song leader volunteers welcome).

Participants (players, singers, actors, poets, etc) will be seated in a large circle and observers will be seated around that circle.

After the opening play/sing-along, the MC will ask for a volunteer to perform first – the volunteer will perform (and others may join in) and then the MC will go around the circle clockwise and invite each participant to perform. Participants may accept the invitation and play/perform or they may pass. It’s ok to pass – you will be invited again each time the circle comes back around. New participants may choose to join the circle at any time up until the last round starts (approx. 9:30pm). At the end of each round, the MC will invite new participants to move their chairs into the circle before the new round begins.

Acoustic instruments are ideal for this setting.

This is intended as an opportunity for artists of all levels to meet each other, learn from each other, and connect to the wonderful musical community we have here in New Bedford in a safe, supportive environment. This monthly event is also an homage to the well-known Tryworks Coffeehouse which operated in the church for several decades and was an early home of the vibrant New Bedford music scene.

And finally, they note that “The First Unitarian Church in New Bedford is a Welcoming Congregation and ALL ARE WELCOME HERE.”

Amen. Have a great weekend!

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Steven Froias

Mad Man at Groundwork!

Steven Froias is Groundwork!'s resident blogger. He sleeps in the boiler room at 1213 Purchase Street.