NATIONAL CHAMPIONS FROM OVER 18 COUNTRIES BATTLE FOR
“WORLD’S BEST PARTY ROCKER DJ” TITLE AT THE 

RED BULL THRE3STYLE WORLD FINALS

IN VANCOUVER B.C. DECEMBER 13 – 17, 2011

– DJ Big Once From Chicago to Represent the U.S. in Premier DJ Competition –

Featured Headliners include: Z-Trip, DJ Premier vs. Pete Rock, DJ Nu-Mark’s Signature Toy Set,
The Rub (Cosmo Baker and DJ Ayers), Stone Throw Records’ Peanut Butter Wolf and
Legendary Producer Just Blaze 


SANTA MONICA, CA  – November 22, 2011 – Who’s the best party rocker DJ on the planet? The Red Bull Thre3Style World Finals aims to answer that question when eighteen national champion DJs converge and compete in Vancouver from December 13 – 17, 2011 for the coveted title. To earn a spot in the Red Bull Thre3Style World Finals, hundreds of DJs from around the globe battled it out in regional and national qualifiers. At each stage the rules remain the same: 15 minutes to rock the crowd with a set that incorporates at least three genres of music and keeps partygoers on their feet, and the judges impressed.

Representing the U.S. is 30-year old DJ Big Once (see photo to the left), who was crowned the national champ on November 10, 2011 in Las Vegas, NV after an intense battle between eleven of the country’s DJs.  Big Once, from Chicago, impressed the judges and crowd with his seamless mix of electro, dubstep, and rock. “I designed the set to be really interactive,” he explained.  “I opened strong and finished strong and I had some weird things in the middle to keep it interesting.” Looking ahead to Vancouver, Big Once will be mixing up a special set that is sure to be memorable and stand out among the competition.

THE CONTENDERS & JUDGES
The Red Bull Thre3Style weeklong judging panel will include Canadian DJ stalwart Skratch Bastid, 2003 DMC Champion and MTV Canada resident DJ Dopey, and the 2010 Thre3Style Champion DJ kARVE of France. They will be tasked with evaluating originality/creativity, track selection, technical skills, stage presence, and audience response for each of the competitors listed below:

Robert Moreno – Argentina
DJ Perplex – Australia
Javier Rossell – Bolivia
Nedu Lopes – Brazil
Hedspin – Canada
DJ Byte – Chile
DJ PHO – Columbia
DJ Ken K – Denmark
Supa – France
DJ Dippy -– India
DJ 8 Man – Japan
DJ Spell – New Zealand
FMC – Norway
Thomas Young – Peru
BITCODE – Spain
DJ Bazooka – Switzerland
DJ Big Al – United Kingdom
DJ Big Once – United States of America

THE HEADLINERS
Headlining each night is a wide range of DJ icons, including The Rub (Cosmo Baker and DJ Ayers), Stone Throw Records’ Peanut Butter Wolf, legendary producer Just Blaze, a special performance of DJ Premier vs. Pete Rock, DJ Nu-Mark’s signature Toy Set, and a Red Bull Thre3Style World Final set by Z-Trip.

THE SCHEDULE
The first four nights of the calendar are knock-out stages, with the winner of each advancing to the Red Bull Thre3Style World Final on Saturday, December 17, 2011 at Commodore Ballroom.  See complete schedule of events below.  All venues are in Vancouver, B.C.

Night 1 – Tue., Dec. 13, 2011 [9:00pm] – Bar None:
Australia vs. Bolivia vs. Brazil vs. Norway

Headliners:
- The Rub
- Smalltown DJs
- The Boyscouts

Night 2 – Wed., Dec. 14, 2011 [9:00pm] – Venue Nightclub:
Argentina vs. Canada vs. India vs. Spain

Headliners:
- Peanut Butter Wolf
- Skratch Bastid
- The Freshest Crew

Night 3 – Thu., Dec. 15, 2011 [9:00pm] – Fortune Sound Club:
Columbia vs. Denmark vs. Japan vs. Switzerland vs. UK

Headliners:
- Just Blaze
- Team Canada DJs
- The Goodfellas

Night 4 – Fri., Dec. 16, 2011 [9:00pm] – Five Sixty:
Chile vs. France vs. New Zealand vs. Peru vs. USA

Headliners:
- DJ Premier vs. Pete Rock
- DJ Dopey
- Faction Soundcrew

Night 5/FINALS – Sat., Dec. 17, 2011 [9:00pm] – Commodore Ballroom:
Red Bull Thre3Style World Finals featuring winners from Nights 1-4.

Headliners:
- Z-Trip
- DJ Nu-Mark
- Vinyl Ritchie

TICKET INFORMATION
For all ticket information, please go to www.redbull.ca/thre3style

PARTY ROCKIN’ AUDIO: MIXCLOUD
Who is the best party rocker DJ in the world?  You be the judge.  Check out www.mixcloud.com/RedBullThre3Style to follow the globe’s best DJs and listen to their Red Bull Thre3Style sets.

THE HISTORY OF RED BULL THRE3STYLE
The Red Bull Thre3Style World Finals in Vancouver is a homecoming of sorts. The original concept of Red Bull Thre3Style began five years ago as a Tuesday night experiment at a small club in Kelowna, BC. In 2010, the event first went global and changed the face of modern DJ battles. From the USA to Japan to New Zealand, 10 countries from around the world held deep-heated events to determine who the best party-rocking battle ambassador would be. Ultimately these warriors of the one’s and two’s came together in Paris, France at the end of the the year and flexed every musical muscle in their body at the Red Bull Thre3Style World Finals. In the end it was Paris’ own DJ kARVE who wowed the judges with his impressive collage of hip-hop head-nodding electro-rocking tunage. If last year’s event was anything to go by then the 2011 Red Bull Thre3Style World Finals is guaranteed to send the international DJing scene spinning like a record on a turntable.

FOLLOW US
Follow us on Twitter: @redbullcanada | @redbullVAN | @redbullthre3style | #rb3style
Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/RedBull  | www.facebook.com/redbullthre3style
For more info, articles, video and photos, visit www.redbull.ca/thre3style

GLOBAL SPONSOR MINI OFFERS ACCESS AND RIDES
Music fans looking for a way to the event need look no further than Facebook.  MINI Canada’s Facebook page will be running contests for a free ride to the event and access to the World Final competition.  Winners will be picked up from their Vancouver location in an all-new MINI Countryman and delivered to the front door of the finals to experience the event.

Fans interested in entering the contest for a ride and access to the Red Bull Thre3Style World Finals can visit the Thre3Style tab on MINI Canada’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/MINICanada

RED BULL CONTENT POOL:  FREE FOR EDITORIAL USAGE
Through the Red Bull network, hi-res video and still images are captured and made immediately available for editorial use for all media channels including television, film, print, mobile, and digital. The content is centrally located in the Red Bull Content Pool for media partners at www.redbullcontentpool.com

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For all media inquiries, please contact:

Lynn Tejada (née Hasty)
Green Galactic PR
213.840.1201
lynn@greengalactic.com

Nyla Hassell
Red Bull Communications
nyla.hassell@us.redbull.com

(photo credit: Nabil Elderkin)

Award-winning film Bouncing Cats, the inspiring story of one man’s attempt to create a better life for the children of Uganda through hip hop, makes its US television premiere on Documentary Channel Saturday, November 19, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. (EST/PST). The film, narrated by Common and featuring interviews with Will.I.Am, and K’Naan, follows the legendary Crazy Legs of the Rock Steady Crew and b-boy Abramz, the founder of Breakdance Project Uganda (BPU), on a journey to unify, empower and inspire youth in the war torn region that has been called one of the worst places on earth to be a child.  The film, produced by Red Bull Media House and directed by Australian filmmaker and photographer Nabil Elderkin, toured the film festival circuit in 2010 and 2011, earning awards along the way at Urbanworld Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival, and Southern Utah International Documentary Film Festival, among others.  Proceeds from the film benefit BPU.

Award-Winning Documentary

Bouncing Cats
Premieres on Documentary Channel
Saturday, 
November 19, 2011, 8:00pm EST/PST


LOS ANGELES, CA – October 19, 2011 – Award-winning film Bouncing Cats, the inspiring story of one man’s attempt to create a better life for the children of Uganda through hip hop, makes its US television premiere on Documentary Channel Saturday, November 19, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. (EST/PST). The film, narrated by Common and featuring interviews with Will.I.Am, and K’Naan, follows the legendary Crazy Legs of the Rock Steady Crew and b-boy Abramz, the founder of Breakdance Project Uganda (BPU), on a journey to unify, empower and inspire youth in the war torn region that has been called one of the worst places on earth to be a child.  The film, produced by Red Bull Media House and directed by Australian filmmaker and photographer Nabil Elderkin, toured the film festival circuit in 2010 and 2011, earning awards along the way at Urbanworld Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival, and Southern Utah International Documentary Film Festival, among others.  Proceeds from the film benefit BPU. To learn more about the film, view the trailer at http://www.bouncingcats.com and join the conversation at http://www.facebook.com/bouncingcats.

“Bouncing Cats is just the sort of work that the world needs to see coming out of Africa, a story of self-reliance and perseverance against immeasurable odds,” says K’naan.

Encore presentations of Bouncing Cats will air on Documentary Channel November 25, 2011 at 6:00 p.m.; December 29, 2011 at 2:30 p.m.; January 26, 2011 at 9:30 p.m. and January 27th at 12:30 a.m.  All times are EST. Documentary Channel is available on DISH Network (Channel 197) and DirecTV (Channel 267).

UNITING THE CHILDREN OF UGANDA THROUGH BREAKDANCE & HIP HOP CULTURE

Breakdance Project Uganda started in February 2006 by Abraham “Abramz” Tekya out of the belief that hip hop can be used as a tool to engage and empower disadvantaged youth in Kampala and other areas of Uganda. Its mission is to engage young people in hip hop culture in order to build leadership skills and promote social responsibility for positive change.  The Project has attracted people from every walk of life and acts as a catalyst for building mutually beneficial relationships between people of different social strata across Uganda and the rest of the world. After a trip to Uganda with NGO Oxfam, and a chance meeting with Abramz, director Elderkin felt compelled to share Abramz’ story with the hope of shedding light on the situation and motivating viewers to help.

“The work Abramz is doing with the kids of Uganda inspired me,” said Elderkin. “It was something I wanted to capture and share with others.”

Over the past five years, BPU has partnered with not only Oxfam, but also local and international organizations including: MS Uganda, In Movement, People Concern Children’s Project, Danish Centre for Cultural Development, H.E.A.L.S. (Gulu), Global Youth Partnership for Africa, the Embassy of France in Uganda, Uganda FDNC, USAID/NUTI, Straight Talk Foundation (STF), and has carried out activities in orphanages, juvenile prisons, local and international schools, and youth and community centers. Details on BPU, the situation in Uganda and how to donate can be found at:  http://bouncingcats.com

BEHIND THE SCENES

“In short – the movie features some serious hip hop cameos, incredible landscapes, and dancing.” – Chris Farone, Boston Phoenix

The Film’s Title:
“Bouncing Cats refers to the sound made by the kids in Uganda when they have no access to a boombox,” Elderkin explains, shedding light on the film’s title, “They sing the words ‘bouncing cats, baboons and cats’ in repetition to create their own beat – I was quite taken by it.”

Principal Cast:
Abraham “Abramz” Tekya -
Abraham Tekya, commonly known as “Abramz,” is the director and founder of Breakdance Project Uganda, an organization launched in February 2006 that uses breakdance and other elements of hip hop culture to promote positive change and social responsibility. A native of Mengo, Kampala, Uganda, Abramz grew up quickly, as most children in Uganda are forced to. At the age of seven, he lost both of his parents to AIDS and was orphaned, shuffled between distant relatives and different homes. Despite these circumstances, Abramz used his life experience and love of hip hop to educate, inspire and unite youth in Uganda and beyond. http://www.bouncingcats.com/cast/tekya.php 



Richard “Crazy Legs” Colòn -
To call Richard “Crazy Legs” Colòn a pioneer is an understatement. It is nearly impossible to have a conversation about b-boying without giving mention to the legendary Crazy Legs. Not only is he a veteran of hip hop as a culture, boasting more than 3 decades as the driving force behind the hip hop dance movement, but he’s also an outstanding citizen and role model. He has lent his time, experience, and influence to aiding and encouraging the positive advancement of hip hop culture. http://www.bouncingcats.com/cast/crazylegs.php 

Jolly Grace Okot -
Jolly Grace Okot, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, was among the first wave of children abducted and forced to be a child soldier in the beginning of Uganda’s civil war. She is the Uganda Country director for Invisible Children (IC) and has been involved with the organization since the beginning. Her guidance enabled Bouncing Cats‘ filmmakers to see and understand the plight of children in Northern Uganda, and her leadership and direction helped create IC’s initiatives on the ground. Okot also runs H.E.A.L.S., a program that provides play therapy for war-affected children.


Additional Credits:
Nabil Elderkin, Director -
Director Nabil Elderkin, originally a native of Australia, began his photography career when he picked up a camera to shoot portraits of fellow surfers. What started as a hobby, rapidly developed into a working career. From surf portraits, Elderkin began shooting musicians and anyone that inspired him. He later moved to the United States to continue to expand his career. Today, Elderkin lives and works in Los Angeles at his studio downtown. He shoots musicians, sports, fashion, and portraiture. Elderkin recently published a book titled Glow in the Dark with Kanye West through Rizzoli and has directed several music videos and documentaries from here to Africa. Traveling is his passion. He created the film in order to bring attention to the situation in Uganda as well as support the inspiring work Abramz is doing through BPU.   http://www.nabil.com

- 
Executive Producers: Amy Taylor, Scotty Bradfield, Karma Gardner, Charlie Rosene
- Producers: Nyla Hassell, George Mays, Claude Merkel, Charles Spano
- Film Editing: Isaac Hagy
- Sound Editor: Andrew Le Guier
- Genre: Documentary / Music
- Runtime: 75 minutes
- Country: USA
- Language: English
- Color: Color
- Filming Locations: Uganda, USA


Red Bull Media House -
Red Bull Media House is a global media company that creates compelling sports, culture 
and lifestyle programming and distributes it across multiple platforms. From film to 
television, print to digital and games, Red Bull Media House content is optimized for any 
device or platform. For more information, go to www.redbullmediahouse.com or contact Maddy Zeringue at 310-460-5110 or maddy.zeringue@us.redbull.com

Documentary Channel®-
Documentary Channel (DOC) is the USA’s first 24-hour television network exclusively devoted to documentary films and the independent documentary filmmaker, providing viewers with round-the-clock opportunities to see fascinating, eclectic and award-winning documentary films of all lengths and genres.  For more information on DOC, visit the network website at http://www.documentarychannel.com, in addition to http://www.facebook.com/DocumentaryChannel and http://www.twitter.com/doc_channel. Documentary Channel is available on DISH Network [channel 197] and DIRECTV [channel 267].  Don’t get the channel?  Request it by calling your cable provider or visiting http://www.documentarychannel.com/getdoc. Contact: Ashley Sandberg, Triple 7 Public Relations, 347-735-6480 or ashley@triple7pr.com

Through the Red Bull network, hi-res video and still images are captured and made immediately available for editorial use for all media channels including television, film, print, mobile, and digital. The content is centrally located in the Red Bull Content Pool for media partners at http://www.redbullcontentpool.com/.  See Bouncing Cats videos here.

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For more information, or to request screeners, images, and interviews, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada (née Hasty) at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.

Breakdance Project Uganda reaches youth in the slums of Kisenyi, Uganda (photo credit: Nabil Elderkin)

For Immediate Release:

The Recently Resurrected William Castle Productions Presents

House on Haunted Hill:

A William Castle Annotated Screamplay

Complete with Emerg-O!

To Be Released on October 31, 2011

LOS ANGELES, CA – October 6, 2011
 – Due out on October 31, 2011, William Castle Productions proudly presents House on Haunted Hill: A William Castle Annotated Screamplay. The book features legendary horror filmmaker William Castle’s authentic working script from his 1959 classic thriller with original formatting and Castle’s own hand-written notes.  This collector’s item even comes with a new twist on Castle’s famous theater gimmick, Emerg-O. The 248-page book includes a foreword by acclaimed director Joe Dante (Gremlins, The Howling, Matinee), hailing the book as “an important artifact.” It also includes an introduction by William’s daughter, Terry Castle, who shares her personal thoughts on this seminal piece of film history. A critical perspective of the film by writer and illustrator Charlie Largent is also included as well as a special welcome from William Castle himself. The Screamplay will be available in print for $24.99 via Amazon and select retailers through the recently resurrected William Castle Productions (ISBN-13: 978-0578092928). For more information please visit http://williamcastle.com/blog/william-castle-productions.

House on Haunted Hill: A William Castle Annotated Screamplay cover art by Charlie Largent

“It’s not that often that you find a script from this period surviving with annotations,” writes Joe Dante in the introduction, “And that’s what makes reading this script such a pleasant surprise; you can actually imagine what it was like to be there, reading the script on the set with the actors, and coming up with artistic decisions on the spot.”



House on Haunted Hill – the movie – 

House on Haunted Hill remains a classic chiller to this day. Produced and directed by William Castle and written by Robb White, the shocker is beloved not only for Castle’s suspense-filled direction but what came to be known as “The Gimmick,” carnival sideshow trickery that both scared and delighted the audience. The original film stars the inimitable Vincent Price and features the classic gimmick Emerg-O – an inflatable glow in the dark skeleton attached to a wire that floated over the heads of the uproarious audience during the final moments of the film to parallel the action on the screen.

In the film, eccentric millionaire playboy Fredrick Loren (Price) and his fourth wife Annabelle have invited five strangers to a “party” at the House on Haunted Hill, a spooky old mansion with a murder-laden history. Whoever stays in the house for one night will earn ten thousand dollars each. Loren even provides loaded guns as party favors. As the night progresses, the guests are trapped inside the foreboding house with ghosts, murderers, and other terrors.

House on Haunted Hill: A William Castle Annotated Screamplay –

The Screamplay features the House on Haunted Hill script’s original formatting, maintaining the integrity of the authentic screenplay replete with Castle’s own hand-written notes. In addition, the book cover imitates the leather-bound binders that Castle used for every movie. William Castle Productions, in keeping with the spirit of “The Gimmick,” presents this book with a print version of Emerg-O – simply flip through the pages and scare yourself silly!

The annotated script “pulls back the curtain on the film,” writes Charlie Largent on the artifact, “Castle’s copious notes shine a light on both his own working methods as the director and Robb White’s as the screenwriter … It’s the closest thing we’ll ever have to an alternate director’s cut of this seminal spookfest.”

William Castle –

Born in New York City in 1914, William Castle made horror films in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s and lived his life scaring the living daylights out of people with the numerous horror films he produced and/or directed.  Macabre (1958), House on Haunted Hill (1959), The Tingler (1959), 13 Ghosts (1960), Mr. Sardonicus (1961), Homicidal (1961), Straight Jacket (1964), and Rosemary’s Baby (1968) are a few of his classic credits, the second and third films starring Vincent Price in career-defining roles. In addition to directing and producing, he also made many appearances in films (his own and others) such as Shampoo (1975) and The Day of the Locust (1975).  He also appeared in a non-speaking part in Rosemary’s Baby as the grey-haired man lurking outside the phone booth while Mia Farrow attempts to get in touch with her obstetrician.

Castle is perhaps best known, however, for the marketing strategies he developed to get his fans into theaters. In addition to the tingled butts of movie-goers at The Tingler screenings and insuring moviegoers against death by fright for Macabre, he also created “Illusion-O” a ghost viewer/ghost remover for 13 Ghosts, a “Punishment Poll” for Mr. Sardonicus, and Homicidal audiences were introduced to “Fright Breaks” and the “Coward’s Corner.”  He also introduced audiences to new film making and viewing techniques such as “Percept-O” and “Emerg-O.”

At 15, he began his career on Broadway, securing his first acting role by passing himself off as Samuel Goldwyn’s nephew.  He began his directing career at the age of 18 with a stage production of Dracula before graduating to work as an assistant to director Orson Welles, doing much of the second unit location work for Welles’ noir classic, The Lady from Shanghai (1947). John Goodman’s character in Matinee (1993) was based on Castle. His 1976 autobiography, Step Right Up, I’m Gonna Scare the Pants Off America, was reprinted in 1991 with a foreword by John Waters, who eulogized Castle thusly, “Without a doubt, the greatest showman of our time was William Castle.  King of the Gimmicks, William Castle was my idol.  His films made me want to make films.  I’m jealous of his work.  In fact, I wish I were William Castle.” Castle died of a heart attack in Los Angeles on May 31, 1977.

William Castle Reads to Ghouls - concept art by http://www.kleeproductions.com

Robb White –

Born in the Philippines, Robb White was a preacher’s son who held a wide variety of jobs before landing in the Navy during World War II. He became a prominent Hollywood scriptwriter when he teamed up with William Castle on House on Haunted Hill, Thirteen Ghosts, Homicidal, Macabre and The Tingler from 1958 to 1961. In addition to screenplays, he also wrote television scripts and dozens of novels, mostly adventure stories aimed at younger readers.   Notable among the novels he prolifically penned are The Lion’s Paw (1946), Deathwatch (1972), Up Periscope (1956), Flight Deck (1961), Torpedo Run (1962), and The Survivor (1964).

Terry Castle –
Terry Castle, the real life daughter of cult filmmaker William Castle, grew up in Los Angeles with a dad who made a living scaring the wits out of moviegoers everywhere. Although he was internationally famous, to her he was always just dad, though a larger than life one at that.  While she was growing up in the 1960s her father taught her interesting life skills such as the best recipe for fake blood, the proper way to hold an ax, and how to act out the most terrifying of ghost stories. After working as a writer and producer for years for CNN, Travel Channel, and Nickelodeon/MTV-Networks, she worked with Dark Castle Entertainment (Joel Silver and Robert Zemeckis’ production company named after her father).  At Dark Castle she co-produced and consulted on the remakes of two William Castle films to make the plots even more frightening: House on Haunted Hill (1999) and Thir13en Ghosts (2001). Her soon to be released book, FearMaker: Family Matters, is an homage to her father (he’s a ghost writer on it actually!).  Horror is in her blood, as she carries on her father’s wicked tradition of scaring innocent souls everywhere.

William Castle Productions –
Since the 1950s, William Castle Productions (WCP) has been dedicated to scaring audiences with dozens of film and television releases.  The production company is best known for films Rosemary’s Baby (1968), House on Haunted Hill (1959), and The Tingler (1959). Dormant for a number of years after Castle’s death in 1977, the production company has been re-animated in recent years by the ghost of William Castle in collaboration with his daughter Terry Castle.  In addition to the recently released From The Grave: The Prayer (2011), William Castle Productions will soon release another new book, FearMaker: Family Matters written by Terry Castle.  Additional new film, television, theater, and DVD projects are also currently in the works.

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For more information, a copy of the book, photos, or to arrange an interview, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada (née Hasty) at 213-840-1201 and lynn@greengalactic.com.

Book Stats:



House on Haunted Hill: A William Castle Annotated Screamplay



From William Castle, Screenplay by Robb White
Publisher: William Castle Productions
Category: Performing Arts / Screenplays
October 31, 2011
paperback • 248 pages • $24.99
ISBN-13: 978-0578092928
8.5″ x 11″ (21.59 x 27.94 cm)
Cover Art by Charlie Largent
Distributed by Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/HOUSE-HAUNTED-HILL-Annotated-Screamplay/dp/0578092921/ref=sr_1_sc_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1317928131&sr=1-2-spell

William Roper (Photo courtesy SASSAS)

The Society for the Activation of Social Space through Art and Sound (SASSAS) concludes its series of summer events with sound. at the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook: Alex Cline, Lady Noise and William Roper on Sunday, October 16, 2011. The concert features new compositions by percussionist Alex Cline, experimental collective Lady Noise and brass specialist William Roper. These new SASSAS commissions will be played by more than 30 Los Angeles area musicians arrayed in different locations across the historic topography of the Overlook. The concert begins at 3:00pm at the apex of the Overlook and concludes 90 minutes later in the Safine Rabines-designed pavilion next to the park visitor center. The event is free. Street parking is available along Jefferson Blvd., but come prepared for a steep climb up the Overlook stairs. Parking at the top of the hill is $6.00. Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook is located at 6300 Hetzler Road, Culver City, CA 90232.

SASSAS Concludes its 2011
Series of Summer Concerts with
sound. at the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook:
Alex Cline, Lady Noise and William Roper
In Culver City, California
Sunday, October 16, 2011 at 3:00pm

Free Concert Features Over 30 Los Angeles Area Musicians

LOS ANGELES, CA – September 27, 2011 -  The Society for the Activation of Social Space through Art and Sound (SASSAS) concludes its series of summer events with sound. at the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook: Alex Cline, Lady Noise and William Roper on Sunday, October 16, 2011. The concert features new compositions by percussionist Alex Cline, experimental collective Lady Noise and brass specialist William Roper. These new SASSAS commissions will be played by more than 30 Los Angeles area musicians arrayed in different locations across the historic topography of the Overlook. The concert begins at 3:00pm at the apex of the Overlook and concludes 90 minutes later in the Safine Rabines-designed pavilion next to the park visitor center. The event is free. Street parking is available along Jefferson Blvd., but come prepared for a steep climb up the Overlook stairs. Parking at the top of the hill is $6.00. Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook is located at 6300 Hetzler Road, Culver City, CA 90232. For more information on the venue please call 323-960-5723 or visit http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=22790. For more information on SASSAS and this event please visit http://www.sassas.org/sound/2011/october.shtml.

The Baldwin Park Scenic Overlook is unique in the greater Los Angeles area and California State Park system. A historically complex site, the Overlook offers 360 degree views of the Los Angeles Basin as it resides at the juncture of industry and parkland / preserve. Adjacent to the location of the 1963 Baldwin Hills Dam break and just north of an active oil field, the park was the site of a decade long development battle which was successful in fending off a 230-home development, but failed to stop the flat topping of the hill. Parts of the park have been regraded and “in certain ways the land still looks as though it’s recovering from the earlier violence.” (Christopher Hawthorne, Los Angeles Times).

SASSAS invited each composer to make a field recording at the Overlook and respond to it with a new work focusing on percussion (Cline), electronics (Lady Noise) and lip reeds (Roper). The field recordings will be available for public download on the SASSAS website at www.sassas.org beginning October 1st. These commissions build on a tradition initiated in 2010 when SASSAS invited 3 composers to create new works commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the City of West Hollywood.

The concert begins at 3:00pm at the top of the Overlook with William Roper’s Fanfares and Arhoolies for lip reed instruments and percussion. Fanfares and Arhoolies uses the noisy, ostentatious form of the fanfare as a frame for Arhoolies or plantation field hollers, songs that were outlets for southern laborers, often slaves, to express themselves while working. Playing instruments as diverse as conch shells, bovine horns, Wagner tuba and French horns are Kevin Brown, Ray Burkhart, Clifford Childers, Dan Clucas, Steve Durnin, James Ford, Loren Marsteller, Joseph Mitchell, and Michael Vlatkovich.

Lady Noise describe their yet to be titled work as “Washes of white noise, whistling, and breath. The drone of chatter through wind…Collated histories of grasses, planes, pumping jacks, and dry lips mingle under a blanket of smog. A melancholic psychic overload of the hot air indeterminate.” Located in the garden amphitheater, their ensemble includes the members of Lady Noise (Kelly Coats, flute; Kathleen Kim, violin; Gabie Strong, electric bass; and Sandy Yang, electric guitar) in addition to Jesse Appelhans, Aisling Cormack, James Hamblin, Julia Holter, Janet Kim, Stefan Scott Nelson, Ron Russell and Jonathan Silberman.

Alex Cline (Photo courtesy of SASSAS)

The four parts of Alex Cline’s Overlook , “Origins,” “Growth,” “Conflict,” and “Balance,” are titled based on the subject headings in the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook visitor center educational materials. According to Cline, “Overlook takes inspiration from both sounds and other sensory elements of the site as well as extra-musical elements that pertain to the site’s history and current status, including material relating to and evoking the Tongve indigenous peoples of the area and to post-industrial development around the region.’’ Concluding the concert in the Overlook pavilion, Cline will be joined by Christopher Allis, Trevor Anderies, Erin Barnes, Joseph Berardi, Germaine Franco, Dave Shaffer and Rich West.

Artist Bios:

Percussionist-composer Alex Cline has been a mainstay on the jazz and new music scenes of Los Angeles for over thirty-five years. Combining colorful and sensitive percussion sounds with a drumming foundation based in the jazz tradition, Cline is recognized for his contributions to the music of such artists as Vinny Golia, Julius Hemphill, Bobby Bradford, Horace Tapscott, Wadada Leo Smith, Charlie Haden, and countless others. His work as a composer and bandleader has been documented on recordings with his groups, the Alex Cline Ensemble and Alex Cline’s Band of the Moment. Cline was included in Michael Bettine and Trevor Taylor’s book Percussion Profiles among twenty of the “world’s most creative percussionists.”  Most recently Cline has re-envisioned the Chicago Art Ensemble’s 1969 album-length masterpiece “People in Sorrow” for a performance at REDCAT for an all-star ensemble.

Lady Noise, founded by artist Gabie Strong, is the free-form sound collaboration between Kelly Coats (flute), Kathleen Kim (violin), Gabie Strong (bass) and Sandy Yang (guitar and drums).  Lady Noise performances draw on visual elements to create an atmosphere of sound and landscape. Compositions are explored between modes of structure and improvisation, creating spaces of interplay and entropy. Disrupting conventional spatial formations of live sound performance, the group freely shapes the area reserved for hearing and language to present the listening audience with the aching beauty of amplified harmonic decay.

Lady Noise has performed at the UC Riverside Barbara and Art Culver Center of the Arts; The Japanese American National Museum with OMAYUMI, Steve Irvin, and Alan Nakagawa for RED FLAT; at LACE with Raquel Gutiérrez for GUTTED; The Collective Show; Human Resources; and the Liz Glynn designed Verse | Chorus | Verse amphitheater at the 2011 Art Los Angeles Contemporary fair.

William Roper (Photo courtesy of SASSAS)

William Roper is a composer, performer and visual artist. He has fulfilled commissions from Dance L.A., the Gloria Newman Dance Theatre and has a long list of collaborations with recognized artists in video, theater, performance and dance. His compositions have been performed by such groups as the California E.A.R. Unit, TaiHei Ensemble, Duquesne Contemporary Ensemble, and the Cal Arts Cello Ensemble. As a performing artist, Roper has appeared in North America, South America and Europe as soloist and in ensembles as diverse as free improvisation groups to the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He has released ten CDs as a leader or co-leader on Asian Improv Recordings, Nine Winds, ArtShip Recordings, and Tomato Sage Recordings.

sound. 2011 is produced by Cindy Bernard in collaboration with Scott Benzel, Gregory Lenczycki, Jorge Martin, Renee Petropoulos, Joe Potts, Dawson Weber, Board of Directors; Danny Gromfin, Board of Advisors. sound. is a project of The Society for the Activation of Social Space through Art and Sound (SASSAS) and is supported in part through grants from the Culver City Performing Arts Grant Program with support from Sony Pictures Entertainment, the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles, the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, the Good Works Foundation, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, the West Hollywood Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission. William Roper’s work received special support from a CCI / Durfee Artist Resource for Completion grant.

SASSAS (The Society for the Activation of Social Space through Art and Sound) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that serves as a catalyst for the creation, presentation, and recognition of experimental art and sound practices in the Greater Los Angeles area. In addition to producing sound., SASSAS archives recordings from the series at www.sassas.org/concerts and www.youtube.com/sassasdotorg.

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For more information, images, or to request an interview, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada (née Hasty) at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.

After a 5 year hiatus, underground performance party pioneer Dream Circus Theatre (DCT) returns to the limelight with I Am Vegetable at the Premiere Events Center (aka Lot 613) in Downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, October 8, 2011.  I Am Vegetable is a delectable interactive costume party that merges theater, story telling, music, performance art, and dancing with imaginative sets that integrate the audience with the action.  The event soundscape incorporates dubstep, electro/breaks, house, tech house, and ambient/downtempo with a tasty DJ line-up that features John Kelley, Shayn, Trevor + Travis Wyse, Petey, and more. The creative brains behind I Am Vegetable are musician and event director Teo Castro and costume designer Mikiko Nagao, who have collaborated on creative underground events since the 1990s.  I Am Vegetable runs from 9:00pm to 3:30am. Tickets range from $20 to $40. Premiere Events Center/Lot 613 (http://www.lot613.com) is located at 613 Imperial St., Los Angeles, CA 90021. 

Underground Performance Party Pioneer
Dream Circus Theatre Presents
I Am Vegetable
A Wildly Costumed Interactive Theatrical Dance Event
At Premiere Events Center (Lot 613) in Downtown LA
Saturday, October 8, 2011

LOS ANGELES, CA – September 16, 2011 – After a 5 year hiatus, underground performance party pioneer Dream Circus Theatre (DCT) returns to the limelight with I Am Vegetable at the Premiere Events Center (aka Lot 613) in Downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, October 8, 2011.  I Am Vegetable is a delectable interactive costume party that merges theater, story telling, music, performance art, and dancing with imaginative sets that integrate the audience with the action.  The event soundscape incorporates dubstep, electro/breaks, house, tech house, and ambient/downtempo with a tasty DJ line-up that features John Kelley, Shayn, Trevor + Travis Wyse, Petey, and more. The creative brains behind I Am Vegetable are musician and event director Teo Castro and costume designer Mikiko Nagao, who have collaborated on creative underground events since the 1990s.  I Am Vegetable runs from 9:00pm to 3:30am. Tickets range from $20 to $40. Premiere Events Center/Lot 613 (http://www.lot613.com) is located at 613 Imperial St., Los Angeles, CA 90021. For more information, please visit http://www.dreamcircus.com or call 310-853-3075.

Attendees are encouraged to wear vegetable-themed costumes and bring their favorite organic vegetables for the communal soup that will be served all night long. The event will be streamed live at http://www.stickam.com. Guests must be 21 years of age or older to attend. A limited number of advance tickets can be purchased for $20-25 at http://fla.vor.us/1100057-I-AM-VEGETABLE-tickets/I-AM-VEGETABLE-Los-Angeles–.html. On the day of event, tickets are $30 with vegetable costume and organic vegetable for the communal soup, $40 “plain jane.” Street parking is free.  $10 secured valet parking will also be available. Please also see DCT’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/dreamcircus.theatre as well as the event page at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=247783768584432

I Am Vegetable welcomes Fud-gee Bear and Electric GrassHopper back from a Deep Hi Bear Nation. Climbing out from the underground city of Zion, rising like a phoenix from the ashes, they will bring magic, mystery and fantasy back into our world once again.  Event attendees will be transported into a world where they can mingle with roaming I Am Vegetable characters in elaborate costumes, get a scrub down in the make-believe “Vegetable Wash,” and wander down the interactive “Vegetable Brick Road” (a floor with interactive screens and projections) on their way to the “Veggie Voyeurism Museum” (a “green light” district of steamy vegetables).

In the “Market Membrane” front room, a farmer’s market-themed area, guests can enjoy dubstep/electro breaks DJ sets, VJs, theatrical performances, and a costume contest. The outside “Mushroom Garden,” is a place for attendees to sit, lounge, drink, and eat.  More DJs, VJs, an ambient room, and photo booth will be set as a soup bowl.  Out back, attendees will find the “Psycho-Ponics Ward,” a black-lit room with house/tech DJ sets, VJs and theatrical performances with a backdrop of vegetables hooked up to tubes. The upstairs area houses the chill zone known as “The Refrigerator” with VJs and ambient music.

Interactive characters will roam throughout the event space.  Examples include the “Mr. Snails” characters (like the Mr. Smiths from the Matrix movies) – Secret Service snails who try to capture veggie attendees – and “The Garlic Informant,” who saves the veggies from the Mr. Snails.

The event is a vehicle to launch nutritional vegetable awareness and support the organic health movement for sustainable living.  Organic local food companies will be participating.

Featured DJs by Event Area:

Market Membrane - a vegetable marketplace full of sinful, carnal delights features dubstep/electro breaks with:
- John Kelley (Ball of Wax / Moontribe) - site
- Shayn Almeida (Intetech / Deep LA) – site
- Bartek (Quade / Ball of Wax) – site
- SuneviL LovechiLd – site
- Petey (Technique) – site

Psycho-Ponics Ward – veggie crazed madness, with padded walls and black lights, is hosted by Fade Dra and features house/tech house with:
- HAWT DJs Mikey + Eddie B. (HAWT Music) - site
- Frank Fader (Dogtown DJs) – site
- Ben Annand (Moontribe / Tropical) – site
- DJ Xian Fayette (I Am)
- DJ M*Linss (Dogtown DJs)

The Mushroom Garden - outside chill area features ambient/downtempo with:
- Imagika – site
- Trevor + Travis Wyse (Green Sector) – site
- Maggie (Moontribe) – site
- Kevin Chills (See Thru Sound) – site

Click here to watch Dream Circus Theatre in action.

Teo Castro, Co-Founder Dream Circus Theatre / Producer / Writer
Party planner, performer and legend in the L.A. underground circuit, Teo Castro runs Dream Circus Theatre with his wife, Mikiko Nagao.  The collective organizes the legendary “I Am” series of themed events that merge theatrical performances and electronic music into party environments. Castro and Nagao also created a street music and clothing company called Stoner Generation. He worked with Bill Manspeaker (Green Jello), Lou Maglia (former president of Island Records), and Art Jaeger (former executive at Capitol Records) in executive and production capacities at QTOPIA Event Center in Hollywood, which later became the Vanguard. For Insomniac Events, he created Dream Circus Village at Electric Daisy Carnival.  Other organizations and artists he has worked with over the years include Red Bull, M-Audio, Native Instruments, Magic (Las Vegas), Jane’s Addiction, Snoop Dog, Lollapalooza LLC, Coachella Music Festival, Burning Man, Cirque du Soleil, Dance with Films, House of Blues, Charlie Armstrong (Paramount Pictures), and PF Chang’s.

Mikiko Nagao, Costume Designer / Event Creator –
Mikiko Nagao is an innovative costume designer who has worked on commercial, film, television, and theater projects for the past 10 years. With her husband Teo Castro, she runs Dream Circus Theatre.  She has created custom designs for over 100 productions including costumes for stilt walker clowns, medieval soldiers, angelic space gods, large monsters, Victorian characters, and more. Past large-scale productions include creating costumes for Dream Circus Theatre’s 2003 tour of 35 cities with Lollapalooza.  Nagao studied at Bantan Design Fashion Institute (Tokyo) and Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (San Francisco and Los Angeles).  http://MKOCostumes.com

Dream Circus Theatre –
Dream Circus Theatre (DCT) was initially involved in the local underground scene in the mid 1990s, the first in the Los Angeles area to merge theatrical performances such as fire dancers, aerialists, performance artists, and art installations in a DJ dance party environment.  DCT is known for their innovative series of event/parties called “I Am” – costume, themed parties, which fuse all the elements mentioned above. DCT has self-produced, created and written over 100 original events and shows.

Castro, Nagao and/or Dream Circus Theatre have been featured in news and entertainment media around the world including the Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, KCRW, KPFK, KROQ, KLOS, MTV, CNN, FNN, CBS-TV, Bad Boys, MTV, Rolling Stone, and Time Magazine (Asia).

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For more information, images, or to request an interview, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada (née Hasty) at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.

Breakdance Project Uganda reaches youth in the slums of Kisenyi, Uganda (photo credit: Nabil Elderkin)

Award-winning film Bouncing Cats, the inspiring documentary of one man’s attempt to create a better life for the children of Uganda through hip hop, is on the festival circuit making its way around North America along with limited sneak peek screenings and benefit events.  Narrated by Common and featuring interviews with Will.I.Am, and K’Naan, the story follows the legendary Crazy Legs of the Rock Steady Crew and b-boy Abramz, the founder of Breakdance Project Uganda (BPU), on a journey to unify, empower and inspire youth in the war torn region that has been called one of the worst places on earth to be a child.*  The film, by director Nabil Elderkin, recently won “Best Documentary Feature Film” at the Urbanworld Film Festival in New York, “Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Filmmaking” at the Newport Beach Film Festival, and “Audience Favorite Award” at Southern Utah International Documentary Film Festival.

For Immediate Release:  October 28, 2010 [updated: 1/17/11]

Inspiring Documentary
Bouncing Cats
Uniting the Children of Uganda Through Breakdance and Hip Hop Culture
Currently Screening at Festivals and Special Sneak Peek Events
Around North America Through Winter 2010

LOS ANGELES, CA – Award-winning film Bouncing Cats, the inspiring documentary of one man’s attempt to create a better life for the children of Uganda through hip hop, is on the festival circuit making its way around North America along with limited sneak peek screenings and benefit events.  Narrated by Common and featuring interviews with Will.I.Am, and K’Naan, the story follows the legendary Crazy Legs of the Rock Steady Crew and b-boy Abramz, the founder of Breakdance Project Uganda (BPU), on a journey to unify, empower and inspire youth in the war torn region that has been called one of the worst places on earth to be a child.*  The film, by director Nabil Elderkin, recently won “Best Documentary Feature Film” at the Urbanworld Film Festival in New York, “Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Filmmaking” at the Newport Beach Film Festival, and “Audience Favorite Award” at Southern Utah International Documentary Film Festival.  To learn more about the film, please visit http://www.bouncingcats.com and http://www.facebook.com/bouncingcats.

“Bouncing Cats is just the sort of work that the world needs to see coming out of Africa, a story of self-reliance and perseverance against immeasurable odds,” said K’naan.

Breakdance Project Uganda started in February 2006 by Abraham “Abramz” Tekya out of the belief that hip hop can be used as a tool to engage and empower disadvantaged youth in Kampala and other areas of Uganda. Its mission is to engage young people in hip hop culture in order to build leadership skills and promote social responsibility for positive change.  The Project has attracted people from every walk of life and acts as a catalyst for building mutually beneficial relationships between people of different social strata across Uganda and the rest of the world. After a trip to Uganda with NGO Oxfam, where he met Abramz, director Elderkin decided to make the film with the hope of shedding light on the situation.  “The work Abramz is doing with the kids of Uganda inspired me,” said Elderkin. “It was something I wanted to capture and share with others.”

Bouncing Cats is screening on the festival circuit and at special sneak peek events across North America.  Key screenings include:

- Apr. 17 – Newport Beach Film Festival – Newport Beach, CA
- Aug. 21 – DocuFest Atlanta International Documentary Film Festival – Atlanta, GA
- Sep. 17, 18 – Urbanworld Film Festival - New York, NY
- Sep. 17-19 -  DocUtah – Southern Utah Int’l Documentary Film Festival – St. George, UT
- Sep. 22 – Manifesto Film Fest – Toronto, ON
- Sep. 23 – Montreal International Black Film Festival – Montreal, QC
- Oct. 8-10 – BendFilm – Bend, OR
- Oct. 16, 17, 19, 22 – Heartland Truly Moving Pictures – Indianapolis, IN
- Oct. 18, 24 – Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival – Hot Springs National Park, AR
- Oct. 30 – MoogFest – Asheville, NC
- Nov. 3 – USC Albert & Dana Broccoli Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
- Nov. 4, 7 – American Film Market (AFM) – Santa Monica, CA
- Nov. 7 - Hartford International Film Festival – Hartford, CT
- Nov. 9 – National Geographic LIVE! – Washington, DC **
- Nov. 11 – Rice University – Houston, TX **
- Nov. 16 – Downtown Independent - Los Angeles, CA **
- Nov. 17 – Hard Rock Cafe on the Strip - Las Vegas, NV  **
- Nov. 19 – Arizona State University – Tempe, AZ **
- Nov. 20 – Decatur High School Performing Arts Center - Atlanta, GA
- Dec. 4 – Northwestern University McCormick Tribune Theatre- Evanston, IL
- Dec. 5 – Bahamas International Film Festival – Nassau, Bahamas
- Dec.  16 – NYU – New York, NY **

** These screenings include Q&A sessions with the filmmakers, Crazy Legs, and other cast members from the documentary.

click to watch trailer

Please visit the Bouncing Cats‘ site for additional screening announcements at http://www.bouncingcats.com/screenings.

Bouncing Cats Cast:
Abraham “Abramz” Tekya:
Abraham Tekya, commonly known as “Abramz,” is the director and founder of Breakdance Project Uganda, an organization launched in February 2006 that uses breakdance and other elements of hip hop culture to promote positive change and social responsibility. A native of Mengo, Kampala, Uganda, Abramz grew up quickly, as most children in Uganda are forced to. At the age of seven, he lost both of his parents to AIDS and was orphaned, shuffled between distant relatives and different homes. Despite these circumstances, Abramz used his life experience and love of hip hop to educate, inspire and unite youth in Uganda and beyond. http://www.bouncingcats.com/cast/tekya.php

Richard “Crazy Legs” Colòn:
To call Richard “Crazy Legs” Colòn a pioneer is an understatement. It is nearly impossible to have a conversation about b-boying without giving mention to the legendary Crazy Legs. Not only is he a veteran of hip hop as a culture, boasting more than 3 decades as the driving force behind the hip hop dance movement, but he’s also an outstanding citizen and role model. He has lent his time, experience, and influence to aiding and encouraging the positive advancement of hip hop culture. http://www.bouncingcats.com/cast/crazylegs.php

Jolly Grace Okot:
Jolly Grace Okot, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, was among the first wave of children abducted and forced to be a child soldier in the beginning of Uganda’s civil war. She is the Uganda Country director for Invisible Children (IC) and has been involved with the organization since the beginning. Her guidance enabled Bouncing Cats‘ filmmakers to see and understand the plight of children in Northern Uganda, and her leadership and direction helped create IC’s initiatives on the ground. Okot also runs H.E.A.L.S., a program that provides play therapy for war-affected children.

Additional details on cast members are available at http://www.bouncingcats.com/cast.

Additional Credits & Film Details:
Bouncing Cats was produced by Red Bull Media House and directed by Nabil Elderkin. All proceeds from the film are going to Breakdance Project Uganda.

Nabil Elderkin, Director:
Director Nabil Elderkin, originally a native of Australia, began his photography career when he picked up a camera to shoot portraits of fellow surfers. What started as a hobby, rapidly developed into a working career. From surf portraits, Elderkin began shooting musicians and anyone that inspired him. He later moved to the United States to continue to expand his career. Today, Elderkin lives and works in Los Angeles at his studio downtown. He shoots musicians, sports, fashion, and portraiture. Elderkin has recently published a book titled Glow in the Dark with Kanye West through Rizzoli and has directed several music videos and documentaries from here to Africa. Traveling is his passion. He created the film in order to bring attention to the situation in Uganda as well as support the inspiring work Abramz is doing through BPU.  http://www.nabil.com

- Executive Producers: Amy Taylor, Scotty Bradfield, Karma Gardner, Charlie Rosene
- Producers: Nyla Hassell, George Mays, Claude Merkel, Charles Spano
- Film Editing: Isaac Hagy
- Sound Editor: Andrew Le Guier
- Genre: Documentary / Music
- Runtime: 75 minutes
- Country: USA
- Language: English
- Color: Color
- Filming Locations: Uganda, USA

Awards:
- Newport Film Festival “Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Filmmaking”
- Urbanworld Film Festival “Best Documentary Feature Film”
- DocUtah – Southern Utah International Documentary Film Festival “Audience Favorite Award”
- Bahamas International Film Festival Audience Award for “Best Feature Documentary”

“In short – the movie features some serious hip hop cameos, incredible landscapes, and dancing, and is certain to be one of the most celebrated documentaries of 2010.” –Chris Farone, Boston Phoenix

Bouncing Cats Links:
- Official Site: http://www.bouncingcats.com
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bouncingcats
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/bouncingcats
- Trailer: http://vimeo.com/12234800

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For more information, or to request screeners, images, and interviews, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada (née Hasty) at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.

Breakdance Project Uganda reaches youth in the slums of Kisenyi, Uganda (photo credit: Nabil Elderkin)

* Former UNICEF head Carol Bellamy has called northern Uganda “pretty much the worst place on earth to be a child;” over 20,000 children – some as young as six years old – have been abducted by the rebel-led Lords Resistance Army (LRA), forced to serve as child soldiers, sex slaves and laborers. http://www.warchild.org/projects/WC_Canada/Uganda/uganda.html

BACKGROUNDER

Synopsis:
Award-winning film Bouncing Cats is the inspiring documentary of one man’s attempt to create a better life for the children of Uganda through the unlikely tools of hip hop and breakdance. Narrated by Common and featuring interviews with Will.I.Am, and K’Naan, the story follows the legendary Crazy Legs of the Rock Steady Crew and b-boy Abramz, the founder of Breakdance Project Uganda (BPU), on a journey to unify, empower and inspire youth in the war torn country that has been called one of the worst places on earth to be a child.*  Poverty, disease, and a brutal, mindless war in the region have divided families, displaced millions and led to the abduction and mutilation of tens of thousands of children resulting in the deterioration of identity and culture.

In response to these tragic circumstances, Abraham “Abramz” Tekya, a Ugandan b-boy and AIDS orphan, started Breakdance Project Uganda to create much needed positive social change in the region. His dream was to establish a free workshop that would empower, rehabilitate, and heal the community by teaching youth about b-boy culture. Crazy Legs, one of the founding members of the world famous Rock Steady Crew, visited Uganda after receiving an invitation from Abramz to teach b-boy classes. What he discovered upon his arrival was both heartbreaking and inspiring. Traveling throughout Uganda, from the southern slums to the war-torn north, Crazy Legs encountered a passion for hip hop and desire to learn amongst youth living in the most squalid conditions.

After only a few short months on the festival circuit, the film by director Nabil Elderkin has already won “Best Documentary Feature Film” at the Urbanworld Film Festival in New York; “Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Filmmaking” at the Newport Beach Film Festival; and “Audience Favorite Award” at DocUtah – Southern Utah International Documentary Film Festival.

*Source:  Former UNICEF head Carol Bellamy has called northern Uganda “pretty much the worst place on earth to be a child.” Over 20,000 children – some as young as six years old – have been abducted by the rebel-led Lords Resistance Army (LRA), forced to serve as child soldiers, sex slaves, and laborers. http://www.warchild.org/projects/WC_Canada/Uganda/uganda.html

Breakdance Project Uganda:
Breakdance Project Uganda (BPU) started in February 2006 by Abramz out of his belief that hip hop can be used as a tool to engage and empower disadvantaged youth. Its mission is to involve young people in hip hop culture in order to build leadership skills and promote social responsibility for positive change. The Project has attracted people from every walk of life and acts as a catalyst for building mutually beneficial relationships between people of different social strata across Uganda and the rest of the world. From the initial three students who turned up at the first session, the Project has grown through word of mouth, regular showcase performances, and exposure on the World Wide Web to become a thriving organization with over 1,000 members nationally in Uganda and many more supporters around the world.

Abramz organizes breakdancing sessions each week for hundreds of youth in different parts of the country. The Project has been built around free breakdancing classes which are currently offered at the Sharing Youth Centre, Kampala, Gulu Youth Centre and TAKS Art Centre in Gulu. The classes are sustained by members freely passing on their skills to new members, following the BPU ideology that everyone is a student and everyone is a teacher with something positive to give. Members have also made outreach visits to towns in other parts of Eastern and Northern Uganda to share their skills and engage more youth across Uganda. Many of the participating children are extremely vulnerable with members who are orphans, victims of war and poverty, unable to afford proper schooling.  Despite the hardships, children walk from miles away to attend the BPU classes each week. As Abramz says, “This is where many people’s pride is. It’s a skill that no one can take away from us.”

BPU supports formal and non-formal education opportunities by advocating the importance of education and partnering with organizations to increase members’ access to educational services such as life skills workshops, media and skills training, voluntary counseling and testing, and advocacy training. Through the sale of BPU t-shirts, the Project also sponsors schools fees for vulnerable members.

BPU aims to:
• Bridge the gap between the advantaged and disadvantaged while uniting people of different religious, tribal and social backgrounds
• Promote positive social responsibility
• Build leadership skills and self-esteem
• Increase access to formal and informal education
• Generate employment opportunities through private teaching and performances
• Connect local and international artists

Over the past four years, BPU has partnered with local and international organizations including: Oxfam, MS Uganda, In Movement, People Concern Children’s Project, Danish Centre for Cultural Development, H.E.A.L.S. (Gulu), Global Youth Partnership for Africa, the Embassy of France in Uganda, Uganda FDNC, and USAID/NUTI, Straight Talk Foundation (STF), and has carried out activities in orphanages, juvenile prisons, local and international schools, and youth and community centers.

Call to Action:
For those interested in supporting the work of BPU, donations can be made through the organization’s fiscal sponsor The Voice Project via the Bouncing Cats site at http://www.bouncingcats.com/donate. Donations are 100% tax deductible.  Proceeds go directly to Breakdance Project Uganda to continue its mission to empower and positively inspire youth through hip hop. Abramz also hopes to one day build a permanent center for BPU.

With a donation of $15 or more to BPU, contributors receive a limited edition Bouncing Cats t-shirt while supplies last. The t-shirts are made by Edun, the non-profit fashion brand founded by Ali Hewson and Bono, using 100% African cotton grown by farmers of the Conservation Cotton Initiative (CCI) in Northern Uganda. The CCI was created by Edun, the Wildlife Conservation Society and Invisible Children to build sustainable farming communities and provide a fair trade market for their cotton. The CCI Uganda Program is based in the Gulu District, an area recovering from the civil war. The CCI Initiative assists farmers who are returning to their land by providing funding, tools, and training to grow a sustainable cotton business.

Uganda:
According to the World Bank, more than 30% of the population in Uganda lives below the poverty line. Uganda is a rapidly growing nation with a very young population (Source: UNGASS). An estimated 49% of people in Uganda are under the age of 14 (Source: Population Reference Bureau). After the introduction of Universal Primary Education in Uganda in 1997, primary school enrollment increased to 82% but less than 20% of young people go on to complete further education (Source: Population Reference Bureau). Development in Uganda has been greatly hampered by more than two decades of conflict between the government and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in the North and, as a result, the opportunities available to young people are extremely limited. Unemployment levels for young people between the ages of 14 and 24 are estimated to be at 83% (Source: ADI Report 2008/2009).

However, there is hope for young people in Uganda as the country gets closer to reaching its Millennium Development Goals. Since 1992, the number of people living in poverty has substantially decreased by more than 25% according to the 2007 UNDP Uganda Progress Report. Gender equality has been steadily improving with more than 2 million additional girls enrolling in primary school each year. Indicators show that HIV/AIDS prevalence has stabilized at 6.4%. Overall, there is growing optimism across Uganda that things will continue to improve and peace will remain.

Bouncing Cats Cast:
Abraham “Abramz” Tekya:
Abraham Tekya, commonly known as “Abramz,” is the director and founder of Breakdance Project Uganda, an organization launched in February 2006 that uses breakdance and other elements of hip hop culture to promote positive change and social responsibility. A native of Mengo, Kampala, Uganda, Abramz grew up quickly, as most children in Uganda are forced to. At the age of seven, he lost both of his parents to AIDS and was orphaned, shuffled between distant relatives and different homes. Despite these circumstances, Abramz used his life experience and love of hip hop to educate, inspire and unite youth in Uganda and beyond.

Richard “Crazy Legs” Colòn:
To call Richard “Crazy Legs” Colòn a pioneer is an understatement. It is nearly impossible to have a conversation about b-boying without giving mention to the legendary Crazy Legs. Not only is he a veteran of hip hop as a culture, boasting more than 3 decades as the driving force behind the hip hop dance movement, but he’s also an outstanding citizen and role model. He has lent his time, experience, and influence to aiding and encouraging the positive advancement of hip hop culture. Among his many achievements, he is credited with the creation of the classic b-boy move called the continuous backspin or “windmill.”

Jolly Grace Okot:
Jolly Grace Okot, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, was among the first wave of children abducted and forced to be a child soldier in the beginning of Uganda’s civil war.  She is the Uganda Country director for Invisible Children (IC) and has been involved with the organization since the beginning. Her guidance enabled Bouncing Cats‘ filmmakers to see and understand the plight of children in Northern Uganda, and her leadership and direction helped create IC’s initiatives on the ground. Okot also runs H.E.A.L.S., a program that provides play therapy for war-affected children.

Kibuka Mukisa Oscar:
Kibuka Mukisa Oscar, who joined BPU in 2006 and regularly attends weekly Sharing Youth Centre sessions, recently finished secondary school. He dreams of working in the visual arts.

Shadia Aghamu:
Aghamu Shadia was born into a family of 13 children. She dreams of going to a good business school, earning enough money to support her family, and hopes to buy a bus for BPU one day.

Alfred Otim:
Alfred Otim, currently studying at Gulu College, hopes to go to University to become an engineer. He intends to earn money for University by teaching and performing.

Claire Lewis:
Claire Lewis, a 20-year Oxfam veteran, has been based in Africa for the past four years. During a fateful trip to Los Angeles, she met director Elderkin and the two discussed hip hop, which included Lewis mentioning Abramz’ inspirational work in Uganda. After the meeting, Lewis casually suggested Elderkin drop by to see Kampala one day…

Ynot:
Ynot started dancing at the age of 17 and was mainly influenced by James Brown. He is a member of the legendary Rock Steady Crew. He enjoys traveling and teaching workshops across the US and the world.

Ervin Arana:
DJ, photographer and respected b-boy Ervin Arana is a member of the Rock Steady Crew. He has appeared in numerous music videos and shares his knowledge of dance through lectures and workshops.

Additional details on cast members are available at http://www.bouncingcats.com/cast/

Additional Credits & Film Details:
Bouncing Cats was produced by Red Bull Media House and directed by Nabil Elderkin. All proceeds from the film are going to Breakdance Project Uganda.

Nabil Elderkin, Director:
Bouncing Cats Director Nabil Elderkin, originally a native of Australia, began his photography career when he picked up a camera to shoot portraits of fellow surfers. What started as a hobby, rapidly developed into a working career. From surf portraits, Elderkin began shooting musicians and anyone that inspired him. He later moved to the United States to continue to expand his career. Today, Elderkin lives and works in Los Angeles at his studio downtown. He shoots musicians, sports, fashion, and portraiture. Elderkin has recently published a book titled Glow in the Dark with Kanye West through Rizzoli and has directed several music videos and documentaries from here to Africa. Traveling is his passion. He created the film in order to bring attention to the situation in Uganda as well as support the inspiring work Abramz is doing through BPU.

Executive Producers: Amy Taylor, Scott Bradfield, Karma Gardner, Charlie Rosene

Producers: Nyla Hassell, George Mays, Claude Merkel, Charles Spano

Film Editing: Isaac Hagy

Sound Editor: Andrew Le Guier

Genre: Documentary / Music

Runtime: 75 minutes

Country: USA

Language: English

Color: Color

Filming Locations: Uganda, USA

Festival Tour & Special Engagements:
Bouncing Cats is screening on the festival circuit and at special engagements across the US. Key screenings include:

- Apr. 17 – Newport Beach Film Festival – Newport Beach, CA
- Aug. 21 – DocuFest Atlanta International Documentary Film Festival – Atlanta, GA
- Sep. 17, 18 – Urbanworld Film Festival – New York, NY
- Sep. 17-19 – DocUtah – Southern Utah Int’l Documentary Film Festival – St. George, UT
- Sep. 22 – Manifesto Film Fest – Toronto, ON
- Sep. 23 – Montreal International Black Film Festival – Montreal, QC
- Oct. 8-10 – BendFilm – Bend, OR
- Oct. 16, 17, 19, 22 – Heartland Truly Moving Pictures – Indianapolis, IN
- Oct. 18, 24 – Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival – Hot Springs National Park, AR
- Oct. 30 – MoogFest – Asheville, NC
- Nov. 3 – USC Albert & Dana Broccoli Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
- Nov. 4, 7 – American Film Market (AFM) – Santa Monica, CA
- Nov. 7 – Hartford International Film Festival – Hartford, CT
- Nov. 9 – National Geographic LIVE! – Washington DC
- Nov. 11 – Rice University – Houston, TX
- Nov. 16 – Downtown Independent – Los Angeles, CA
- Nov. 19 – Arizona State University – Tempe, AZ
- Nov. 20 – Decatur High School Performing Arts Center – Atlanta, GA
- Dec. 4 – Northwestern University McCormick Tribune Theater - Evanston, IL
- Dec. 5 – Bahamas International Film Festival - Nassau, Bahamas
- Dec. 16 – NYU – New York, NY

Please visit the Bouncing Cats site for additional screening announcements at http://www.bouncingcats.com/screenings/.

Awards:
Newport Film Festival “Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Filmmaking”
Urbanworld Film Festival “Best Documentary Feature Film”
DocUtah – Southern Utah International Documentary Film Festival “Audience Favorite Award”
Bahamas International Film Festival Audience Award for “Best Feature Documentary”

Distribution:
Bouncing Cats distribution is open to negotiations.  For distribution related inquiries, please contact Nyla Hassell at nyla.hassell@us.redbull.com.

Bouncing Cats Links:
- Official Web Site: http://www.bouncingcats.com
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bouncingcats
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/bouncingcats
- Video Trailer: http://vimeo.com/12234800

Publicity Contact:
For more information, or to request screeners, images, and interviews, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada (née Hasty) at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.

Click to watch the Bouncing Cats trailer.

(Updated 12/02/10)

For Immediate Release:  September 2, 2010

Sins O’ The Flesh Presents
A Special 35th Anniversary Screening of Gender-Bending Cult Rock Opera
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
At the Historic Million Dollar Theater in Downtown LA
• Guest Barry Bostwick • Full Pre-Show • Live Shadowcast Performance •
Saturday, September 25, 2010

The Centerpiece Event of SinsCon
The 35th Anniversary Convention of the RHPS 09/23 – 09/25

LOS ANGELES, CA – In honor of the 35th anniversary of outrageous cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show (RHPS), the Million Dollar Theater in Downtown Los Angeles will host a special screening of the film with guest Barry Bostwick in person and an international shadowcast of performers on Saturday, September 25, 2010. The anniversary screening will start with a full pre-show of games and presentations at 10:00 p.m. with the film screening at 11:00 p.m. Bostwick, who stars as Brad Majors in the film, will officiate the madness.  For this special event, the on-stage “all-star” cast, with full costumes and props, will include the best of the best Rocky Horror performers from shadowcasts as far away as Paris, France.  This select group of performers includes many featured in the upcoming Twentieth Century Fox Rocky Horror Picture Show: 35th Anniversary Blu-ray Disc. Presented by LA’s own Sins O’ The Flesh, the evening is part of SinsCon, the 35th Anniversary Convention of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which runs the three-day weekend of September 23 – 25, 2010 in Los Angeles. The event is being produced in partnership with the LA Conservancy.  The Million Dollar Theater is located at 307 South Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013.  Tickets for the special screening event are $20 in advance online at http://beticketing.com/rhps35 and $25 the day of show at The Million Dollar Theater.  VIP tickets in the front rows are also available online for $40 ($45 at the door) and include free prop kits.  The film is Rated R (under 17 not admitted without a guardian).  For more information on the venue, please call 213-617-3600 or visit www.milliondollartheater.com.  For more information on SinsCon (full title: 7 Deadly Sins O’ The Flesh Convention), please visit http://sinscon.com.

Guests are encouraged to dress for the anniversary screening, perhaps as their favorite Rocky Horror or cult movie character from the past 35 years. “Virgins” (those who have never attended a screening of the film) are also very welcome to join in the fun at this one-of-a-kind cinematic experience.  The celebratory evening will also include talent from event sponsor Wicked Pictures, an adult entertainment studio that is producing an upcoming X-rated Rocky Horror spoof (a talent search may occur during the convention weekend!)

In its 35 years of release, the film achieved notoriety not only as the ultimate midnight screening, cross-dressing, audience-participation extravaganza, but also as the longest running theatrical release in film history.  It has never been pulled by 20th Century Fox from its original 1975 release, and continues to play in cinemas today. The film first opened to US audiences on September 26, 1975 at the UA Theater in Westwood — the same weekend as the special anniversary screening — 35 years ago.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show:
Directed by Jim Sharman and based on the 1973 British stage play of the same name by Richard O’Brien, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a one-of-a-kind cult masterpiece.  The film follows straight-laced couple Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon) as they encounter car trouble on a rainy night drive through an isolated countryside.  Stuck in the middle of nowhere, Brad remembers seeing an old castle that they passed while driving, so the two set out on foot on a quest for help.  Once at the castle, Brad (aka “Asshole!”) and Janet (aka “Slut!”) discover that they’ve arrived on a rather special night as “The Master,” mad scientist-alien-transvestite Dr. Frank N. Furter (Tim Curry), is having one of his special affairs with his bizarre entourage.  He is hosting the annual convention of aliens from the planet Transsexual in the galaxy of Transylvania. Instead of letting the couple use his phone, campier-than-thou Furter insists they be his guests to witness the unveiling of his latest creation: the ultimate blonde boy toy Rocky (Peter Hinwood). Seductions, corsets-o-plenty, sexual awakenings, murder, cannibalism (Meat Loaf), a floor show, and space travel follow with the help of sinister manservant Riff Raff (O’Brien), his crazy sister/lover Magenta (Patricia Quinn), and a groupie named Columbia (“Little Nell” Campbell). The hedonistic gender-bending rock opera is a campy salute to B-horror and sci fi flicks, with an inspired soundtrack and innuendo-riddled dialogue that encourages audience participation. Rated R, 100 min., 20th Century Fox (1975).

Sins O’ The Flesh cast member Lucas Miller as Dr. Frank N. Furter
Photo credit: Erin K, Sins O’ The Flesh

Audience Part-i-ci-pation:
Although now well-known as a social phenomenon, the ultimate in cult midnight movies, The Rocky Horror Picture Show was initially trashed by critics, a box office disappointment at first.  Momentum built once the film became part of the ’70s midnight movie craze that coincided with the advent of punk music.  The campiness of the performances and infectious soundtrack attracted playful young audiences who started showing up at theaters dressed up as their favorite characters and interacting with the film by yelling well-timed obscenities at the screen, singing along with the music, dancing in the aisles, and utilizing various props at key scenes in the film.  Once the film became a midnight movie staple, audience participation flourished, leading to full shadowcasts of fan performers who lip-synced along with the movie in front of screens at theaters around the world.  The audience participation phenomenon fueled the film’s success — its place as the longest running theatrical release in film history and its standing as an All-Time Top 100 box office earner.

Sanctioned Props:
Sanctioned props for the Million Dollar Theater anniversary screening include confetti, toilet paper, newspaper, playing cards, plastic gloves, and noise makers.  Squirt guns, seltzer, toast, and rice are not allowed at the historic Million Dollar Theater anniversary screening.

SinsCon (aka 7 Deadly Sins O’ The Flesh Convention):
The anniversary screening is the centerpiece event of SinsCon, the Los Angeles 35th Anniversary Convention of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.  Sins O’ The Flesh, the long-running LA-based Rocky Horror Picture Show performance troupe, created its anniversary theme based on the Seven Deadly Sins — wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy and gluttony — which the hedonistic film embraces in a-bun-dance.  The convention kicks off on Thursday, September 23 with a plethora of activities and entertainment through Saturday, September 25, 2010.  In addition to the special screening, the full convention also features panel discussions, special celebrity guests, parties, talent events, contests, awards, eclectic vendors, and even a Rocky-themed prom.  Hundreds of Rocky Horror fans and performers from around the country will be in attendance, as well as a few international guests.  The complete convention schedule can be found at http://sinscon.com/schedule/ Besides the Million Dollar Theater, events will also take place at Club 740 (formerly the Globe Theatre), The Alexandria, and other downtown Los Angeles locales. The host hotel, The Standard in Downtown LA, is offering discounted rooms for registered attendees (space permitting).  SinsCon passes cost $95 for the entire weekend (including the Sat. night screening).  Single-Day SinsCon tickets are priced at $50.  Register online at http://sinscon.com/registration.

Barry Bostwick:
Barry Bostwick is an American actor and singer best known for playing Brad Majors in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, replacing Peter Scolari as Mr. Tyler in the sitcom What I Like About You, as well as Mayor Randall Winston in the sitcom Spin City. He has also achieved acclaim in musical theater.  In 1972, Bostwick originated the role of bad boy Danny Zuko in the stage production of Grease, earning a Tony Award nomination for his performance. He also won a Tony Award for his performance in the 1977 musical The Robber Bridegroom.  Bostwick has had a recurring role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Other television credits include guest appearances in Charlie’s Angels, Hawaii Five-O, The Golden Palace, Grace Under Fire, Ugly Betty, Cold Case, Scrubs, and Las Vegas, among others. He has also had leading roles in various mini-series, including George Washington, its sequel The Forging of a Nation, Scruples, A Woman of Substance, War and Remembrance, and Till We Meet Again. Bostwick served as host of the nationally televised annual Capitol Fourth celebration on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. for eight years. In the Cold Case episode “Creatures of the Night,” in which he is the main suspect, the theme of the episode revolves around The Rocky Horror Picture Show. In 2007, Bostwick gained a recurring role, as Grandpa Clyde Flynn, on Phineas and Ferb.

The Million Dollar Theater:
The stunning Million Dollar Theater was built in 1918 by Sid Grauman at the then-astounding cost of one million dollars.  The elaborate gothic/baroque theater was the first movie palace built in Los Angeles and the site of many premieres over the years.  It was later used as a church then closed and shuttered.  In early 2008, the theater reopened primarily as a venue for stage performances.  The historic theater was the first movie house built by entrepreneur Grauman who later was responsible for Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre and Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.  Sculptor Joseph Mora is responsible for the elaborate exterior ornamentation, including lavish Churrigueresque decoration, statues, and longhorn skulls. William L. Woollett was the auditorium architect and Albert C. Martin, Sr. designed the twelve-story tower.  The building exterior also appeared prominently in the film Blade Runner.

LA Conservancy:
LA Conservancy is a nonprofit historic preservation organization that works to protect and revitalize the places that make Los Angeles so great, like the Million Dollar Theater. www.laconservancy.org

35th Anniversary Blu-ray Disc:
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment celebrates the 35th anniversary of the pop culture phenomenon with a Blu-ray Disc to be released on October 19, 2010.  Boasting a newly-restored high definition transfer and 7.1 audio, the The Rocky Horror Picture Show: 35th Anniversary Blu-ray Disc contains exclusive new content and much more.  Performers from the Blu-ray 35th Anniversary shadowcast will also appear on-stage at the special Los Angeles screening on the 25th of September in their first public appearance.

Sins O’ The Flesh:
Sins O’ The Flesh is the LA-based volunteer Rocky Horror Picture Show performance troupe that is organizing the anniversary events.  The group has been performing every Saturday night since December 1987 at the long-running midnight show at Los Angeles’ historic Nuart Theater.  Members of the organization have also performed their Rocky Horror roles at the Hollywood Bowl, LA Pride, House of Blues Atlantic City, The Doo Dah Parade, and the Las Vegas Hard Rock Cafe for the 25th Anniversary Show with VH1 in 2000. Many LA-based Sins cast members also appear on the upcoming Rocky Horror Picture Show: 35th Anniversary Blu-ray Disc. www.sins.la/

Bring your virgins!

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For more information, images, or to request interviews, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada (née Hasty) at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.

Sins O’ The Flesh cast members Jacob Thompson as Riff Raff, Gina Radogna as Magenta,
and Drew Stanz as Dr. Frank N. Furter performing at the Nuart
Photo credit: Erin K, Sins O’ The Flesh

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SCREENING:

Sat. Sep. 25, 2010

Sins O’ The Flesh presents

35th anniversary screening of cult classic
The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Million Dollar Theater
307 South Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90013
213-617-3600
www.milliondollartheater.com

10:00pm – full pre-show with games and presentations
11:00pm – film screening

– Barry Bostwick, who stars as Brad Majors in the film, will appear in person to officiate the madness
- the shadowcast from the soon to be released 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Rocky Horror Picture Show: 35th Anniversary Blu-ray Disc will perform in its first public appearance

Tickets for Screening:
$20 in advance; $25 door
$40 VIP tickets; 1st several rows + free prop kits; $45 at the door
www.rhps35.com/buy_tickets.html
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Photo credit: Benn Glazier

The renowned Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA) – a leading artistic force, staunch advocate of civil and human rights and first gay men’s choir to perform for a sitting president (Bill Clinton) – presents the world premiere of “The End of It All” by noted electronic artist and DJ John Tejada, on Saturday, August 21, 2010, at Walt Disney Concert Hall.  Commissioned by GMCLA and written for choir and electronica, it will feature the composer on electronica.  Also on the program are a selection of great opera choruses, a range of classic contemporary choral works and the GMCLA’s poignant and critically acclaimed Harvey Milk Schools Project, a mix of music and spoken word spotlighting the life of civil rights icon Harvey Milk to promote equality and acceptance and raise awareness about anti-gay bullying in schools.  This marks the choir’s third performance in Disney Hall.For Immediate Release:  August 1, 2010

Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles
Conducted by Dominic Gregorio
Presents “Sure On This Shining Night”
Including World Premiere of “The End of it All”
For Choir and Electronica by John Tejada Preformed Live with Tejada

Saturday, August 21, 2010 at Walt Disney Concert Hall

LOS ANGELES, CA – The renowned Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA) – a leading artistic force, staunch advocate of civil and human rights and first gay men’s choir to perform for a sitting president (Bill Clinton) – presents the world premiere of “The End of It All” by noted electronic artist and DJ John Tejada, on Saturday, August 21, 2010, at Walt Disney Concert Hall.  Commissioned by GMCLA and written for choir and electronica, it will feature the composer on electronica.  Also on the program are a selection of great opera choruses, a range of classic contemporary choral works and the GMCLA’s poignant and critically acclaimed Harvey Milk Schools Project, a mix of music and spoken word spotlighting the life of civil rights icon Harvey Milk to promote equality and acceptance and raise awareness about anti-gay bullying in schools.  This marks the choir’s third performance in Disney Hall.

The concert, conducted by Interim Artistic Director Dominic Gregorio, opens with such contemporary choral classics as David Conte’s “Invocation and Dance,” for choir, four-hand piano, and glockenspiel, praised by the New York Times as “a sparkling hymn to life,” and “Sure On This Shining Night” by Morten Lauridsen, a lyrical setting of James Agee’s well known love poem, and “Lux Aurumque” by Eric Whitacre, whose compositions have been described as “works of unearthly beauty and imagination.”

Other contemporary compositions include “In The Space of Now” by Kevin Robison, commissioned by GMCLA in 2004; and Jonathan Wesley Oliver, Jr., a compelling work by singer/songwriter Tom Brown written in 1988 about the AIDS Memorial Quilt, which is the largest piece of community folk art in the world.

Also featured are selections from operas by Verdi, Bizet, Rossini and Donizetti, among them “Amore d fede eternal” from Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia; “Possente amor mi chiama” from Verdi’s Rigoletto; and “Fra poco a me ricovero… Oh meschina!” from Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor.

In addition, GMCLA highlights its poignant and critically acclaimed Harvey Milk Schools Project.  Presented by the Chorus in Los Angeles-area schools, it is a mix of music and spoken word focusing on the life of civil rights icon Harvey Milk to promote equality and acceptance and raise awareness about anti-gay bullying in schools.  The choir notes that every year, over 85% of LGBT students in American schools are physically or verbally abused.

Introduced for the first time on the main stage will be the GMCLA Alive Music Project Youth Chorus, comprised of local students, which will perform several numbers then join GMCLA for a medley featuring such hits as “True Colors” and “He Ain’t Heavy.”

Tickets for general seating range from $25 to $80 and can be purchased online through www.ticketmaster.com.  VIP tickets, which include a pre-show reception in Disney Hall Founders’ Room are $150 and are available by calling (800) MEN SING or www.gmcla.org.  The Walt Disney Concert Hall is located at 111 South Grand Avenue at First Street in downtown Los Angeles.

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Born and raised in Ontario, Canada, DOMINIC GREGORIO is the Interim Artistic Director of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles who previously served for two years as Assistant Conductor.  He is a Doctor of Musical Arts student in Choral Music at the University of Southern California, where he conducted the Apollo Men’s Choir, was Assistant Conductor of the Chamber Singers, and taught courses in choral conducting.  After graduating with a Triple Masters Degree in Music (Choral Conducting, Voice Performance, Music History) from Temple University in Philadelphia, Mr. Gregorio moved to Taiwan for one year and served as the Assistant Conductor of the Taipei Philharmonic Foundation Choirs, while also learning Mandarin Chinese, on a grant through the Canadian government. Mr. Gregorio is the former Artistic Director of Singing Out, The Toronto Lesbian and Gay Choir and former conductor of the University of Guelph Women’s Choir.  He has won numerous awards including the Presser Music Award, which enabled him to live and study for a semester in Vienna, Austria, the G. Nixon Leadership Award, the Carrow Teaching Award, the Edward Johnson Foundation Award, and Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities.  Recently Mr. Gregorio was a semi-finalist in the ACDA Graduate Student Conducting Competition.  His principal teachers are Jo-Michael Scheibe, Larry Livingston, William Dehning, Alan Harler and James Jordan.

For 32 years the GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF LOS ANGELES has built an international reputation for musical excellence while remaining deeply rooted in service to the Los Angeles community and promoting civil rights, tolerance and acceptance though music.  Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as “one of the last important links to a glorious tradition in music,” critics call the choir “remarkable” and note “GMCLA truly shines.”  It is one of the largest and most influential men’s choirs in the nation and is the first gay men’s choir to perform for a sitting president – William Jefferson Clinton. In March 2010, GMCLA became one of only a handful of organizations ever to perform in the California Assembly chamber in the state’s capitol when they sang “America the Beautiful” and a rendition of  “Brand New Day” from the Broadway musical The Wiz for the swearing-in ceremony for new Assembly Speaker John Perez, California’s first openly gay Assembly Speaker.  In addition to presenting concerts each season in Southern California at Glendale’s Alex Theatre and elsewhere, GMCLA tours nationally and internationally, most recently in 2006 when the Chorus visited Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, where it helped found South America’s first LGBT Chorus. The 230-member choir has released 14 compact discs to date, commissioned more than 300 new works and arrangements and appeared frequently on national television programs such as Will & Grace and Six Feet Under. The Chorus membership donates over 60,000 volunteer hours annually to make GMCLA’s mission of musical excellence and community partnership a reality.  Through GMCLA’s Alive Music Project (AMP), and AMP’s highly regarded component the Harvey Milk Schools Project, the Chorus uses song to teach acceptance and equality at schools to overcome prejudice.  The program actively promotes the reality that our community’s struggle for equal rights is not only universal, but is also an issue that has and can affect any group of people who find themselves in the minority.

Normally associated with his peers in Techno from Detroit, Europe and elsewhere in the US and the world, JOHN TEJADA has embraced electronic music as a personal frontier, expanding on his formidable resume as a Techno recording artist, as producer and remixer, DJ, and label owner.  He has showcased his DJ skills around the globe, traveling to more than 20 countries to play at such prestigious festivals as Movement (formerly The Detroit Electronic Music Festival), Sonar Festival in Spain and Tokyo, Dance Valley in the Netherlands, Sync Festival in Greece, and Mutek Mexico.  He has also performed at internationally known spaces such as Fabric in London, Yellow in Tokyo, Rex Club in Paris, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and many others.  His musically formative years were steeped in classical music, growing up in a family of performing artists – his mother is a soprano, and his father is a conductor/composer – which then widened to include hip hop, DJing and finally, electronic music.  Known for crafting a brand of subtle, musical techno, his recorded output ranges across tempo and genre lines, from chilled out affairs with spacious arrangements to pulsating, densely layered, deeply energetic tracks that work magnificently in the hands of DJs as well as on the home stereo.  Earlier on, his music found release on labels such as A13, Multiplex and Generation R&S.  In 1996, he established his own imprint, Palette Recordings, in Los Angeles.

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"Untitled" Roscoe Wilson

Following a successful launch in Beijing, the A&I Gallery in Hollywood will host the North American premiere of Common Ground 2010, an exhibition of fine art digital prints from across the globe, all with an environmental theme. The exhibition of new media work, at the intersection of art, technology, and eco-activism, opens on July 8, 2010 and runs through August 13, 2010. Over 1,000 artists from 40 countries submitted their digital art for consideration. The resulting curated collection contains work from 85 artists. A portion of all proceeds generated from the touring exhibition will benefit non-profit organizations including the World Wildlife Fund, Global Giving, and The Global Environmental Institute.For Immediate Release:  May 25, 2010

A&I Gallery in Hollywood Hosts
Common Ground 2010
An International Touring Digital Art Exhibition
At the Intersection of Art + Technology + Environmental Stewardship

Presented by Hewlett-Packard & FujiFilm

Exhibition Runs from July 8 through August 13, 2010
Eco-Friendly Opening Reception – Thursday, July 8, 2010

LOS ANGELES, CA – Following a successful launch in Beijing, the A&I Gallery in Hollywood will host the North American premiere of Common Ground 2010, an international touring exhibition of fine art digital prints from across the globe, all with an environmental theme. The exhibition of new media work opens on Thursday, July 8, 2010 with an eco-friendly opening reception and runs through August 13, 2010. Over 1,000 artists from 40 countries submitted their digital art for consideration. The resulting curated collection contains work from 85 artists. A portion of all proceeds generated from the touring exhibition will benefit non-profit organizations including the World Wildlife Fund, Global Giving, and The Global Environmental Institute. Common Ground is presented in part by Hewlett-Packard Company and FujiFilm. Join some of the artists for organic edibles, live music, and more on the 8^th from 7:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. at the A&I Gallery. The opening reception and exhibition are free and open to the public. A&I is located at 933 North Highland Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90038. Lot and street parking are available.  For gallery information, please visit http://www.aandi.com/gallery or call 323-856-5280.  To learn more about Common Ground’s international exhibition, please visit http://www.CommonGround2010.com.

The opening reception for Common Ground 2010’s Los Angeles exhibition of new media work – at the intersection of art, technology, and eco-activism – on Thursday, July 8^th is an environmentally-friendly affair featuring selected Common Ground artists in attendance including Clayton Spada and Victor Raphael from the US, and Duan Jia from Beijing, China.  The Eclipse Quartet will perform live a piece composed especially for Common Ground by classically trained film composer and conductor David Williams, while additional beats will be provided by DJ and local underground artist L.Croskey, a/k/a MrNumberOnederful.

In further keeping with the environmental sustainability theme of Common Ground, Cascade Peak Spirits will be pouring micro-distillery alcohol featuring its handcrafted ORGANIC NATION® vodka, gin, and whiskey, while Sonoma County’s Inman Family Wines will offer the attendees a taste of its world class wines from the Russian River Valley where they utilize healthy soil, employ natural winemaking and following sustainable business practices.

Every aspect of the Common Ground artwork at A&I Gallery has been supported by companies with CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiatives that focus of the environment.  The LA exhibit includes frames from Larson-Juhl and their Global ReLeaf ecosystem restoration project, having planted over a quarter of a million trees throughout the world since 1991. Also supporting Common Ground is Nielsen Bainbridge, providing the backing, matting, and mounting boards as part of their eco-friendly product range. L.A. Art Exchange has been providing Southern Californian’s the ultimate professional custom framing service for over 25 years and will be handling all of the final framing and presentations for the exhibit.  Read more below about each of these companies.

Exhibition highlights for Common Ground 2010 in Los Angeles:
- A selection of 35 museum quality digital prints from the Common Ground Collection will be on display.
- The prints are provided by FujiFilm, the leading supplier of UV (Ultra Violet) cured inks, driving a positive environmental change in the printing industry. Limited editions of 50 will be available for purchase ($500 – $1000).
- A hardcover, limited edition commemorative book has been published with the support of Hewlett-Packard and will be available for purchase (79 art works, edition of 250, $60).
- A portion of the print and commemorative book sales will be donated to non-profit organizations The World Wildlife Fund, Global Giving, and The Global Environmental Institute.
- Large flat screen high definition monitors will present the entire Common Ground Collection.

Santa Monica-based Common Ground was born from founder Larry Richard‘s desire to support artists and technologists to use their artistic talents to communicate with each other – and by extension with the rest of the world – about issues common to every one of us on the planet: A clean environment for our communities and for our children. The Common Ground Collection speaks to this shared concern regardless of nationality, borders, or culture.

“There are a lot of buzz-words out there. Environmental responsibility. Green consciousness. Sustainable practices. We hear the words, but where’s the practical meaning beyond all the rhetoric and posturing? The truth is: We all inhabit the same home: Earth. Common Ground speaks clearly to this shared global experience,” says Richard.

Common Ground International Exhibiting Tour:
Common Ground successfully launched the first leg of its world tour in November 2008 at the Huan Tie Art Museum in Beijing, China to coincide with the Summer Olympics festivities in Beijing. Media coverage from the event can be reviewed at http://www.commonground2010.com/?page_id=6. The Los Angeles exhibition at A&I marks the North American premiere, to be followed by exhibitions throughout the US, Canada, and Mexico through 2011. An open call to artists worldwide for additional digital art will be held in the Spring of 2011 in order to expand the Common Ground collection as it travels to London to coincide with the Summer Olympics in 2012.

Curators:
Nearly 1,000 artists from 40 countries responded in 2008 to a global invitation for contributions to this art meets eco-activism collaboration. 85 pieces from 23 countries were curated into the collection by a diverse group of international artists, academics, and entrepreneurs with extensive experience in new media.
-  Duan Jia, writer, director, animator, and professor at the Beijing Film Academy
-  John & Margie Labadie, faculty at University of North Carolina at Pembroke
-  Amelia Pellegrini, artist in Italy
-  Zhou Ping, artist, professor at University Of China
-  Victor Raphael, artist in Los Angeles
-  Larry Richard, founder of Common Ground in Los Angeles
-  Lu Shengzhang, artist, filmmaker, professor at University Of China
-  Wang Shuipo, professor at Central Academy of Fine Art, China
-  Clayton Spada, artist, curator, teacher, lecturer and workshop leader in Los Angeles
-  Lu Xiaobo, vice chairman at Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Tsinghua University
-  Lu Xuguang, artist, professor at Beijing Film Academy

Common Ground Commemorative Book:
A limited edition hardcover commemorative book featuring 79 digital art works from the collection was sponsored by HP and by A&I Digital Labs. Books are available for purchase at the A&I Gallery, throughout the North American Common Ground tour, and online at http://www.commonground2010.com/?page_id=12 for $60. 100% of book proceeds will be donated to the World Wildlife Fund, Global Giving, and The Global Environmental Institute. The book was printed in Los Angeles on the HP Indigo 5000 press by A&I Photographic and Digital Services.

Larry Richard, Common Ground Founder:
As a marketer and promoter, Richard has produced nationally touring art and technology events for more than 20 years. Gathering together artists, corporate sponsors, and innovative technologies, he has produced exhibitions, conferences, and public events, each drawing thousands of attendees while generating significant media coverage and public awareness. Past projects include Shared Dreams, a collaboration of Cuban and US artists, the touring fine art photography exhibitions The Dezo Hoffman Collection and The Legends of Rock Collection, and Online Expo, a conference focused on internet technologies and opportunities. Since 2004, Richard has turned his attention to leveraging his experience to support his passion for a sustainable environment.

A&I Gallery:
A&I Gallery’s mission is to raise awareness of talented artists in the photographic world and of charitable organizations. A&I began exhibiting photography in July of 2006 and has hosted eighteen exhibits and opening receptions since. The work shown has ranged greatly in content with photography as the common thread tying them all together. A&I Photographic & Digital Services sets the standard for fine art printing. Clients include world renowned photographers whose work is displayed in some of the most prestigious museums and galleries worldwide. The A&I Gallery is open Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

FujiFilm:
Fujifilm is a leading supplier of UV (Ultra Violet) cured inks, which are driving a positive environmental change in the printing industry. Fujifilm’s UV inks are free of harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and are cured using ultra violet light. UV inks also consume less energy in the printing process, eliminating the need for traditional drying systems. Fujifilm has also developed new VOC-free digital inks that have no hazardous air pollutants and allow printers to emit lower amounts of VOCs than conventional solvent inks.

Hewlett-Packard Company (HP):
HP has made a commitment to the environment by continuing to develop policies and initiatives that deliver increasingly high standards in all areas of environmental responsibility. “Environmental responsibility is good business. We’ve reached the tipping point where the price and performance of IT are no longer compromised by being green, but are now enhanced by it,” says Mark Hurd, Chairman and CEO.

L.A. Art Exchange
For over 20 years, L.A. Art Exchange has provided its individual and corporate customers with the largest selection of custom frames, moulding and mounting options in Southern California. L.A. Art Exchange’s Santa Monica gallery also features original art and photography from local and nationally renowned artists and photographers, as well as wide variety of fine art prints, giclees, posters, unique jewelry, gifts and home décor accessories.

Larson-Juhl
Larson-Juhl’s broad range of quality custom framing products provide design solutions to suit nearly anything one can have framed. Larson-Juhl offers a number of custom frame moulding collections that have earned PEFC certification as well as a vast selection of matboards which boast FSC certification.  As part of their long range sustainability initiative, Larson-Juhl has partnered with American Forests to begin the Global ReLeaf ecosystem restoration project. Since 1991, Larson-Juhl has planted over a quarter of a million trees throughout the world.

Nielsen Bainbridge
Nielsen Bainbridge is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of high-quality picture framing products. Its designs and innovations are driven by a passion for beauty in the presentation of art, and have helped to defined and – at times – redefined the industry. Nielsen Bainbridge products include high-end metal frames, wood frames, ready-made frame systems, as well as mountboards and matboards in over four hundred colors and textures.

Cascade Peak Spirits
Cascade Peak Spirits, Inc. (CPS) is a micro-distillery creating handcrafted ORGANIC NATION® vodka, gin, whiskey and other organic spirits. It works with local Organic Farmers and local suppliers to create a business that supports the local economy and the practices of Sustainability by “Buying local, Buying Green”. CPS is the first distillery in Oregon with organic certification, offering the consumer a socially responsible alternative.

Inman Family Wines
Inman Family Wines produce small lots of wine made from impeccably grown grapes in Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley. They believe that owning a vineyard and winery comes with more responsibility than just what is required by law and business obligations. They make world class wines that rely on healthy soil, natural winemaking and sustainable business practices including eco-friendly wine labels,  recyclable packaging, reduction of waste, use of renewable sources of energy and a commitment to seeking suppliers that share our vision.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF):
World Wildlife Fund’s mission is the conservation of nature. WWF works to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth and the health of ecological systems, through promoting more efficient use of resources and energy and the maximum reduction of pollution; protecting natural areas and wild populations of plants and animals, including endangered species; and promoting sustainable approaches to the use of renewable natural resources. WWF is committed to reversing the degradation of our planet’s natural environment and to building a future in which human needs are met in harmony with nature.

Global Giving:
Global Giving is an online marketplace where individual and corporate donors can connect to community-based initiatives that need support. Visitors to the site can browse projects to help others around the world, pick philanthropic projects that they are passionate about, and give directly to the solution.

The Global Environmental Institute:
The Global Environmental Institute, established in Beijing, China in 2004, is a Chinese non-profit, non-governmental organization. Its mission is to design and implement market-based models for solving environmental problems in China in order to achieve development that is economically, ecologically, and socially sustainable.

“Artists throughout history have played a key role in shaping the world-view of their day,” says Richard, “Through Common Ground, artists from all corners of the globe can use the expressive language they know best — visual art — to share their concern for the fate of the earth. What’s more, they get to make a contribution in a tangible way since proceeds from the exhibition are donated to vital non-profit organizations such as Global Giving, World Wildlife Fund, and The Global Environmental Institute.”

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For more information, photos, or to arrange interviews, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Hasty at 213.840.1201 and lynn@greengalactic.com