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Life Is A [Cabaret]
Flamenco in the Mission, an unhoused opera singer's journey back to the stage, and four hours of "Daytime Disco"
I had Rosalía’s El Mal Querer on repeat after it came out in 2018. The contemporary flamenco album stirred both fanfare and controversy: fans argued she reinvigorated the art form while detractors questioned whether she was tarnishing tradition and appropriating Romany culture. Yet Rosalía had not entered the flamenco world carelessly. Over a decade of training culminated in studying under Miguel Vizcaya, one of Andalusia's most esteemed flamenco artists, who was awed by her talent. Seeing her perform in an intimate venue seven years ago only deepened my love for the art form. I had taken flamenco lessons just a few years prior, and the album reminded me why it had gotten under my skin in the first place.
Experience traditional flamenco, head to Bernal Heights for First Friday festivities, and vibe at a four-hour Poolside concert.
San Francisco International Arts Festival | Flamenco Cabaret
Category: Dance
Date: Saturday, May 2nd @ 7:30pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Masonic Lodge Friendship Hall (SF)
Price Range: $33
Why I Care: Flamenco Cabaret is an evening of dance and song steeped in Andalusian tradition, presented as part of the San Francisco International Arts Festival. Flamenco began as a private affair, confined to celebrations amongst friends and family. The 19th century café cantante, or singing café, changed all that. Musicians and dancers took the public stage, and the Golden Age of Flamenco followed. Flamenco Cabaret brings that café spirit to this Saturday evening performance.
Book Release Party | Less Like a Fixed Point
Category: Literary
Date: Thursday, April 30th @ 6pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Bathers Library (East Bay)
Price Range: Free
Why I Care: Oakland photographer Kirby Stenger is celebrating their publication of Less Like a Fixed Point with an artist talk and book party at Bathers Library. The photo book grows out of their ongoing series Personal Projects, composed of queer, often nude portraiture in nature. This intimacy creates conditions for subjects to reclaim their bodies and author their own stories. Grab a copy and Stenger's signature at the event, with a special Riso print available as well.
Opening Reception | Baukunst First Fridays: In Full Bloom
Category: Art
Date: Friday, May 1st @ 5pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Baukunst (SF)
Price Range: Free
Why I Care: In Full Bloom opens as part of Baukunst First Fridays, a monthly Bernal Heights event pairing art shows with local food and drink vendors. The group show brings together five artists working with floral imagery rooted in themes of regeneration and delight. Glassmaker Wine Co. will be filling cups and Hej Hej, the neighborhood Swedish pop-up, will bring treats. Need more hot dogs in your art? Hej Hej is also showing customer-drawn hot dogs across the street as part of First Friday programming.
Film Screening | Max Ernst: My Vagabonds - My Restlessness
Category: Film
Date: Monday, April 27th @ 7:30pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Balboa Theatre (SF)
Price Range: $15
Why I Care: Max Ernst: My Vagabonds - My Restlessness is a documentary on the life and work of the German artist. A Dadaist and Surrealist, Ernst produced paintings, collages, prints, drawings, and sculpture, and was an influential figure in shaping each movement's visual language. His personal life was integral to his professional one, from his marriage to collector Peggy Guggenheim to his later relationship with Surrealist artist Dorothea Tanning. The result is a documentary as rich as his biography. The screening is part of Balboa's Gallery 3630 programming, which curates art-related films throughout the year.
Opening Reception | Memory in Motion: Identities, Materials, and Resonances
Category: Art
Date: Saturday, May 2nd @ 11am (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Art of Contemporary Africa (SF)
Price Range: Free
Why I Care: Memory in Motion: Identities, Materials, and Resonances is a group exhibition exploring how we construct and continuously modify identity. It opens as part of First Saturday at Minnesota Street Project, where Art of Contemporary Africa (AOCA) has been based since earlier this year. The gallery is devoted entirely to contemporary African artists and is the sister outpost of South African gallery The Melrose. See the show, then wander the rest of Minnesota Street Project for the evening's broader First Saturday programming.
SFFILM Festival | Figaro Up, Figaro Down
Category: Film
Date: Tuesday, April 28th @ 4:30pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (East Bay)
Price Range: $21
Why I Care: Figaro Up, Figaro Down is a documentary following Tim Blevins, a Juilliard-trained baritone who once performed at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. Addiction derailed his career and eventually left him unhoused in San Francisco's Tenderloin. The film traces his journey and return to the stage over the ten years it took to make the documentary. Blevins will attend the screening alongside director Javid Soriano and producer Rob Richert for a post-screening Q&A.
Concert | Poolside: Live Set & DJ Set
Category: Music
Date: Saturday, May 2nd @ 8pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: The Castro Theatre (SF)
Price Range: $65+
Why I Care: "Daytime Disco" outfit Poolside is bringing a four-hour open-to-close show to the newly reopened Castro Theatre. The set opens and closes with DJ sets, with a live band performance in between. Poolside started in an LA pool house, which is why their music is made for dancing with sunglasses on and spritz in hand. One of my favorite remixes of theirs is "Leila," but with four hours of music, you'll have ample opportunity to find your own.
Next Drop: Thursday, May 7th