Personal Notes: Deep Carnivale

If tonight's any indication, and there's every reason to believe it was, make time on Saturday (which is free, though you sould make a donation, because this is so good you'll feel guilty if you don't) and/or Sunday for this Festival of the word and photography, dance, poetry, theater, and more.

David Audet has been doing this for a few years and it keeps getting better. The HCC Dancers performed an interpretive dance to a poem written by several poets in the art gallery. Congratulations to Jeoffry Anderson, Brittany Dell, Alexandra Dyer, Tia Johnson and Rachel Rodriguez for an impressive performance, which you will have the chance of seeing at 11:00 AM on Saturday.

In the same art gallery is a faculty show titled "East Meets West", from the Southeast Center for Photographic Studies at Daytona State College. It's a good, eclectic mix of the work of powerhouse faculty talent at Daytona State College.  Also open on Saturday.

Ronny Elliott put on a combination rambling, very funny and at times poignant narrative and expert guitar-based rock 'n roll and a bit of a gospel on rock 'n roll and humanism. When the Deity was handing out Passion, he gave Mr. Elliott a big, dripping wedge, and he's kept the fire going. 

In the Mainstage, another group of HCC dancers, choreographed by Tom McGowan, performed "Birth of Astro Boy" before a projected background of the original 1964 "Astro Boy". They will give another performance on Saturday at 2:30 PM at The Rehearsal Hall.

The Alley Cat Players put on a short play/beautiful adaptation of a Midsummer's Night Dream, by Marc Wellman titled "Anything's Dream".  Actresses Dahlia Legault and Nicole J. Smith were outstanding, performing this magical and mysterious, richly philosophical play with a brilliant mix of precision, apparent spontaneity and grace. Kudos to all.

Richard and Mary Ellen di Pietra's one-act, one-man play, "I am a Cuban Sandwich", performed con sabor by Richard was a nostalgic look back at the heyday of Ybor, with forward-looking questions about what we lost and who we are today. It will be performed again Saturday or Sunday. 

The five finalists for the poetry contest gave a collectively stunning performance onstage, and the winners were: Aleshea Harris, whose complex, funny, poignant poem about breasts dazzled the audience.  Nyssa Hanger's poetry this evening plumbed the depths of language and letters, sound and feeling.  Nora Garrett's pinball-machine themed poems from her book, The Pastor's Wife, delivered a quietly explosive personal passion.

Tomorrow, the festival runs from 9:00 AM to 5:30. Treat yourself and tweet you friends. Bring your children, there's wonderful, age-appropriate, creative activities for you to share. Did I mention tomorrow it's free?


[If I seem a little enthusiastic about this Festival, it's because I'm restraining from gushing about it.]

See the This Weekend post for more information.