October 6, 2008
“On the Wing” Extended Run
I was able to attend one of the initial showings of the Portland documentary “On the Wing”. If you have been following my blog, you know that I have already written two posts about this movie that documents the phenomena of the migrating Vaux Swift birds here in Portland. Scroll down to read them both.
I didn’t know what to expect when I went to the theatre, but it was really cool. Cinema 21 is an older theatre in NW Portland and it reminded me of the theatres of my childhood. The strong irresistible smell of popcorn permeated everywhere. Just a regular size theatre with theatre seats, it had red velvet curtains all around the room. The screen was elevated on a little stage and had the same red velvet curtains on either side. After the previews, the once familiar sign flashed on the screen ” Now for our Feature Presentation”. Audience expectations heightened. But the screen went dark and the scrim screen came down and there was some murmuring in the audience. “What happened?” Then it became very clear to everyone as we saw a young man walk up to the front of the theatre that there was to be an introduction to the movie. How cool! Dan Viens is the producer, writer, director, editor, and everything else for this movie. It is his baby and he is very proud of it, but in a very modest and unassuming way. He gave his introduction and then the movie began.
The hour long movie is very entertaining, educational, funny, interesting, realistic, and GOOD!!!! The theatre was packed and there were people there of every age — the movie is totally suitable for children as well as entertaining for adults. Everyone that I spoke to enjoyed the movie. Several of us were trying to determine if we liked it so much because it is a part of Portland or is it just that good? The general consensus is that yes, the movie is “just that good”!
So…take your kids, go early as parking can be a challenge (try the hospital visitor garage on 22nd & Kearny), and see this movie. Personally I hope to see Dan and his beautiful wife on the stage accepting an Academy Award or maybe the Palm d’or at the Cannes Film Festival or the Sundance Award for best documentary next year! The movie theatre has added several additional showings in an extended run starting this week so you still have time to go & see this wonderful documentary. Expect to see Dan & his wife selling the whimsical posters just inside the theatre; be sure to say “Hi from Portland Firefly”! Oh, splurge on the popcorn this time and make this complete movie experience a memory!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On The WingHeld Over at Cinema 21 After Crowds Pack Premiere Weekend!
Thanks so much Portland! More than 1,000 people came out to see On The Wing in its first weekend of shows at Cinema 21 and as a result it’s going to play for an additional week.
Here’s a picture of our Thursday night sell out crowd that helped raise thousands of dollars for The Audubon Society of Portland.
If you came out and enjoyed the film, please tell your friends because now there are more shows to pack. And if you missed your chance to see the film last week, you’re in luck.
On The Wing’s extended run at Cinema 21 will start Friday Oct. 10, 2008. The film will show from Fri. Oct. 10 – Thurs. Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. with 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. matinees on Sat. Oct. 11 and Sun. Oct. 12.
Get advanced tickets at Cinema21.com
Screening information is also available at the On The Wing screenings page.
Thanks for your interest and support. If you haven’t seen the film or you’re coming again, I’ll see you at Cinema 21 next week.
As always, for more information visit swiftsmovie.com or send me an
email.
Be swift,
Dan Viens
Real Earl Productions
swiftsmovie.com
Flamenco! OLE!
Flamenco Shoes by PDXFirefly
I started taking dance lessons when I was 4 years old and I have continued off and on all my life. I have taken tap, many years of ballet (3rd place in the HS talent show!), modern, jazz, square dancing, danced in NY, and danced with several groups. I love performing and I love costumes. My latest dance love is Flamenco! Yes, that artful discipline from Spain. The beautiful, lithe dancers with the mesmerizing hands and the incredible footwork. Two lessons a week if possible, learning a little Spanish to keep up with the teacher and trying to make my hands, arms, feet, and head all do the right thing at the right time!!!
Flamenco shoes do not have taps on the bottom of them, they actually have hundreds of tiny little nails (nailed in very close together-overlapping) on the bottom of them. The bottom of the heels are completely covered with nails. The front part of about one-third of the bottom of the toe of the shoe is also covered in overlapping nails. After dancing for a long while the nail-heads start to thin slightly and they start to look like one big tap, but they never quite get that far. I just use it as a word illustration for you, the reader. Sometimes a dancer will have nails fall out — they don’t have a very long shank because your foot is on the other side of a thin piece of leather. And to make the characteristic sounds that you hear in Flamenco, there is a lot of stomping. If too many nails fall out, then you have to get your shoes re-nailed, something easily done in Spain, but more difficult to find an artisan here to do it.
I now have three pairs of flamenco shoes. My black suede ones; the suede looks really elegant and the heels are lower which is good for classes. Then there are the red suede shoes that I ordered from Portland while I was living in Kansas. I just had to have a pair of red shoes! Those shoes are now dancing (on my feet) at the place where they started in the US! But, my best shoes are my Gallardos from Spain. They are beautiful black leather shoes with very high heels. Very characteristic in design, many dancers can tell immediately that they are Gallardos, even from a distance! When I put my flamenco shoes on my feet, my mind enters another world…the world of clapping rhythms, the world of passionate guitars, the world of footwork combinations that entrance -even the performer as well as the observer.
My beginning instructor taught that Flamenco is “all about attitude!”. Well, let me tell you, at that time I had no trouble creating an “attititude”! My Mother had just passed away and I was going through a devastating divorce that I did not want… so “attitude” was easy to come by then. Now, I have to dig deeper to come up with it, but that is helping me find my dance persona. I have been able to find my new flamenco attitude, and surprisingly for me, I like it much better than the grief/disappointment attitude of old. I feel that my new flamenco attitude is more pure — not just more pure for me, but more pure for the dance as well. Now, if it will only make me a better dancer!!!! Remember, I said that I “take lessons”; I didn’t say how good I am!!! If you are interested in more information on flamenco lessons here in Portland, please go to www.flamencodance.com. I highly recommend Mitsue as an excellent teacher of Flamenco at the Solo Flamenco School of Dance. These classes also have a live guitar player, which is really important in learning Flamenco. Mitsue not only teaches dance, but also sings while she dances in front of the class and for me, it is the highlight of each class — the class dancing, the guitar playing, Mitsue singing….
