Finalists Chosen for March’s RISE Finale
I wandered into the Gay+Community Center on Morelos in advance of their Open House and landed a private tour led by fundraiser wunderkind Matt Karimi. The Community Center started a year ago, with a small area, then Vallarta CoWork moved out, and the CC spread their wings and assumed the space. With some anticipated renovation, everyone will have their place, and the organization can better serve the public. The Community Center has changed lives by offering free testing for various sexually transmitted diseases and providing treatments either at the Center or elsewhere. What are their goals for the future? To keep the population healthy and expand the outreach to seniors and ex-pats. And they need volunteers and always need money. Please do if you can do one, the other, or both.
Our Sunday at noon dance class at the International Friendship Club is growing, with teacher Deborah Darr adding new movements or changing the routine just enough to keep us on our tippies. We had three men in our last class, and all that means is everybody is welcome. The 120 peso fee goes straight to aid the yeoman’s work at the IFC.
Coco Cabaret was packed as expected for the Second Show of Auditions to narrow the field from eight contenders to four, advancing to the Grand Finale of So, You Think You Can RISE? on February 23rd at Teatro Vallarta. Richard Lucas (aka Gouda Gabor) hosted the English side of things while irrepressible Sargento Dan translated when necessary.
Judges for this round were choreographer from New York Kimberly LaRue (see her Follies Show at Act2PV), pianist, singer, and realtor for Ryan Donner and Associates, Derek Carkner, entertainer extraordinaire Steven Retchless in drag as Britney Spears (see that tribute show at Coco Cabaret). The dynamic duo Tromba Vetusta, comprised of Alejandra Matus and her partner Dabit Azofeifa, (their two shows Circoncierto and Saturnalia are at Act2PV), presided as one judge/coach.
The finalists are 14-year-old Nicolas Lara, accordionist; F-19 contemporary dance troupe; 12-year-old pianist Natalia and Concheros Vallarta, a folkloric dance group of five young girls and a drummer. They will have a month to prepare something spectacular with their coaches – it will be a helluva competition next month. Get your tickets fast, as this Grand Finale will sell out – for the fourth year in a row!
Leave us not forget where the money from ticket sales go – to support the RISE Shelter for Children. The kids range from infants to 15 years old and may spend years at RISE, where they are fed, clothed, educated, and loved to pieces by the volunteer staff. They need 3.5 million pesos a year. So, again, RISE needs volunteers and money, and even though the children are brought to RISE by a government organization, they receive 100% of their funding from private donations. Help them, please.
ABBA is tonight at Rancho Santiago in Paso Guayabo at 5:30, followed in town by Come Blow Your Horn Open Mic with Gouda Gabor at Nacho Daddy at 7:30. See you there and everywhere.