FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
STORYSPARK FIRES UP SLAM AND SEDUCTION
RALEIGH, NC (September 5, 2009) — Want to roll around in words? How about a roll in the hay? You’re in luck! Slammin’ poetry and sweet seduction get top billing at this year’s storySPARK, part of the annual SPARKcon festival in downtown Raleigh.
It’s a potent one-two combination that starts at 9pm on Saturday, Sept. 19 with Poetry Slam on the main stage. Poets and audiences will then make their way to Humble Pie Restaurant on Harrington Street 10:30pm for readings and music celebrating love and lust.
Literary impresario Dasan Ahanu hosts both events, with a potentially irksome assist from Raleigh Quarterly publishers Greg Behr and Billy Warden.
Other literary events are programmed by the complementary PoetrySPARK team, which is organizing poetry readings by more than 60 local poets. Events are planned for that Friday and Saturday at the Morning Times.
“I’m not sure all of this smart, sexy fun is at all appropriate for North Carolina’s capital city,” said a flustered official who asked not to be identified. Featured performers include:
PoetrySLAM, Main Stage Sep 19 9:00 pm
Joseph Churchwell
Walden Raines
Jru Salam
Andrew Tyree
Ron Hargrove
Shye
Ang
Trina Thoughtz
Tavis Brunson
Paula Latham
Tia Miles
Anika Alexander
George Yamazawa
StorySPARK After Dark Erotic Poetry, Humble Pie, 10:30 pm
Corey T. Parker
Rahkie Mateen
Kelly Borberg
Michael Mayo
Cami Brown Shuga
Lakeya Gardner
Shye
Nikki
Ang
Lizh
Trina Thoughtz
Geneva Bowden
Tavis Brunson
Tia Miles
Anika Alexander
Jamela Lrato
Erin Byrd
Andrew Tyree
Ron Hargrove (KrossWordz)
Teniel Bishop
Greg Behr
Billy Warden
Sadia Latifi
About SPARKcon:
SPARKcon showcases local creative talent in the NC Triangle. For four days, Raleigh’s Fayetteville St, public spaces, clubs and stages will be filled with art, music, dance, film, fashion, design, proposals, and more.
Celebrating local cultural richness and empowering action through an open-source approach to collaboration and cross-pollination, SPARKcon is not a funded city program or an economic development stunt. It’s completely grassroots and by the people for the people! Join us as we explore the creative spirit of the Triangle!
Contact information:
Greg Behr
gebehr@gmail.com
Sat, September 5 2009 » SparkCon09, StorySPARK, poetrySPARK » No Comments
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FashionSPARK 09 Partners with Area’s Best Stylists.
RALEIGH (September 5, 2009) FashionSPARK has a tradition of matching the area’s best fashion designers with not only the finest local models and, but also with local musicians, production staff and a great sampling of the Triangle’s incredibly creative salons. The show will take place on Fayetteville Street at 8pm on Sep 18th.
Many favorite images of previous FashionSPARK events have been appreciated as much for the hair styling and makeup as for the apparel – a consistent tradition in fashion design. SPARKcon is pleased to see these creative folks all joining together for this year’s show on Fayetteville Street. Following is the FashionSPARK 09 stylist lineup:
Marigold Parlour
Alter Ego
Atomic Salon
Salon Blu
J&F Gemelli
Contact information:
Allison Beale
allison@sparkcon.com
Sat, September 5 2009 » FashionSPARK, SparkCon09 » No Comments
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BazaarSPARK to Showcase 30 Homegrown Craftspeople
RALEIGH (September 5, 2009) SPARKcon is once again proud to have BazaarSPARK as part of the local showcase event on September 19. More than 30 local designers, craftspeople, and emerging brands will set up shop on Hargett Street, just outside of The Raleigh Times. From jewelry to clothing to onesies, local crafts will be available to peruse alongside more than 450 streetpainters for the comprehensive SPARKcon event.
Here is the lineup for this year’s event:
SSD Jewlery
Eluna Jewlery Designs
Tane Addington
Olive the Beach
Revamp
Redress Raleigh
Zass Designs
Joanna ‘s Photography
Art N Design
Niyati Clothing Company
Wifey & Wifey
Good Girls Studio
My Truck Leroy
JBIN studio
Simplehands
GHA Designs
Plastic Flame Press
Lisa Jones
The Lodi Project
Jonathan & Alison Peedin
RaimbowTree
Deepika Bhatt
Epona and Oak
The Handmaidens
R.I.P. Clothing
FYSH Clothing
Get Dressed
Captive Collective
indieNC
Old Broom Street
About SPARKcon:
SPARKcon showcases local creative talent in the NC Triangle. For four days, Raleigh’s Fayetteville St, public spaces, clubs and stages will be filled with art, music, dance, film, fashion, design, proposals, and more.
Celebrating local cultural richness and empowering action through an open-source approach to collaboration and cross-pollination, SPARKcon is not a funded city program or an economic development stunt. It’s completely grassroots and by the people for the people! Join us as we explore the creative spirit of the Triangle!
Contact information:
Ty Beddingfield
919-834-0079 x207
ty at gamilacompany dot com
Sat, September 5 2009 » BazaarSPARK, SparkCon09 » No Comments
SPARKcon Photography Policy
Given the growing nature of SPARKcon, photography of the event will be organized differently this year. Cheryl Gottschall and Bryan Regan will be our Overall Photographers. Their purpose will be to capture a few great shots of the whole event. As a result, they will not be documenting each and every work, artist or event in SPARKcon. We are asking each SPARK to reach out to their local community and recruit their own SPARK photographers. These photographers need to fill out the Photographer’s Release Form and submit their raw photos to each SPARK team. Each SPARK team is in turn, responsible for getting these photos to the Bobbleheads so we can create a central bank of them.
In our agreement, SPARKcon is trading special access to these events in exchange for rights to their images for SPARKcon purposes only. Of course the photographers retain ownership of their work and can do what they like with the images as well. SPARKcon will also request that each SPARK post at leat a few images to the SPARKcon flickr group.
We do ask all SPARKcon photos are tagged with sparkcon and ____SPARK whenever uploaded to sites like flickr. This will make for some fun web-fed interactive visualizations during the event.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thu, September 3 2009 » ArtSPARK, BazaarSPARK, DanceSPARK, FashionSPARK, FilmSPARK, GamingSPARK, GrafSPARK, IdeaSPARK, MusicSPARK, SparkCon09, StorySPARK, bikeSPARK, poetrySPARK » 4 Comments
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DanceSPARK 09 Greatly Expands Repertoire and Dance Instruction
RALEIGH (August 31, 2009) DanceSPARK has expanded into a much larger program this year that encourages appreciation as much as participation. From ballroom dancing classes in the street, to outdoor hoola hooping to stage performances and an entire 2 day dance academy of lessons, this year’s danceSPARK will try to get everyone into dance one way or another. DanceSPARK has been organized by Autumn Mist through a large network of dancers and instructors throughout the Triangle. Following is the lineup:
Ballroom Dancing in the Street
Juan Matta of Arthur Murray Dance Studio will lead three 35 minute dance sessions outside on Fayetteville Street from 5 to 7pm on Saturday Sep 19. The dances will be: Salsa, Swing and Tango. Bring your dancing shoes and enjoy the fall air!
Hoops in the Air
Come join Hoop instructor Caroleena and get that body wiggling to a drum circle! Caroleena will bring hoops to share – a favorite for kids and those who love to strengthen their core.
Dance Academy at Raleigh Ensemble Players
Join in the fun! Children and adults are invited to participate in a variety of free dance classes offered through the danceSPARK Dance Academy. See the below schedule for class descriptions, including any skill-level or age restrictions. Many classes are open to students with no previous dance experience! We encourage you to arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of each class as space is limited and participants will be admitted in order of arrival. Here is the schedule:
9am-10am: Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement by Bob Boyd
10:15am-11:45am: Modern Dance Technique by Autumn Mist Belk
12pm-1:15pm: Jazz Dance Technique by Gerren Mobley
4:15pm-5:30pm: InterPlay by Ginny Going & Tom Henderson
Super Small Dances
Super Small Dances is a series of small-scale dance concerts produced in REP’s upstairs studio space. Code f.a.d. Company and Footnotes Tap Ensemble present selections from their repertory, including a sneak preview of Code f.a.d. Company’s newest evening-length work Indulge. Each concert in approximately an hour long, and includes time for audience questions at the end of the show. Space is limited in the REP space, we encourage audience members to arrive 15-20 minutes prior to show-time to secure a seat. Schedule at Raleigh Ensemble Players Theater:
Saturday, September 19, 2009 at 2pm
Sunday, September 20, 2009 at 6pm
Main Stage Dances
danceSPARK presents a variety of dance entertainment on the SPARKcon main-stage. Prior to the Poetry Slam, enjoy a short selection of dance and acrobatics performed by Acroentertainment, nosi DANCE theatre, Footnotes Tap Ensemble, and Code f.a.d. Company.
About the Performers
Acroentertainment combines balance, acrobatics, and juggling with creative body movement. Founded in 2007, what started as a whimsical collaboration project between Kaci Torres and Katie Magee, began to attract attention. Sharing an enthusiasm for street performing and a desire for play and physical activity, Acroentertainment evolved. With their roots in partner yoga, gymnastics, and circus fundamentals, Acroentertainment explores oppositional forces in balance and expressive body position while maintaining a lively, entertaining atmosphere. Acroentertainment is currently based in Raleigh, NC.
Code f.a.d. Company (where f.a.d. in an acronym for film—art—dance) is a group of artists committed to combining film, visual art, and dance into precisely designed performance experiences. Artistic Director Autumn Mist Belk is a choreographer, dancer, filmmaker, and graphic designer and has previously shown her choreography and visual artwork in venues across the southeastern United States. Belk earned her B.A. in dance and studio art from the University of Alabama and her M.F.A. in dance from the University of Maryland. In addition to leading Code f.a.d. Company, Belk serves as the Assistant Director of the Dance Program at NC State University, where she teaches improvisation, modern and post-modern dance technique, and acrobatic conditioning. For more information on Code f.a.d. Company, including the October premiere of the evening-length dance and film work Indulge, visit codefadcompany.org.
Footnotes Tap Ensemble (FTE), a non-profit professional tap company, was founded by Robin Vail and Mimi Benjamin in 2002. The Ensemble’s mission is to promote, educate and perform this truly unique American dance art through annual Ensemble Concerts, Community Concerts and Tap Workshops. FTE continues to gain recognition through out the Triangle and the tap community for its varied and highly acclaimed repertoire and affordable workshops teaching “classic tap.” Footnotes has commissioned works from Michelle Dorrance, Josh Hilberman, Robert Perera, Dorothy Wasserman, Lane Alexander and Gene Medler; Director of the highly acclaimed North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble (NCYTE).
About SPARKcon:
SPARKcon showcases local creative talent in the NC Triangle. For four days, Raleigh’s Fayetteville St, public spaces, clubs and stages will be filled with art, music, dance, film, fashion, design, proposals, and more.
Celebrating local cultural richness and empowering action through an open-source approach to collaboration and cross-pollination, SPARKcon is not a funded city program or an economic development stunt. It’s completely grassroots and by the people for the people! Join us as we explore the creative spirit of the Triangle!
Contact information:
Autumn Mist
autumnmistarts@gmail.com
Thu, September 3 2009 » DanceSPARK, SparkCon09 » No Comments
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
filmSPARK announces line-up and sponsor for SPARKcon 2009.
RALEIGH (August 27, 2009) This year filmSPARK brings together a series of events designed to celebrate the bright and budding talent of Triangle filmmakers and provide talking points to encourage sustained film growth in North Carolina.
filmSPARK ’09 will kick off with a presentation at 4:45 p.m. on September 18th at Artspace in downtown Raleigh featuring North Carolina filmmaker, Chris Knight, as guest speaker. Knight will recount his tumultuous battle with VHI parent company Viacom after the media giant charged Knight with copyright infringement as a result of the posting of a clip from VHI’s “Web Junk 2.0” on YouTube. The clip featured Knight wielding a light saber and referencing Star Wars in a 2006 Board of Education campaign commercial produced by the filmmaker.
The second portion of filmSPARK will take place on Sunday, September 20th at Artspace where a roundtable event discussing “The State of Film in NC” is scheduled for 2 p.m. and the grand finale, a “Short” Film Festival, scheduled for 7 p.m. The roundtable event features guest speakers from all arenas of the local film community and includes Aaron Syrett, Director of the North Carolina Film Office, Devin and Marsha Orgeron North Carolina State University film professors, and David Fellerath, Arts Editor of the Independent Weekly. The discussion will center on the current state of the commercial film industry in North Carolina and cover topics such as the recent budget pass of the 25% film tax incentive, the Triangle as an independent film scene, local film marketing resources, and the future of film in North Carolina.
filmSPARK 2009 culminates in our annual screening and film festival. This year’s screening, the “Short” Film Festival, will feature film shorts from thirteen local filmmakers in the categories of “Freaks, Geeks, and Weirdos”, “Animate!”, and “Make Me Laugh, I Dare You”. Filmmakers whose works will be screened are:
Preston Campbell
Mike Ferrell,
Zach Finch
Michael Garske
Rich Gurnsey
Mike Holst
Nene Kalu
Tim Kiernan
A. J. Klingenmaier
Scott Renk
Nathan Rittenhouse
Marc Russo
Todd Tinkham.
filmSPARK 2009 is proud to be sponsored by Artspace.
About filmSPARK:
filmSPARK’s purpose is to join the Triangle’s film community in an ongoing dialogue about film production in order to inspire local filmmaker’s continued growth and presence.
About SPARKcon:
SPARKcon showcases local creative talent in the NC Triangle. For four days, Raleigh’s Fayetteville St, public spaces, clubs and stages will be filled with art, music, dance, film, fashion, design, proposals, and more.
Celebrating local cultural richness and empowering action through an open-source approach to collaboration and cross-pollination, SPARKcon is not a funded city program or an economic development stunt. It’s completely grassroots and by the people for the people! Join us as we explore the creative spirit of the Triangle!
Contact Information:
Kathy Justice (336) 202-1271/ k.l.justice@hotmail.com
Nene Kalu (919) 604-2827/ film@sparkcon.com
Thu, September 3 2009 » FilmSPARK, SparkCon09 » No Comments
Fast forward to 25:50. Thanks to Ellen Fragola!
http://tr.im/xNM6
Thu, September 3 2009 » News, SparkCon09 » No Comments
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GamingSPARK to Highlight the Community’s Video Game Designers and Developers
RALEIGH (September 3, 2009) Local students and video game developers will show off their latest projects for the first ever gamingSPARK. The list includes a broad range of categories including Serious, Casual, Mobile, and Student. These games will all take the spotlight September 18 at 5 p.m. at Urban Design Center located in downtown Raleigh on the corner of Fayetteville and Hargett Street.
Attendees will also be able to enjoy an exclusive demonstration on Alii Motion Technology presented by Alex Lian of Duke University. This cross-platform technology has the capability to turn any standard webcam into a motion controller for a casual, fun, real-action gaming experience.
The featured designers and developers are:
Serious Games:
“DARTT: During Action Review Tactical Trainer” Submitted by: Chris Hazard of Hazardous Software Inc.
”Virtual Peace” Submitted by: Patrick Herron
“Neotokyo” Submitted by: Studio Radi-8
“Venuegen” Submitted by: The Venue Network
Casual Games:
“DQ Tycoon” Submitted by: Spark Plug Games
“Creeper World” Submitted by: Virgil Wall of Knuckle Cracker
Student Games:
“Alii Motion Technology” Submitted by: Alex Lian of Duke University
“Spectral Assult” Submitted by: PiRadical Studios (A group of 9 NC State students)
“Quark” Submitted by: Mitch Johnson of Wake Tech
Mobile Games:
“StickWars” Submitted by: John Hartzog
“Aya Go” Submitted by: Spark Plug Games
“Witch’s Workshop” Submitted by: Spark Plug Games
“Hyper Word” Submitted by: Bee Appi
GamingSPARK was coordinated by Megan Wood, with support from local game industry professionals Christy White, Steve Greene, Troy Knight, Jeff Palumbo, Jason Sponaugle, Meghan Murphy, and Alexander Macris. Event sponsored by
About SPARKcon:
SPARKcon showcases local creative talent in the NC Triangle. For four days, Raleigh’s Fayetteville St, public spaces, clubs and stages will be filled with art, music, dance, film, fashion, design, proposals, video games, and more.
Celebrating local cultural richness and empowering action through an open-source approach to collaboration and cross-pollination, SPARKcon is not a funded city program or an economic development stunt. It’s completely grassroots and by the people for the people! Join us as we explore the creative spirit of the Triangle!
For further information contact:
Megan Wood
mwood@themis-media.com
919-806-4209
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Thu, September 3 2009 » GamingSPARK, News, SparkCon09 » No Comments
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Poole’s to host FashionSPARK Cocktail
RALEIGH (September 2, 2009) If you’re sticking around for Labor Day Weekend, you can’t miss the FashionSPARK cocktail party hosted by Poole’s Diner this Sunday, Sept. 6 from 5-7 p.m.
Chef Ashley Christiansen is working with FashionSPARK organizers to design a signature menu of hors d’oeuvres and cocktails for the event. The cost is just $50 per person, which includes all food and drink.
Mingle with this year’s amazing crop of designers, enjoy music by DJ SPCLGST, and help support one of the Triangle’s most anticipated fashion events of the year. Please contact allison@sparkcon.com to reserve seats as space is limited.
Proceeds of the cocktail will go toward production costs of the all-volunteer FashionSPARK show that will take overFayetteville Street on Friday Sept. 18 at 8 p.m. The fourth-annual show will feature new work from 15 local fashion designers and body artists. Designers partner with area salons for hair and makeup styling and local recording artists for the walk down the runway.
FashionSPARK is produced by Allison Beale, with support from Isaac Panzarella, production manager, Jessie Clough, salon coordinator, Angel Feimster-Montoya, talent coordinator, Andi Shelton, ShopSPARK organizer and Jennifer Powell, media coordinator.
About SPARKcon:
SPARKcon showcases local creative talent in the NC Triangle. For four days, Raleigh’s Fayetteville Street, public spaces, clubs and stages will be filled with art, music, dance, film, fashion, design, proposals, and more.
Celebrating local cultural richness and empowering action through an open-source approach to collaboration and cross-pollination, SPARKcon is not a funded city program or an economic development stunt. It’s completely grassroots and by the people for the people! Join us as we explore the creative spirit of the Triangle!
###
Allison Beale
919.755.3625
allison@sparkcon.com
Wed, September 2 2009 » FashionSPARK » No Comments
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PoetrySPARK to Showcase Major Literary Talent
RALEIGH (September 1, 2009) SPARKcon is pleased to enhance its focus on local creative poets. With more than 80 local talented poets showcased across two evenings, the Triangle poetry scene will cut across genres and venues to bring out the best in local poetry.
Organized by Cal Nordt and the poetrySPARK Team of: Glenn Cassidy, Jenn Mercer, Cal Nordt, Jo Taylor, and Chris Tonelli, the event promises to be diverse and intense.
Friday night will bring the following:
Alice Osborn’s monthly event transforms into poetrySPARK for a night. Raleigh poet, editor, and freelance writer Alice Osborn will lead her popular Open Mic at the Morning Times with about 20 poets participating. Friday night’s large Open Mic reading might still have openings – contact Alice Osborn if interested: avosborn@earthlink.net.
The Saturday lineup at the Morning Times:
6 pm with Formal/Metrical poetry headlined by Carolyn Beard Whitlow & David Bradsher, and readings by Lee Anne McClymont, Celisa Steele, John V. Wood, & Jo Taylor.
At 7:30 headliners Joanna Catherine Scott & David T. Manning read with Nellie Bellows, Sara Claytor, Scott Douglass, Bruce Lader, Jenn Mercer, Elio Soldi, & Corrie White.
“Humor Me” begins at 9 featuring headliners Alex Grant & Richard Krawiec, with readings by Glenn Cassidy, Edmund Conti, Jim Koger & Chris Tonelli.
At 10 “Experimental” is headlined by Joe Donahue, Tom Lisk, and Jon Thompson (appearing at a different time), with readers Jenny Eggleston, Joe Fletcher, Ana Lena, David Need, & Cal Nordt.
Other literary events are programmed by the complimentary StorySPARK team, which is organizing a PoetrySlam on the Main Stage and Erotic Poetry at Humble Pie. Both events are planned for Saturday Sep 19.
About SPARKcon:
SPARKcon showcases local creative talent in the NC Triangle. For four days, Raleigh’s Fayetteville St, public spaces, clubs and stages will be filled with art, music, dance, film, fashion, design, proposals, and more.
Celebrating local cultural richness and empowering action through an open-source approach to collaboration and cross-pollination, SPARKcon is not a funded city program or an economic development stunt. It’s completely grassroots and by the people for the people! Join us as we explore the creative spirit of the Triangle!
Contact information:
Cal Nordt
919-900-8712
cal@sparkcon.com
Wed, September 2 2009 » SparkCon09, StorySPARK, poetrySPARK » No Comments