Dish-Houston

BY DISH CONTRIBUTOR SCOTT ARTHUR:

You have GOT to see FELA!                                  

There are only a few more days to experience emotion, courage, dance, politics and music all in one interactive, electrifying show.

FELA!  Is a hybrid musical that grabs your eyes and ears in the opening moments and soon touches your heart and soul as the story of the rebellious world and life of Afrobeat legend, Nigerian musician and Human Rights activist Fela Anikulapo-Kuti unfolds.

The audience is immediately part of the performance as we play the patrons of FELA’s popular night club called “Shrine.” We are asked (told) to sit, stand, repeat and   applaud – all of which we’d willingly do anyway as a reaction to this unique and compelling multi – media musical. The energy onstage is non-stop. You’ll leave the theater excited and inspired. Proudly produced by Houston’s Society for the Performing Arts, this show is a hit and not to be missed.

Tickets are ON SALE NOW! Ticket prices range from $30-$80 and may be purchased online, by phone at 713-227-4772 or at the courtyard level ticket office at Jones Hall located at 615 Louisiana St.

 BY DISH CONTRIBUTOR: COURTNEY PEARCE

While walking into Bring It On: The Musical at The Hobby Center, I couldn’t help but wonder, “How would this world of cheerleading translate onto the stage, let alone into a musical?” Doubts were removed with the first song! The on-stage story was a blend of the first two movies with a little spin of its own. Music was by Tom Kitt and Lin-Manuel Miranda, who also provided the lyrics with Amanda Green, blended well with the humorous script of playwright Jeff Whitty. Surprises abounded with the mix of pop and hip-hop numbers blending seamlessly with the story line.

This was a story of two rival high schools, each in it to win it, of course, at the National Cheerleading competition is the base of the typical teen angst story line that includes making friends, losing friends, and finding out what is really important in the end.

The main players of the show are up and comer, Taylor Louderman, who plays Campbell, and Adrienne Warren, who plays Danielle. These two leading ladies shake it and had the pipes to go with it! What voices! Wait until see Louderman in her leprechaun number!

The two characters who really stole the show, however, are Ryann Redmond, who plays Bridget, and Gregory Haney, who plays La Cienega. Redmond’s character is the school mascot who isn’t given a second look, but blossoms when she is moved to Jackson High. It’s there that becomes a gorgeous “sex kitten” THE prime choice! Redmond’s vocals are a highlight of the show. Haney, who is one fierce diva, delivers her witty lines and fierce dance moves to perfection and these are just a few reasons her character shines in the spotlight.

The gravity defying cheerleaders in the show were selected in collaboration with Varsity, a global leader in competitive cheerleading. The stunts right on, not too over the top, which can be the case in movies, but just enough to get the theater ohh-ing and ahh-ing over their baskets and flips. The on stage tumbling made a huge impact and, as expected, the dance choreography intermingled with the cheer routines was flawless.

Overall, Bring It On exceeded all expectations. Thinking there couldn’t be a comparison to the movie, the stage show left me smiling and laughing. It’s only here until February 5^th so I highly recommend high kicking it over to that box office fast!

DISH Publisher Lori Freese has been honored with an invite to be one of the "Stars" for Halo House Foundation 's gala on November 5th at the Intercontinental Hotel.

Halo House Foundation is a non-profit organization serving people with blood cancers by mitigating a large portion of the financial burden associated with the cost of housing during the patient's stay in Houston.

They do this by providing a fully furnished apartment for $20 per day where the person and their family or caregiver can stay from two weeks to two months while receiving active treatment for their cancer.

Referrals to Halo House come from doctors, social workers, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Houston, and Houston's other charitable facilities.

So you can see why DISH wanted to be invloved...but there is another reason...Lori's dance partner! WOW!

Cristiano Callegariis a professional ballroom dancer and coach who helps his students and audience understand the realm of dance. Dance has been the main focus and passion of Cristiano’s life since the age of nine. Padova, a city in northern Italy, is where Cristiano began his training. From this beginning in Padova, Cristiano has received much recognition and fulfilled many opportunities. He pursued his training with the best coaches in the world and soon attained the Italian Ten Dance title for two consecutive years. After success on the competitive dance floor, the Italian Dance Federation requested that he and his partner would participate in the New Latin Expression. Cristiano also won the winning title on a televised ballroom show airing in Italy which led to his employment with the television company for choreography. The Italian Dance Federation also made Cristiano the teacher of  Italian DanceSport Syllabus because of his wisdom and artistry of the figures. Travel soon took Cristiano to southern Italy where he began to establish a substantial amount of business. Within a short time, twenty studios were spread throughout southern Italy. In addition to the dance studios, at this time Cristiano was traveling to Greece and Spain where he coached and judged competitions. Cristiano left a trace of his dance by forming the Mediterranean Open Championship. Cristiano had seen Ballroom dancing in Italy grow so much that he wanted to open new doors. He traveled to the United States in 2005 and immediately began to compete. 

He's absolutely amazing and can make anyone look like they've been dancing their entire lives!

Below is a sneak preview of Cristiano and Lori performing their routine on the Fox 26 Morning Show.

Dancing with 'Stars' for a Cause: MyFoxHOUSTON.com

If you want to see the entire performance...which is MUCH sexier than this made for tv performance, you can still buy tickets for the November 5th event by CLICKING HERE

If you can't attend the event, you can vote for your favorite "Star" and we're sure your fav is the Head DISH Lori Freese by CLICKING HERE  Every dollar goes straight to the Halo House Foundation AND you get a tax deductible receipt!

See you on the Dance floor DISHIES!

We lost an amazing Texas last week but the world continues to remember him in the most beautiful ways. Patrick Swayze brought dance to the forefront of main stream media well paving the way for shows like So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With The Stars. He was a guest on DWTS last season and therefore the show created this touching tribute to him...get your tissue ready! We had big crocodile tears!

God Bless and rest your soul, Partick