Santa Fe Public Schools Mill Levy Passes
District will get $12.7 million per year until 2018
by Alexa SchirtzingerJust under 5 percent of registered voters in the Santa Fe Public Schools district turned out yesterday to approve property tax-based funding for school construction, repair and infrastructure.
Think New Mexico Bills pass unanimously in House
by R Harrison DildayThe 2012 Legislative session is poised to take back control of the New Mexico PRC with the aid of nonprofit think tank Think New Mexico.
TUESDAY: Vote on Santa Fe Public Schools Funding
Mill levy funds classroom technology, construction and infrastructure improvements
by Alexa SchirtzingerThis Tuesday, Feb. 7, residents of the Santa Fe Public Schools district will vote on whether to continue to offer approximately $12.7 million in annual, property tax-based funding for the district.
SFPS Teacher Resigns, Citing Unsavory Practices
Middle School has serious security issues, he alleges
by Wren AbbottAn Ortiz Middle School teacher is resigning effective Feb. 29, citing "unsavory practices within Santa Fe Public Schools" and a district-wide "dangerous situation."
Santa Fe Gives Another Try on Zoning Bill
The bill would help make new condominiums compliant with city zoning laws.
by Joey PetersFor the second year in a row, city officials in Santa Fe are lobbying the legislature for a bill that would give cities the option to require new condominiums to meet city zoning requirements.
Sweet-ass event at Baca Railyard
Caldera Gallery and Counter Culture Cafe collaborate on dinner theater
by MatthewIrwinCaldera Gallery and Counter Culture Cafe in the Baca Railyard present a dinner theater event, Feb. 29. Tickets are $75.
Community in Confusion
ARCOS Dance looks at teen identity in context of technology
by Sara Malinowski“It’s a way to involve young artists…push and evolve them," Artistic Director Curtis Uhlemann says. “Some are just as good, or even better, than some of our professionals.â€
Unable to afford full crews, Uhlemann and his assistant directors, Erica Gionfriddo and Elliot Fisher, do the work of 30 people, continuing to make to-do lists for lighting, sound and set design.
The energy of the room matches the energy of the show. In the rush to grow up, the main character, Tommy, finds himself lost and confused, struggling to write his college essays, “summarizing himself in a page.†By the end, he finds community in his confusion – everyone is searching for an answer.
Music drums through Tommy’s head—Radiohead, Sigur Ros, Pat Metheny—and erupts through the speakers behind us. Dancers jump to our left, and Tommy climbs stairs to our right. We find ourselves swept into the turmoil of a young boy’s mind, more specifically a boy of this generation, in the age of technology.
Young dancers gracefully lead 15 iMac laptops to the stage, the dancers faces squished into nylon stockings. They are suffocating, gyrating with bewilderment. Their bodies express the epitome of teenage angst, radiating throughout the show. Precision of movement is not the focus here (as it would be in a classical ballet). Rather, modern dance articulates exhaustion and restlessness.
All this agitation being anchored to the past, Tommy looks back on his friendship with Brian, who raises the intensity and scope of the show when he confesses, over a game of cards, that he’s gay. The coming-out scene has particular significance to the show’s writers, who wanted to address a high suicide-rate in the LGBT community, as well as the fact that hate crimes reached a new high in 2011.
“It’s disheartening to see these kids suffer and really feel alone,†Uhlemann says. “The character that comes out in the show feels like he could never tell anyone, even his best friend.â€
Tommy is surprised by his friend’s confession, but he continues their card game as if nothing has changed in their friendship. It is genuine and relaxed, in opposition to the earlier high-strung scenes.
A Vaudeville scene, a Skype interaction, multimedia images, videography across various walls and a bathtub dance propel this show into truly unique territory, not often experienced on Broadway these days.
Thirty dancers stand out of breath, their hair in disarray, as lights come up. The sense of community is apparent. The performance surely mirrors the dance company’s story. They have found a way, through all the chaos, to bond together. “It’s exciting, and it’s completely consumed us,†Uhelmann says.
South Side Community Project Wraps Up First Phase
Health care, child care and public parks dominate the discussion.
by Joey PetersRoughly 35 people attended a community meeting last week at Sweeney Elementary School as part of the Southwest Area Planning Initiative, which aims to give residents a say in the area's rapid commercial and residential development.
Slideshow: D Numbers 10th Anniversary
It was a real family affair
by MatthewIrwin
2012 Pop Quiz: City Council Dist. 4
by Joey Peters SFR wraps up its city council candidate pop quizzes with District 4, where two former councilors are vetting to get back into the game.
My Reincarnation
Father-son relationship sets pace for film about faith, family and freedom
by NikaukAbout three years ago, I had an out of body experience. Asleep in bed with my boyfriend in the early dawn, I found myself suddenly standing at the foot of my bed, looking at the figures in the bed, unsure which was myself. Was I the man or the woman?
As the girl started to move, I felt drawn toward the bed and remembered that I was her, the female, the one worried about her future, her brother and her bank account.
I woke up, sat up in bed and stared at my boyfriend. Who was this? What agreements had we made? What small, fast life would we enact this time around?
This instance turned out to be one of many proving to me the existence of the soul. Skeptics might argue that the experience was simply a dream, but the family of My Reincarnation would likely see things my way.
My Reincarnation is a documentary about spirituality, but almost as an afterthought. It spans 25 years of Reincarnate Tibetan Spiritual Master Chögyal Namkhai Norbu as he struggles to save his spiritual tradition, and his Italian born son, Yeshi, who initially refuses to follow in his father’s footsteps. Family, father and son relationships, work and education are the dominate themes.
The film is also about the oppression of Tibet, about past and future lives, about testing faith and coming home. It’s about shirking responsibilities and coming back to pick them up and after 25 years. It’s about growing up and growing old.
Jennifer Fox filmed, directed and produced this documentary, leaving me to wonder how a white girl from the old US of A so intimately captured the struggle or dharma of life even among the most spiritually dedicated. She beautifully illustrates the delicate balance many of us strive to achieve between work, passion and family.
My Reincarnation plays at CCA Cinematheque through Nov. 17.
SLIDESHOW: Occupy Santa Fe
by Laura GerwinCheck out SFR intern Laura Gerwin's awesome photos of Occupy Santa Fe!
Lee on Literature: Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts
by LeeMillerThis week, Lee Miller examines the downfall of Three Cups of Tea author Greg Mortenson through the tales of another egomaniacal hustler: Gregory David Roberts. READ MORE
Lee on Literature: The Wild Palms (William Faulkner)
Floods and humanity converge and transcend in Faulkner's stories of the South
by LeeMillerIn his second installment of literary analysis, Lee Miller explores how surging rivers and raw humanity converge in the work of William Faulkner.
Broken Heart
Corazón closes its doors
by Rani MollaAfter two and a half years as a Santa Fe music scene staple, nightclub Corazón has closed. Its owners announced Friday, June 24 via Facebook that the multiple Best Of Santa Fe readers' poll winner would close its doors the following day.
Lee on Literature: The Collector, by John Fowles
by LeeMillerSFR welcomes author Lee Miller in his first column, which examines current events through a literary lens. This week, a 1963 novel lends eerie insight into contemporary sexual violence.
McCain/Palin 2008/2012
HBO film takes politics back in time
by Rani MollaIn a sight for sore liberal eyes, the McCain/Palin campaign took over Cathedral Park Monday, June 13. Actually a plumped-up Ed Harris (as John McCain) led a rally there for HBO film Game Change about the ill-fated 2008 Republican campaign.
Farm Fresh
Local restaurants serve up a local bounty.
by Rani MollaFor Santa Fe Alliance's Second Annual Farm to Restaurant Project Benefit, try a bounty of local food at Il Piatto tonight, then again in two weeks at Aztec Street Café and Restaurant.
Giving Back the Music
Music fundraiser benefits those who've frequently fundraised for others.
by Rani MollaA fire destroyed the home of Cara Levick and Paul Feathericci, the latter better known as DJ Feathericci, Friday, June 3. Both were unharmed but they lost their two dogs. Santa Fe is chipping in this Saturday at Corazón with a show to benefit a DJ who has frequently played for the benefits of others.
How's the Water
Interdisciplinary art event focuses on the Santa Fe River.
by Rani Molla
