Event: First Friday at Ong King Arts Center
Time and Place: Ong King Arts Center, 184 N. King St.,
Friday, February 2nd, 5pm-2am (art gallery opening
5pm-9pm, performance 9pm-2am)
Cost: 10$ (art opening free)
Who Can Attend: All Ages!
More Info: see@ongking.com
FIRST FRIDAY: February 2nd at Ong King Arts Center
Not one or two, but 5 touring mainland performers from
a wide range of mediums team up with local talent to
headline Ong King’s ever blossoming First Friday. The
brilliantly colorful Tibetan Art of Dhyana Zagri is
coupled with the ceramic artistry of Brenda Garrett in
the gallery. These art openings set the scene of
creation, singer/poet Iyeoka returns from Boston to
groove with the ever electrifying Quadraphonix, LA
based/world touring band She Flies will play with
guitar virtuoso Scott Huckabay, in from Brooklyn
NYC/Nuyorican Slam Poet Oveious Maximus will release a
poetic feast, Sammy returns from off island adventures
to lead Giinko Marischino and Coco Chandelier in a
dance fusing drag and Butoh, circus juggler The
Amazing TJ, couples with DOctor MAgic to give MC SEE
plenty to praise on this night of good people,
tremendous talent and physical, verbal, visual, and
audible poetry.
father-mother
ART GALLERY OPENING: Featured Artist: Dhyana Zagri.
Dhyana’s current series of originals are based on
Tibetan Thangka Art. Each work represents her
interpretation of a specific Tibetan Buddhist deity,
each one with its own meaning and purpose, based on
this rich, ancient, cultural tradition. When asked
about this body of work Dhyana said
“I first encountered this culture at the Tibetan
Freedom Festival held in Washington D.C. in June of
1998. I was fascinated by the beautifully intricate
designs of a sand mandala being created by the monks
and the fact that they would destroy it upon
completion. This was done to represent the
impermanence of all things. I love this art because
it represents the profound wisdom of the Tibetan
culture, encouraging us to live our lives with
compassion for all sentient beings, and to be aware of
the impermanence of this world.”
Dharmapala
Dhyana is also featured monthly, as an on stage artist
at Kealoha’s First Thursday Poetry Slam. She has
created hand painted images for designers Anna Lucas
and Sachi Design. More recently she has introduced
her own line of hand painted trucker style hats with
themes that include traditional Japanese and western
tattoo designs as well as some carefully selected
Tibetan images. http://wayofthewindhorse.com
Brenda Garrett- Wave Panel
Brenda Garrett is a ceramic artist with over 30 years
of high and low fire experience, “I choose clay as my
media because it offers texture and dimension that is
lacking in painting. I hope to inspire the viewer to
want to reach out and touch the surface of my work.”
Brenda bridges old world craftsmanship with modern
technology by employing graphic arts computer programs
for design development. Moving to Hawaii has caused
water, marine life, Asian and Polynesian themes to be
a major part of her ceramic compositions.
www.happycricket.com
Iyeoka
MUSIC CONCERT: Nigerian American, Boston Native Iyeoka
Ivie Okoawo performed with Quadraphonix in November at
oNg kinG, she liked the sound so much she returned to
record and perform with them again. Iyeoka merges
poetry and music to inspire a new generation of
audiences who demand more from the current direction
of mainstream music. She has opened up for numerous
artist such as Gil Scot Heron with the Jeff Robinson
Trio and most recently Vivian Green performing at
Afrocentrics. She has been a featured guest at the
House of Blues in Boston, the Cambridge Center for
Adult Education, and Avalon where she opened for the
hip-hop/soul Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam airing on HBO and
was a highlight on the
late night CBS hip hop show The SOURCE ALL ACCESS. In
2004 Iyeoka released her second album LP “Black and
Blues” through Phanai Records. www.iyeoka.com
Quardraphonix
Quadraphonix includes sitar player Shree Sadagopan,
drummer and Ong kING founder Jonathan Heroux, double
bass player Susan Cropp, new bass player Tino and
percussionist Eli Clemens.
Los Angeles based She Flies teams up fellow touring
musician Scott Huckabay to mix their intimate vocals,
with his intricate guitar.
She Flies is, Alexandra Boone – Vocals, Keyboards and
Ellen Weaver – Vocals, Flute. “This is the music I’ve
dreamed about making since I was a little girl. It’s
intense and powerful and vulnerable and a little edgy.
It’s rock totally reinterpreted. I feel like we’re
always on the edge – constantly pushing our barriers -
musically and personally. It’s liberating. It’s
intense too.” –Alexandra. Over the past year She Flies
has performed at festivals in California, Arizona,
Colorado, Nevada, Utah and Idaho. The limited
Pre-Release Version of their debut CD “Possessed” sold
out in a matter of months, and fans are already lining
up to buy the final version (due for release in
January 2007).
Alexandra from She Flies
Alexandra Boone was raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. She
represented Hawaii in the Polynesian Music Festival in
the Cooke Islands.
Alexandra moved to Los Angeles in 1998, since then she
has appeared on over 50 professional recordings,
including the best-selling new age CDs “Voyage,” “Isle
of Dreams,” and “A Winter’s Journey”(Sugo Records).
Scott Huckabay has performed with such artists as
Chicago, Joe Satriani, Crosby, Stills & Nash, and
Bonnie Raitt. He has recorded and produced seven
musical recordings on the Soundings of the Planet
label, whose motto is Peace Through Music.
Scott Huckabay
DANCE PERFORMANCE: Sammy of Coco Chandelier displays a
wild theatrical array of fun, while the Giinko
Marischino stretches the imagination. The Giinko
Marischino dancers met within Iona Dance Company in
1995. They have combined their Butoh skills with a
wide range of modern improvisation to create a unified
unique style.
Giinko Marischino
SLAM POET: Oveous Maximus is a native New Yorker who’s
roots go back to ?the Dominican Republic. He started
writing and performing ?in New York City one summer
after losing ?his only brother Carlos “Ziiinc Blue” to
suicide. In the name of his brother Oveous works to
uplift and rejoice the spirits of all people. He is
currently the 2006 NYC louderARTS Poetry slam
champion. He has been seen on NBC and UPN for Showtime
at the Apollo.
Ove
CIRCUS THEATRICS: Festival favorite The Amazing TJ,
delights with juggling anything. His glowing balls and
chairs dance in the air while his chin balances the
weight of an entire shopping cart!
Gravity is defied by DOctOr MaGic. Playing with space,
and toying with time he will make an aluminum can spin
weightless in mid air.
MC SEE layers the night together with linguistic
interludes and shouts of praise to all.
