Greenwich Park Event All Next Week

Dragon's Song

Time: 11am, 1pm, 3pm

Where: In the playground of Greenwich Park

What is it?: Traditional storytelling combining physical theatre, fooling and musical instruments.

Kathakali: classical dance-drama from South India

To celebrate its 21st anniversary, The Kala Chethena Kathakali Theatre Company, one of the world’s foremost Indian dance companies presents a UK tour of Kathakali: classical dance-drama from South India featuring legendary Kathakali master Kalamandalam Gopi.

Kathakali - meaning ‘story play’ - embraces drama, dance, music, visual arts and ritual to create one of the world’s most exotic, visually exciting, and powerful forms of theatre. Colourful costumes and elaborate three dimensional make-up (known as ‘chutti’) magically transform the actors into gods, kings, devils and princesses, allowing them to tell universal stories of the struggle between good and evil through gesture, emotion and expression.

Ancient and classical in nature, Kathakali embodies centuries of Asian tradition and culture. It is not simply a dance-drama but an act of devotion combined with physical virtuosity and symbolic storytelling.

Kathakali originated in the temples of Kerala, South India, over 500 years ago, and most of the characters and stories are derived from Hindu epics. Spiritual, social and personal issues form the basis of the stories, and many topics have resonance with modern life: tales of war, power, single parent families, gambling, homelessness, murder, theft, love, marriage, forgiveness and loyalty are all touched on.

The Kala Chethena Kathakali Theatre Company, featuring visiting internationally renowned artists from Kerala, South India - including world famous Kathakali master, Kalamandalam Gopi - celebrates its 21st anniversary year with this ten week UK tour, taking in venues from Somerset to the isolated villages of Scotland.

Formed in 1987, the company is now the foremost exponent of Kathakali, and this tour offers a rare opportunity to see such eminent artists perform this exceptional, legendary artform, and experience extraordinary non-western theatre and culture.

For show timings which start in September and run through to November 2008, see: www.kathkali.net

Hand-covered catalogues unveiled

The Viewfinder Photography Gallery in Greenwich, south east London, has just unveiled an innovative collection of exhibition catalogues - we are delighted to offer these bespoke catalogues to our visitors, photography lovers and book collectors.

The catalogues are produced using the latest print-on-demand techniques, hand-covered with traditional buckram (bookcloth) and ribbon, and feature a tipped-in print on the cover.

Besides using print on demand technology, in itself more environmentally responsible than traditional printing in bulk, the handbound cases are designed to hold catalogues from any exhibition which allows the gallery to produce copies to order and so minimise waste.

Bookbinding is something of a dying art and the Viewfinder Photography Gallery is proud to be supporting London bookbinders, and to be combining new print on demand technology with traditional craftsmanship.

Poets, journalists, art writers, academics and photographers contribute substantial texts for the catalogues, providing further background and research on each exhibition.

The catalogues are on sale now, priced £20, or £10 for the softback version without the case. Advance orders are also being taken for boxed sets of 10, priced at £180.


For more information or further images, call 020 8858 8351 or email louise@viewfinder.org.uk

A Pie to Warm the Heart

Ingredients:

1 pack of fresh English Spinach leaves, steamed and drained
400g of sliced butternut squash
1/2 bag of frozen mixed peppers
200g of sliced fresh mushrooms
1 large brown onion, sliced
1/2 tin of thick condensed mushroom soup
A dash of nutmeg
2 tsp of Parmesan cheese
2 sheets of rolled puff pastry

How to make it:

1. Spray the pan with non stick cooking spray and add the onions and mushrooms, saute until tender. Add the peppers and saute again until tender. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add Salt and pepper to taste.
2. Add the mushroom soup and stir and allow to simmer for another 15 minutes. Remove from pan.
3. In an oven proof dish, lay out the first sheet of puff pastry at the bottom of dish. Now we start layering. First spread out the cooked spinach leaves, then the roasted butternut squash on top. Then pour out the contents of the pot on top of all that and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and nutmeg.
4. Cover the contents of the oven proof dish with the second layer of puff pastry and seal the edges so it looks like a pie. Make several slits and place in the oven to cook.

Beat the Dull Weather with TGG's Tips

With ghastly weather upon us today, we've come up with a few tricks to lifts those blues and put a smile on your face:


1. Make it a chocolate day (We're loving white Maltesers): we're giving you the best excuse ever to go out and buy bagloads of the stuff. From the first bite we could nearly swear the birds were chirping again and the sky was slightly less dull.


2. Go bright: Stand out from the dark dreary setting by donning yourself with bright colors from head to toe. Not only will that cute guy finally notice you but it should also make you feel like it's still summer even though the universe seems to disagree. A great day for red lipstick. Trust us, it works!


3. Book a manicure and pedicure: It's indoors and it will make you feel loved. Besides, they say the sun's coming out tomorrow so you'll be prepared whether for snuggling up (barefoot best) with someone if it doesn't or for donning your work sandals to work tomorrow if the sun does decide to shine. It's a win win situation.


4. Watch Big Brother: by the time you're done with an hour's watching (if you last that long), it should make your life and self esteem a hundred fold better.


5. Watch a movie: We're loving Atonement. It's depressing, it's romantic, it's the best way to end an already miserable day anyway. You can always start again tomorrow.


6. Wear a sunhat all day whether indoors or outdoors. We know it's raining but it's the summer dammit.


7. Have two (or three) glasses of wine. It's raining, the toes and manicures and pedicures have gone unnoticed, the hair's gone flat and frizzy. Enough said.

Free Summer Series at Canary Wharf

All events listed are free:

Summer Screen: Canada Square Park

10-13 July: Scottish Golf Open

17-20 July: British Golf Open

16 July, 7pm, Canada Square Park: The Royal Opera's The Marriage of Figaro (Part of BP Summer Big Screens).

21 -25 July: Mon-Thu 12-2pm/ Fri 6-9:30pm: Canada Square Park: Park Sounds (live music from emerging artists).

For more details see mycanarywharf.com

UK Bollywood Dance Championships 2008 Tomorrow

8 July 2008
Venue: The Hackney Empire, Main House
Price(s): £10, £7 when you buy 10 or more

Time: 7pm


Diva Entertainments & Honey Kalaria present UK Bollywood Dance Championships 2008, allowing Bollywood dancers from the UK to compete for the prestigious overall title.

All dance styles represented in Bollywood will be welcome in the competition, including Belly dance and Bhangra to Indian Classical Hip Hop.

The show will not only leave the audience entertained with breath taking dances, superb choreography, vibrant costumes and energetic performers, but will also display the beauty of Eastern art and culture represented by the fashionable and trendy world of Bollywood.

Honey's Dance Academy students will provide additional entertainment and stage a fashion show displaying their new HDA Bollyfitness range of clothing.

Nearly Nothing: An Exhibition of International Photographers

This exhibition rekindles the historic debate as to whether photographers can be considered image makers rather than purely documenters. The exhibition further questions how much information we need to read an image, whether we need to be able to read an image at all, what level of accompanying text is required to make such images comprehensible.

These photographers use the camera to create innovative, poetic images rather than simply to record: photographing scenes where there is no immediately obvious subject matter (as with Gerd Hasler's waterscapes, in which water is reduced to monochrome images; Mike Whelan's series of interiors abstracted to light and form; and Mark Bellingham's photographs taken from moving trains, allowing for chance compositions), photographing what is not quite there (Nicola Probert's photograph of her parents' half-hearted redecorating attempts), or photographing the outright invisible (Isidro Ramirez's documentation of the scenes of his dreams and longings).
Equally, there are more literal photographs of nothingness: Hamish Pringle, in his first photographic project, photographs a sealed window in St Tropez; Kelly Hill photographs her daughter in a hazy light in an attempt to suggest the fragility of childhood.

Participating photographers
Mark Bellingham
Gerd Hasler
Kelly Hill
Jockel Liess
Hamish Pringle
Nicola Probert
Isidro Ramirez
Gregor Stephan
Mike Whelan

Hinterspace by Steve Gross, commissioned to accompany Nearly Nothing:
In the blurring of the edges
The whisper is heard
With more urgency than
The shout can draw attention
To
This is all that this is all about
Listen particularly for
The sweetness of the singer when lingering
For a whisper delivered as a kiss
In the issue of art we are all missionaries
Waiting for the congregation to enable us to sing our song
Whilst longing to be heard
All we have is
The urgency of silence
As we combine our wishing to
Bring the kissing on.
How delightfully insightful to be able to
See through to get a new glimpse
Of the dreamstate contingency which
Eclipses us to simplify love.
Catalogue entry by
Dominic Patterson: postdoctural research assistant at Glasgow University

Exhibition dates:
12th July to 17th August 2008

Exhibition open
Monday to Friday, 9-5pm
Saturday and Sunday, 12-4pm

Admission
Free

Venue
Viewfinder Photography Gallery,
Linear House, Peyton Place, off Royal Hill,
Greenwich, London SE10 8RS

Transport
Greenwich (DLR and Rail, 8 mins from London Bridge)
Cutty Sark (DLR)

Contact the curator Louise Forrester for more information:
gallery@viewfinder.org.uk
020 8858 8351
07949 764 022
www.viewfinder.org.uk
The Viewfinder Photography Gallery is a not-for-profit gallery in Greenwich, south east London, which shows the work of emerging art photographers.

Deaf Use Drama Show Today

Big Dreams is the title of a self penned play the Deaf Use drama group, which explores students' experiences of being deaf. It has its premier today and the free event, which is open to the public, will be performed at Shooters Hill Post 16 Campus, on Red Lion Lane.


The play has been produced in association with D Roots Theatre, set up by two deaf actors. For tickets turn up at the campus before the show starts at 7pm.


Tel: 020 8319 9700

The Greenwich Gazette's WeekEnd Guide

Saturday 5, July 2008

Albany Gardens (Sat & Sun): fun and games for all the family. Events run from 2-5pm and include games, DJs, live music, clowns, BBQ. crafts and circus workshops. On Sunday at 1pm the Madcap Mardi Gras parade will make its way down Deptford High Street. Details on 020 8692 1632

Museum in Docklands: Exploring History. Open day of drop-in talks, workshops & walks exploring the area and its history. In partnership with the Open University. 10:30am. Museum in Docklands, West India Quay, E14. Book: 0870 444 3855

Greenwich Heritage Centre: Wet Felt: make a felted purse with material packs available at £1.75 each. 2-4pm. £5. Greenwich Heritage Centre, Royal Arsenal, SE18. Bookings: 020 8854 2452

Jumble Sale: St. George's Church, Kirkside Road, SE3. 11am-1pm

Big Dance Gillett Square: 2 - 4pm African styles fusion with Dancemaster Ngozi and international percussionist Aaron Tanice (open to all levels and abilities). 4.30 - 6.30pm Turkish and Kurdish traditional dance with artists from the Refugee Arts Project (no previous experience necessary). Free event. For more info click here.

Sunday July 6, 2008

Blackheath Get Together: Free activities, sports taster sessions & live entertainment. 11-4pm. Blackheath, Shooters Hill Road. Free event. For more info see: greenwich.gov.uk

Big Dance Gillet Square: RUMBA WORKSHOPS Bombo Productions and Cubacheche presents - a day of Afro-Cuban drum and dance11am - 12pm Beginners dance workshop in the Vortex 1 - 2.30pm Rumba dance for those with some expereince in Gillett Square 3.15 - 5pm Performance with Los Rumberitos De Londres. For more info, click here.

Anyone for A Beer?

The First Greenwich Beer & Jazz Festival

Date: Jul 16, 2008 (Wed) - Jul 20, 2008 (Sun)

Time: 12:00 PM - 10:30 PM

Cost: Before 5.00pm, £ 7.00. After 5.00pm, £12.50

Place: King Charles Gardens, The Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, London SE10 9LW

More Info: See here

La Boheme at Blackheath Halls This July

Following the huge success of 2007's production of Bizet's Carmen, Blackheath Halls Opera presents a full-staged production of Puccini's La Boheme. Drawing on members of the community and professional singers, the opera project is a beautifully balanced production suitable for all whether seasoned opera-goers or first timers. To book call: 020 8463 0100. Also see: www.blackheathhalls.com & here

Dates: 15 July, 17 July, 18 July & 20 July, 2008

Time: 7pm (15, 17 & 18 July) & 2pm (20 July)

Price: £15/£12

Blackheath Great Get Together This Sunday

A family festival in partnership with Blackheath Golf Club who this year celebrate their 400th anniversary. Live entertainment, stalls, workshops, free arts activities for young and old and free golf coaching for kids. Free. The fun takes place on Shooters Hill Road, near the entrance to Greenwich Park. Gates are open from 11am to 4pm, there will be free fun for all and a chance to have your say. For more details see here