Free Flow Nights
It’s time to stretch out this summer. Yes, we are talking about free yoga. Mark your calendar for the outdoor yoga series Free Flow Nights.
Class starts at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 28, on the lawn at Mountain Shadows, 5445 East Lincoln Drive in Paradise Valley. Every Thursday, a different instructor will lead a relaxing session.
The yoga class is free, but bring money or plastic for post-session food and wine specials available at The Living Room. For more information, visit the Facebook event page. Lindsay Roberts
First Fiction at First Draft
There, There, the debut novel by Tommy Orange, has been hailed by many as the book of the summer. The Oakland, California, author chronicles the journeys of 12 Native Americans on their way to the Big Oakland Powwow. You can hear Orange and his peers Fatima Farheen Mirza (A Place For Us) and Joseph Cassara (The House of Impossible Beauties) read and discuss their work at Changing Hands at the First Fiction at First Draft event.
Read something new at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 28, at 300 West Camelback Road. This is a free event, but there are several VIP packages available that include copies of the novels, a meet and greet, and light refreshments. For more information, visit the Changing Hands website. Jason Keil
Slam Poetry
You can snap your fingers or clap your hands when a slam poet rocks it. That’s all you need to know to enjoy a night of poetic performance art presented by Lawn Gnome Publishing. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. for the Thursday, June 28, slam at Megaphone PHX, 4700 North Central Avenue, #112.
Competing for $50 during the event, which kicks off at 8 p.m., will be 10 slam poets. Organizers pick audience members to score the performances, using white boards and markers. So you might get to help pick the winner. Tickets are $10 at the door. Visit the Lawn Gnome Publishing website. Lynn Trimble
Rocket’s Rad 80’s Party
When life knocks you down, you should get up, dust yourself off, and try again. It’s an important life lesson to learn and one at the heart of the 2014 comic book flick Guardians of the Galaxy. And, fittingly enough, it also applies to what promoters of the Rocket’s Rad 80’s Party went through last month.
The Guardians of the Galaxy-inspired party, which is being put on by local geek group Blue Ribbon Army, was originally supposed to take place during Phoenix Comic Fest in late May. An emergency evacuation of Comic Fest forced the affair to be canceled, leaving organizers in a lurch. They’ve bounced back, however, and rescheduled the party for this weekend.
Version 2.0 will now take place on Friday, June 29, at The Park, 3 South Second Street. The event, which benefits the Kids Need to Read charity, will feature ’80s dance hits from local DJs Ash 10 and Noah’s Arcade, prizes, giveaways, cosplay, and other geeky fun. The party goes from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. A donation of $20 is suggested. See the Facebook event page. Benjamin Leatherman
Battle of the Bitches
Jackie Beat and Sherry Vine have revolutionized drag by bringing raunchy, thoughtful humor to parodies and social commentary. Both multitalented performers who sing, act and do comedy, they have inspired other entertainers to want to be different. They will visit Phoenix on Friday, June 29, with their show Battle of the Bitches. During the performance, Beat and Vine will go up against each other, coming up with parodies based on audience suggestions. They will also perform tongue-in-cheek numbers together.
Tickets are $10 for general admission and $20 for VIP, which includes a meet-and-greet with the stars. The show starts at 8 p.m. at The Rock Phoenix, 4129 North Seventh Avenue. To find out more, call 602-248-8559 or go to the Rock Phoenix website. Laura Latzko
Arizona Craft Rave
If you prefer scissors and glue to glow sticks and thumping EDM, the Arizona Craft Rave is for you. Changing Hands’ First Draft Book Bar, 300 West Camelback Road, will be hosting five hours of nonstop crafting from 6 to 11 p.m. on Friday, June 29. Learn to make fresh flower crowns, mini-terrariums, origami earrings, and more with one-on-one lessons from local artisans.
Unlike most raves, this one ends at a reasonable hour, but you’ll be able to purchase coffee, wine, and craft beer to keep you going. Admission starts at $4. Visit the Changing Hands website. Antonia Farzan
Tough as Nails
Inspired by the resilience of a young California couple who experienced brain cancer, infertility treatment, and miscarriage before having their daughter Sophia, choreographer Bridgette Borzillo created her latest work, titled Tough as Nails.
CaZo Dance Company performs the piece at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 29, at Mesa Arts Center, 1 East Main Street. Tickets are $23, and $3 from each ticket will go to the National Brain Cancer Society. Stay after the show for a free Q & A with Phil and Stacy Bacigalupi. Visit the CaZo Dance website. Lynn Trimble
Häxan v Warlok
If you’ve ever attended a dance party put on by DJ Tristan Iseult, a few things are a given. First, there will be a cacophonous cannonade of dark and noisy dance tracks blasting from the sound system, not to mention a doomy vibe and plenty of folks in attendance dressed in black. True to form, such a scene will unfold inside The Rebel Lounge, 2303 East Indian School Road, on Saturday, June 30, during his latest affair, Häxan v Warlok.
The event is a hybrid of Tristan Iseult’s monthly Häxan parties, which are the stuff of local goth scene legend, and renowned L.A. club night Warlok, which is described as a “cult ritual discotheque.” The result is a night filled with gloomy grooves with Tristan Iseult and Warlok’s Xian Vox spinning industrial tracks and harsh sounds, as patrons “writhe with joy through the impending darkness.” The 21-and-over night starts at 9 p.m. Admission is $5. See the Facebook event page. Benjamin Leatherman
Checking out Kyllan Maney's work.
Lynn Trimble.
Witness the wonders of shrink art with artist Kyllan Maney, who won’t giggle when she learns you’ve never really outgrown the joy of coloring on clear crafting plastics then using heat to make them shrink. You won’t need a store-bought Shrinky Dinks kit to make your creations during Maney’s Shrink Art Jewelry workshop at Practical Art, 5070 North Central Avenue. It’s happening from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 30. Maney will bring designs from her own silk-screen pieces for you to work with, and share her techniques for making charming jewelry works. The workshop costs $25. Visit the Practical Art website. Lynn Trimble
Mesa Feastival Forest
They’re hardly at the top of the foodie culture food chain, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun with food trucks. They roll into Pioneer Park, 526 East Main Street in Mesa, every Saturday night for the Mesa Feastival Forest. That’s where you’ll find them from 5:30 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, June 30. Last we heard, that night’s lineup included more than 10 trucks, with offerings that include tacos, ribs, Cajun fare, fry bread, sliders, wings, and more. The event is free and includes live music, but you’ll need money for eats and drinks. Visit the Facebook event page. Lynn Trimble
Make America Cleveland Again.
Courtesy of Stand Up Live
Yes, Kevin Hart is in Phoenix in July, but it’s almost impossible to escape him these days between his movies, his commercials, and his front-row seats at major sporting events. If you’re looking for a different sort of comedy, Ramon Rivas, a laid-back Latino comic from Cleveland (“Make America Cleveland Again”), will be headlining at Stand Up Live, 50 West Jefferson Street, on Sunday, July 1. Rivas was one of Comedy Central’s Comics to Watch in 2015 and was a semifinalist in NBC’s StandUp talent search. Showtime is at 7 p.m. General admission tickets are $15 with a two-drink minimum. Visit the Phoenix Standup Live website. Stuart Warner
Canada Day
Did you know that Phoenix has a sister city in Calgary? There are plenty of people from our neighbor to the north who visit Phoenix to escape the frozen tundra. You probably won’t find as many Canadians here during the summer, but those who stayed behind can celebrate Canada Day, the country’s national holiday, on Sunday, July 1, at the Musical Instrument Museum. Between 1 and 4 p.m. you can tag along on Canadian exhibit tours — one tour is at 1:30 and the other is at 3:30.
There will be a Canadian-themed menu at the museum’s Café Allegro. You can also look forward to what will undoubtedly be a raucous singing of “O Canada” that will take place in between the tours. Admission is $20 for adults, and the museum is located at 4725 East Mayo Boulevard. Joe Flaherty
Harold and Maude
Harold and Maude is the funniest cinematic May-December romance of all time, but it is much more than a droll depiction of the coupling of a rich, morbid teenager (Bud Cort) and an eccentric 79-year-old woman (Ruth Gordon). The quirky 1971 film, accompanied by a great Cat Stevens soundtrack, was a reflection on conformity and the preciousness of life at a time when young men were dying needlessly in service to their country. The film is coming to Chandler, and one of the film’s producers, Charles Mulvehill, and his wife, Shari, who played Edith, will be participating in a meet-and-greet after the screening.
The screening begins at 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 1, at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Chandler, 4955 South Arizona Avenue. Admission is $8.62. For more information, visit the Alamo Drafthouse website. Jason Keil
“Mirror Maze: Numbers in Nature”
Math is all around you, and it’s a beautiful thing. That’s the premise of a new exhibit at Arizona Science Center, 600 East Washington Street. “Mirror Maze: Numbers in Nature” is an immersive, interactive exhibition highlighting mathematical patterns in the natural world, from the human eye to sunflower seeds, plus the intersection of math with art and architecture. It originated at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.
Check it out on Monday, July 2, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Exhibition tickets are $8.95, but you’ll also need to pay museum admission, which is $18 for adults. Visit the Arizona Science Center website. Lynn Trimble
Travis Ivey gets stuck on landscapes.
Lynn Trimble
Washi tape may be all the rage for crafters, but artist Travis Ivey has a thing for utility tape, which he often uses to create colorful landscapes of urban and desert settings. See his take on downtown Phoenix, and Arizona’s natural wonders, in his solo exhibition at Shortcut Gallery. It’s an exhibition space shared by Phoenix General and Framed Ewe at The Colony, 5538 North Seventh Street. It’s on view from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, July 2.
The free exhibit, curated by Megaphone PHX art space, includes a sweeping rendering of downtown, complete with familiar landmarks like the Westward Ho. Visit the Travis Ivey website. Lynn Trimble
South Central Swing Nite
Admit it. You can shake, rattle, and roll to a blast beat, but a mellow swing turns you into a pathetic sideways shuffler stomping all over your partner’s toes. Learn a few slick moves to cut the rug without embarrassment at South Central Swing Nite on Tuesday, July 3, at The Duce, 525 South Central Avenue. An $8 admission gets you onto the dance floor, with a one-hour lesson beginning at 7 p.m. and dancing with live music and DJ till 11.
When you need a break from jitterbugging, Lindy Hopping, and shagging, belly up to the Duce’s Art Deco bar scored from Chicago’s Black Orchid jazz club for all-night cocktail specials. Or just wander around the converted 1928 warehouse and admire the owners’ vintage collectibles. Learn more at the Duce website. Deb Van Tassel
Schoolgirls face their feelings in this scene from The Misandrists.
Courtesy of Cartilage Films
Life gets more complicated for a pair of radical lesbian separatists after they decide to rescue an injured man in the forest near the home they share with 10 likeminded women. It’s a home for wayward girls that doubles as the front for a quasi-terrorist group working to create a female world order. The man hidden in the basement is just one of many secrets threatening to foil their plans.
See how it all goes down in The Misandrists, a 2017 film that FilmBar, 815 North Second Street, is showing at 9:45 p.m. on Tuesday, July 3. Tickets are $9.95. Visit the FilmBar website. Lynn Trimble
Spanish Writing Group
Calling new and emerging writers: Palabras Bilingual Bookstore is hosting a free Spanish writing group where you can share some written work and hear feedback from your peers. On Wednesday, July 4, from 6 to 8 p.m., the bookstore will host a Spanish discussion group where participants are encouraged to bring five to six copies of their written work in Spanish. The bookstore recommends keeping the entries to no more than 2,000 words, but there are no limitations in terms of subject or genre. You can also join the group without bringing written work to participate in the discussion and share your thoughts.
The group will compare stories and read them as a group to receive feedback. The bookstore is located at 1738 East McDowell Road. Visit the Palabras Bilingual Bookstore website. Joe Flaherty
It's going to be fab.
Elbo/pixabay
If you weren’t lucky enough to get outta Dodge — er, Phoenix — with a trip to cooler climes for Independence Day, there’s no better place to celebrate our nation’s birthday than Steele Indian School Park, 300 East Indian School Road. Billed as one of the largest fireworks displays in the Southwest, Fabulous Phoenix 4th offers something for patriots of all stripes and ages, including live music, festival food, crafts, exhibits, classic car displays, and kids’ activities.
The family-oriented fun, meaning no alcohol permitted, runs from 6 to 11 p.m., with fireworks around 9:30. Find out more at the Fabulous Phoenix 4th website or by calling 602-534-3378. Deb Van Tassel
Independence Day
Two years ago, the filmmakers behind the 1996 blockbuster film Independence Day thought they would cash in on the ’90s nostalgia trend and made a sequel without its biggest star, the multihyphenate Will Smith. It flopped badly and was one of the worst-reviewed movies of 2016. This year, celebrate the original intergalactic battle between Earth and a hostile alien race by raising a cold one to the Fresh Prince.
To paraphrase Harry Connick Jr., the time to kick the tires and light the fires is 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 4, at both Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Chandler, 4955 South Chandler Avenue, and Tempe, 1140 East Baseline Road. Admission is $7.55. For more information, visit the Alamo Drafthouse website. Jason Keil
