All invited to celebrate talents of females at Ladyfest
By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Entertainment Writer
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| Reggae vocalist Sahra Indio will take part in Sunday's concert at the Richards Street YWCA. |
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| Deerhoof — from left, John Dieterich, Greg Saunier, Chris Cohen and Satomi Matsuzaki — will hold forth at Saturday's Get Fresh! at Indigo Eurasian Cuisine.
Ben Clark |
That's part of the mission of this weekend's first-ever Hawai'i-based Ladyfest. Its four-day menu of events celebrating the artistic and business talents of women and girls started last night with a slate of live bands at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa campus.
Live performances and workshops hosted by dozens of musicians, writers, filmmakers, visual and performance artists and fashion designers continue today through Sunday. And although events are organized by and designed to appeal most to females, the folks at Ladyfest insist us guys are most definitely welcome.
Since 2000, Ladyfests have been put together in more than 40 cities worldwide including Brooklyn, Dublin, Berlin, Jakarta and Sao Paulo. Each is locally organized to appeal to, reflect and showcase its rich and diverse female community.
For a full schedule of Ladyfest's weekend events, go to www.ladyfesthawaii.org.
Here are some highlights:
TODAY
Ladyfest at First Friday
- 5-9 p.m.
- The ARTS at Marks Garage, 1159 Nu'uanu Ave.
- Painting, sculpture, photography, collage and mixed media works by more than 26 Hawai'i artists. DJ Nocturna — whose "A Feast of Friends" is a Saturday night KTUH-FM must-listen for fans of goth and industrial music forces — will spin. Convergence Dance Theatre kicks off a street dance titled "Snap, Crackle and Pop"; filmmaker Jen Nebalsky's films "Keep On Living" and "Suburban Symphony" unspool.
Ladyfest at Get Fresh!
- 10 p.m.-1 a.m.
- Indigo Eurasian Cuisine
- Imagine Cibo Matto on strong hallucinogens and you'll get an idea of the oddly entertaining music of Deerhoof. One of the freakiest head trips recently laid on my car stereo, the San Francisco-based quartet's disc "Milk Man" should prove interesting performed live. DJ Sleeze digs into the Meadow Gold crate to spin her '80s faves.
SATURDAY
Workshops! Workshops! Workshops!
- All day
- UH-Manoa Campus Center
- "What's Your Sex Got to Do With It?" (on sexism and transphobia), 10-4 p.m., Room 306; "Plumb It Up!" (basic plumbing), noon-1 p.m., Room 307; "Feng Shui," 1-2 p.m., Room 308; "Mini to the Max" (scrapbooking), 3-4 p.m., Room 307; "Radical Cheerleading" (anti-capitalist/feminist cheerleading for beginners), 3-4 p.m., Room 308. Other workshops, too.
Saturday Bonus
- 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
- UHM Campus Center Ballroom
- Female acoustic performers, speakers, poets take the stage. Merchandise and information booths fill the rest of the ballroom.
Ladyfest at Club Pauahi
- 9 p.m.-1 a.m.
- 80 S. Pauahi St.
- "A strangely beautiful puppet show" is part of what you get for your $10 cover. But the real reason to attend is live throwdowns by eclectic local rockers My Ex Is Dead and Bay Area transplants Tiny Believers.
SUNDAY
Workshops! Workshops! Workshops!
- All day
- Richards Street YWCA
- "Introduction to Financial Planning," 10-11 a.m., room 105; "Fabric Painting," noon-2 p.m., Room 105; "So You Wanna Make a Film?" (digital filmmaking), 1-3 p.m., Room 130; "Meditation for Positive Energy," 4-5 p.m. Room 105. Other workshops, too.
Creative Family Fun Day and Sunset Concert
- 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
- Richards Street YWCA
- Picture a family fair and add craft activities for kids and adults, information tables, workshops, refreshments and entertainment. Reggae vocalist Sahra Indio, teenage R&B singer Caroline Oguma and an aquatic performance by Mermaids of Hawai'i close Ladyfest post-sunset.
Reach Derek Paiva at 525-8005 or dpaiva@honoluluadvertiser.com.
