What Almost All Of You Missed Last Weekend. What You're Preparing to Miss This Coming Weekend. And the Next.

 It's endless, and for me, it's a matter of what I don't want to do, or can't do (because of conflicting commitments), more than it is what I do want to do.  I want to do almost all of it.  I've whittled down certain things because of certain differences or even antipathies, so those restrictions are categorical.  But it still leaves me with more to do than I can sometimes do.  I've had artistic differences with Miami Symphony Orchestra, so I don't go there any more, and Nu Deco, so I don't go there.  I love Seraphic Fire, but I could no longer tolerate the hard wood seats, and sitting in churches creeps me out.

This past weekend, the Twyla Tharp group were performing at South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center (mosscenter.org).  I had a choice of when to go.  I chose Sunday afternoon, because I had other shows Friday night and Saturday night.  Friday night was Dance NOW! Miami.  Robert and Lauren Caban were there.  Good for them.  It was a wonderful show, choreographed exclusively, I think, by the founders of Dance NOW! Miami, Diego Salterini and Hannah Baumgarten.  I took issue only with the last piece, which was about repression and censorship in Portugal, and I would have structured it differently.  It was energetic and happy in ways it should have been increasingly empty and despairing, considering the theme.  But the dancing was great, as was the music.  The ticket price was $40, parking was free, and the show was in downtown Miami Shores (Miami Theater Center), which is very close to us.

Saturday night, I went to Pinecrest for Orchestra Miami's yearly "Beethoven on the Beach."  Well...  There was very little Beethoven (much more Haydn, Mozart, and a world premiere of something new), and it wasn't on the Beach.  The night before had been on Miami Beach, but I couldn't go, because I was at MTC seeing Dance NOW! Miami. It was a supremely good concert, tickets and parking were free, and the only catch was that you had to go to Pinecrest to see and hear it.  It was worth it.

Sunday afternoon, I was at SMDCAC, as I said.  It was a very fine show.  I think my ticket was about $24 (volume discount applied), parking was free, and the staff there are ALWAYS top notch.

So that was this past Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday afternoon.

I've already talked about this coming Saturday, because it's my birthday.  I had three options, and I chose two.  The third conflicted with my evening show, and you can't do everything.  So I'm going to Sandrell Rivers Theater at 61st St and NW 7th Ave for a Karen Peterson show (she specializes in using selected disabled "dancers" among her ensemble) in the afternoon.  It's not too far from here, tickets for that show -- I've seen many of hers, and they're all terrific -- are $20 (she ought to charge more), parking is free, and the staff are great.  One of my friends is going with me, and her sister is in town, so the three of us will go.  Then, we'll find dinner someplace, and we have the Spanish Harlem Orchestra at SMDCAC at night.  That's the only one with a respectable ticket price of over $50 each.  Although I could have paid more for a better seat at Twyla Tharp, but I decided to conserve money.  I would go broke attending, or trying to, everything there is to attend in Dade County.

This coming Sunday morning, we have a Village Farmers' Market event at 10:30, and I just have to be home for a patient at 1:00.

Friday, March 14, is Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami.  $40, free parking, A+++ staff.  I generally try never, ever to miss those.  This one is at SMDCAC.  The only ones I miss are the ones at Sanctuary of the Arts in Coral Gables.  A story for another time.  Saturday, March 15, is the "American Patchwork Quartet," also at SMDCAC.  And also $40.  I pay less for those, because of my volume discounts down there.  And Sunday, March 16, is an Indian classical music concert at 5:30 in Broward.  I don't pay for those tickets, because I give them instead a donation worth much more than the ticket price.  Also free parking, but you have to go to SW Ranches in Broward to get there.  There's Indian food, though.

It's entirely fair to say that it's not commonly three days in a row, three weeks in a row, for me.  And the weekend after March 16, I have nothing.  Yet.  I used to have more, because I used to subscribe to more things.  But it's pretty common for people to say that if you want cultural things to do, you have to go to NYC.  I tell them they're out of their minds.  There's more to do here than you can do, and more than you want to do.  It's top notch, too.  And it's relatively easy, if you include driving to Cutler Bay as easy, with low prices, and generally easy and often enough free parking.  I don't go to the Arsht any more, because they overcharge for tickets, use TicketMaster, and the parking is very annoying, expensive, or both.  But there's plenty going on there, too. I've stopped going to things at Miami-Dade County Auditorium, also because they use TicketMaster or Eventbrite.  I've also mostly stopped going to things on the Beach, although I admit they have good plays at the Colony Theater.  I used to go to Miami Jazz Cooperative when their shows were every Monday in downtown Coral Gables, but they've moved, and I just don't feel like going to near Sunset Place any more.  I probably should, because I love MJC.  And I used to go to WDNA's jazz concerts, which were either cheap for the general public or free for donors (I donate $5 a month), and occur at their station on Coral Way on some Tuesday of the month, but I just have enough to do.  And I should take my monthly last Friday night of the month walk over to MOCA for their free jazz concert, but I seem to have lost the rhythm (excuse the pun) for it.  I've seen/heard some great concerts over there.  If you don't feel like walking, that parking is free, too.