The Weekend Go Go: Soul Train, Labryinth of Jareth, and Charles Phoenix does Hot Rods and MONA

Soul Train: The Hippest Trip in America!

Here’s the thing about fun.

Some weekends, there are obvious contenders.  Some weekends, there are wish-you-could-include-them runner ups.

And sometimes, making a second you is the only option for hitting up the best the weekend has to offer.

Let the Clones of Fun begin.

Release Yourself

You consider yourself a bit of a mover and a shaker…on the dance floor.

Your moonwalk?  A staple on the party circuit.

And Gaga?  The lady is an unabashed fan of your high kicks.

So natch, you’ve cleared your social calendar for  Dance Camera West’s 11th Annual Dance Media Film Festival.  In addition to last week’s Dirty Dancing Dance-A-Long (You went, you salsa’ed, people swooned), the fest has scintillating little shorts.

That’s film shorts that have scintillating dance in them, not shorts that have scintillating you in them.

Check out World Premieres of the sexy, funky Lombard Brothers’ Chant et Fugue,  Into Minds  by Azul Serra/Irineu Nogueira  (slam poetry meets dance and music in abandoned London factory), and The (818) Session by Jessica Koslow & Tshego Letsoalo (weekly krump dancing circle meets at midnight in NoHo).

All absolutely worthy of your time.

The Must. Not. Miss. event?  The FREE Friday night screening of Soul Train:The Hippest Trip In America, a tribute by J. Kevin Swain, followed by interviews with Soul Train dancers including Jody Watley, Damita Jo Freeman, Nieci Payne, and Lula Washington.

Yes, Ms. Go Go said Soul Train dancers.  Remain calm.

PLUS, there’s a live Soul Train party hosted by Film Independent Curator Elvis Mitchell.

Ok, don’t remain calm.  Ms. Go Go is boogalooing wildly as we speak.

DANCE CAMERA WEST 11th ANNUAL DANCE MEDIA FILM FESTIVAL — Thurs, June 28 – Sat, June 30th; FREE —  LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd, LA 90036 323.857.6010; http://www.lacma.org

For DCW info:  http://www.dancecamerawest.org

O come all ye Fey-thful….

Masque On

If you never tire of frolicsome fun and fantasy, you probably already know about the Labyrinth of Jareth Masquerade Ball.  Now in its 15th year, the celebration of the wild, the whimsical, the masque’d, and the headdress’d ensues this weekend with two nights of revelry,  entertainment, and elf ears at the historic Park Plaza.

Your centaur suit?  Already rented.

Good thing too because costumes — the more imaginative the better — are highly encouraged.  Ok, required.  At the very least, you’ll need formal black tie and a mask — think Venetian, not Value Mart — for entree into the Land of Enchantment…and Ms. Go Go isn’t talking New Mexico by a long shot.

You’re not worried.  Your centaur will be wearing a mask.

LABYRINTH OF JARETH MASQUERADE BALL — Fri, June 29/Sat, June 30 @ 8pm; $49-$110 —  Park Plaza, 607 So Park View St; LA;  http://www.labyrinthmasquerade.com/

All you need for fun at the Motorsports Museum!

Some Electric Evening….

You’ll have to drive a teensy bit for this one, Go Go’ers…but motoring is the theme of the evening anyway.

You’ve been wanting to test out those pigskin driving gloves.

The Museum of Neon Art is holding their annual Evening Electric Fundraiser, which helps the museum acquire their fab neon and facilitates their move to their new Glendale digs.

This year it’s all about the neon and the freon.

The engine revving — and cocktailing, eating, and museum touring — start at 7:00 on Saturday at the Wally Parks National Hot Rod Association Motorsports Museum in Pomona.  In addition to the aforementioned amenities, there will be music from the Neon Hunter Collective, a Silent Auction, and a “BIG Retro Slide Show” from the always wildly entertaining pop culture humorist Charles Phoenix.

People, start your engines

HOT RODS AND COOL TUBES — Sat, June 30, 7-10pm; $50 — Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum at the Fairplex in Pomona, 1101 W. McKinley Ave., Building 3A, Pomona 91768; 909-622-2133, museumre@nhra.com

For tickets, click here  For directions, click here

Ready?  U Know U Want 2 Go Go….