Gish Picks: Weekend of February 8, 2013

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WHAT'S YOUR PICK THIS WEEKEND?

Greetings and welcome to GISH PICKS: A GUIDE TO CULTURAL ACTIVITIES FOR FAMILIES, a free weekly e-newsletter/blog I created as a service to the Houston community in 2003. Please enjoy and please share. My business grows by word-of-mouth from people like YOU! In fact, here’s an easy way to spread the word in Facebook land: please LIKE my GISH PICKS Facebook page this week and you’ll be eligible to win FOUR HOURS of free childcare any upcoming Friday or Saturday night (7-11pm) at Discover Gymnastics. On your mark, get set, LIKE! Big congrats to last week’s winner and loyal reader Priscilla Kennedy. And check out this month’s “Silly Kid PICK” courtesy hair artist Melissa Noble. Fun, fun! If you have a silly kid pic, email it to me as a jpeg and I’ll put it here and on our GISH PICKS Facebook page. I love seeing your goofy kids while I’m enjoying mine!

This week started off with a bang – I did my “Sounds Like a Summer Plan!” talk for the Houston Moms-in-Law group and had a blast. If you’re a lawyer and you’re a momma, you need to join them – they meet quarterly and their next meeting is May 8. And if you need a speaker to come to your group, hire me! I’m full of summer fun ideas, resources, and humor -- and would LOVE to talk to your group about how to enrich your family’s summer. Since it’s almost the summer season, I’m busy putting the final touches on THE SUMMER BOOK 2013: A GUIDE TO HOUSTON DAY CAMPS AND CLASSES FOR KIDS AND TEENS and can’t wait to share it with you! There are so many cool camps and classes in this city, it’s amazing. Place your order for the book now and you’ll get it early March.

Have a great week, be kind to each other, and GO.FIND.FUN.

CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH THROUGH DANCE.

This Saturday, February 9 at 7pm, MECA presents Dallas Black Dance Theatre. This internationally renowned dance troupe will present an intimate evening celebration in honor of “Black History Month.” The show will feature small ensemble works, duets, and solos such as “The Ostrich” by Asadata Dafora, which is a regal portrayal of the strong and large bird as interpreted in the choreography of Asadata Dafora in 1936.

Tickets are $9/advance (online) and $15/adults; $6/students with ID. A reception with the performers and company founder Ann Williams will follow the performance.

THE POWER OF MUSIC FOR KIDS.

The Houston Boychoir presents Sing 4 Life, A Celebration of Singing by Children this Saturday, February 9 at 4pm at Grace Presbyterian Church. This inaugural celebration of singing brings together several unique choirs in an afternoon of song. By the end of the concert, over 150 young people will have raised their voices in song!

Sing 4 Life features the Houston Boychoir Preparatory Choir; the Grace School Elementary Choir; the HISD Honor Choir; the Houston Boychoir Chamber Choir; the Olde Boys of the Houston Boychoir; and all the choirs combined. This event celebrates how singing is a healthy outlet for expression. As the Houston Boychoir website states: “When children are taught to sing in unison, we are really teaching them how to work together. When we teach children how to use their bodies for singing, we are really teaching them self respect. When we teach children music, we are really teaching them discipline for life. When we teach children the poetry of song, we are really teaching them how to express their feelings.” Amen!

This event is free and open to the public and takes place at Grace Presbyterian Church, 10221 Ella Lee Lane.

GET FOLKSY WITH THEM.

The Houston Folklore & Folk Music Society presents Danny Schmidt and Carrie Elkin in concert this Saturday, February 9 at 7:30pm. Danny Schmidt is an authentic timeless troubadour and guitar player in the tradition of Townes Van Zandt and Bob Dylan, who delivers his craft with a quiet power, a level of complexity, and an underlying humanity that is truly rare. Carrie Elkin is a soul-ful singer with a gypsy spirit – a songwriter with a keen eye. Inspired by her travels and many places she has called home, she has garnered attention at many prestigious songwriting contests.

The Houston Folklore & Folk Music Society presents a concert of acoustic, folk, or bluegrass music on the second Saturday of each month (except July, August, and December) at the West University Community Center, 6104 Auden at Rice Boulevard. These concerts are always acoustic music of various types ranging from bluegrass, singer/songwriter, Scottish, Irish, cowboy, old time country, and of course, folk both traditional and contemporary.

Tickets are sold at the door only and are $15/adults; $11/senior citizens (65+); $11/children 12-18 years old and students with ID. Children under 12 are free when accompanied by an adult.

YOGA FOR EVERYONE, BABY.

The Fourth Annual Texas Yoga Conference will be at the George R. Brown Convention Center the weekend of March 1-3 and I hope you’ll attend. The Conference is a yearly gathering of some of the best yoga teachers and motivational speakers from around the world in a retreat full of presentations, yoga classes for all levels, lectures and fun music concerts during three complete days in Houston. It’s for yoga beginners (like me) and seasoned practitioners alike and is lotsa fun and healthy times to boot. This year’s theme is “Compassion and Friendship” and special music will include gospel singers on Sunday morning and evening Mariachis to serenade the crowd to the Hilton for a final weekend ceremony and cocktail hour. This year’s event will benefit charities such as Breathe the Cure.

The three day agenda features prestigious presenters as well as practical sessions and interesting workshops alongside tons of exhibitors of healthy foods, natural products, unique gifts, and sportswear. The event will kick off with a music concert on Friday, March 1 featuring David Berkeley, Action Required Now, David Newman, The Sound and the Meaning, Josh Fletcher, Willy Collins Band and The Bhakti House Band (Latin, Indie, acoustic, and folk music).

Tickets start at the very affordable $10. The Conference is co-sponsored by Jennyoga whose owner, Jennifer Buergermeister, founded it. I’ll be interviewing her about the story of the conference, how to start a yoga practice, and much more on my occasional radio show, ONLY CONNECT: EXPLORING PEOPLE AND PLACES THAT MAKE HOUSTON GREAT on Thursday, February 28 on 90.1 KPFT-FM at 9:30am. Tune in and learn all…

GISH PICKS is a free weekly email in which I highlight family-oriented cultural events, products or services. Please note that I "highlight" events, but I don't know if they are appropriate for your particular children, so choose wisely based on age, maturity and interests. I know many of you go to events based on GISH PICKS recommendations; PLEASE remember to tell the organization that you are there because of us. Word-of-mouth like yours helps our business to grow. In the same spirit, please also feel free to share GISH PICKS with friends and families.

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The purpose of GISH PICKS is to help parents become aware of all the fun things they can do with their children in Houston and the surrounding area, so GO FIND FUN! Please do give me feedback and ideas, as you are out there in the trenches also looking for interesting things for your family and I want to hear what you find.

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Sarah Gish GISH CREATIVE 1940-A Fountainview, PMB 116 Houston, Texas 77057 phone/fax: 713.482.7065 artist.mama.connector.changemaker. © 2013 Sarah Gish Designed by West of the World