Gish Picks: Week of February 24, 2010


Welcome to this week's "Gish Picks", where 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. Do you have something you would like to promote on Gish Picks? Advertisers can promote family-friendly events, products or services to Houstonians all over the city and the surrounding area who are active parents, involved citizens and great shoppers. We love doing this community service and want to keep it free for our readers but in order to justify the hours spent researching, writing and designing this newsletter, we need advertising support. If you'd like to learn more, please click below. SUMMER'S ALMOST HERE. We're busy putting together THE SUMMER BOOK: A GUIDE TO HOUSTON DAY CAMPS AND CLASSES FOR KIDS AND TEENS and will have it out soon so that you can start planning your child's summer fun. Stay tuned for details! TWEETIN' FOR CULTURE! Hey tweet peeps! Follow me on Twitter and you'll get lots of PICKS of fun times in Houston – news you can use. This week I'm doing a special giveaway, so keep reading to get the scoop... Now, GO FIND FUN!

HIP HOP IS WHERE IT’S AT THIS WEEKEND.

It’s time for the Dance Houston “FUSE Hip Hop Dance Festival” which is taking place this Saturday, February 27 at 8pm (doors open at 7pm) at the Wortham Center/Cullen Theatre. This is the fourth year of this explosive evening dedicated to the fine art of hippin’ and hoppin’. TV star and Houston native, Phillip Chbeeb (aka PacMan), returns to headline the festival – he’s toured around the globe and will now show his hometown why he attracted the national spotlight. Joining him will be local rising stars HIStory, Inertia, The 8th Edition, and the newest crew to the lineup, JD Entertainment, delivering Latin-themed hip hop. Joining the dance party will be local favorites like Revolve, Wyld Style, and Planet Funk. You’ll get to see these groups blow up the boundaries of street dance and hip hop, fusing together the different styles within the genre with skill and precision. Dance Houston works endlessly throughout the year scouting the internet, video submissions, and local shows for the best groups Houston has to offer and the result of all this hard work is the FUSE showcase of the most cutting edge and progressive dance artists in the city.

TAPPIN’ THEIR WAY INTO HOUSTON.

This weekend is full of dance so I have to highlight the “Space City Tap Fest,” presented by TNT (Texas New Tap) this weekend. The festival is the first tap fest to be held in Houston in 20 years and will consist of more than 25 tap classes for ages 7 and up (including professionals) taught by Emmy award-winning dancer and choreographer Jason Samuels Smith, Chloe Arnold, Acia Gray, Maud Arnold, Karin Celeste, and many more. Festival classes will culminate in a faculty and student concert accompanied by a live jazz band this Sunday, February 28 at 7pm at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, Bayou Theatre and will honor Acia Gray for her active role in the Texas tap community. Tap participants can expect to learn the latest moves and tap dance innovations, as well as perform onstage with faculty in the final concert. Dance instructors can attend free of charge with ten registered students.

Check the website for the schedule and location of classes. Tickets are $15/concert; $25/individual Master Classes; $5/event tickets (tap jam or meet-and-greet) and $5/parent observation pass. There are also packages available.


"MOTHERHOOD" THE MOVIE IS NOW OUT ON DVD AND I AM GIVING AWAY COPIES! “Must a woman’s soul wither and die simply because she opted to become a mother? I want to finish the laundry AND a complex sentence, to think tantalizing deep thoughts, and throw a magical birthday party for my daughter. Is that truly too much to ask?" asks Uma Thurman, who plays Eliza Welch in the hit movie MOTHERHOOD, now available in Blu-ray. Eliza is a former fiction writer-turned-mom-blogger who has her own site, “The Bjorn Identity.” Putting her deeper creative ambitions on hold to raise her two children, Eliza lives and works in two rent-stabilized apartments in a walk-up tenement building smack in the middle of an otherwise upscale Greenwich Village. Eliza’s good-natured but absent-minded husband (Anthony Edwards) seems tuned out to his wife’s conflicts, not to mention basic domestic reality, while her best friend Sheila (Minnie Driver) understands this – and Eliza - all too well.
Shot entirely on location in New York’s West Village, MOTHERHOOD takes place in a single day that pushes to the tipping point Eliza’s fundamental fear that she’s lost herself. To assuage this fear, Eliza decides to enter a contest run by an upscale parenting magazine in which all she has to do is write 500 words answering the deceptively simple question, “What Does Motherhood Mean to Me?” In the process of trying to put these thoughts into words that don’t “sound like bad ad copy,” Eliza rediscovers her own voice and realizes what is truly valuable in her life. The film is available at http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Motherhood-Blu-ray/8198/. HOW DO YOU GET YOUR OWN COPY OF THIS FILM FOR FREE? Follow me and send me a direct message. Only winners will be notified by reply message. Note: your 140 characters MUST include your entire snail mail address. U.S. winners only!

THIS WEEK'S ATTRACTION...KATY PRAIRIE CONSERVANCY. For more attractions, go to www.gishcreative.com/attractions.htm.

The Katy Prairie Conservancy is a nonprofit land trust working to protect a sustainable portion of the Prairie for the benefit of its wildlife and Texans forever. Located west of downtown Houston, the Katy Prairie is home to one of the densest seasonal concentrations of migratory waterfowl in North America and is vital habitat for other grasslands animals and plants. The Katy Prairie offers outstanding recreational opportunities for birdwatchers, nature enthusiasts, hikers, photographers, bicyclists and hunters. Every Friday in February from 9am-1pm, they offer “Open Trails Fridays” which is a great way to experience the wonders of KPC's preserves throughout the year. Visitors can hike a trail at their own pace to discover the sights and sounds of the Katy Prairie. Each guest is provided a full-color interpretive booklet which will add to their understanding of the property, its wildlife, and its history. All participants should wear appropriate outdoor clothing, including closed-toe shoes and long pants. A long-sleeved shirt is also recommended. Participants should bring their own water and insect repellent. Advance registration is not required.

DISCOVER JUST HOW MUCH FUN SUMMER CAMPING CAN BE AT THE YMCA!

Soar through outer space. Roam through the jungle. Or experiment with wacky science. A world of discovery awaits youngsters up to 12 years old at one of 38 YMCA summer day camps all across the area. No one creates camping experiences quite like the YMCA. For more than 125 years, children of all ages have discovered real, big, fun and memories and friendships to last a lifetime. With the most age-specific programs available, your child can literally grow with the YMCA, enjoying one incredible camp right after another. Have teens? Got Talent? Bring it to the YMCA this summer. The stage is set for you to shine. The YMCA presents “The Show”, a weekly tribute to some of today’s most-popular reality television shows, where kids are the star.

And, for those seeking an overnight camp packed with adventure, there’s YMCA Camp Cullen.

Learn more about all of the YMCA camping programs or register online at
www.discoverymcacamping.org.

PARLEZ FRANÇAIS AT THE ALLIANCE.

The French Alliance is starting up a new series of French classes for children this Saturday, February 27 (they run through April 10). Their children’s program immerses children ages 4-15 in the French language, allowing them to learn in a natural way, through visual, kinetic and auditive experiences. Classes meet in seven-week sessions on Saturday mornings, at 9:30am or 11:15am. Tuition is $175 for the 7-week session.

Registration must be in advance or a $25 late fee will be assessed and there is a one-time registration fee of $15 for new students. You may register by phone anytime using a credit card.

DEREK STEELE BOOK LAUNCH AND FUNDRAISER.

This Saturday, February 27, Teen and Family Services and Covenant House are hosting the launch of TAFS Board Member Derek Steele's new book, Addict at 10. There will be a free reception catered by Trulucks starting at 6:30pm and a presentation by experts in the field of adolescent addiction as well as recovering teen addicts and their parents at 7pm. A silent auction of artwork made by teens and other items will be held throughout the evening to benefit Teen and Family Services and Covenant House. Guest speakers include Dr. Scott Basinger; George Youngblood, Director of Teen and Family Services; Ronda Robinson, Director of Covenant House; parents and teens involved with Teen and Family Services and Covenant House; and Derek Steele.

The event takes place at the Council on Alcohol and Drugs Houston, 303 Jackson Hill Street.

Please RSVP in advance -- space is limited.

For more about my marketing company, Gish Creative, and the services we offer, please click here. You are on this list because I thought this e-newsletter would be helpful to you or because you signed up for it. However, if you want off this list, click here and you're a goner. Please feel free to tell your friends to subscribe by clicking here.My goal is to serve as an information resource for Houston parents through my various endeavors, including:

GISH PICKS, which is online (www.thesummerbook.com/gishpicks_archive.html) and in the Houston Community Newspaper group (www.hcnonline.com);

THE SUMMER BOOK®: A GUIDE TO HOUSTON DAY CAMPS AND CLASSES FOR KIDS AND TEENS (www.thesummerbook.com) which comes out annually on March 1 and is sold at bookstores all over Houston, including Barnes and Noble and Borders; and

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS, INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS, PRIVATE CONSULTATIONS, and ART PROGRAMS that cover topics such as summertime fun, passion-finding (for adults, children and parents and children together), marketing, historic preservation, art classes, and activism. All of these services can be tailored for any audience and budget.

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 HAPPY TRAVELS! 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. If you are having trouble getting to a website listed here, try hitting the “Ctrl” button and left-clicking on the web address, which should make it “live”.


Sarah Gish Gish Creative 1940-A Fountainview, PMB 116 Houston, Texas 77057 phone/fax: 713.532.1173 email: sarah@gishcreative.com web: www.gishcreative.com and: www.thesummerbook.com and: www.saveourlandmarks.org © 2010 Sarah Gish Designed by West of the World