S1: It's time for KPBS Midday Edition. The Little Saigon district is celebrating a 50 year milestone. Plus , we'll go into the silent film universe. Then the weekend preview. I'm Jade Hindman with conversations that keep you informed , inspired , and make you think. Honoring stories from the Vietnamese diaspora.
S2: We'll look back the the journey. And we we celebrate where we have been and where we are today.
S1: Then Beth Accomando tells us why we should consider seeing a silent film. Plus , music dominates this weekend's art and culture scene. That's ahead on Midday Edition. This weekend , San Diego's Little Saigon district is commemorating 50 years of the Vietnamese diaspora journey with a tribute concert. Many of those who fled Vietnam after the war 50 years ago came to San Diego and built the community as we know it today. Midday edition producer and roundtable host Andrew Bracken spoke with two of the organizers Sue Nguyen , the founder of the nonprofit Little Saigon San Diego , and Tram Lam , the management officer for Little Saigon , San Diego. They talked about this 50 year milestone and how the district is honoring stories from the diaspora. Here's that conversation.
S3: So the theme for this year's concert is 50 years of the Diaspora Journey.
S4: So this is the 50 years like half a century. So we've been here since the fall of Saigon. So over the time we work really hard , we come together and we established a district now called Saigon and , uh , this concert. So , uh , we want to bring all the famous performers around the world , Vietnamese performers to come to San Diego to celebrate together with the Vietnamese community here. Uh , so we're gonna try , uh , showcase the success of the community , uh , using the music. So through the music , uh , people can see themselves in there. And the memory and all those sadness when they left Vietnam. So we're going to bring it back.
S3: So tell us more about the music and the role playing here.
S2: The community began with the fall of Saigon or the the end of the war , which is a sad , a very unfortunate thing. But then it's as also there's some great thing coming out of this. The sadness after about 2 million people. Uh , escape. Um , go out to the sea and escape. Then we have a blooming of a community here in Senegal. And this is Mark , the fifth year of our thriving community. But it's also marked the 50th year of the whole community at large. Because what does change is also change the whole dynamic of our single community as well. So we want to , um , celebrate that from the very first day where the community come with nothing beside the clothes on their on their back , and then all those , uh , story , the work , hard work , the , um , challenge that they are facing and where we get to where we are right now. So all those steps are those a road that we walk is so hard to describe it in word. So we're using music through music. We can bring all those those stories back and then we'll look back the the journey and we , um , we celebrate where we have been and where we are today.
S3: So you're having this concert here , but there's more than just the concert , right ? There's also a storytelling exhibition.
S2: They're making the business , they're making the daily life. And then we shop at these , uh , story , but we don't really know that a lot of these Vietnamese , each of us are carrying scarves story behind it. And , um , what does 50 year anniversary. We want to exhibit the 20th 20 story , very simple , ordinary story from ordinary people that represent the the challenge and the difficulty of the first day and how they overcome those challenges and become what we are today. And these are our neighbor , our friend , um , you know , probably restaurant owner that we walk in , we enjoy the food , but without knowing the story behind it , where they come from. So we want to , um , to tell this story , to give back the full identity for these , uh , people so that when we walk in , we enjoying the food. We also understand the story behind where that person came from and where the food come from as a part of , um , appreciating and also empathy , because then when we when we open up and understand the person , we just feel the community feel a little bit more , closer together.
S3: You know , you mentioned , you know , 50 years ago. It's really kind of the burgeoning of these little Saigon all over the , you know , all over. Right.
S4: Um , Little Saigon , San Diego , and then Little Saigon in Orange County. It's very close to each other , like San Diego and Orange County. So in 1975 , when the first wave evacuation. So , uh , we landed at Camp Pendleton. Yeah.
S3: Yeah.
S4: San Diego was San Diego. Yeah.
S3: Yeah. Major entry point , right ? Yeah.
S4: And then a lot of them moved to Orange County , and a lot of them also moved into San Diego. So the Little Saigon stock from there. So when we first came , like , you know , we've been talking all about , uh , language barrier. So , um , the language barrier somehow , is it not a good thing ? But it also is an opportunity for us to come together. So those who know a little bit English help , uh , the newcomer that they could not be able to express themselves. So at first , you know , they , uh , did happen , uh , lead us off like , uh , a grocery. I remember one of the owner , Vietnam supermarket right now. He told me that , you know , when at first his parents came to Los Angeles , where a lot of Chinese people there , they bought a little , like , uh , two bags of , uh , egg and then , uh , fish , little fish , you know , and then they bring , uh , down to San Diego on a little comeback car. Uh , and then they , they play in the small shop so that people can go and buy. And when we first come , even , you know , the hello and goodbye. We don't even know how to sign it. So that is the only way we come together to buy a little stuff first and then eventually. There are coffee shops open and then the doctor's office. So we are very lucky that there are , uh , doctors also escaped from Vietnam. Then they came to San Diego and they established the first clinic for serving the Vietnamese people. So it's growing and growing. Eventually we have the , uh , real estate agent who can speak Vietnamese , and we have tax preparer , uh , who can speak little , little , little pieces. Right.
S3: Right. Yeah.
S4: Yeah. So. Mhm. Uh , over the years and then uh , now if you come to Little Saigon , one stop for all so you can see , uh , Barber , you can have a coffee shop , supermarket , you know , all these services , auto repair and everything is in there. So it's not only , uh , serving for Vietnamese , but it's expanded out. So you can. If you go to Vietnamese restaurant , you can see , uh , known Vietnamese there.
S3: Let's see. Yeah. And it's really interesting to kind of see how this brought up , but also the importance of language because at one , you know , on one side. So I imagine it's really important , you know , you're you're leaving your homeland. You want to kind of get some sense of community. And language is an important piece of that , much less having to adjust to going to a doctor in English or something which might bring its challenges. Trim. Can you talk a little bit more about the Little Saigon district and how that's kind of yeah , the role it's played in the community here over the years. Yeah.
S2: Yeah. So little Saigon , like , uh , like , um , she was saying the community is growing , but , uh , language barrier being just the tip of the iceberg. When you don't understand , you also don't understand the system. You don't know how to navigate certain things like healthcare or , um , the court system. So then , um , is one thing that the community get together and then kind of help one another. But at the same time , we also have at large community as well that we need to work on live side by side. Right. So with the Little Saigon , we're trying to , um , one being there for the community to help to break that barrier , to be a connector within the language , to help people who is have limited English proficiency , getting the help that they need or getting the service that they need. So that's how low Saigon come about. The Low Saigon nonprofit is coming about. We are just there and we we trying to help bridging that gap.
S3:
S2: That is where most about 96% of the the businesses that is Vietnamese or Vietnamese or maybe Vietnamese people that are working there , uh , so very small. It's not a compared to our own county , but it's a center. So.
S3: So. So you helped Little Saigon get the district designation it has today. And I imagine that was , you know , a pretty important moment.
S4: They replaced by the communist dictator Ho Chi Minh. So we called it Ho Chi Minh City. Uh , so that's why , you know , in order for us to keep our culture alive. That's how we. Retain.
S3: Retain.
S4: The name. Yes. Retain the. Name.
S3: Name.
S4: The city ? Yes. So , uh , that also the healing process for all the people who are suffering during the war , even though , uh , 58,000 American soldiers sacrificed their life in Vietnam. So we fight the communism , but somehow we lost the war. Then , you know , at least we can have something , uh , like a gift to those , uh , American soldiers and also 100,000 , uh , Vietnamese , uh , soldiers , and then also the civilian , uh , like us. So the Nam is really important. That's why originally you see Little Saigon in in Orange County and Little Saigon , uh , in Seattle and somewhere else , especially also later in San Diego. So that's why we keep growing , not only in San Diego , but somewhere else , too. Right ? But , um , the process. It kind of , you know , when at first we initiated it. A lot of people don't believe in it. Some people know Vietnamese. They think that we are segregate ourselves. You know , we take all the ideas together , right ? So they have their point , too , but nobody understands deeply. Uh , the spirit of the Nam that our ancestor who came up with the name Saigon , and they don't understand the the story where we suffering , uh , why we come together. So , um , at first , you know , we initiate the idea , and then we found the organization Nam Little Saigon. And then we proposed to the elected officer and the people around the area. In 2008 , uh , we formed the organization nonprofit. And then in 2013. Officially , San Diego voted unanimously to adopt the second district , and then in 2019 , we got the Little Saigon exit sign on the freeway. And then two years later , we have another two side. It's called , uh , wayfinding. So the total side on the freeway , you can see from the 15 , there are four. So , uh , it's a long way. Uh , but , uh , we are really everybody in the community really happy. Uh , when we got the designation , at least we are on the table.
S3: Right ? And being on the sign , I mean , that's like. Like you said , the name of the city has been changed , and the importance of the name really drives it home.
S4: We are so sharing sharing our culture with the other known Vietnamese , uh , in San Diego County. You know , we have Little Italy. We have , uh , Mario Logan. We have , uh , Leo Saigon. And we hope that there are more districts coming out so that , you know , we make it San Diego , the most diversity in the nation because , you know , all these things coming out. And then we're sharing with each other. And I feel I really feel very empowering when I see a restaurant that have a lot of American known Vietnamese come to taste our food and then walking around the district , uh , that is all about Trump.
S3: You know , you all are celebrating 50 years now of this diaspora journey. You're having this event this weekend.
S2: And we ask that same question , whereas , you know , what is the significance of the last 50 years ? And also what are we hoping , what is your hoping for the next 50 year ? So we want to know what is the community want to see in 50 years ? For myself , I feel that 50 years , the last 50 years it for a community that come from nothing but the clothes on our back for 50 years that we are building , we are we working hard and we get basically a career , a house and all that stuff. Yeah , a 50 year is is long , but is not that long for a community that come from nothing. Right now we are we are settled with , you know , the roof on our head. But now we need to emerge more into the community. If you go to like , uh , city council and uh , or maybe community input event , you don't see a lot of Vietnamese there. And that is hard because , you know , we are not out there. Our voice is not being heard. And go back to maybe it's because of a language barrier , but then the next 50 year we need to work on that. We need to get out there and be on the table and get our voice heard so that we can be a part of a at large community. So that is my personal hope. But we , like I say , we are sending out this community , need assessment , a survey , and we hope to find out what exactly the Vietnamese community , what is our hope for the next 50 year.
S3: I want to thank both of you for being here and sharing more about the event , but also about , you know , your own stories and some of the amazing culture and the community in Little Saigon.
S4: Thank you. Thank you for having us.
S1: That was Tram Lam , the management officer of Little Saigon , San Diego , and Sue Nguyen , founder of the organization. The concert 50 years of the diaspora journey will take place at the City Heights Performance Annex this Saturday from 3 to 8 p.m.. Coming up , Ben Model is on a mission to overcome the negative feelings some people may have about going to a silent film.
S5: That is the first big problem that most people have who have never experienced this is it sounds like you're going to have a bad time. Um , it's like saying , we're going to go to a rave , but it's in a library.
S1: We'll explore the silent film universe and its unique cinematic language when Midday Edition returns. You're listening to KPBS Midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman. Musician Ben Modell has made a career creating and performing live music for silent films. Well , now he's written a book defining what he calls the silent film universe. KPBS Cinema Junkie Beth Accomando spoke with Modell about what drives him to be such a fierce ambassador for silent movies. Take a listen.
S6: And that was a little of Ben Modell playing his virtual theater organ for a max Fleischer cartoon. So , Ben , I got introduced to you through your silent comedy watch party during the pandemic , and this is when you screen silent comedies on YouTube and accompanied them on your piano in your New York apartment. So this was a lifesaver for my friend and I , and probably for a lot of people.
S5: Maybe except for video games in VR , or maybe going to the circus where you just completely are immersed in the experience of it. I think people really just needed something during that time to take their mind completely off what was going on , and also to make them laugh. And to this day , when I do shows anyplace , there's invariably people who will come up to me and say , the silent comedy watch party got me through the pandemic. Thank you so much. You know , I say , well , thank you. You know , doing the show for people got us through the pandemic. We all went through the same thing. It was something we all experienced together. That for 90 minutes we got relief and respite from what was going on and we felt better.
S6: So as I mentioned , I first got introduced to you as a musician , but you're also a scholar , a historian , a teacher , a film preservationist , and now author of a new book called The Silent Film Universe.
S5: There are many , many books about the history , and there's film theory , but this is the practical reality which I have experienced over the last 40 plus years accompanying silent films. Between that and being asked on podcast and by journalists for years. Well , why do you think people like silent film ? And I never was happy with the answer. And I kept thinking , well , why ? Why is it , why can I show a silent movie to five year olds To sixth graders in Norway to an audience of 3000 people in Japan , South Korea. And everybody absolutely gets it. They enjoy it , they go on the ride. And so there is something at the core of this which is our own humanity , I think. So my idea in writing the book was to lay out some kind of language that we can all latch onto , or come up with some sort of terminology for silent film. So when we are discussing certain aspects of it , we know what to call it. And these are all things that I have developed through teaching a class at Wesleyan University. Because I was creating the course , I got to pick how I wanted to discuss silent film and its history. And I'm not an academic , but I know what I interpret visually as it comes into my head , in and my hands and comes out my hands when I'm playing and I'm. As many accompanists will tell you the experience , we're also aware of the audience out of the back of our head or whatever it is , but we're aware of what's working or not with the audience , and we're aware of the audience's experience. So the music is there to just enhance the bond that the viewer or audience has with the screen and to to not take away from it. So the idea behind turning all of this into a book was through teaching my course , where what we do is we chart the development of this language that gradually leaves more and more of the storytelling and story assembling to the audience. Filmmakers got more and more creative by ironically leaving things out. The idea of silent film , it's on the surface , it sounds like , oh gosh , this is going to be a lot of work. But if you have a brain and have lived , what gets filled in is things from your own memories and emotions. And so the idea behind writing the book was to put all these ideas together. And so the silent film universe is the term I came up with for the fact that silent film isn't just movies with no sound. It has its own set of rules which are a lot more elastic than reality is. And this is what you know when sound comes in , it isn't. Oh , we're just adding talk. This entire language went out the window , and that was almost like visual poetry and where we were involved , and we were suddenly no longer involved because we were getting all or most of the information from sound.
S6:
S5: And then when sound came in , they had to call it something else. Well , there was no recorded sound , so we were referred to as silent film or silent movies. That is the first big problem that most people have who have never experienced this is it sounds like you're going to have a bad time. Um , it's like saying we're going to go to a rave , but it's in a library. It does conjure up ideas of of holding your breath and being really , really quiet and being shushed in church or in shul or whatever it is. Even mime sounds a little bit more palatable because it doesn't have the word silent. It's not called silent acting , and we don't call radio blind television , but silent film , unfortunately , because what was added was sound. I think the big stereotype that people have about silent film actually was created in the 1930s. When sound comes in any kind of new technology that comes in Immediately. What preceded it is regarded as a corny old antique , and there are films that were made and released shorts in the 1930s that were hey , let's make fun of the old oldie. Time flickers and they would take they take the sound , you know , there's no sound. It's run a little too fast. And they would put corny narration and sound effects and used dialogue and title cards that would use language that really comes from stage melodrama. You know , unhand me , you villain , and tying people to the train tracks. And the idea that silent film is something that is distant and difficult , and that there's this huge barrier that's going to be there for you. You know , you always have to drag people past that awful word , silent , because we we're so used to getting information from things that we hear. And somebody actually said to me a few years ago when I told them what I do , he said , well , if there's no sound , how can you tell what's going on ? I think getting past the the idea that silent film is corny and old fashioned because those , uh , spoofs from the 30s and 40s just kept getting repeated and repeated in television commercials and TV shows over and over , and I. So the idea is that by laying it all out , just the language of how this works and how silent film works. In the book , I hope , will give people a better appreciation of and understanding of what silent film really is , especially for folks who are interested in making silent films today. And I think it's a it's a language that can still be spoken and , and used today , as long as people really understand how to speak it.
S6: And you alluded to this earlier , but silent is sort of a misnomer in many ways about silent film. And discuss a little bit more about what you mean by that. Yeah.
S5: Yeah. So the idea of if I'm using this word diegetic sound existing , but it's all based on what the people on screen are letting us know. They hear like the the the scene at the end of one week , the 1920s short with Buster Keaton. That first train , not only do we cut away from Buster and Sybil Seeley to the train , there's a close up of the whistle blowing. Then we cut to Buster and Sybil , who look up in shock and indicating to us that they've heard it , and they work like mad to push their house that has gotten stuck on train tracks off of , you know , and then they think they're , you know , the train misses the house completely. And then we cut to a big old wide shot. And then the second train just enters the shot out of nowhere. Now they should have heard it , you know , for 30s at least. But as long as they let us know that they don't hear anything or don't let on that they've heard something , that train can in reality enter the shot about a second before it hits that house. And they are surprised just as we are. And that is one of the many ways that silent film language allows for this elastic storytelling , where you have this freedom to create a different kind of reality. And that's why , again , I come up with this idea of a separate universe , a different kind of plane of existence , that things can happen suddenly not as a surprise , but a character can be introduced in a title card that is 6 or 7 words long and off we go. And we don't have to hear about their backstory and why this or why that. With a silent film that's left to us , it's it's like reading a picture book to children. You know , this is the analogy I used to know , you don't know that much about Red Riding Hood or or some of the many characters we experience in books , but we can just be told some of it. And because we have our own human experience to draw on , we fill in the rest. And silent film can do that in sound. Film does not have that kind of elasticity , so things have to be explained. They have to be justified a little bit more. And there's so much that can be dispensed with in a silent film.
S6: And another reason people may find these films so enjoyable , and maybe surprisingly so , is there's no wasted time in a silent movie.
S5: There is no wasted screen time in a silent film. And even if you're watching a sequence of just shots of New York City , as there is toward the beginning of King theaters , the crowd , we are being shown this for a specific purpose. It's not. Oh , by the way , you might see on a television show , in a movie , just shots panning through the city. Just to let you know. Now we're over here. We're always being given some kind of information. That's why you can't get up and go to the bathroom and come back and go. What did I miss ? Oh. Oh , boy. Where do I begin ? It's a very specific style of storytelling , but begin because we are connected and fused with what's happening on screen and filling things in. Is this almost a collaboration that happens ? And the fascinating thing for me is to then think back , what was it like on set and in creating these films for the performers , the directors in this scenario to think , oh , well , a good way to convey this story element or this emotional moment is to cut to a shot of a tombstone and then a shot of this person carrying a suitcase , as opposed to explaining everything. But it must have been so freeing to be able to be that expressive. And then that again , sound comes in and you can't really do that anymore.
S6: Would you say that one of the reasons you wrote the book , and why you are so kind of driven to show and introduce people to silent films , is that you want to say that silent film is not a dead language. Absolutely.
S5: Absolutely. I think silent film can work today. And like I said , and this is why there's a chapter at the end of the book about. So you want to make a silent movie. And I think it's like any kind of language , if you know how to speak it , you can communicate. And I think silent film can still work today if you follow the rules of and the syntax visually of silent film and how it works. And this is I think the idea behind writing the book is for folks who are interested in silent film , or who may have wondered why they like it so much , or who are interested in making silent film to explain the basics of the language. I think that if you really know the language properly , you can make a proper silent film that will work on any on any audience.
S6: All right. I want to thank you very much for talking about your new book , The Silent Film Universe.
S5: Yeah , thanks. Thanks for having me on , Beth. It's. I really appreciate the opportunity to share this.
S1: That was musician and author Ben Modell. Speaking with Beth Accomando about his new book , The Silent Film Universe. You can find the book at Silent Film Music. Coming up , where you can find live music , dancing and festivals this weekend. KPBS Midday Edition is back after the break. Welcome back. You're listening to KPBS Midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman. This weekend in the arts , there's a festival of dance dedicated to the LGBTQ plus community. A unique new visual art and the start of Summer Shakespeare. Also a big music and arts festival in North Park. Joining me with all the details is KPBS arts reporter and host of the finest , Julia Dixon Evans. Julia , welcome.
S7: Hey , Jade. Thanks for having me.
S1: It's always a pleasure to have you on. The North Park Music Festival returns for its fourth year , but they're doing things a little differently this time. Tell us what's new. Yeah.
S7: Yeah. So in the past , this was held at the North Park mini Park , and then the adjacent blocks were kind of fenced off to make this big festival area. They had like 3 or 4 outdoor stages , but the organizers weren't loving that , that had that like fenced in feeling. And they wanted to spread out and have people explore the area a little bit more , involve more local venues and businesses. So now they still have a couple of outdoor stages. They still have an outdoor vendor area as well , with like a block closed off to traffic. That's for the creator fair , but that part will be open to the public and free. But mostly what they're doing is what they're calling a walkabout format. And they have ten stages across venues in North Park. Four of them are 21 and up. There's the Office Bar , seven Grand Queen bees , and you 31 , and the rest are all ages. Those are art produce. The little garden out back of art produce gallery , Saint Luke's pretzels and pints , pure posh bivouac cider works and then the outdoor Creator Faire stage. And the way it works is your ticket gets you a wristband and then you can just wander around , go to any of the shows at any of the venues capacities first come , first served. So if there's a band you really want to see , plan to get there a little bit early. And this year it's also just one day Saturday , and that starts at 11 a.m. and goes to 10 p.m..
S1: Sounds like a lot to see and do there.
S7: Tasha Smith Godinez is a harpist , and she has one of the first set times. It's noon at Saint Luke's. We're listening to A New Day. It's from her latest album , which came out last summer. Anna at 2 p.m.. Bilingual local singer songwriter Julia Sage is playing at Bivouac Cider Works , and this one's one of her latest tracks. It's called Llorona. De San Diego.
S8: Medio de la ciudad. De la. All night.
S7: And then at 2 p.m. at 231 wrap , Diego is hosting a set with host Parker Edison. I'll be there to help out with this. He's going to host a showcase of local rap and hip hop artists that should be really great. And then in Maizes , they're playing at 3 p.m. at Saint Luke's. This is one from her brand new EP. It's just dropped last week. It's called Space Shaped Like You , and it's such a lovely song.
S8: Do what ? You love to sing. I didn't know I would go.
S7: And then right there also at Saint Luke's following in Maze's , Topeka , Clementine is going to perform at four. I really like Topeka Clementine's music. The group is named after an intersection in Oceanside. This song is called breakfast for one. It's from their album that came out last spring.
S8: Cause you know that I'd give you everything. Now I'm just stuck making breakfast for one. Coffee don't taste the same as how you say my name. Guess I just wasn't the one.
S7: Also at four at Pretzels and pints is Shelbie Bennett , who is part of the long standing local band The Midnight Pine. And this is a track she made with longtime collaborator Alfred Howard in 2020. It's called peace. Peace.
S9: Peace. I won't. I will bury all my bullets if you said no.
S7: And finally , one more. The neighborhood kids. They are performing at 915 at the office bar. They were actually my highlight from the Sears local NPR Tiny Desk Contest submissions. This is from their track Beauty Bomb , and I love their. It's kind of like a throwback conscious hip hop style.
S9: Why do you always wanted genocide and what is war and what is this ? And what's our business always in the Middle East ? Take stakes and make tanks and make banks. The West Bank. They burn bank and give bank. They slave trading slang. Things like AK grenades made to raise frames and make ways to erase pride. It's worth the money and the power.
S1: I absolutely love that. And I love how we get a little snippet of all of this music that's out to see and check out.
S7: That's close to verbatim books , and it's like a big free street fair. There's a book lab where you can create your own art. You can take it home. There's live interactive art installation and then a whole bunch of local creatives , artists , scene makers , bookstores , vendors , and small presses like Tash Works Books Through Bars , the organization that helps send books to people incarcerated. There's PA la mano press , burn all books and tons more. And the Creator Faire is free. But otherwise , for all the other events , you'll need a wristband. Tickets are $25 in advance , or 35 if you wait until Saturday , the day of the festival. And you can also download a walkabout app that will help you navigate and make your own schedule. Fantastic.
S1: Fantastic. It's also getting to be Summer Shakespeare season , and I know the The Old Globe always has some big productions in their outdoor festival venue.
S7: And this is one of Shakespeare's comedies. It follows the character Helen and her kind of relentless pursuit of Bertram , who is just sort of basically indifferent to her. And while he's away at war , he sends her this ongoing to do list of basically impossible conditions in order for him to accept her as a bride. And of course , there's all sorts of , like , deceit and comedic twists. And then for their second Shakespeare play , beginning July 22nd , the Old Globe will run The Comedy of Errors.
S1: All right. Well , so it's definitely festival season. I'm feeling it in the air. Um , we have music , then Shakespeare , and now dance. So disco riots , queer movement festival. It's coming up. What's what's happening with that ? Yeah.
S7: So this kicked off earlier this week and it runs through Sunday. This is like an annual festival that they do , um , their film screenings , panel discussions , dance events , Workshops and then culminating this like main stage performance. It all celebrates and supports the LGBTQ plus community. Disco riot. As a nonprofit , they do amazing work in the dance community and beyond. And some highlights of this festival Friday they have what they're calling. It's a Tender Riot's dance party at The Loft at UC San Diego. They're promising light vocal guidance from the DJ , but otherwise you can just , like , move on your own. I love that for someone who's not a dancer. Be nice to , like , have a little instruction. Yeah. Yeah.
S1: Yeah.
S7: And it's also of note that Tender Riot's is committed to early evening dance events so that you can also get some rest.
S1: They know their audience. They know their crowd.
S7: So this is from 7 to 930. And it's substance and alcohol free. And then on Saturday they're having a series of workshops throughout the day. And then the mainstage showcase is Saturday night at seven at the Civil Theatre at City College. There's performance artists , Humsafar dancers , Joshua de Estrada Romero , Bruce McCormick , Geometry Dance Company , Robert Taylor and Sam Arrow. And then following that , there'll be a panel discussion afterwards.
S1: All right. Well , next we've actually got another dance performance. And this one is inspired by photography. Yeah.
S7: Yeah. So dancer Cami Arboles is coming to the Museum of Photographic Arts for one of their DMA plus events. It's inspired by the current exhibition Women in Focus that's currently up at MoMA , at DMA. And the exhibits about the the role of women throughout the history of photography and arabella's dance performance explores kind of also the power of the female body through movement , dance and even yoga. And this is Saturday at 7:00 , and the exhibits will also be open so you can browse the museum.
S1: Sounds great. Okay , so I know that that's not the end of the list. There's still much more going on , especially in the visual art world. Yeah.
S7: Yeah. So artist John Singletary is going to have his debut solo exhibition at Oolong Gallery in Rancho Santa Fe. This is called Sun Going Down , and Singletary just got his MFA from UCSD. And he's inspired by the way that myth and memory intersect , especially in biblical tales and southern folklore. And then the generational fear that he says exists in black men in America. His paintings are so powerful and kind of haunting , like there are some clear , distinct horror elements in some of the paintings , like skeletons , and others are more abstract. It's just really interesting work. And there's an opening reception Friday from 6 to 8 at Oolong Gallery , and it'll be on view through the 25th of June , so you can make an appointment to go and see the work too. If you can't make Friday.
S1: Sounds very interesting. And finally , we have something for kids too. The launch of the library's summer reading program.
S7: So it's the annual San Diego Public Library's summer reading program. It's already underway. It started June 1st , but they're having a bunch of kickoff events this weekend. Saturday , you can find little gatherings at the Central Library , as well as Rancho Mosquitos College , Orlando North University , and the Pacific Beach branches. And then more continue through next week , too. So if you didn't hear your library on the list , there might be something happening this year. They're embracing gaming as well as books , so you can actually log hours for playing board games or video games and just kind of leaning into the narrative and the exploration that happens with video games and the way it works is you read a book or you spend hours reading or doing literacy or game related activities , and then you get prizes like free books and museum passes. And I always joke about how we don't have fun , like reading logs or book fairs anymore as adults. But you can. Adults can participate. I just noticed. That.
S1: That.
S7: Okay , so you log all of your beach reads , and you can get a free book or two tickets to the Natural History Museum.
S1: See ? That's exciting.
S10: I know.
S1: All right , well , you can find details on these and more arts events at KPBS. I've been speaking with Julia Dickson Evans , KPBS arts reporter and host of The Finest Julia. Thank you.
S7: Thank you so much. This is fun.
S1: That's our show for today. I'm your host , Jayde Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.
