So I haven't gotten used to the name change yet, but that hasn't stopped me from getting pretty darned excited about this year's event. Sure, MECDA has gone through some major changes this year, but from what I've gathered by talking to people and reading the online discussions (mostly on Tribe.Net), it sounds like the event formerly known as Cairo Carnival is going to run much the same as it has since it moved to the Santa Anita Racetrack from the Glendale Civic Auditorium a few years ago. (Honestly, Rio Hondo College was still my favorite venue. A much kinder drive for those of us coming from Orange County, don't you agree? And what happened to the rumors about moving to the Phoenix Club in Anaheim? But I digress...)
I'll be attending Sunday, which means I'm sad to be missing the Saturday performance of my great friend
Katerina and her Kabuki Dolls. Her pieces are always well-staged and entertaining, so if you'll be there Saturday, don't miss her. The schedule has them on the Gypsy Stage somewhere at the later end of the 12:30 to 1:43 p.m. segment.
The acts I'm going to make a point of checking out on Sunday are the Om Sisters, Tsingani, Princess Farhana and Cleopatra's Court on the Gypsy Stage, and Marina, Kassar, Fahtiem, Mesmera, J.J. and the Habibis, Feiruz and the Angelika Nemeth Dance Ensemble on the inside stage. But the thing about me and festivals is, I go with the best intention of watching a bunch of dancing, and somehow I end up spending most of my time trolling the shopping bazaar. So we'll see how well I resist the lure of shiny, jingly things this time...
Ethnic folk music and dance will come alive Sunday, March 18, as local performance companies come together to present an enchanting variety of entertainment at Once Upon A Time: A Gypsy's Tale.
