Fellow West Philly residents Andrew Simonet (choreographer) and Manfred Fischbeck have helped put together a fascinating dance show, which begins at Drexel’s Mandell Theater (3300 Chestnut St.) tomorrow, June 17.

Sam-Gam Bam! (“sam-gam” means “flow together” in Sanskrit) is a collision of classical and experimental American and South Indian dance, a blend of traditional and modern. A classical Indian dance form, Bharatanatyam, which is featured in the show, began 2,000 years ago and represents divine mythology in performance.

The show is a product of collaboration among three Philly-based dance companies: Group Motion, Headlong, and Three Aksha. The companies are quite distinct in style, but find common ground through this presentation of dance.

The shows schedule:

June 17, 18, 23-25 – 7:30 p.m.

June 19 – 2 p.m.

Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. To buy tickets click here.
 

The day that many of us have been waiting a long time for has arrived. Early this morning the fences came down at Clark Park “A” and it didn’t take long for people to pour in with books, coffee, kids and dogs in tow.

The official opening ceremony is today at 4 p.m.

A few things still need to be worked out, such as how best to accommodate the chess players that have dueled in the park for years. The biggest visible change, of course, is the graveled round open space where the flag pole (and a lot of mud) used to be.

Several orange cafe-style tables and chairs will be distributed around the space. They will be locked to one another to help prevent theft.

Today is a great day for the opening. The weather is nice and the Thursday farmer’s market starts at 3 p.m. So get out there and take it all in.

Are Baltimore Avenue and Spruce Street in West Philly among the worst places in the city to ride a bike?

The good folks at the Philadelphia Weekly think so. In “The Five Best (and Worst) places to Bike in Philly,” writer Daniel Denvir pans the two streets because of the proximity of parked cars to bike lanes. He writes of Baltimore Avenue:

Baltimore Avenue, the main drag of queer, anarchist, vegan, crusty West Philly? It couldn’t be—but it is! I know two people who have had car doors opened into them, one of whom broke her collarbone. A sleepy side street where you can bike down the middle of the road may be slower than a big street bike lane, but it is always safer to bike without parked cars immediately to your right.

First, we have no problem with queer, anarchist, vegan or crusty (that’s one of the reasons why we live here) but, dude, have you been to West Philly lately?

Baltimore and Spruce (along with Kensington Avenue and “all those bike lanes next to parked cars”) rank fourth on the list of the worst behind the Ben Franklin Parkway, Girard Avenue and Greys Ferry Bridge.

We’re not sure if they are among the worst streets in the city. But getting doored does suck.
 

A neighbor, who lives on Melville between Spruce and Locust, emailed us with this information:

There is a black and white tuxedo cat that is on my roof. It is hiding under my deck and on the roof next door. He seems scared but doesn’t come across as feral. I am wondering if someone lost him. Details:

Black and White Tuxedo
White Nose
Yellow/Green Eyes

I live on Melville between Spruce and Locust. I imagine he climbed out of someone’s window on Melville, got here and now can’t get down.

If you lost a cat that looks like the one described above, please email: thecaretaker [at] gmail.com

Update (June 16): The cat is reunited with her owner! After reading this information the owner retrieved her cat from her neighbor’s deck.
 

Today’s dog is Brianna, a young American Bulldog mix. She’s between one and two years old.

Brianna was found in an abandoned building and brought to the ACCT animal shelter. She gets regular meals now, but she won’t be a really happy dog until she has her own family, something soft to sleep on, and a chance to walk or play outside every day.

Brianna is one of the gentlest and sweetest dogs around. She loves people, kids, and other dogs. She likes to play, but also likes to relax and cuddle. As far as playing goes, one of her favorite things to do is to play fetch. As far as relaxing, she loves to lie down flat on her stomach and stick her back legs out, kinda like a frog (see picture below).

Brianna is already well-trained. She knows commands like “sit,” “stay,” and learning “lie down.” She is house-trained, and never begs for food. She is very mature for her age.

She is a perfect dog with the perfect temperament and it’s a shame that she hasn’t been adopted yet. Maybe it’s because she sits quietly in her kennel while the other dogs bark and jump for attention. She is a staff and volunteer favorite and gets some extra kisses and treats here and there. She’s also a runway model! Recently she participated in a runway show for New Leash On Life.

Brianna has already been spayed and microchipped (so she doesn’t get lost), and has had all of her basic shots.

If you want to adopt Brianna, please email her pen pal Steve for more information at: s.t.weinberg [at] gmail.com or come to the ACCT shelter (111 W. Hunting Park Ave.). Her adoption fee is $30 (which may be discounted for certain adoption specials). If you can’t adopt Brianna you can also consider fostering her until she finds her happy ending.

Living in a city as big as Philadelphia, and not having enough gardening space, doesn’t mean you can’t grow and harvest some crops of your own.

Want to learn how to do it? Come tonight, June 15, at 6 p.m. to Cedar Park (50th & Baltimore) for a workshop on urban gardening. Erica Smith of Philly Rooted, an organization specializing in urban farm development, will teach you the basics of starting and tending a vegetable garden.

The workshop is organized by Cedar Park Neighbors. Please let them know if you are coming by phone 267.531.4147 or email: contact [at] cedarparkneighbors.org.

For more information download the flyer here.