Amazing klezmar / jazz / swing band we hired for our wedding! Ben Brussels, the band leader, was…read moreprofessional and friendly, and helped us greatly to enjoy our reception. The band played a mix of traditional Jewish music, popular hits, jazz and swing. Ben was happy to oblige us with some non-traditional requests, and spent two hours helping us to outline our event and prepare us for the evening. On our wedding day, he took great pains to arrive early, helped non-Jewish guests feel comfortable about participating in the Hora, and responded to the crowd's moods with a variety of music. Thanks Ben!

I truly can not recommend Ben Brussell and Klezmania highly enough. Every single aspect of working…read morewith Ben was easy and actually a joy -communicating and planning my daughter's Bat Mitzvah celebration. The band's music was extraordinary - beautiful and motivating and energizing. Ben and Klezmania understood the mood and energy level and we literally had 100 people (children, teens and adults; Jews and non-Jews; dancers and non-dancers) all holding hands and twirling and swirling together on and on. It was a once in a lifetime experience. (Maybe twice in a lifetime - we will definitely hire them again for our son's Bar Mitzvah!)

"Alicia has been my guide on several healing journeys, each one travelled different ground; each…read moreone required different "tools"; each one resonated with the issue at hand. Alicia has the magical gift to be completely present with me, to ask me questions and she has the willingness & compassion to hold the space for me as I connect to my higher self and take my next steps. She has the highest integrity and can also help me laugh and cry. I am so grateful to have found Alicia and look forward to working with her again."

Oh wow! Just emerged from an intensive three-day workshop led by Alicia Dattner on how to develop a…read moresolo show. A gifted performer and teacher, Alicia knows how to share her abundant knowledge and her skills in a non-threatening way, all in a safe space that encourages creativity. If you are interested in learning how to put together a solo show, allow this talented, warm-hearted veteran of the stage to show you the way.

Stephen is a fantastic guitarist and a natural teacher with a great sense of humor. His training is…read moretop notch and his repertoire vast. I learned a variety of Latin American rhythms from Stephen and had a lot of fun in the process. Stephen is very adept at working with people with different skill levels. for example; one day i showed up early for a lesson and heard him working with an advanced player and it was as if they were speaking a different language ,but with me he simply switched gears and we worked at a level that I could understand. He would methodically break down the complex syncopated rhythms into easy to grasp segments and then we would link them together into a seamless song. We taped each lesson so i could continue to work on the material at home...and still do. It blows me away that he can sing and teach in four languages...from flamenco,Cuban and Brazilian to rock, jazz and classical and lots in between ..i can not recommend Stephen highly enough!

There's another Gold Rush and it's happening now! I keep telling people that this guy, James…read moreDonlon, is handing out gold. He's quite an influence of all things theatrically physical. He's taught at some of the best schools for drama. Flying Actor Studio is a grass roots school offering the absolute best in the business. I'm not kidding. You won't be trained like this anywhere else. James is the most inspiring teacher, patient but challenging and very thoughtful. What you will learn here applies to everything artistic and existent. You will learn new things about you, your body, its communication and how it can all flow to truth, passion, and confidence. Donlon comes to the table with like 100 plates. Every minute. He's constantly thinking, creating ideas that will make you smile all the way to the back of your head. It's a mixture of dance, movement, and improv. He takes anything you wish to create and gives you tools that make everything work together. Check these out to get a feeling of what it is (there's much more): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB6W5_TfVNs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1FuQis5oak http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c24ZtQ-Cpb0 Imagine how you can apply any of these concepts to something you want to create. And you hopefully will feel a tingle throughout your body after thinking about it. Your eyes might become a little watery. Because you realize you have a passion to create something. Any visual artist will benefit from his classes. Not to be overly preachy, but if you're serious, like really serious about your craft, you might really consider working with the best while it's being offered. You won't find this easily one day, unfortunately, unless we carry it. Vaudeville must come alive again! We must show the world its importance and purpose. It means everything if you're willing to recognize its power. Be all that you can be. Join the army. Or Flying Actor Studio.

My first learning experience at The Flying Actors Studio was a few months ago, doing a clown and…read moremime weekend workshop. I was so inspired and amazed at what I learned that I just HAD to go back for more! I am currently taking a Mime workshop series and love it just as much, yet am a little disappointed that my schedule, at this point, doesnt allow me to take MORE classes. I'm so addicted! James Donlon is an AMAZING and truly inspiring teacher. He is a wealth of knowledge that I truly appreciate to be a part of, be learning from and also witness. It's enhanced my character and connection as a street dancer (hip hop style, popping) and I cannot wait to take more classes in the near future.

We live in a city with TWO professional opera companies. TWO. Putting on great shows at price…read morepoints that let everyone enjoy reasonably good opera. For that we should all be proud. I'm proud of Lyric Opera as a presenter of accessible offerings of opera with some really good production designs, soloists, and overall casts. I've seen several very nice productions while the company was at the Legion of Honor, including a nice Lucia di Lammermoor and a good Tales of Hoffmann. Now that they've moved to Fort Mason, I'm looking forward to a slightly easier-to-get-to theater, and I certainly can't wait to see a certain member of the chorus in Rigoletto. I've had inside reports that the solists are excellent. No matter what show you catch, enjoy Lyric Opera for bringing big opera to small theatres at even smaller prices, with lots of local talent. Keeping opera alive and kicking in the 21st century is reason enough for 5 stars--the great entertainment to be had is pure gravy, to use a decidedly non-highbrow term.

Let's face it. I have champagne taste on a Pabst Blue Ribbon budget…read more I love opera but am never willing to pay the outrageous prices at the "big" opera house. Sure, I'll go if you're treating. And I will thoroughly frickin' enjoy it, so long as it isn't some new fangled, artsy production. But I'll still go, especially if you have box seats. That said, the free tickets are few and far between and I can't get student rush tickets anymore with my dusty college ID. The "little" opera or SF Lyric Opera has always been a bright spot in my dynamic City life. (Of course, so are the metallic guys, the panhandlers with creative signs, BART, and many other less romantic things.) But SF Lyric Opera really makes the arts accessible. The ticket prices and the venue are key. No, they don't have the world's most celebrated tenor or the international divas, but they do have amazingly talented opera singers that anyone can enjoy for less than the price of dinner and drinks at any trendy spot. I would have given them five stars if it weren't for their recent move from the lovely Gould theater at the Legion of Honor to the Cowell Theater at Fort Mason. I haven't actually been to a performance there, so I will amend my review as necessary once I do. But the Gould is the most delightful little venue. You might think that Marie Antoinette invited you to a command performance, and there isn't a bad seat in the house. Wherever they may go, though, I will follow. The company is wonderfully talented and even with the bigger venue, you will have an experience you couldn't get at the "big" opera. That is unless you don't mind dropping a couple Benjamins for a seat. And if that's you, you probably wouldn't mind if I tag along...

The SF Civic Music Association offers free concert performances by musicians of various skill…read morelevels for the community to come together, enjoy, and appreciate. Three different ensembles perform at various locations throughout the year: the SF Civic Symphony, Mozart to Mendelssohn (M2M), and Civic Strings. This rating and review is more for the organization rather than a single ensemble. But we had the pleasure of experiencing the wonderful talents of the M2M group this past Sunday, Classical Classics (Mozart's Symphony #40 and Beethoven's Symphony #5) at Herbst Theatre inside the War Memorial Veterans building. Such powerful music, the beautiful sounds on a wide range of instruments including the violin, viola, cello, bass, flute, piccolo, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, and kettledrums. Music director and conductor for this ensemble (the association's second full orchestra) is John Kendall Bailey. I love what the association does for both musicians and the community, and with the amazing performance by M2M this past weekend (playing incredible masterpieces by two classical music greats), I have no doubt that the SF Civic Symphony and Civic Strings are impressive with what they do as well.

I recently had the opportunity to see the Civic Symphony when they performed their Fall concert at…read morethe Elks Lodge. NOTE: This is not the SF Symphony, these guys are a non-profit! WOW - standing room only! (Did I mention their concerts are FREE?) The acoustics of the room were terrific and the head conductor did a great job introducing each piece they performed. The final piece was perfect for the time of year: "Night on Bald Mountain". Fun! I was surprised how much I really enjoyed this and was impressed by the fact that these guys do it for the love of music - not for the money (they are a non-profit).

I heard of Stephanie through a friend who works at a recording studio. He sent me a link to her…read moresite and it was mostly amazing down tempo, chill stuff. But I needed Stephanie for a wedding that was gonna be half country and dance tunes. I was going to tell you all about how Stephanie kept me from going insane and how easy she is to work with and how she found the greatest country mix and handled special request like last minute request for people wanting to sing at our wedding. All that would take too long! What I will tell you is she had every ass out on that dance floor shakin it, rollin it, for hours! We had to forcibly remove people from the dance floor and those people put up a fight to keep it going! Thank You DJ Stephanie Luz for making our Wedding the Best Day of Our Lives! Wayne and Crystal

After the Giants game, this group (4 of them) was performing. They were Awesome! We watch for…read moreawhile and truly enjoyed them. Nice job guys.

I had just got back from Sausalito and I heard the drums going off across from the ferry building…read moreat Justin Herman Plaza. It was the Cougar Cadet Corps drumline from Chipman Middle School in Alameda. The Corps is an after school program designed to teach respect and discipline through marching, drumbeats and dance/step routines. I briefly talked with one of the talented kids who create their own drumbeats and dance routines. They do not have an official drum or dance teacher. Their motto is: "Each one teach one." Diversity, Unity and Determination embody the spirit of the Cougar Cadet Corps. I was really feeling the performance and was extra generous with my donation. It was like something that has the crowd gathered around in the Manhattan subway at either the 42nd or 34th St stations. The kids bought their own drums out of pocket and nothing was supplied from school. Show your support and check out their myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/cougarcadetdrumline for upcoming shows!!