Dave Knows Portland

Offbeat Belly Dance (17-August-2012)

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Offbeat Belly DanceEvery third Friday of the month the Blue Monk (3341 SE Belmont) hosts the Offbeat Belly Dance collective, a club rocking, good timing, genre-defying gang of badass belly dancers.

This Friday, August 17, 2012 is no exception: Offbeat Belly Dance! This Friday! Awesome! Magical! Free Show!

This month’s show is special – yes, I know, they’re all special, but this one’s different – ok, true, every Offbeat show’s rather different from the usual belly dance show, but this month’s show is unique – alright, yes, they’re all… look, that’s not the point. The point is:

THIS MONTH WE’RE STARTING ON TIME!!!!!

Whyfore, you ask? Well, Ringleader Karissa just had a birthday and is all fired up to embrace opportunities for self improvement, but more importantly, the Blue Monk is running two (count ’em! two!) shows this Friday!

Following Offbeat will be a series of dramatic readings hosted by:

Naked Girls Reading!

This show is not affiliated in any way with Offbeat, but the Naked Girls have been kind enough to offer Offbeat patrons a discount on their cover charge for any and all of you fine folks who want to stick around for yet further entertainment after Offbeat.

How exciting! Come for the belly dance show, stay for the dramatic readings! Or just come for the belly dance show! You are the captain of your own ship, Mighty Portlanders! May we humbly suggest you chart course for our fine and festive port?

Join Karissa, the Ringleader of Offbeat Belly Dance (pictured to the right), and the other fabulous dancers at the show Friday night.

Individually, the members of the Offbeat Belly Dance collective perform at shows throughout the Portland area, but on the 3rd Friday of the month they come together at the Blue Monk to perform in a rollicking belly dance revue. One of the things that makes it offbeat, is that the dancers choose whatever kind of music they like. Karissa tells me this has included traditional Middle Eastern music, zydeco, AC/DC, Strauss, The Pogues, hip hop, jazz, blues, Old Crow Medicine Show, the Spice Girls, and just about everything else.

The shows are free, and go from about 7 p.m. until 9:30 p.m.

Visit OffbeatBellyDance.com for more information. You can also become a fan on Facebook, and follow the genre-defying, good timing gang of belly dancers in Portland OR, w/Karissa as ringmaster/carnival barker/propagandiston on Twitter at @OffbeatBelly

Photo credit: Offbeat Belly Dance

Attack of the Flix #8 (19-August-2012)

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Attack of the FlixAttack of the Flix, presented by Microflix, is a monthly competition for Portland filmmakers held at the Curious Comedy Theatre (5225 NE MLK). This month’s show takes place Sunday, August 19, 2012.

Submit your film if you are an Oregon or Washington filmmaker! Entries must be 10 minutes or less, and submitted on USB thumb drives encoded as AppleTV (see the FAQ for full details).

Films are shown in the order they are submitted, and screened live on the interwebz!

Vote for your favorite flicks – the first place winner receives a golden trophy!

Admission is free (a donation bucket will be at the door). Curious Comedy Theatre is an all ages venue, and has a full bar.

This recurring show takes place every third Sunday. Visit the Microflix website and the Attack of the Flix Facebook page for more details.

Stumptown Stories: History of the Albina Neighborhood (14-August-2012)

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History of the Albina Neighborhood.The Stumptown Stories: Free Tuesday Lecture Series, geared to anyone who is curious about the world and community in which we live and loves to learn new things, takes place most Tuesdays at Jack London bar (basement of the Rialto, SW 4th and Alder). Free to get in, but must be 21 or over – there’s a full bar!

This Tuesday, August 14, 2012 join Joe Streckert, a tour guide and researcher for Portland Walking Tours, as he presents The History of the Albina Neighborhood.

Streckert will focus particularly on the Vanport flood and the Providence developments, as well as the current controversies surrounding N Williams and other developments.

The presentation begins at 7:30 p.m. Always free. Always fascinating.

Stumptown Stories: Egyptian Mythology (26-June-2012)

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Egyptian MythologyStumptown Stories, an event geared to everyone who loves this city we live in, takes place most Tuesdays at Jack London bar (basement of the Rialto, SW 4th and Alder). Free to get in, but must be 21 or over – there’s a full bar!

The topic of the installment this Tuesday, June 26, 2012 is Egyptian Mythology:

[Tonight’s] free lecture welcomes back Dr Kate Bruner, an English teacher at Clark College with a Ph. D. in English from Auburn as she introduces us to the fascinating world of Egyptian Mythology. Kate is passionate about mythology and uncovering the connections between current taste and tradition and their roots in ancient civilizations. You will learn something new, guaranteed.

Doors open around 7 p.m. for this free event (21 and over only). Presentation begins at 7:30 p.m.

OMSI After Dark: Burn, Baby, Burn (27-June-2012)

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OMSI After DarkBurn, Baby, Burn: OMSI Gets Fired Up! is the theme of this month’s OMSI After Dark, on Wednesday, June 27, 2012.

[W]e’re all fired up with this month’s event theme, fire and water. Flaming balloons, great balls of fire, vanishing water, tornadoes of fire and more. Don’t try this at home!

Yup, it’s time for another child-free night at OMSI, and there’s alcohol!

The OMSI After Dark Summer Concert Series also debuts Wednesday, with performances by Radiation City, and The Robinsons & The Psychedelic Family Band.

Visit the OMSI Cafe for special menu items, and Altengartz Bratwurst will be out front from 9:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Bring cash (only!) for the beer and wine and cocktails at the bars set up throughout the museum.

Featured science demonstrations and activities include Flaming Baloons, Freezer Burn, and Tornado of Fire. Coffee, spirits, chocolate, and beer vendors will be on hand.

Hours are 7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Admission is $18 for non-members, $9 for members. You can buy tickets online, or at the door (no reservations necessary). 21 and over only!