Belle Reve is presenting a glamorous evening. The Big Easy Stompers had much to cel. The Historic New Orleans Collection returns

Transcription

1 under the gaydar...from 14 dances of Mambo, Rumba, Salsa, Cha-cha. The evening s program is comprised of three highoctane works, including Tito on Timbale, a tribute to the music of master percussionist Tito Puente. Choreographed by William Whitener, the work captures the joy and intricacies of social dance through cascading patterns and sensual partnering. The intoxicating finale Club Havana, created by Cuban choreographer Pedro Ruiz, is pure Latin dancing at its best with all of themystique of a sultry nightclub in Old Havana. Both works feature the celebrated Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra led by artistic director Arturo O Farrill. The centerpiece of the evening, Asuka, was created by Vilaro and honors the life of the legendary Queen of Salsa, Celia Cruz. Tickets ranging from $20-$80 may be purchased through the New Orleans Ballet Association Box Office at , online at or through TicketMaster at or Discounts are available for students, seniors, and groups. All audience members are invited to join Artistic Director Eduardo Vilaro at 6:45pm upstairs in the Mezzanine, Level M2, of the Mahalia Jackson Theater for a pre-performance talk. NOBA is also giving the New Orleans community a rare opportunity this year to get up close and personal with the performers. Following the Main Stage performance on Saturday, Dec. 8, NOBA s Ballet Resource And Volunteer Organization (BRAVO) will host a Latin Dance Party in the lobby of the Pan American Life Center at 601 Poydras Street beginning at 9:30pm. The dancers of Ballet Hispanico will join patrons to dance the night away to the infectious rhythms of an ensemble of the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra. Tickets are $60 and include open bar, Latin-inspired buffet and complimentary parking in the Pan American Life Center garage. Tickets are available by calling NOBA at Historic New Orleans Collection Host Special Exhibit The Historic New Orleans Collection returns as a participating venue in PhotoNOLA 2012 by hosting an exhibition of photographs by Charles Martin. A companion catalogue is also being released. For eight years, Martin has documented the centuries-old tobacco-growing traditions of St. James Parish, in southeast Louisiana. The area is the only place in the world that harvests perique, prized by connoisseurs as the strongest and most flavorful of tobacco varietals. The labor-intensive cultivation process dates to the early 19th century, and its rituals have descended as occupational folklore through a handful of local families, including Martin s. With 40 images, the exhibition will open in conjunction with PhotoNOLA 2012, an annual city-wide celebration of photography that will take place Nov. 29-Dec. 2 at multiple venues. Perique: Photographs by Charles Martin will open Thursday, Nov. 29, and will remain on view at The Collection s Williams Research Center, 410 Chartres St., through Saturday, Feb. 2, The galleries are open Tuesday Saturday, 9:30am-4:30pm, and admission is free. Details on other PhotoNOLA exhibitions and programming are available at In addition to the exhibition, THNOC has also produced a companion catalogue, complete with a selection of Martin s images and essays by Mary Ann Sternberg and John H. Lawrence. All three contributors will be on hand for a viewing and book signing Sunday, Dec. 2, at the Williams Research Center. The galleries will open at 3:30pm and the book signing will take place from 4 to 5:30pm. The book, which retails for $25, will be available for purchase at the signing and is available in advance through The Shop at The Collection. For more information, visit or call Belle Reve Drags Out The Holidays Belle Reve is presenting a glamorous evening of drag performers at Drag n Out The Holidays on Saturday, Dec. 1 at Body and Soul starting at 7pm. There will be divas galore such as D.L. Broadway, Anita Rich Goodman, Jasmine Essex, Rikki Redd, Princesse Stephaney and many more. Body and Soul is located at the corner of Marigny and Chartres Streets across from the Friendly Bar. For more information or tickets, call Local Charities Benefit from National Convention The Big Easy Stompers had much to cel ebrate the other night at their Country West ern Night at JohnPaul s. First they are coming off a successful national convention with the IAGLCWDC (International Association of Gay Lesbian Country Western Dance Clubs) which was held in New Orleans over the Memorial Day weekend. Second they raised an impressive amount of money for local charities. In conjunction with the national organization, the Stompers presented checks on Saturday, Nov. 10 to two very deserving groups. Steve Lorio from Belle Reve accepted a check for $2,255 and Glen Kahrman from [continued on 18] 16 The Official Mag: AmbushMag.COM Nov.. 20-Dec. 3, 2012 Official ficial Gay Mardi di Gras Guide GayMardiGras.COM

2 GayEasterParade.COM GayNewOrleans.COM SouthernDecadence.COM Nov. 20-Dec. 3, 2012 The Official Mag: AmbushMag.COM 17

3 under the gaydar...from 16 Food for Friends accepted a check for $8,284. Also, an additional $8,284 was donated to GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network). Congratulations to the Stompers in showing the city off incredibly and raising some much needed funds. Party Down Ihope you had an enjoyable Halloween holiday weekend. I know it was non-stop parties and events for me. But that is just the tip of the iceberg as we gear up for an exciting season. I started the next two weeks with Gambit s Forty Under Forty Party at the Hotel Monteleone on Monday. No rest for the wicked, as my friend Michelle and I went to cheer on another one of my friends Nick, who was honored as one of the 40. The champagne flowed as we mixed with the other recipients. What was so great about this night was the opportunity to see so many young people making such great strides in the city. And, I am so proud of Nick who deserves this credit immensely. Afterwards, we met up with my friends I met over Halloween weekend, Travis and Chris, for drinks at the Carousel Bar. After a few cocktails, the others left and Travis, Chris and I ventured into the Quarter. Since they are from San Diego, they had not seen much of the bar scene since they were doing all the Halloween 29 events, so I took them to Oz, Pub, Corner Pocket, Double Play, 700 Club, Good Friends, Rawhide, Napoleon s Itch and Lafitte s. Who knew Monday night could be so entertaining, but getting up the following day for work was difficult. On Tuesday, I met up with my outof-town friends again for dinner; then we went and partied at Good Friends for karaoke and Oz for the wet underwear contest. Blanche did a remarkable job of whipping the audience into a frenzy with the help of three very hot contestants that added to this fever. I was even lucky enough to get into the action, when I got called on stage to pour water on their lithe bodies. Now there is something sexy about Tuesday nights at the Oz. Wednesday was actually Halloween night, so I could not sit at home. Chris (aka Barbara Ella) came over and transformed me into a daring fairy godmother. I have to say I looked fabulous. Then we met up with my friends Laura, Beaux and Barrett and we went to two Halloween parties. The first was at the Hotel Storyville on Esplanade Avenue where I won the costume contest, then the restaurant Dijon. After beginning the night with the straights, Chris and I cut out to the Quarter to play with the gays. We hopped from bar to bar and settled at Oz where we danced the night away. I went to one of the most enjoyable events that is now going to make my must attend list from now on. I attended Emeril Lagasse s fundraiser Boudin and Beer benefitting his foundation. It was held in the Warehouse District as a large block party that also incorporated the Foundry. My friend Nick invited me and it was truly a spectacle. There were over fifty restaurants doing sausage related dishes from all over the country. Mario Battali, Donald Link and Emeril himself were all there. It was a virtual who s who in the foodie world. But as fun as the event was, it was the after-party at Cochon that stuck out in my mind. It was a very surreal experience where the theme was Follow the Unicorn over the Rainbow. There was even a lifesize, seated stuffed unicorn on hand overseeing anyone who partook in the alcohol luge, which we did many times. The staff was dressed in tight blue jean shorts with rainbow shirts as they danced around serving delectable hors d oeuvres which included triple cheeseburger sliders. The DJ was rocking and the entire place was upbeat and dancing. Cannot wait to attend next year. When I had my fill of unicorns, I took a cab to catch the tail end of Princesse Stephaney s drag show at Mike s By the Park, and Satyricon s Barn Dance at JohnPaul s. The next day, my friend Michelle and I hit the cultural side of the city. We did the gallery walk on Julia Street first. In case you did not know, this is one of the best free events in the city. The first Saturday of every month, the galleries on Julia Street open their doors for people to peruse the art and have some free vino. We saw the exhilarating production of Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson at Mid-City Theatre after the walk. The cast did an outstanding job and they were definitely easy on the eyes, especially that Mr. Lucas Harms. We followed up the play with dinner at one of my new favorite restaurants Toup s Meatery in Mid City. This place was touted as one of the top ten new restaurants and they live up to their reputation. With mouth-watering food and a personable staff, they are hot. And they have the best cracklins in the city hands down, take it from a connoisseur. I went to another event I had not attended before on Sunday. My friend Beaux and I braved the bad weather and went to Gleason Gras, a music and food fan festival to raise funds for Team Gleason. Steve Gleason played for the New Orleans Saints from He is best remembered for his blocked punt on the night the Louisiana Superdome reopened for the first time after Hurricane Katrina. He was diagnosed with ALS, considered a terminal neuro-muscular disease. The mission of his organization is to show that patients can not only live but thrive after this diagnosis. This man is not only an inspiration, but the very definition of a true hero. We were lucky enough to get to be in the VIP area, where we met some incredible people, chowed down on some high end food by top restaurants in the city and got to see Sean Payton up close and personal as he did the live auction. Now that is a man who knows how to raise money. The subsequent week was pretty easy going until the weekend. I had dinner on Tuesday at another new eatery in the city, Annunciation, which is owned by the people from Clancy s. Both the cuisine and service was top notch. I believe the food scene in our city is better than it ever was even pre- Katrina. I also saw another great cast in The Importance of Being Earnest at the Contemporary Arts Center on Thursday. On Friday, Beaux and I went to the Halloween New Orleans Host Thank You Party at a stunning home Uptown. It was a very relaxed atmosphere as we had a chance to catch up after the event and talk about next year which will be the event s 30 th anniversary. After the party, we stopped for a few cocktails at Dijon then went and played in the Quarter. We had quite the night as we judged both the New Meat contest at the Corner Pocket and the Strip Off at the Pub. Talk about seeing enough male flesh to last a while. Saturday the galleries on St. Claude had art openings. It was surprising and energizing to see so many new places in the area. Some friends and I did a twirl at the galleries then went to Tim Wolf s new warehouse space in the New St. Claude section where he was throwing a gallery opening/brass band party. Tim is best known for creating the documentary Sons of Tennessee Williams. His fete was a music lover s extravaganza as brass bands played and a kicking DJ kept people on their feet in between sets. Afterwards, I went to Country Western Night at JohnPaul s for the check presentation to Belle Reve and Food For Friends by the Big Easy Stompers. The place was crowded for the occasion and I got to catch up with people I had not seen in a long time. Ending the week on a high note, on Sunday Rip and Marsha had a few guests over to their home for a delightful brunch. It was a wonderful afternoon of friends, fun and Redneck Casserole, which was decadently delicious. When the party ended, we all moved the scene to Oz for Sunday Dingo with Blanche Debis. As always, it was a good time, and I even won a game. So this is the time when I get a little sappy, so bear with me. Sometimes, I do not think we thank the people in our lives that matter. So in the spirit of Thanksgiving here I go. First and foremost, I want to thank my mom who no matter what stays an uplifting and positive influence in my life. Blaine and Tammy Kern for giving me a job that allows me to do something I love, plan parties and events. I also appreciate Rip and Marsha for not only what they have done for me personally, but allowing me to be a part of this great magazine. There generous nature is abundant and our community is fortunate to have them. To all my friends and family, thank you for a memorable year and wish us many more to come. And to the readers of Ambush, may you have a very Happy Thanksgiving. Tony s Tidbits of Gay Wisdom It is the holiday season and for many it is a stressful time of balancing work, family and holiday entertaining all the while finding time to shop for gifts and decorate. The malls are always so crowded and the hustle and bustle of the season has never been so chaotic. I have a suggestion that not only helps you avoid the retail craziness but also helps our community. Check out Ambush s gift guide this year to support the gay owned and gay friendly businesses that advertise with us. Ambush holds the key for so many unique gift ideas for anyone on your list. In addition to restaurant certificates at one of the many great places to dine, the retail outlets in the magazine have just that unique (and maybe naughty depending where you go) present for anyone on your list. But this year you can also be creative in what you give. The bars also have gift cards or memberships. How cool would it be to give a membership to Oz, Pub or the Country Club (or Club New Orleans if he is the real friendly sort). Another outstanding gift is to buy someone a table or tickets to one of the many gay carnival krewe balls. Satyricon, as does Amon-Ra, Petronius, Armeinius, Lords of leather and Mwindo not only sell tables at their ball, but also give certificates for a membership for the following year. Make someone s carnival even brighter and support the gay culture by helping someone be a part of a time honored tradition. You can also make a donation in someone s name to one of the AIDS organizations, such as NO/AIDS Task Force, Lazarus House, Buzzy s Boys, Belle Reve and many more. So let Ambush take the pain out of holiday shopping and add the fun back into it. The Gift Guide is in this issue on page 4, but also review all the advertisers for just the right thing for everyone on your list. If you have an event, story or idea, you want covered, contact me at ledgemgp@gmail.com. Next Deadline: Tuesda uesday, Nov. 27th Call The Official Mag: AmbushMag.COM Nov.. 20-Dec. 3, 2012 Official ficial Gay Mardi di Gras Guide GayMardiGras.COM

4 GayEasterParade.COM GayNewOrleans.COM SouthernDecadence.COM Nov. 20-Dec. 3, 2012 The Official Mag: AmbushMag.COM 19

5 20 The Official Mag: AmbushMag.COM Nov.. 20-Dec. 3, 2012 Official ficial Gay Mardi di Gras Guide GayMardiGras.COM