I’ll be honest here. I didn’t expect to get into this event enough to recap it. Admittedly, I kicked myself for leaving this off of the weekly LOVIEE when it originally scheduled (September 11), and I don’t even remember why I did. Suffice it to say: this was well worth the wait.

Before even sitting down I checked out the sample from Strip House, steak with some kind of sweet cranberry-looking sauce on top, with some kind of leafy greens on the bottom that may or may not have been edible (I didn’t tempt fate).I was rather impressed; I am assuming this sauce is some kind of acquired taste.

The evening’s performances started off with King David of Dance Houston hosting a hip hop dance workshop. I kind of tuned out of this a bit, but the kids apparently had a blast. I did take most of the time during this part of the festivities to check out the other organizations that were at the event:

• Diverseworks
• Aurora Picture Show
• SWAMP
• Dominic Walsh Dance Theater
• Mercury Baroque
• Stages Repertory Theatre
• Talento Bilingue de Houston
• Main Street Theater
• (possibly one or two others that I forgot)

After King David there was a short break while the lighting was set up for the next act, a pair of performances from the UH Dance Ensemble, Stolen Moments and Sharing Secrets. I caught most of both of these; the former had most of the group (about twelve dancers) and was a really involved routine, while the latter was a ballet-ish number with only four dancers from the group and was a bit simpler. Both were quite captivating, especially taking into account these were student performances.

Following were performances by Timothy Evers representing Mildred’s Umbrella and two artists representing the Community Artists Collective. I saw bits and pieces of both while I finished checking out the other organization tables I missed during the first round. If this seems like I spent a lot of time not paying attention to what was on stage, I’m sorry. To be fair about it, getting the event calendars of all these groups is one way I make sure the weekly and monthly LOVIEEs aren’t skinnier than an underfed stray cat. (Which gets me wondering if at some point maybe I should do a “behind the scenes” video for the terminally curious?)

And then it was time for the movie screenings from SWAMP and Aurora Picture Show, which I will admit I kind of have a soft spot for. It’s amazing what some of these artists can do with a video camera or, in one case, shining light directly onto film. We saw several short films, some of which were rather humorous (Frog Jesus being perhaps the most memorable in that category). Unfortunately I don’t remember any other titles besides the one; maybe someone who was there can help me out with those.

All in all, I had a great time and got to talk again with some of the people that help run these great arts organizations. The people behind the Fresh Arts Coalition did a great job with this event.