Not Only Rock and Roll
The Sarasota party scene is heating up, from Wine, Women and Shoes to singers—and dancers—extraordinaire.
Sarasota social life is more raucous than it’s been in a long time. Could it be the recession? People want louder music, sweeter wine. Inhibitions are falling in the dizzying pursuit of pleasure. We want escape, fantasy. We want women’s shoes.
That must be the secret of Wine, Women and Shoes. It’s a must-attend event for the younger set and benefits Forty Carrots, the parenting center that is so badly needed in Sarasota. Over 500 of the town’s most prominent women show up at the Ritz, dressed to the nines, and have lunch and shop for high-end shoes and accessories. I must confess that I don’t quite “get” women’s shoes, or men’s shoes, for that matter. But I respect the power of the shoe. And to see so many women of the town clearly in ecstasy at the experience of looking at them and touching them and buying them, all the while slugging down wine being poured by the “Sole Men,” 20 or so of the handsomest, sexiest guys in town, plus Matt Orr – well, it was a very Sarasota moment.
Fifity Sole Men.
Betsy Kane-Hartnett and friends.
And speaking of louder music, I hope you were able to attend the Dr Idol event. It was a battle of the bands, with the gimmick that at least one band member was a doctor. I frankly wasn’t expecting much, because I’ve heard bands with lawyers, and they were just awful. But the doctors really pulled it off. Each band was great in its own way, and sometimes you couldn’t tell the doctors from the real musicians they were playing with. Your only clue was the facial hair.
The doctors were very competitive. You knew that a lot of work had gone into each set. (There were 12 bands.) And the crowd was so interesting. Friends of the doctors, of course, but also a surprising number of the general public, drawn in by live music, cheap tickets, and the possibility of hooking up. The event was sponsored by the Ear Research Foundation, a clever marketing ploy, as it took me two days to get my hearing back.
PIC from Dr.
Particularly impressive were Dr Bob & the Blues Injectors, the doctor being Robert Koser, but also featuring an eight-year-old on drums and the amazing vocalist Danielle Hollabaugh, who is age 12 and blind.
But the week’s frenzy reached its peak at this year’s CAN Dance. Like the Eagles said in Hotel California, “some dance to remember and some dance to forget,” and I can’t even imagine what was on the minds of some of the contestants. This is Sarasota’s version of Dancing with the Stars, in which local celebrities compete with members of the town’s ballroom dancing establishment to raise funds for the Community AIDS Network.
Each year it gets a little more intense, but this year it took on the atmosphere of a hockey game. True, no fights broke out but there was a cheering competition between the Susan Jones’ fans – who brought white marabou pom poms—and– significantly – eight bottles of Dom Perignon – and another group who improvised pom poms from the red napkins provided by Michael’s On East, who catered the lovely dinner.
For once, the winner was no contest. James Amato with his amazing rendition (along with Elizabeth Cartier) of Billie Jean. I assumed he was the professional, not Elizabeth, who works with Wilson Barrera at Dancesport. As for the runners up, I’d give Mollie Schechter the Most Presence and Howard Millman the Most Aplomb. And, of course, Susan Jones, who raised the most money and had the best dress.
But wait. Things got even more frenzied at the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s 10th anniversary gala at Michael’s. Scenes of wild enthusiasm broke out in reaction to the hour-long cabaret by the group’s performers, doing what they do so spectacularly: mining the heritage of African-American music and presenting it in an exciting way.
There was Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, Motown, Dream Girls, Michael Jackson – everything but hip-hop, although I’m sure that’s coming. The show was so well paced and the performers so talented and so full of energy that the elite of Sarasota began to twitch in their seats and finally “get down,” always an interesting sight to see.
The group is run by Nate Jacobs and it’s had some rocky times. But now it’s being guided along by Christine Jennings, Michael Shelton, and Howard Millman. This was their presentation of the “new” West Coast Black Theatre Troupe to the town. As an opening night it was a smash. Now everyone can’t wait for their season, which includes a Motown revue, an original show about the Mills Brothers, and a play described as an African-American version of The Golden Girls.
But in a week of such excitement, my favorite moment was the quietest. At the awards brunch for ALSO Out Youth, honoree David Phillips recounted his involvement in a gay sting scandal back in the 1950s and how it drove some of its other victims to suicide. David chose to go ahead and build a life for himself, including a 40-year relationship with his partner, who died not long ago, and a successful career in advertising. And now he’s being honored at gay brunches and inspiring a new generation of gay men, including David Valdez, who works at the Asolo and was pretty inspiring himself.
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