The Carbonaro Effect

I recently stumbled upon the magic hidden camera TV show called 'The Carbonaro Effect' on Youtube and loved it. Shortly after, I found out he was performing in San Jose. I showed a few clips to my BIL and SIL and they were interested in going as well. I quickly bought tickets for the show.

It was held in City National Civic (the same place where we saw SPB perform previously). The hall was packed and the show started on time. The opening act was by another comedian-I forget his name-but he was pretty entertaining.

Once Michael came on stage, it truly was magic. He has such a great personality and he is an amazing performer. Every sentence and voice modulation was well prepared and delivered. The magic tricks were outstanding which was expected. What was impressive was the comic element to each of those acts that left us laughing. Every trick was mind blowing and there never was a dull moment in the show. Definitely worth watching.  There was no photography or videos allowed inside the hall so don't have any pictures of Michael.

San Francisco Opera-La Traviata

Vishnu has been keen on watching an opera for a while now. We didn't get a chance to see one in Prague or Budapest. So when I saw a Facebook ad for La Traviata playing in San Francisco, we decided to go see it before we head back to India.

We booked an airbnb in SF for the night as we also planned to go on a Hitchcock walking tour the next day. We took the Caltrain to the city, checked in to the hotel and then headed to the nearest wine bar. Sipping wine and munching on some yummy empanadas, we read up on the story of La Traviata. It was pretty straightforward.

This was Vishnu's chance of wearing a suit and he made the most of it. All dressed up, we went to the SF Opera house. It was buzzing with people, most of who were dressed very fancy in their ball gowns and tux. I think this may be one of the fanciest events I have been to in the five years I have lived in the US.

We had the cheapest tickets in the balcony so we had to go all the way up. There were a lot of people waiting for the elevator so we decided to walk it. Big mistake! The stairs were steep and I think we had to walk at least 5 floors. Not a good idea when you're in heels. Huffing and puffing, I reached my seat.

The hall was packed. When the curtain was lifted, I was taken aback by the grandeur of the set, costume and lighting. It was so perfect and well done. There were super titles without which there was no way of understanding the Italian songs. There were 3 acts in the show with 2 intervals of 20-25 minutes each. We managed to grab something to eat during the first break.

I loved the music by the live orchestra and the entire presentation. I had prepared myself to get bored and I was proven wrong. I definitely plan to listen to more opera music but without the lyrics and the singing.

After the show we went to an Irish bar and chilled out. The walking tour next day didn't happen due to the fact that we woke up late and also the poor air quality because of the recent forest fires. We returned home the next afternoon. 

Shakespeare in the Park: Hamlet

Watching Shakespeare In The Park each year has become a tradition for us. So far, we've watched Taming of the Shrew, Romeo & Juliet, Winter's Tale and now Hamlet.

Based on all the experience from the previous years, we managed to be fully prepared to have a good time. We carried lawn chairs, a tarp to sit on, a picnic dinner, snacks, drinks and lots of warm clothing. In addition, we reached there well ahead of time to score parking as well as good seats. We reached there almost an hour and a half before the show began. This time we had company. SIL, BIL and Ritwik joined us.

 

Sandhya and Gaurav were supposed to come too but that was a comedy of errors in itself.

They ended up going to Saratoga where another theater group was putting on a production of Hamlet. What are the chances of that!

Like every year, the show was fabulous, great actors, costume and direction. The only problem was the sound and could have been resolved if we had picked a spot near the loudspeakers. Luckily, the weather was good too so had a fantastic evening.  

Curious Incident Of the Dog In the Nighttime

I had read this book a while ago. So when I saw tickets for the play on Goldstar, I was interested. Sandhya and Gaurav were also keen so we booked tickets.

We saw the play at the SHN Golden Gate theater in San Francisco. We quickly grabbed dinner at a restaurant across the street. Since we had discount tickets, we got the balcony seats which weren't all that bad.

The story of the play was quite simple and straightforward. What stood out the most was the special effects and the use of technology to powerfully convey emotions, setting and move the story forward. The effects were brilliant and nothing that we ever seen on stage. The acting was decent but the production, lighting and effects over powered everything including the performance, dialogue and sometimes the story.

We had recently returned from our trip to Europe so both Vishnu and I were very jet lagged. It was an effort to keep our eyes open. Vishnu slept through a good part of the first half. Post the interval coffee, he was much better.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend the play for its mind blowing effects. I only wish we weren't this jet lagged and could have enjoyed it more.

Bollywood Dance: Part 2

After my last Bollywood dance show I continued practicing with Mona Khan Dance company for the non performance as well as the next performance quarter. I managed to drag Vishnu for the non performance class and I'd like to think he enjoyed himself.

 

The most recent session, I switched from the Cupertino class to the one in Santa Clara. Dhanashri was the instructor and Divya was coleading the class. The studio in Santa Clara is much smaller and the  number of people per class is way higher. We had almost 15 people in all which made the studio very crammed. Unlike last time, there were no weekend practices and general hangout which I missed badly.  In addition, there was some issue with my costume which was a little stressful. But it was fixed by the rehearsals. All these factors took away some of the fun from the class.

On the brighter side, I found the choreography much more easy to pick up than the previous sessions. Also, most of the others in class were decent dancers so our final performance looks in synch.

  

Here's the video of the performance. Since there were so many people on stage, it is quite zoomed out and difficult to see anyone's face.

 

SPB Concert

This was my first concert here in the US. We booked tickets and were so eager to go but the day before the show we heard about the legal issues that organizers were facing due to which they could not sing certain songs. That was a bummer. Since the tickets were non refundable we went anyway.

The show was in downtown San Jose in the convention center. The venue was spacious, clean and with good acoustics. The performers were beyond amazing. It was a pleasure to listen to SPB and Chitra live.

 

I was annoyed by the yelling kids and the adults who kept walking in and out to grab food. Other than that it was a pleasant show despite me not knowing half the songs.

Don't have anything more to add but just wanted a record of going to the event so wanted to put this up.

Las Vegas

On a whim, Sandhya and I decided to plan a trip and what better place that Vegas. We didn't really have an agenda but who needs an itinerary when you go to Vegas especially since we'd already covered all the must do's in our last trip.

We reached Vegas on Friday night. As soon as we reached Treasure Island, our hotel, we checked in, dropped our bags, changed and headed to the nearest happening club 'Omnia.' After standing a long line we realized Vishnu was wearing sneakers-a no-no for entry into the club. We then headed to Wynn to try our luck. After greasing some palms, we were allowed into Surrender. It was my first time going to a club in the US so I was so excited. The vibe was great; the music not so much. After a few shots it didn't really matter. The place was spacious and had some open areas so it wasn't as smoky as most places. We danced the night away. After stopping for a midnight snack, we headed back to our rooms all partied out.

 

The next morning predictably we woke up late and headed out to grab brunch. After a sub par super expensive meal (where they charged even for the side of sauce!), we walked around the casinos seeing all the usual sights.

That night we headed back to Omnia after purchasing new shoes for Vishnu (yes we were that determined to get into Omnia!). This club was super crammed and there was a lot of pushing and shoving Although the music was great, the experience wasn't that enjoyable. We stepped out early only to realize that there is another level to the club. This place was so much better. They had aerial dancers and amazing lights. I was quite sleepy due to the previous night's lack of sleep so went back after a bit of dancing.

 

On Sunday, we didn't do much except for watching the Cirque show 'Mystere' We bought seats right up front so we got a wonderful view. The show was stupendous. The performers, the tricks, costumes, music, lighting everything was dramatic. Thoroughly enjoyable and worth the money spent. We then walked to Bellagio to check out the fountain show.

On Monday we checked out and went for a nice brunch at Wynn. Since we had enough time before our flight, we took our time enjoying the meal.

This trip was so unlike any of our previous vacations. It was fun filled, not rushed and included lot of dancing and late nights.

Belly Dancing

I've been taking belly dancing classes for a while now. These classes are offered by the Sunnyvale Adult Education program. Beginner classes happen in Fremont High School.

 
Tracy was our instructor and for 8 weeks we learnt choreography for 2 songs-Perhaps Perhaps by Doris Day and Habibi Tal Aleya by Madonna. We learnt a lot of basic belly dance and Arabian dance moves which were quite fun. At the end of the 8 week session, Tracy had organized a student night where dancers from the beginner, intermediate and advanced classes perform and put on a show. Friends and family are welcome to watch. Potluck style dinner was served.

We were given colorful skirts and veils by Tracy who was kind enough to let us borrow them. Sandhya and I decided to do a duet Bollywood performance too. We met up a few days before the show and choreographed a dance sequence to 'Mauja Mauja.'


Our group was the first to perform. Since the audience was small (~40 people) and the fact that Tracy was dancing with us, I had no stage fear. The first dance went quite well. The Bollywood dance as I had anticipated lacked coordination as we barely practiced it and ended up looking messy. The audience still applauded and at the end of the show several dancers asked us to teach them the Bollywood moves and they seemed to have really enjoyed the dance.

 

For one of the songs, audience members and kids were called on to dance. It was a lot of fun. The best performance of the day was a solo dance with sword. The dancer balanced a sword on her head while belly dancing. She was so confident and her moves were perfect. The show ended with everyone coming to the floor and dancing away to the music.

Here are the performances:

Perhaps

Habibi

Mauja:

It was a wonderful experience to be a part of the show.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

After a long gap, I went to see a play. It was based on the book 'A thousand splendid suns' by Khalid Hosseini. I haven't read the book but decided to go for it as a bunch of girls (15 to be precise!) were planning to go.

The show was in American conservatory theater in San Francisco. I have never been to this theater before. We carpooled from the South Bay and reached the theatre around noon. We stopped by a nearby cafe to grab some lunch and meet the others in the group. The play started at 2.30 and went on until 4p with a ten minute interval.

The theater was impressive in its decor. Too bad pictures weren't allowed inside. The play was so well done. Everything from the set, acting, writing, music and lighting was perfect. I was absorbed in the story and could really connect with the characters. It is a very sad story that gave me a new perspective on life and the world we live in. By the end of the play, we stepped out awed by the performance with a tinge of sadness in our hearts.

I highly recommend watching the play and the theater.

Bollywood Dance

I haven't danced since the final year of college. But I always wanted to learn how to dance. When I heard about Mona Khan Dance Company from my SIL, I was eager to give it a chance. I signed up right away.

It was a 8 week session with an hour long class each week. It being a performance quarter, we also had a technical rehearsal before the final performance. The first day I reached class, I was very excited as well as scared whether I'd be able to grasp the steps. The teacher, Shipali introduced herself as well as the assistant teacher, Dhanashri. She told us we were going to learn the choreography for two songs-Rock the party (I had never heard the song before) and High heels.

I was exhausted after the first class especially since I hadn't been doing any cardio for a while. The teacher recorded the last 5 mins of the class and sent over a detailed email on the steps that we learnt in class along with the video recording. This was super helpful in remembering the steps.

After the first few classes, all the students decided to meet on the weekend to practice. It was fun meeting at a different house each week and dancing. There was a lot of food and chit chat along with the practice. It was quite tough to get everyone to come at a common time but we tried.

On the last class, we had a dress rehearsal.

We then had the tech rehearsal at Chabot college in Hayward. It gave us the exact feel of the final performance day. It was useful to mark our positions on stage and to get over the stage fear a little.

On the final performance day, Vishnu, SIL and BIL all came to watch the show.

I was pumped and happy about my hair, makeup and overall look.

When our performance started, there was some difficulty with the stage curtain and we had to stop and restart. That was a little unsettling but we managed to give a superb performance. Everyone gave their best and I'm very happy with the final result. Our 8 weeks of hard work showed and I surprised myself with my performance.

I've signed up for the next session (non performance) and I'm looking forward to improving my skills and learning some fun steps.

Stage 4 Improv Comedy

This weekend, I attended an improv comedy show for the very first time. Improv shows are basically scenes or stories enacted by actors on stage using suggestions from the audience. This means nothing is scripted and things are made up on the spot. The best part is that it is funny!

The show was performed by the very talented group called Stage 4 Improv at the Black Cat Licorice Theater in San Jose. It was an hour and a half long show. We arrived at the theater early as we wanted to have dinner before the show. We parked at the theatre and walked toward Gojo Ethiopian Restaurant. It was one of the most amazing meals I have had. Highly recommend the place.

The theatre is quite small and seats about 40 people. This means there are no bad seats and everyone gets a good view of the stage. The show started promptly at 8pm. The 4 actors arrived on stage and asked a few questions to the audience. Based on the responses (birthday, undertaker and toilet paper!), they performed a 2 act broadway musical titled 'A life worth wiping :D' complete with songs and acting. My mind was blown away by the sheer talent in terms of the songs, humor, acting and the story. It was incredible! After the long form improv show, they performed several small scenes again based on audience suggestions. Those were superb too.

There was not a single dull moment and I was laughing throughout. I was so glad I got introduced to improv comedy and I'm sure I'll be going back to catch more shows. High quality entertainment at such a low price-what's not to like!

What: Improv Comedy 

Where: Black Cat Licorice Theater

Shakespeare in the park

Summer means there are a ton of events in the park and most of them are free. Shakespeare in the park is one such event. This year the play chosen was 'The Taming of the Shrew.' It is held in various cities in the Bay Area and we attended the one in Cupertino Memorial Park. 

Armed with blankets and picnic baskets, people gathered in the park to see the Bard's comedy brought to life on stage. The almost 3 hours long show started at 7.30pm. The park was packed and everyone seemed to enjoy the show. The costumes, lighting, sound and stage were very professional. The cast gave a lovely performance and my favorite was Katharina, the Shrew. 

View of the stage and the spectators

There was a 15 minute interval during the show. Portable toilets for public use were installed which was a blessing. Tea, coffee and a few snacks were also sold during the break. A lot of families mostly with kids left during the interval. We stayed on until the end and thoroughly enjoyed it. The only annoying part was the disturbance by children and the fact that it got really chilly at night and we only had a light jacket. Apart from this, it was a wonderful evening. 

The Taming of the Shrew performance

What: Shakespeare in the park

Where: Multiple locations. Check website

Website: www.sfshakes.org

When: Summer of each year

Fee: Free; donations accepted

Us at the park