Best of Orlando 2012

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The Orlando Weekly “Best of Orlando” poll is active through June 27th. I of course hope you will vote for Analog Artist Digital World as the Best Local Blog. They ask for a name and address, but that wasn’t a big deal. You have to vote in at least 15 categories, and you can’t use the same answer in more than 5 categories. The list is dauntingly large, so I am writing down my votes in this blog post to help you get a jump start. Most of my votes go to places I have sketched. The sketch above was done in Tanquerey’s, which got my vote as the best local dive bar. If I left out any notable local establishments,  then please leave me a comment. You can vote from anywhere in the world, and encourage your friends to vote. The following list is not all inclusive, it is just intended as a jump start. Of course your tastes might vary.

Food and Drink

Best French……………Chez Vincent

Best Greek…………….Mediterranean Deli

Best Tai…………………Viet Garden

Best Vietnamese…….Viet Garden

Best Barbecue……….4 Rivers Smokehouse

Best Cupcake…………Rhapsodic Bakery

Best Tea house……….Dandelion Communitea Cafe

Best Pub Grub………..Fiddler’s Green

Best Vegan……………..Loving Hut

Best Food Truck……..Big Wheel Food Truck

Best restaurant when someone else is paying…Chez Vincent

Arts and Culture

Best Art Night (recurring)…Mystery Sketch Theater

Best Art Gallery………………Gallery at Avalon Island

Best Arts Advocate…………Parker Sketch 

Best Dance Company………Drip

Best Arts Event/Festival…..Fringe

Best Local Playwright……..Aradhana Tiwari

Best Local Artist……………..Dawn Schreiner

Best Movie Theater………….Enzian

Best Mural………………………Who’s Line is it Anyway?

Best Museum…………………..Mennello Museum

Best Poet/Spoken Word Artist… Tod Caviness

Best Theater Company……….Orlando Shakes

Best Theater Space…………….Jamie Mykins Theater

Music Nightlife

Best Club DJ……………………..DJ Nigel

Best Folk Act…………………….Jubal’s Kin

Best Jazz Act…………………….Monday Night Jazz at the Grand Bohemian

Best Music Club………………..Back Booth

Best Music Festival……………Southern Fried Sundays

Best Mainstream Rock Act…Andy Matchett and the Minx

Best Open Mic………………….Tom and Jerry’s

Best Pop Act……………………..Britt Daley

Best Bar (smoking)…………….Will’s Pub

Best Craft Beer Bar…………….Redlight Redlight

Best Dive Bar…………………….Tanqueray’s

Best Gay Bar………………………Parliament House

Best Pub/Taproom……………….Will’s Pub

Best Sports Bar……………………Sportstown

Local Color

Best Kept Secret………………….The Timucua White House

Best Local Charitable Group…Second Harvest Food Bank

Best Local Cheerleader…………Jeffrey Pfaff

Best Local Website………………The Daily City

Best Local Blog………………….Analog Artist Digital World

Best Local Publication…………..The Orlando Weekly

Best Local Radio Personality….Julie Norris

Best place to take visitors from out of town…Stardust Video & Coffee

Best reason to live in Orlando…Sunny days in Winter

Best reason to leave Orlando…..Sunny days in Summer

Best use of public money………..Fixing Lake Eola Fountain

Best waste of public money…….Speakers around Lake Eola

Goods and Services

Best Adult Entertainment Store…Fairvilla

Best CD Store…………………………Park Avenue Cd’s

Best Comic Book Store……………A Comic Shop

Best Farmers Market……………….Audubon Community Market

Best Garden Center…………………Palmer Feed Store

Best Spa…………………………………Barefoot Spa

Best T-Shirts……………………………Mother Falcon

Best Tattoo/Piercing Parlor……….Black Chapel Tattoo

Best Vinyl Records Store………….Park Avenue Cd’s

Sports and Recreation

Best Billiards Hall……………………Sportstown

Best City Park………………………….Lake Eola

Best Day Trip…………………………..Cocoa Beach

Best Sports Team……………………..Psycho City Derby Girls

Best Place to Bike…………………….West Orange Trail

Best Place to Canoe/Kayak………..Wekiva Springs

Best Sports Complex………………..Amway Arena

Best Yoga Studio………………………Yoga Matrix

Best Zipline……………………………..Zoom Air Adventures

DRIP Dance on International Drive

Drip dance is renting a new performance space on International Drive (8747 International Drive, Orlando). I had some trouble finding the entrance. You actually enter the space via a loading dock behind a Denny’s restaurant. Jessica Mariko, the dance company’s founder, wants to keep the feeling that you are entering an independent, alternative venue off the main drag. Signage will help guide people back. The space is raw and unfinished, a blank canvas waiting to fulfill it’s creative potential. Large plastic sheets were taped to the walls and floor in a far corner where dancers would later be photographed along with flying pigments. The space used to be an indoor miniature golf course. Large rolls of artificial grass were arranged around a square in the center of the cavernous space. About twenty volunteers sat down for an informal meeting. There was beer and snacks for the people helping make this dream a reality.

Jessica outlined Drips mission statement for the new people coming on board. “DRIP combines performing arts and visual arts to create compelling sensory-stimulated experiences that excite and move audiences. We believe everyone has the potential to succeed at whatever they desire. DRIP provides a supportive environment that encourages participants to continually develop themselves while doing things they are passionate about. We aim to become a worldwide household name that is know for innovative, captivating and stimulating entertainment.” Jessica said that she is building the business plan based on shows like Circque Du Soleil and Blue Man Group. David Traver who composed the music for the new DRIP show actually works for Blue Man Group.

DRIP‘s opening show in the new venue will offer a “wet, raw, sexy rock ‘n roll experience, that stimulates many senses. The show includes dance, acting, live music, visual art installations and a powerful story. A variety of alcoholic beverages and merchandise will also be sold at the venue.” The bar is one element that is taking form fast. Jessica wants to have an urban dive bar that serves colored beers. Brian Sikorsky is in charge of trying to make that happen. Big beer companies are reluctant to have organic coloring added to the beer since taste is the top priority. Every option is being considered to make the colored beer bar a working reality.

Dancers are still needed to fill out the core group. A ramp has to be built up to the loading dock entrance, permits need to be filed, and the bar completed, all within a month’s time. An explosion of volunteer creative effort is going into making DRIP an alternative hit on International Drive.

Flash Mob Rehearsal

Thanks to Facebook I found out that there was going to be a flash mob event right here in Orlando. If you are unfamiliar with Flash Mobs, it basically has people spontaneously break into dance in a public place. There were going to be a few rehearsals for the core group of dancers on the week leading up to the event. I contacted Nao Dance Collective choreographer, Linda Elchak, for details and she invited me to Studio K (12211 Regency Village Drive) to sketch the dancers rehearsing. On the day I went to sketch it was pouring outside. The drive down to the dance studio was treacherous. It was like driving through a waterfall for half an hour. When my truck hit a deep puddle the steering wheel would jerk right, due to the sudden friction. Bright blinding flashes of lightning illuminated the windshield and the wipers could not keep up. High winds kept buffeting the truck. I drove more by instinct rather than sight. My cell phone lit up and I glanced at a text from Terry, “Waiting for the storm to blow over, hope you are safe inside too.” The truck hit a deep puddle and I dropped the phone, grabbing the steering wheel to correct.

The dance studio was out in the middle of nowhere down by Disney. I drove till the street ended with some barricades and then I back tracked. I lucked upon the dance studio, which was a warm inviting beacon in the storm. Stepping out of the truck I was sure my tiny portable umbrella would catch a lightning bolt. I ran to the dance studio and stepped inside shaking off the damp and cold. Linda welcomed me immediately and I felt at home. Dancer, Michael Sloan who I have sketched before with DRIP Dance company, also shook my hand. In the dance studio lobby, maybe 30 or so dancers were gathered. I imagined some might have come from the theme parks and some people just answered the call to dance just this once in a public place. Inside the dance studio a ballroom dance lesson was just finishing up. I suddenly realized I would need my stool so I dashed back out into the rain to get it. When I got back the core group was inside assembling for the dance.

A techno version of “The Sun will come out Tomorrow” began to play and the dancers elegantly raised one arm then another as their walked to their marks. An announcer said, “welcome to Orlando.” The dance moves were energetic and aerobic. All the moves were straight forward and simple so many people could follow the dance when it gained mass. I followed the movements of the dancer in the green shirt. She didn’t just follow the movements, she managed to give meaning to each move and had that extra elusive spark of energy. I saw Linda acknowledge her and soon Linda was shouting at the top of her lungs, “Come on people! Work it! Show me what you got!” The dancers were jumping up and down in place with their hands in the air as the music switched DJ style to “Let the Sun Shine In!” Now everyone was moving with high energy, clapping high, clapping low. I was tapping my feet to the beat fully enjoying the performance, a fantastic energy to sketch too. By the end everyone was flush as they mingled and once again melted into the side lines.

When the heat and bustle of the rehearsal was over, I bundled up and went back outside to the real world to face the storm. There is one more rehearsal tonight at 9 pm at the Mall at Millenia . The Flash Mob is happening tomorrow January 29th at noon in the Mall at Millenia (4200 Conroy Road). I’ll be there sketching and who knows, I might just bust a move.