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Night Howl
By Karen Reardanz

Into the Groove: Local choreographer Rosy Simas celebrates dance and birthdays at the Moving Ground Dance Studio on Saturday. Ed Fieberg Springing Up Local dance studio celebrates its first birthday in a most moving style THERE SEEMS TO BE a serious case of dance fever going on in Santa Cruz these days. New dance companies are popping up like dandelions, established ones are scheduling local performances, and dance studios are quickly becoming a mainstay as prime spots for locals to work that self-expression. One of the newest studios on the block is The Moving Ground Dance Studios, which is already a success on the eve of its first birthday. In honor of this special occasion, its director, Rosy Simas, is organizing a celebration of improv movement with a legion of dancers, choreographers and musicians. Simas will perform, along with Kaya, improvisational masters Smith Grade Construction, Susu and Ken, improv's SF-based Karl Frost and Leralee Whittle, who undertakes the unusual task of performing a piece with Penny the Dog. The evening then turns into the party realm, as guests inspired by all this kinetic energy will be invited to shake a leg of their own. The floor will be open to one and all--even the rhythmless will be welcomed with open arms--for a spirited dance jam that may just last till the wee hours (or until the neighbors act up). The celebration gets started on Saturday at 8pm at Moving Ground Dance Studios, 428 C Front St., SC. Tickets cost $8 for the performance only, $6 for the dance jam, and $13 for both. Reservations are recommended. For more info, call 420-0711. The Golden Age If there is someone out there who hasn't seen the famous scene where Charlie Chaplin brings dinner rolls to life, here's a golden opportunity to familiarize yourself with a screen classic. MAH continues its Silent Screen Classics film series with The Gold Rush, Chaplin's 1925 classic that he wrote, directed and starred in. It's the story of the Lone Prospector who journeys to Alaska to search for gold. In the process, he gets mixed up with shady characters, falls in love with a beautiful lady (Georgia Hale), and, in another famous scene, dines on leather boots. A perfect example of a director over-striving for perfection, cinema lore has it that Chaplin spent three days filming this scene, eating boots made of licorice over a span of 63 takes. His dedication to his craft sent him to the hospital, where he spent just about as long recovering from a bout of insulin shock. The movie screens on Friday at 7pm at MAH, 705 Front St., SC. Tickets cost $4 for museum members or students with ID, and $5 for everyone else. For more info about the series, call 429-1964. FutureThink Mr. Toots in Capitola hosts She Vox, a women's performance collective and open mic, on Wednesday (April 1). ... The duo Mono plays San Jose's Cactus Club on April 5. ... The Stephen Petronio Company presents the provocative Not Garden on April 14 at UCSC. ... Local women show off their talents at Spring Girl Fest at Kuumbwa on April 19. ... The April in Santa Cruz New Music Festival continues at UCSC on April 17 with Composers Confront AIDS. [ Santa Cruz | MetroActive Central | Archives ]