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Divine Rhythm News >
Divine Rhythm News
Divine Rhythm News
Jan 10, 2008
6-WEEK ABSOLUTE BEGINNER JAZZ WORKSHOP with SUE SAMUELS!!!
Designed for adults interested in a new and fun way to
exercise while you learn the basics of jazz dance!
No prior dance experience necessary!
6 Sessions
January 27 - March 2 (Sundays)
2 - 3:30pm
$180 per person
To register, call 212-405-9500
………............
Sunday, February 17, 2008
2 - 4:00pm
$20 per person/$40 per couple
To register, call 212-405-9500
…………………….
Class Schedule Updates!
The following classes have been cancelled:
Tap with Jason Samuels Smith
Theater Dance with David Marquez
Jason and David will continue as guest teachers for master
classes and workshops!
…………………….
ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER
The Joan Weill Center for Dance
405 West 55th Street (at 9th Avenue)
New York, NY 10019
(212) 405-9500
www.alvinailey.org
www.myspace.com/aaadt
www.youtube.com/aileyorganization
To learn more about Ailey's new works
call AileyConnect 212-514-0010
JUDITH JAMISON ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Masazumi Chaya ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Sharon Gersten Luckman Executive Director
Yvette L. Campbell Director of The AILEY Extension
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The Rise and Fall of Miss Thang Review!
A Lavender House presentation of a Lavender House/Miss
Thang production. Produced by Stacie Hawkins. Executive
producers, Ayeshah Wright, Ben F. Hawkins. Directed,
written by Stacie Hawkins.
With: Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards, Dori King, Trinia
Defournou, Martin Dumas III, Bryan Robert Smith, Ayre King
III.
By RONNIE SCHEIB
There's something oddly appealing in the apparent
amateurism of "The Rise and Fall of Miss Thang," Stacie
Hawkins' colorful but bare-bones indie about a young
woman's transformation from feckless party girl to
dedicated tap dancer. Chicago-set, HD-lensed pic is as
weirdly underpopulated as its scenario is full of temporal
black holes. Deliberately or not, tyro writer-helmer
Hawkins has fallen into a curious shorthand form of
storytelling that largely dispenses with conventional
narrative flow, yet the many jazzlike, improvisatory tap
numbers nicely combine looseness with genuine
professionalism. Non-generic curio may hoof its way into a
black-themed cable niche.
"Thang" proceeds from scene to scene with little setup or
connective tissue. An under-the-credits sequence silently
limns the death of the 12-year-old heroine's famous
tap-dancer dad. Cut to the present, in which a grown-up Dee
Martin (prima tapper Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards), queen of
the nightspots in her guise as Miss Thang, is at loose ends
after having been two-timed by her no-good DJ boyfriend
(Bryan Robert Smith).
In successive tableaux, Dee is pushed by her
gambling-addicted mother (Dori King) to work in her beauty
salon, goosed by her college-bound girlfriend/clubbing
partner (Trina Defournou) to get a life, and encouraged by
a good-looking tap dancer (Martin Dumas III) to pursue her
talent, which has been almost totally suppressed since her
dad's death ("I didn't know you could dance like that,
girl").
Locales vacillate between the boldly colored abstract
spaces of the beauty salon and the comfortable anonymity of
the dance studio, both registering more as sets than as
lived-in spaces. Thesps create an intimacy all the more
intense for not being anchored to any realistic context,
and pic's technical awkwardness lends a somewhat surreal
cast to the proceedings. Indeed, much of the drama
transpires against artificial-seeming, musical-like
backgrounds, while the dance numbers themselves actually
tone down and naturalize the space.
Thus Dee, laying down her broom, executes a great solo riff
in flip-flops, the slapping rubber imposing a different
percussive beat than her wooden high heels or regulation
tap shoes. Most numbers are picked up free-style by the
guys and Sumbry-Edwards (the first woman cast member in
Savion Glover's "Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk") in
the current, loose-limbed mode of tapping that harks back
to Bill Robinson and the Nicholas Brothers.
In similarly understated fashion, Dee's triumphant final
performance (brilliantly choreographed and danced by
Sumbry-Edwards) plays to a small, if wildly enthusiastic,
audience on folding chairs.
Camera (color, HD), Carlos M. Jimenez; editor, Sue Lawson,
music, Warmth; production designer, Nisha Patel; costume
designer, Michael A. Stein; sound, Jorn Lavoll. Reviewed on
DVD, New York, Dec. 10, 2007. (In African Diaspora Film
Festival, New York.) Running time: 89 MIN.
Read the full article at:
http://www.variety.com/story.asp?l=story&r=VE1117935752&c=31
===================================
The Kitchen’s Board of Directors and Executive Director
Debra Singer are delighted to invite you to the opening of
the exhibition
Mai-Thu Perret: An Evening of the Book and Other Stories
Opening Reception: Friday, January 11, 6:00-8:00pm
The Kitchen, 512 West 19th Street
Curated by Debra Singer and Rashida Bumbray
Exhibition on view: January 12 – March 8, 2008
About the Exhibition
Working primarily in sculpture and installation,
Geneva-based artist Mai-Thu Perret creates works
interrogating aspects of contemporary consumerist culture
through the lens of utopian revolutionary ideals of early
20th century avant-garde artistic movements. For her first
New York solo exhibition, Perret will present the US
premiere of her new video, An Evening of the Book, as well
as related sculptural works. Through ghostly layers of past
and present, this new project draws attention to how
historical fragments can continue to be an ongoing active
force in shaping the present, signifying something new in
the changed context of today.
Gallery Hours: Tue–Fri, 12-6pm; Sat, 11-6pm FREE
This exhibition is made possible with generous support from
Pro Helvetia, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual
Arts, and with public funds from the New York City
Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State
Council on the Arts, a state agency
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Check out: Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies
January 9- February 10 at the Alliance Theatre
A sizzling music and dance spectacular
The same team that brought you the award-winning Jelly’s
Last Jam transforms the Alliance Stage into Harlem’s
hottest nightspot, the Cotton Club, in this rip-roaring
Jazz Age spectacular. You will be transported to a world of
beauty and syncopated sophistication by the indelible music
of Duke Ellington. This revue is full of gorgeous ladies
in glamorous gowns, romantic men in resplendent tuxedos and
some of the hottest dancing ever seen on the Alliance
Stage. This is the kind of musical extravaganza you’ve
come to expect from the Alliance!
Concept by Donald McKayle
Musical and Dance Arrangements by Lloyd Mayers
Vocal Arrangements by Malcolm Dodds and Lloyd Mayers
Music by Duke Ellington
Directed by Kent Gash
Co-choreographed by Kent Gash and Byron Easley
For more information: www.alliancetheatre.org
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New Jersey Tap Dance Ensemble
Celebrates Duke Ellington & The Harlem Renaissance
South Orange Performing Arts Center
One SOPAC Way
South Orange, NJ 07079
Saturday 1/19 8 pm
Orchestra $45 | Mezzanine $38
See note below for NJTAP discount
Tickets: 973.313.ARTS (2787)
Buy Tickets Online at:
https://www.sopacnow.org/cgibin/tm.cgi?tmEvent/tmEventDefault.html?P_SEQ=98&
……………….
Special Appearances by Guest Artists
Along with the acclaimed NJTAP dancers, this one-night-only
show features guest narrator Mercedes Ellington,
granddaughter of Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington. Live
music will be performed under the direction of NJTAP Music
Director J. Leonard Oxley. Musicians: Mr. Oxley - piano,
Bill Easley - reeds, Eddie Allen - trumpet, Bill Moring -
bass, and Steve Johns - drums. Guest vocalist for the show
is Suzzanne Douglas, who was featured with Gregory Hines in
the movie Tap.
…………………
Save 25% on Tickets!
Friends of New Jersey Tap Dance Ensemble receive a 25%
discount on tickets to the Ellington Celebration at SOPAC
on 1/19/08. Students: buy one ticket, get one ticket.
Mention the code TAP08 when you buy your tickets by phone
or at the box office.
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23 PRiMe, Inc Presents
Andrew J. Nemr and CPD Plus
In
Where the Music Lives
January 9th, 10th, and 11th- 8PM
January 12th- 3 PM and 8PM
The Julia Miles Theater
424 West 55th Street (Between 9th & 10th Avenue)
Purchase Tickets at telecharge.com
http://www.23prime.com/andrewnemr/
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The M.A.D.D. Rhythms Tap Academy
12-week Winter Session
Dear TAP enthusiast,
This is your last week to get you or your child registered
for the Winter Session which started this Monday. The
M.A.D.D. Rhythms Tap Academy is proud to be representing
the artform of tap and spreading the tradition. Come TAP
with us!
Registration
Late Registration will be held from 6pm to 9pm, Jan. 9/from
6pm to 8pm, Jan. 11 and 10am to 4pm on Saturday, Jan. 12.
Please register early as spaces are filled on a first
come-first served basis. Online Registration is also
available at maddrhythms.com through paypal.
SAVE $20!
Any returning student who brings a new student to the
M.A.D.D. Rhythms Tap Academy Winter Session and that new
student registers, will receive a $20 discount off their
own registration. There is no limit to how many referral
credits you can receive. Bring 7 student and you pay
nothing! So, what are you waiting for?
Offer Expires: When the class is full or registration ends.
Whichever comes first.
………………………..
ALSO:
M.A.D.D. Rhythms has been nominated for Most Outstanding
Dance Group at The Chicago Music Awards.
We are honored to receive this nomination 3 years in a row
and we hope to win it a second time!
Please vote for us at
http://www.martinsinterculture.com/sub302.htm
M.A.D.D. Rhythms is #28
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Avi Miller & Ofer Ben - The Israeli Hoofers, will be
teaching a Tap Workshop at Indianapolis, Indiana.
1. The workshop is scheduled for Saturday, January 19th
2008 at:
Curtain Call Studio for Performing Arts
1833 . Expo Lane.
Indianapolis, IN 46214
Web site http://www.ccadance.com/master.htm
We will teach master classes from beginners to advanced
levels, and conduct a video presentation highlighting the
great masters of tap.
For more information and registration please contact Ms.
Laurie Copeland or Ms. Tammie Baker at 1-317-271-6688.
The Miller & Ben Tap Shoe will also be available for
measurements and purchase at the workshop.
We surely hope to see you tapping with us.
Thanks and Shalom,
Ofer Ben - Executive Director
Jazz Tap Center, Inc. / Tap Emporium
______________________
Jazz Tap Center, Inc.
www.JazzTapCenter.com
Postal Address: P.O.Box 1050
New York City, NY 10276, USA
Phone: (646) 383-4949
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Don't Miss: The Oklahoma City Tap Festival!
February 15th thru February 17th, 2008
Join us for the inaugural Oklahoma City Tap Festival!!!
For the latest info visit
www.okctap.org or call (405) 415-6785 for details!!!
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Press Release: PAFF Announces Opening Night Gala
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, January 7, 2008
2008 PAN AFRICAN FILM AND ARTS FESTIVAVL ANNOUNCES OPENING
NIGHT AND CLOSING NIGHT FILMS, HONOREES, AND CELEBRITY HOST
NAMIBIA: THE STRUGGLE FOR LIBERATION FROM VETERAN FILMMAKER
CHARLES BURNETT TO OPEN FESTIVAL FEBRUARY IN LOS ANGELES
LOS ANGELES, CA - The PAN AFRICAN FILM & ARTS FESTIVAL
(PAFF) announced today that award-winning filmmaker Charles
Burnett's NAMIBIA: THE STRUGGLE FOR LIBERATION (Namibia)
will open its 16th annual festival on Thursday, February 7,
2008 in Hollywood at the Directors Guild of America. Known
for showcasing new films first and recognized as America's
premiere black film festival, past festival features have
included box office and award-winning hits: Ray, Lackawanna
Blues, Redemption, Crazy As Hell, Kingdom Come, The
Brothers, Gridlock'd , Days of Glory, and the 2006 Academy
Award® winner for Best Foreign Film, Tsotsi. The festival
will take place in Los Angeles February 7-18, 2008 and is
expected to draw over 200,000 attendees during its
twelve-day run. The new '08 PAFF website will be launched
this week at www.PAFF.org.
Opening Night Gala
Starring Carl Lumbly, Danny Glover , Joel Haikali, and Obed
Emvula, NAMIBIA: THE STRUGGLE FOR LIBERATION depicts the
long struggle waged by the people of Namibia for their
independence that was ultimately won with the help of Cuban
military volunteers fighting in Angola. The 1987 battle of
Cuito Cuanavale, in which the South African army was
decisively defeated, turned the tide in the liberation
struggle for all of Southern Africa. This was one of the
key factors that led to Namibian Independence and the
election of Sam Nujoma as Namibia's first President and
forced the white supremacist South African government to
free President Nelson Mandela and to negotiate with the
African National Congress. PAFFs red carpet star-studded
Opening Night Gala will take place Thursday, February 7,
2008 at 7 p.m. in Hollywood at the Directors Guild of
America. Tickets are on sale at www.paff.org. Radio
veteran Lee Bailey of Eurweb.com will again host the red
carpet.
Closing Night
Also announced was the selection of KINGS OF THE EVENING
(US) as the festival's Closing Night film.
KINGS OF THE EVENING stars Lynn Whitfield, Glynn Turman,
Tyson Beckford, Bruce McGill, James Russo, Reginald T.
Dorsey, Justin Malloy, and Linara Washington and tells the
story of Homer Hobbs, who after serving two years in
jail, returns home to a bleak town caught in the depths of
the Great Depression - no jobs, no prospects and no hope.
He is thrown together with four strangers, each struggling
to survive and dig their way out of poverty: Benny, the
street hustler eager to begin life anew in the sunshine of
Florida; Clarence, a nobody who aches to be somebody;
Gracie, the despairing owner of a boarding house who lives
with a secret; and, Lucy, whose past has caught up with her
and threatens the lives of those she has come to love.
The Closing Night presentation will take place on Sunday,
February 17 at the AMC Magic Johnson Crenshaw 15 Theatres
in Los Angeles with the after party being held at the Aqua
Lounge and Restaurant in Beverly Hills.
Night of Tribute
REV. DR. DELLA REESE will receive the Lifetime Achievement
Award at the 2008 PAFF Night of Tribute, an annual
celebration that acknowledges the contributions and
achievements of Black filmmakers and actors. Other
honorees include independent filmmaker CHARLES BURNETT who
will receive the Pioneer Award; actor IDRIS ELBA will
receive the Canada Lee Award; actress TARAJI P. HENSON will
receive the Beah Richards Award; Los Angeles City
Councilman BERNARD PARKS SR. will receive the PAFF
Community Service Award and fine artist DIANA SHANNON-YOUNG
has been selected to receive the 2008 Artist Achievement
Award. The red carpet star-studded event will take place
Saturday, February 9 at the Nate Holden Performing Arts
Center in Los Angeles .
2008 Celebrity Host
Award-winning, critically acclaimed actor ISAIAH WASHINGTON
("Get on the Bus," " Grey's Anatomy") has been chosen as
PAFFs 2008 Celebrity Host. WASHINGTON, who most recently
starred in NBCs "Bionic Woman," was the 2005 recipient of
PAFFs Canada Lee Award. It was then that Washington, who
is African-American, discovered through a DNA test designed
to trace his African ancestry that he is likely of Mende
descent from Sierra Leone. In December 2006, he visited
his ancestral homeland and received a warm welcome from the
local people. Since then, WASHINGTON has built the
ChiefGolia FodayMemorialSchool in the rural village of
Njala Kendema through his non-profit organization the
Gondobay Manga Foundation and continues to advocate
cooperative planning to achieve positive timely
improvements in the lives of the people of Sierra Leone.
With an overall festival attendance of 200,000, the PAFF
attracts a diverse audience of over 40,000 people to its
films. Each year the PAFF presents over 175 quality films
from the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, Latin
America, Europe, the South Pacific and Canada, all
showcasing the diversity and complexity of people of
African descent. PAFF also presents one of America's
largest fine art shows featuring prominent and emerging
Black artists and fine craftspeople held at the
BaldwinHillsCrenshawPlaza . Other signature PAFF events
include over a dozen industry panels and workshops, the
PAFF StudentFest® , ChildrensFest®, SpokenWord Fest®,
Seniors' Connection®, and Comedy Night. For more
information, please visit www.paff.org or call (323)
295-1706.
The Pan African Film and Arts Festival
The Pan African Film and Arts Festival (PAFF) was founded
in 1992 as a non-profit corporation dedicated to the
promotion of cultural and racial tolerance and
understanding through the exhibition of film, art and
creative expression. It is the PAFFs goal to present and
showcase a broad spectrum of Black creative works,
particularly those that reinforce positive images and help
to destroy negative stereotypes. The PAFF believes film
and art can lead to better understanding and foster
communication between peoples of diverse cultures, races,
and lifestyles, while at the same time, serve as a vehicle
to initiate dialogue on the important issues of our times.
2008 Pan African Film & Arts Festival Sponsors
The 2008 Pan African Film and Arts Festival sponsors help
to sustain PAFF annually. This year's Festival Sponsors
include grants from the City of Los Angeles, The Los
Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, and The Los Angeles
County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County
Arts Commission as well as support from Target, Union Bank
of CA, Director's Guild of America (DGA), Wells Fargo Bank,
Macy's West, South African Airways, South African
Consulate-LA, Comerica Bank, 8th District Los Angeles City
Councilman Bernard Parks, 10th District Los Angeles City
Councilman Herb Wesson, Artists Interactive, Baldwin Hills
Crenshaw Plaza, AMC Magic Johnson Theatres, Sony Pictures,
African Ancestry, Starbucks & Urban Coffee Opportunities,
The Africa Channel, Plains Exploration Production Co.
(PXP), Water Replenishment Board, Four Points by Sheraton,
Our Weekly, KPFK ( 90.7 FM), Eurweb.com, Save the Date
Magazine, Queen Aminah's Clothing, and BlackGirlsRule.com.
Sponsorship opportunities are still available. For more
information, please call (323) 295-1706.
Press Contact: publicity@paff.org / (323) 295-1706
To apply for media credentials, please visit www.paff.org.
Press kits available in the PAFF pressroom online at
www.PAFF.org. ===================================
A message from Brian “Footwork” Green:
PARTY PEOPLE,
HOUSE DANCE CHRISTIANS ( a.k.a. COnference), BRIAN GREEN
here just give people CHRIST who has changed my life, and
brought my faith of my years before back to new heights
(who says,' I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, and THE LIGHT!!
Whoever believeth in me shall not perish, but have eternal
life!!). SPECIAL thanks to GOD, Mom, and Grandmother; they
always were there since I left the church and the WORD;
when I entered this club in Manhattan at 16. Had a brief
awakening from 19-21, then left till 35!! WHEW!! LONG STAY
AWAY, BUT, AS LONG AS YOUR ALIVE, IT'S NEVER TOO LATE!!
They stayed the whole time in the LORD!! AMEN!!
MUCH RESPECT TO FRANKIE! WINNER OF THE HDC BBOY CONTEST FOR
2008!!
MESSAGE: LOVE ALL OF YOU and stay truly loving, tolerant of
others that are still sinning against others while you are
trying not to, and have realize the errors of your ways.
Because when you were in sin against others, there were
people who were tolerant of you. If you have to take a
person 1 on 1 and tell them their errors of their ways, and
listen to them as well. Have forgiveness, and try not to
repeat what you hear. Passing what you hear, only passes
sin to another's ear, and then makes a person assume about
another person. Which does not give the person talked about
any time to grow and change in the mind of the person that
listened to the rumor said. Watch more of a person's walk,
not their talk!! HAVE PATIENCE!! Let's start to change.
EVENT: HOUSE DANCE CHRISTIANS ( a.k.a. CONFERENCE)
DATE: FEBURARY 7, 2008! PRE-VALENTINE's DAY PARTY
PLACE: CLUB REMIX
ADDRESS: 27 Park Place between Broadway and Church
DJS: Qu and P-Funk ( HOUSE and HOUSE CLASSICS)
DOC ( Hip-hop, Breaks, Funk, and Classics).
THEME: DANCE ALL NIGHT!!!!!
TIME: 10pm-4am
PRICE: $10 with flyer/$12 without flyer/$5 each for married
couples
GET READY FOR MARCH!! HOUSE DANCE CONTEST!! THIS WILL BE
SOME SERIOUSLY REAL EDUTAINING EVENT!! BE READY and SAVE
MONEY! THERE WILL BE MANY THINGS ON SALE!!
www.myspace.com/housedanceconference (popular event for all
dance styles) www.housedanceconference (home website of
the event for basic info!! Site changing soon!)
www.23prime.com/worldsoul for bookings
www.eliteforcecrew.com. for bookings
www.kr3ts.com. for booking
www.23prime.com. ( CPD PLUS) for bookings
www.style2ouf.com ( french dance website for the world of
urban dance) www.justedebout.com ( french dance website
for the world of urban dance) www.mrwiggleshiphop.net (
U.S. website for history of Funk,Hip-hop, and urban related
dance styles)
www.housedancer.com (U.S. website focusing on House
culture) www.freetylesession.com (U.S. website/event
focusing on Hip-hop and Funk styles culture)
www.bboysummit ( U.S. website/event focusing on Hip-hop and
Funk styles culture) www.KR3ts (U.S.
website/event/children foundation for kids in the Barrio!!)
www.dance-unity.com ( Funkstyles in Germany website).
www.breaklife.com (bboy website of Ken swift and 7 gems,
and more.). www.cypherstyles.com
MONEY FOR THE THEATRE SHOW IN JULY WAS DONATED TO KR3ts (
KR3ts.com), and MUMATCHI; which is a new child foundation
being created by a dancer named Natalie from France that
lives here. This is to help teach kids in Nigeria, Africa
about dance, education, and give them inspiration. She will
be selling her T-SHIRTS at the coat check of the next House
Dance Conferences.
ALL SUPPORT!! BECAUSE THE MONEY GOES TO A GREAT CAUSE!!
THANKS FOR ALL THAT SUPPORT; MENTALLY, PHYSICALLY, and
SPIRITUALLY!!
GOD BLESS ALL, SUPPORT EACH OTHER NO MATTER WHAT YOUR
BELIEFS AS LONG AS ITS POSITIVE AND UPLIFTS PEOPLE, and
KEEP DANCING,
Brian "Footwork" Green
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OPPORTUNITY:
A message from Robin Dunn
Check out Dance Instructor Staffing, Dance Teachers,
Choreographers, Ashani C
Below is the link to dance teaching opportunities.
Ashani is a very nice sista.
Please feel free to reach out to her directly.
http://www.kinerenterprisesinc.com/
===================================
OPPORTUNITY:
Hey Everyone,
I am directing and choreographing a new musical called S*x,
Drugs and Ukuleles. We are looking for male and female
dancers, if you know anyone who might be interested (or are
interested yourself) please forward this information to
them.
Auditions- January 17th at 12:30pm
Theater for the New City
155 First Ave.
They will dance first and then be asked to sing.
Rehearsals start on or about February 12th.
Show opens on March 6th and plays Thursday, Friday and
Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 3:00pm and runs through April
6th. Rehearsals and performances are at Theater for the New
City.
This is an Equity Showcase and is open to both Equity and
Non-Equity performers. There is pay.
Dancers can email me a picture and resume at
DHaley28@yahoo.com or just show up.
Thanks for you help.
Daniel
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www.divinerhythmproductions.com
EMPOWER YOUR SOLE!
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