Animate Objects Physical Theater
Bounce Theory
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Sleepless Night 2009
November 7, 2009
Miami Beach, FL
Review by: Jeeyoon Kim
Photos by: Liana Minassian
On November 7th, insomniacs and sleepwalkers gathered in Miami Beach for an all-night event known as Sleepless Night. The most amazing and vital detail of Sleepless is the fact that everything about it is free. There is no other time in Miami where you can experience such a wide variety of art and culture without spending a single penny. Modeled after the Nuit Blanche series in Rome and Montreal, Sleepless Night promised 150 free events that spanned from Lincoln Road to Ocean Drive to the Bass and Wolfsonian museums.
My journey began at 5:30 pm as I grabbed my media pass at the Catalina Hotel, the official host of Sleepless Night. The glass windows of the Catalina were covered in hot pink letters that read, "AWAKE." This would be the mentality of the night: loud, busy, exciting and big. Since the event was so expansive, free transportation was provided by Sleepness Night Shuttle Buses. They traveled Miami Beach all night long on ten-minute intervals.
The first stop on my agenda was the Miami Beach Senior High Rock Ensemble. The Rock Ensemble is a unique extracurricular club offered at Beach High where students are able to form a band and perform together. They took the stage on Lincoln Road for a small crowd while the last minutes of daylight faded. As the night dawned, they played classics from Lynrd Skynrd to the The Rolling Stones. The crowd grew throughout the set as these high school students lived their dreams of performing for a live audience.
There is no other time in Miami where you can experience such a wide variety of art and culture without spending a single penny
Rock the World Tania Mashay
Sleepless also hosted art galleries and interactive art installations such as the DIY graffiti art on the walls of Miami Beach Senior High School. Entitled NeoGrafik from Montreal, large canvases (for those in high school, it was similar to a giant Smart Board) were draped where passer-bys could paint whatever they liked without committing vandalism.
Children of all ages were also welcome at Sleepless with events such as the giant Titanic slide at the North Shore Park Youth Center. The slide spanned over 30 feet to resemble the iconic ship. The Miami Beach Regional Library hosted “Sleepless @ The Library” for the second time, an all ages Read-A-Thon.
More than a hundred-thousand people wandered during the course of the evening, some drifting into galleries. One of the most popular was the Peter Lik gallery on Lincoln Road. Lik’s landscape photography never ceases to impress; his vivid colors and unique eye makes you remember what beauty exists in the natural world.
Then, in the dark of the night, unfamiliar sounds were overheard from the canal next to the Convention Center. Upon further investigation, a man known as Professor Barge to Miami Springs Senior High students was found performing an experimental musical project called Sup Tropics. The canal was transformed into what they called, Frozen Music, where sounds of footsteps, chimes and bells came together to echo off of the canal and its surrounding walls.
Rainbow Circus Presents Dream Circus
Other staples of the evening included performances by the Miami City Ballet, a short film festival, a mini-Broadway review showcasing hits from the Tony Award winning, In The Heights, flamenco dancing, and much, much more.
Sleepless Night is an annual opportunity to watch the sunrise on the beach after being out all night in the heart of Miami Beach. And just like that, as swiftly as it came, it departs. Only to be seen again when the autumn of 2010 rolls around.
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Rainbow Circus Presents Dream Circus
Rainbow Circus Presents Dream Circus
Rainbow Circus Presents Dream Circus
Rainbow Circus Presents Dream Circus
Animate Objects Physical Theater Bounce Theory