Coming Events

Teatro Balboa

Last concert of the season

Pianist Herbert Schuch will perform at Teatro Balboa on Wednesday, October 8 at 8:00 p.m. It will be the final Asociacion de Conciertos concert of the 2008 season. Schuch is an accomplished pianist who has won numerous important competitions like Beethoven (Viena), Casagrande (Italy) and London International.

For tickets or more information call 214-4848 or 214-7236 or visit www.conciertospanama.org

Eco- inspired art

Part of Lily Valdes' new exposition,
entitled "Huellas del ECOsistema".

"Don Quijote Santificado"

The works of Panamanian painter Lily Valdes are on display at Arlene Lachman Gallery on Calle 1era in El Carmen through October 18. The exposition is entitled “Huellas del ECOsistema” (Roots of the ECOsystem). Valdes’ style has been described as a constant function of experiment and change. She studied architecture at La Universidad Santa María la Antigua (USMA) and works in publicity. She has been painting now for 15 years and her art has been displayed from Mexico to Holland and Italy. Her most famous painting is “Don Quijote Santificado” (Don Quijote Sanctified).

For more information call Arlene Lachman Gallery at 264- 5257.

Vandes' new series of paintings
is inspired in nature.

Original works at Biennal

Enrique Castro's photograph,
called "Cuaras" (Quarters).

The 8th Panama Art Biennial at the Museum of Contemporary Art, now in its third week of exhibition, continues to attract visitors interested in this year’s theme - -the former Canal Zone, entitled, “Huele a quemado” ( It smells like burning), using a phrase made famous by the late General Omar Torrijos -- his reply to the question, “What happens if the Torrijos- Carter Treaties are not carried out?”

This mock-up building
symbolizes new from old.
It was made with wood
rescued from old,
recently-demolished buildings
in Diablo, Quarry Heights
and Gamboa in the
former Canal Zone.

14 artists, both Panamanian and international, have works on display. The show will continue until October 21. The Contemporary Art Museum is located on Calle San Blas and Avenida de los Martires in Ancon and is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5p.m. For more information call 262-3380 or 262-8012

A photographic exhibition, entitled “ Garden City: progressive planning and the Panama Canal”, will be on display at the Panama University’s Manuel E. Amador Salon (in front of the Simon Bolivar Library) from September 17 to October 21. Produced by Kurt Dillon, Roger Trancik and Sam Sweezy ( photographer), for the College of Architecture, Art and Planning of Cornell University ( New York), the exhibition shows the urbanization of the Canal Zone and the works of professional and intellectuals whose work influenced the form it took.

Spanish designer opens
Fashion Week for charity


Charity is fashionable. Panama's first lady Vivian Fernandez de Torrijos invited Spanish designer Agatha Ruiz de la Prada to open the country's Fashion Week to support breast cancer charity.

Dias de Moda, Panama’s Fashion Week, opened on Tuesday night with a fashion show by Spanish designer Agatha Ruiz de la Prada at the Vasco Nuñez de Balboa Convention Center at the Hotel El Panama. The first lady of the republic, Vivian Fernandez de Torrijos held the event in support of her October charity, breast cancer awareness.

Some 50 of Ruiz de la Prada’s colorful dresses were applauded as they were presented on the runway. The first lady met Ruiz de la Prada in Spain earlier this year on a trip there with children from the Real Madrid Foundation in Panama, where the two agreed to collaborate at Dias de Moda to support the Pink Ribbon Foundation. Breast cancer awareness

It's creepy... the"Bodies" exhibit

Some displays are too much for the faint of heart.

“Bodies Revealed”, is a controversial exhibition showcasing preserved human bodies dissected to display bodily systems. It opened first in Japan in 1996, then in Seoul, South Korea and more recently in the US, Netherlands, Mexico, and Brazil.

Like looking in a mirror. Being at the
exhibit causes wonder.

Now the exhibit will be here in Panama at the Santo Tomas Hospital (Elefante Blanco), in Panama City thanks to SENACYT, the Education Ministry, and Magic Dreams Productions, the company that is organizing the exhibit here in Panama. The exhibit will be open from October 4 until January 4, 2009, from 9 a.m. The cost will be $20 for adults from Monday to Thursday, $22 fron Friday to Sunday, $10 for kids under 10 years from Monday to Thursday, and $12 from Friday to Sunday. Retirees have a 50% discount. There will be a café inside the exhibit. “Bodies Revealed” is operated by Premier Exhibitions Incorporated, which presents, and promotes other bodies’ exhibits including “Bodies… The Exhibition”, and “Our Body: The Universe Within”; and other entertainment exhibits such as “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition” and “Titanic Science”; “Sports Immortals” and “The Traveling Exhibition”. The company claimed the cadavers were donated for research by the Chinese government, because all the bodies at the time of death allegedly had no close next of kin or immediate families to claim the bodies.

Exhibit organization Using real human specimens, painstakingly prepared and respectfully displayed, the “Bodies Revealed” exhibition lets visitors of all ages explore deep within the human body in a way that informs but doesn’t overwhelm.

A real human heart.

As the visitor moves from gallery to gallery, the exhibition uses 14 full body human specimens and over 200 organs to tell the story of the miraculous systems at work within each of us every second of our existence. Rooted in the historical precedent set by such great anatomists as Vesalius and Da Vinci, each full body specimen is dissected to best reveal the function of a complete anatomical system and to show that system’s relationship to the body as a whole. The full body specimens are complimented by presentation cases of related individual organs, both healthy and diseased, that provide an even more detailed look into the elements that comprise each system.

How the bodies are preserved

The bodies are prevented from decay by a means of a rubberization process patented in the 1970s by anatomist Gunther von Hagens. The essence of the process is the replacement of water and fatty material in the cells of the body first by acetone and then by plastics, such as silicone rubber, polyester or epoxy resin. The exhibition is the work of Dr. Roy Glover, a pioneer in human body preservation using Polymer technology.

Meditation Course

Spiritual energy at Exedra Books

High Spirits Inc. is teaming up with Exedra Books to offer a weekly course in spirituality in October called “Light In Action: Metaphysics, Meditation and Spiritual Energy”. Promoters say the four weekly lessons will help participants connect directly to their own spiritual source and be rewarded with greater peace, joy, health and meaning in life.

“As spiritual and physical beings, we participate in a delicate balancing act,” said instructor Susan Rensberger.

“Our goal is to create a life experience of consistent joy, peace, security and love, in a physical world that is constantly changing.” The course will draw on excerpts from books by spiritual teachers and writers including Eckhart Tolle, Ron Roth, John Welwood, and Itzhak Bentov, as well as instructor and author Susan Rensberger.

Spiritual courses each Thursday in October

Classes will be held on Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, October 2, 9, 16 and 23. Course fee is $30 per class, or $95 for all four classes for full payment by the first class. The fee includes course materials and instruction. The course will be held at Exedra Books, at the corner of Via España and Via Brasil, in Panama City.

Following class, participants are invited to gather in the Exedra Books Café for an optional lunch and socializing with other individuals interested in spiritual growth. All are welcome to attend the luncheon at 12:30 p.m. weekly on Thursdays.

For more information call 214-7049, or 6676-7527, or e-mail susan.rensberger@highspiritsinc. net. Registration is also available at Exedra Books.

Democrats join to watch debates

US democratic presidential
candidate Senator
Barack Obama.

Democrats Abroad of Panama is getting together to watch the second US presidential debate on Tuesday, October 7 at 8:00 p.m. at the Balboa Yacht Club. “Those sitting on the fence are welcome too!” say organizers. The ‘dems’ will help people to register and send in their write-in ballots.

A $5 donation will cover the cost of soup and sandwiches. Prior to the debate, the group will view the film Iron Jaweed Angels starring Hilary Swank, Margo Martindale and Anjelica Huston as defiant young activists who took the women’s suffrage movement by storm and earned women the right to vote in the US. The film begins at 5:30 p.m.

Attendees may RSVP with Sharon Devine at sharondev@gmail. com or Debbie Velasquez at pillarstchr@aol.com

Electro music event

DJ Eric Morillo

The South American Music Conference (SAMC) will delight electronic music lovers on Thursday, October 18 at the Figali Convention Center. Top DJ Eric Morillo is the headline performer for this special event which promises to be an energetic show full of exciting sound and multicolored lights.

This is the second edition of the SAMC. Organizers are basing the event on the internationally successful Winter Music Conference, held every March in Miami. Electronic music fans come from all over the world to enjoy the weekend reunion of DJs. SAMC planners want to make Panama the hub for this Latin American version of the electronic circuit.

The DJs programmed for SAMC 2008 are:

• Erick Morillo - USA
• Scumfrog - Holland
• Dj Kam - USA
• Juan Salvador - USA
• Uma - Argentina
• Frank Johnson - Ecuador
• Oscar Bohrquez - Peru
• Dj Jayc - Colombia
• Dj Nimrod - Costa Rica
• Djane Angelik – Venezuela

The show will fuse techno, house and minimalist melody genres together.

Tickets are available at Blockbuster locations or on the web at www.blockbusterpanama.com

Religious festivals and country fairs

Every city, village and region in Panama has its own annual religious celebration dedicated to a patron saint. These festivals provide a colorful and charming way to experience local traditions and beliefs.

Oct 10-11 - Isla Tigre Fair, Kuna Yala territory
Oct 15-19 - Toro Guapo Festival, Antón, Coclé province
Oct.16 - Santa Eduviges, Sabanitas, Colón province
Oct. 21 - Black Christ Festival, Portobelo, Colón province
Oct 22 - Coffee Festival in Río Sereno, Chiriquí province
Oct. 28 - San Judas Tadeo, various provinces

Juanes in concert

Saturday, October 4 at Figali

Colombian singing sensation Juanes is sure to fill Figali Center and female fans will be screaming, given his superstar power, humility and soulful folk Colombian rock style that has earned him fame in all of Latin America, the United States and Europe. The artist, whose real name is Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez, composes and arranges his own music as well as playing the lead guitar and singing. He has sold over 10 million CDs.

Tickets range from $30 to $200 and are available at Video Ave, 236-8888.

Dog show

By Niel McColl

The Club Canino de Panama (Panama Dog Club), is organizing a “classic” show for national and international all breeds on Sunday October 5 at ATLAPA Convention Center. A bonus “specialty” competition for German Shepherds will be on Saturday, October 4 at noon.

The club (CCP) is a non-profit organization which will be celebrating its 38th anniversary in two weeks. It was founded on October 15, 1970 by Mrs. Ingeborg Kincaid some eight months after she arrived in Panama from her native Germany. She remains fully active as Honorary President of the organization. The club’s constitution was approved and legalized by then Panamanian President Demetrio B, (Jimmy) Lakas.

CCP became an associate member of the “Federatiòn Cynologique Internationale” (FCI) in the summer of 1971, ensuring its international status in the canine world organization. FCI has an 84-country membership which has 358 recognized breeds on its stud books, of which Panama can count 100.

Dog fanciers refer to themselves as Cynologists, coming from the Ancient Greek “kùvoç ayòç” (dog knowledge). They are certi?ed specialists in canine welfare from training in not only a standard discipline but also in shelter and rescue as well as nutritional health care.

El Club Canino de Panama is holding an international, national and specialty show at ATLAPA Convention Center on Saturday, October 4 beginning at noon. All breeds registered in Panama will be showing as well as some 80 dogs registered internationally which will also be competing. The international judges will be from Brazil and Ecuador. The Specialty show will be featuring the German Shepherd. Entrance costs $3 for adults. The club’s website is www.clubcaninopanama.org.

The aim of the CCP follows cynology to protect and develop the quality of pure breeds and gain national and international recognition and support the registration and enhancement of the highly controlled breeding standards here in Panama. To register a dog in the CCP there must first be papers showing three generations of pure breed, proving blood quality for international recognition by world renowned FCI member clubs such as the AKC (American Kennel Club), UKKC (United Kingdom) and various European and Latin American chapters.

Dog fanciers look on as handlers
exhibit the best angle of their pups.

Panama`s show expects some 80 dogs this weekend to compete in style, obedience and physical form on both national and international levels in two judging rings for “Best of Breed” and “Best of Show”. In addition to the certi?ed Panamanian judges, two judges will come from Brazil and Ecuador.

Breeds from companion dogs such as Chihuahuas, Toy Poodles and Yorkshire Terriers to working dogs like Beagles, Whippets, and Dobermen will all be chasing down the trophy.

Entry costs $3.00 for adults and $1.00 for children each day. CCP is an open organization which welcomes all those interested in registering their dogs on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Camino Real Bethania (diagonal a la policia). Call 261-5118 or write clubcanino@cwpanama.net

Expo manualidades fair

An arts and crafts fair is being held at ATLAPA Conventions Center next weekend beginning on Friday, October 3. The 15th “Feria Internacional de Manualidades y Artesanias” is best known as “Expomanualidades”. Handicrafts and all other sorts of homemade goods will be on display and for sale in booths. Organizers report that vendors will be from seven different countries this year The fair is great fun, with “tipico” dance groups performing and booths where typical regional foods can be sampled. Craftsmen, visitors, chefs and children interact in events and seminars on different products, skills and techniques.

Some of the charities this year are the Make a Wish Foundation, Special Olympics and Pro Niños de Darien.

Entrance costs $2.50. The fair is on October 3, 4 and 5 from 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Upcoming concerts

ShowPro tiene conciertos excelentes programados
para el final del 2008.

REO Speedwagon: Wednesday, October 15, venue to be announced

This rock group hit it big in the late 1970’s, with two number one hits throughout its long career, “Keep on Loving You” in 1980 and “Can’t Fight this Feeling” in 1985. Kevin Cronin (lead singer and guitar), Neal Doughty (keyboard), Dave Amato (lead guitar and backup vocals), Bruce Hall (bass) and Brian Hitt (drums) put out an album last year after 11 years, called “Find Your Own Way Home”.

Maroon 5 and Duran Duran: Tuesday, November 18 at the Figali Plaza (outdoors)

Maroon 5 is a Los Angeles rock-pop group enjoying full- ?edged fame after breaking on to the scene in 2002. They have since won several Grammys. A sharp Adam Levine sings lead vocals. Their most recent album is entitled “Won’t Be Soon Before Long”.

The English band Duran Duran is famous for topping Billboard charts with hit singles like “Planet Earth”, “Girls on Film”, “Rio”, “Hungry Like the Wolf”, and “Save a Prayer”. The group has sold 70 million albums and has been credited with starting rock’s “new wave” movement.