Arts

Sponsored by the Villa Victoria Center for the Arts, Berklee College of Music and the city of Boston, the Tito Puente Latin Music Series attracted thousands to City Hall to hear Salsa legend Jerry Rivera. (Photo: Ernesto Arroyo)

Boston Celtics dancer auditions at the House of Blues

I’ve attended many Celtics games and have seen the dancers, and thought to myself that I could dance like them if I really focused on it.  Wrong!  I was wowed by the talent of the dancers at this year’s auditions for the 2010-2011 basketball season.

There were four segments of the show — first, all the candidates performed a choreographed dance together, then they danced in groups of four, followed by a swimsuit pageant (still not sure if this was really necessary), and the auditions ended with a solo performance where the dancers created their own choreography.

The women were really impressive and they had to really impress the judges in three to five minutes with their choreography, stage presence and personality. I had a difficult time just picking out who I thought would be good from the sidelines, so, I can’t even imagine how the judges were faring.

The dancers came from Los Angeles, New York, Seattle and, of course, Boston — all in hopes of winning a spot on the squad. This was the fourth year of the auditions and they originally started with a 100 girls and had to whittle the number down to 36.

My friend and comedian, Kelly MacFarland, was one of the judges along with Boston Celtics Forward Brian Scalabrine; New England Revolution Forward Taylor Twellman; Comcast SportsNet Reporter Greg Dickerson; American Idol Finalist Ayla Brown; New England Patriots running back Sammy Morris and Miss Massachusetts 2010 Lacey Wilson.

The auditions were emceed by Kiss 108 Morning Show Co-host Billy Costa and not surprising, the auditions were being taped as part of a reality show that Comcast SportsNet will air during the upcoming NBA season.

BBD at Showcase Live at Patriot Place in Foxborough

I was so excited to see BBD at Showcase Live! I’ve always been fans of New Edition since back in the day and then when BBD came together I was on board from day one. The show was definitely worth a trip to Foxborough. The venue was packed with a great mix of folks of all ages and the air in the Vegas-style showroom was brimming with excitement.

 In the packed house that night, I ran into JAM’N 94.5 Morning Show Co-host Melissa; ‘Coach’ Willie Maye, House of Culture’s Patrick Petty and New England Patriots Sammy Morris all joining in the fun. The show opened with WJMN’s Hustle Simmons spinning on stage along with a surprise performance by rapper Ed O.G.

The show got into full-swing right away with BBD performing all their classic hits from “Poison” and “Do Me!” to “B.B.D. (I Thought It Was Me)?” and “She’s Dope.” After all these years, the guys put on a great performance surrounded by their dancers and a live band.

The boys still got it! 

Tommy Davidson at The Wilbur Theatre

It’s always a good time when comedian Tommy Davidson is in town. His show is insightful, funny and extremely entertaining. I may be a little biased since I’ve known him for several years now, but Davidson is a consummate performer. His impressions and accents are “spot-on.” One of his funniest bits is about a Hispanic woman, who’s been in the United States for years. Her English is still not very good, and she just witnessed a crime and tries to explain to the police what she witnessed. If you close your eyes you would think you were watching the whole exchange first-hand.

He’s that good. Davidson is not only hilarious, but visually he does everything just right, from the placement of his arms on his hips and his mannerisms, to the tilt of his head and the movements of his hand. He makes me laugh every single time I see him.

Ledisi at Berklee Performance Center

After being out every night all week, I was wavering about seeing Ledisi perform at the Berklee, but you know I had to get a little afternoon beauty sleep before I could present myself to the public. I did pull myself together and went to the show.  Oh my gosh!  I was in heaven. Ledisi’s voice is absolutely AMAZING! It’s soulful and smooth and just soothing to your soul. Her stage presence is not to be denied. She’s fierce, fun and sassy. It was a fabulous show and so worth seeing.  Consider me officially a fan of Ledisi. I’m spreading the word.  Her show is a must-see!

The opening act was a wonderful singer by the name of Ashanti Munir from Boston. She performed songs from her new CD called “Soul of a Woman” and she was followed by Grammy-nominated singer/producer/singer and musician Daniel Moore, who is a member of “Big Jim’s Penthouse Playas” on BET’s “The Mo’Nique Show.”

TOUCH 106 Morning Show personality, Sunshine, hosted the night of music and local mix-master Rudy Dottin kept the audience entertained between sets. Thanks to Wanda Bakon and Ruffin’ It Entertainment for bringing a fantastic show to the city! 

Coming up:

Black Eyed Peas head to the TD Garden on Tuesday, August 3.

On August 5, Club Lido presents the soulful reggae singer Beres Hammond.

Stand-up comedian Gabriel Iglesias returns to The Wilbur Theatre on August 9 and 10.

Jazz, gospel and RandB singer Athene Wilson performs at Scullers Jazz Club on Tuesday, August 10.

And, Scullers Jazz Club also brings in Grammy Award winner Patti Austin the weekend of August 13 and 14.

If you would like me to cover or write about your event, e-mail me at: inthemixwithcolette@gmail.com.