FESTIVA: Cirque du Soleil, Shwayze's Return, The Patio on Guerra!

This week, Festiva's focus is on the performance art events --- like The Nutcracker, as well as touring shows like Cirque du Soleil --- that abound during the winter season. Also be sure to check our brand new Festiva News: Week In Review section.

>>> TABLE OF CONTENTS <<<
* COVER STORY
* THE WEEK'S TOP HEADLINES
* FREE STUFF
* ONLINE PHOTO & VIDEO
* LOCAL MUSIC
* NIGHT LIFE
* ART & CULTURE

>>> COVER STORY <<<

* THE BODY KINETIC Our bodies are the original artistic medium. Before we made movies or played instruments or painted, we danced. We moved. Every motion has a meaning. Today, performance artists --- dancers, acrobats, clowns, etc. --- create art using only what they were born with. With the world-famous Cirque du Soleil preparing to make a stop in McAllen, Festiva takes a glance at the ways grand and small that the ancient art of performance still manifests itself in the Rio Grande Valley. This chilly season, take some time to admire the artists whose passion quite literally runs through their blood, down to the soles of their feet, straight into their hearts. Read more.

* INSIDE CIRQUE DU SOLEIL Read Festiva's exclusive interview with James Clowney, a veteran Cirque du Soleil clown who'll be performing when the show comes to McAllen next week. Read more.

* FAMOUS VALLEY DANCERS & PERFORMING ARTISTS The Valley has had a number of people whose bodies have taken them on stages across the world or into the movies. These are just a few of the locals who have made a splash in the performance world. Read more.

>>> FESTIVA NEWS: THE WEEK'S TOP HEADLINES <<<

* McAllen: City of Arches?

* MTV's Shwayze is coming back for another Valley performance

* Warryor to make label debut, change name

* Piano lounge, bar and grill opening Friday in central McAllen

* C-Styles releases new album

* McHi grad Catherine Hardwicke will not direct ‘Twilight' sequel

* Local opera gets grant from Wells Fargo

* Dignan offers new EP download free

* City leaders link crackdown on unruly bars to promotion of entertainment district

>>> FREE STUFF <<<

* JOB FOR A COWBOY Attention, metalheads! See how you can win two free tickets to see the band Friday, Dec. 14. Win the tickets.

* FESTIVA'S INFINITE PLAYLIST This week, Festiva's giving you two free MP3 tracks of songs by local artist to download. Get the songs.

>>> PHOTO & VIDEO <<<

* DECEMBER ART WALK Were you out on Main Street last Friday night? Festiva just might have a photo of you. View the photo gallery

* FESTIVA TV: THE VERONICA LOREN INTERVIEW Festiva's Brandon Garcia interviews the sexy starlet who's sweeping up indie acting awards for her performance in August Evening. Watch the video or read more about the actress.

>>> LOCAL MUSIC <<<

* HURRICANE DOLLY RELIEF CONCERT The Pride Foundation's Hurricane Relief Concert, hosted by Las Palmas Event Center, will raise money for families in the Rio Grande Valley who failed to receive aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency after Hurricane Dolly hit the region in July.Friday will feature local rock bands while Saturday and Sunday will feature some top tejano and conjunto acts. Read more

* FESTIVA CD REVIEW: MIRANDA! - 'EL TEMPLO DEL POP' Read the review

>>> NIGHT LIFE <<<

HOT SPOTS: THE PATIO ON GUERRA Reservations have booked The Patio on Guerra solid since it opened Oct. 15, as weekend diners clamor to try McAllen's newest restaurant with upscale posh. But The Patio serves as more than a restaurant. This beautifully designed steakhouse and seafood spot doubles as a chill nightspot. Read the review

MEMORIES OF AMBROSIA The beloved coffee shop on Main Street has shut its doors. We asked our MySpace readers what their favorite memories of Ambrosia were. Feel free to add your own thoughts. Read the comments

>>> ART & CULTURE <<<

SURFACE TREATMENT Art critic Nancy Moyer rounds up the art on display at last Friday's Art Walk in McAllen. Read the review or check out photos of Art Walk.

FIRE ON THE ICE Junior Killer Bees expected to play a game when they joined the team; many of them have found a goal Read the story

>>> WANT MORE FESTIVA? <<<

Check out last week's issue.

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McALLEN: CITY OF ARCHES?: McAllen has worked to establish distinct entertainment and arts districts - now the city plans to mark its territory. Joe Rodriguez, director of the Heart of the City non-profit group, works with McAllen officials and business investors to promote revitalization of the downtown area. Rodriguez said last month that plans have long called for enormous markers to welcome guests to the entertainment and arts districts. Officials plan to build sizable archways. They will likely sit at the boundaries of the entertainment and arts areas. The arts district runs along Main Street from Business 83 to Pecan Avenue. The entertainment sector runs on South 17th Street from Business 83 to Houston Avenue. Rodriguez painted the archways as massive landmarks, perfect for visiting tourists to stop and take photographs with. He said construction would likely begin in the coming months. Read more about the Heart of the City and the new nightspots in the area.

Warryor to make label debut, change name The guys from Warryor, the Valley's long-rocking heavy metal trio, just recorded 11 songs in three weeks. They laid down the tracks, six of which are brand new and five recut songs from the group's demo, in Las Vegas. They worked with Paul Shortino, one of the singers for Quiet Riot and Rough Cutt. Shortino also founded Musicworks Entertainment, the Las Vegas-based label that has signed Warryor. And he appeared in the quintessential metal rockumentary This is Spinal Tap. Warryor guitarist "Razor" Dave Benitez says the album will likely drop in late March or early April, accompanied by a nationwide tour. But fans might not recognize the band. Warryor plans a name change, Benitez says, due to several other groups having similar names. The guys have a lot of work to do before settling on a new name, Benitez says they've narrowed it down to a list of 10. Download a free song from the band.

Shwayze returns to the Valley Shwayze, the hip hop duo from the MTV reality show Buzzin', will return to the Valley early next year. Shwayze will play January 10 in Mission at the Las Palmas Event Center, a larger venue. Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. today at Melhart's Music in McAllen and Wireless Toyz stores across the Valley. Tickets cost $20 for general admission. Fans can also purchase tickets online at www.ez-tixx.com. The group played at McAllen's Cine El Rey venue in late September. A sold out crowd clamored for more after the duo left the stage. Read more about Shwayze's huge concert this past fall. (ZQ)

Piano lounge, bar and grill opening Friday in central McAllen Two new watering holes will open tonight in Downtown McAllen. The Speakeasy Piano Bar will debut a new style for the Valley. Owners say it will feature a laid back, up scale atmosphere. Live music will serenade patrons nightly, as pianists and jazz bands perform. The Speakeasy sits at 316 S. 17th St., almost directly across from the Cine El Rey concert venue. Rhythm & Brews also opens for business tonight. The smokehouse will welcome bar patrons this evening, aiming to open a full service kitchen in the coming weeks. The establishment, located at 214 S. 17th St. next to The Dive, also seeks to attract professional, upscale patrons. Its food menu ranges from brisket to steak. Check out the sleek wooden exterior, you can't miss it. Read more about Speakeasy and Rhythm and Brews. (ZQ)

C-Styles releases new album Brownsville rapper Luis "C-Styles" Robles has released a full length album. The 15 track sophomore album, dubbed "m.o.o.d. musik," dropped Tuesday. Fans can purchase the album through C-Styles MySpace page, www.myspace.com/cstyles01, for $10. C-Styles will also host an album release party Dec. 19 at Yacht Club, on Nolana in McAllen. He will sell the album there, and also perform live with McAllen lyricist Jeremy "Styk Phiga" Adams. (ZQ)  Read more about C-Styles and Styk Phiga.

Hardwicke will not direct ‘Twilight' sequel McAllen native and Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke will not oversee the franchise's second installment, New Moon, the movie's distributor Summit Entertainment said. Filming schedule is said to be the reason for the decision. The studio has not released the name of the new director or any names of possible contenders. Summit reportedly was unable to accommodate Hardwicke's prep time because they're looking to get the project in theaters by late 2009 or early 2010, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are scheduled to return for New Moon. Hardwicke's Twilight has been a box office smash, grossing nearly $139 million in its three weeks of release. The movie made $70.6 million in its opening weekend, the biggest film debut by a female director ever. The McHi graduate's version of the popular book series by Stephanie Meyer has been met with mixed reviews from critics and fans, but a studio executive claimed in a statement that was not a factor in their decision, saying she did "an incredible job in helping us to launch the Twilight franchise." Read our exclusive interview with Hardwicke, or watch videos about her life and the Twilight premiere. (SG)

Wells Fargo donates funds to STLO On Tuesday, Wells Fargo Bank donated funds to benefit the South Texas Lyric Opera, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the Valley and surrounding areas about opera. STLO will use the funds in part to support it's "Youth and Arts Initiative" program, which helps cut ticket prices for children to encourage their attendance. The group just completed a two-day run of "Amahl and the Night Visitors," an educational 60-minute for children. (SG)

Dignan offers new EP download free Tangled Woods Sessions, indie-rock local band Dignan's latest EP release, is being offered mostly for free. The download is available through NoiseTrade, where you can pay what you want for the band's EP, or tell five friends about the download and get it for free, along with their popular first release, The Guest EP. The offer is good through the holidays and a full-length album is expected to drop in May 2009. Download a song from the prevous album free. (ANS)