ATLRetro

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

Alessa Rogers as Esmeralda – CAMINO REAL – Photo Credit: Charlie McCullers

Alessa Rogers, professional ballet dancer with the Atlanta Ballet, will be dancing her way into a “dead-end place in a Spanish-speaking town” in a ballet adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ 1953 stage-play, CAMINO REAL,  sharing the role of “Esmeralda” (a character derived from Victor Hugo’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”) with fellow company dancer, Tara Lee. The world premiere of Williams’ “lost classic” of love, redemption and courage has been adapted and choreographed by Atlanta Ballet’s choreographer in residence, Helen Pickett, with sound and original score by Peter Salem (get a taste here), which will be performed live with the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra. The Atlanta Ballet’s CAMINO REAL premieres this Friday, March 20, with a red carpet opening night, at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center, running through March 22. For ticket information and performance schedule, please click here.

Alessa is currently in her seventh season with the Atlanta Ballet, the “oldest continuously performing ballet company in the United States.” She began training with Daphne Kendall, leaving school at 14 to pursue her dancing career at the North Carolina School of the Arts, which led to her spending one season with the North Carolina Dance Theatre II before her journey to Atlanta and the Atlanta Ballet. Alessa has danced across the country having been a guest artist at the National Choreographer’s Initiative in California (See video of Alessa detailing her experience at the NCI here) and at the Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance in Asheville, NC.

Alessa has filled the dancing shoes of many strong female characters since she began her dancing career, but her favorite roles include “Juliette” in Jean-Christophe Maillot’s ROMEO ET JULIETTE; “Margaret” in the world premiere of Helen Pickett’s “The Exiled”; “Lucy” in Michael Pink’s adaptation of DRACULA; “Ophelia” in Stephen Mills‘ HAMLET, “Lover Girl” in David Bintley’s “CARMINA BURANA; and “Princess Irene” in the world premiere of Twyla Tharp’s THE PRINCESS & THE GOBLIN.

Photo Credit: Charlie McCullers

ATLRetro caught up with Alessa for a quick interview about her trek into the dancing world; fully immersing one’s self into a character; her take on Helen Pickett’s ballet adaptation of Williams’ CAMINO REAL; and the sweet, sweet smell of vampires.

And while you’re taking a peek at our little Q&A with Alessa, get a taste of her transformation into “Juliette” in Jean-Christophe Maillot’s “ROMEO ET JULIETTE here, which premiered this past February.

ATLRetro: What drew you to Atlanta Ballet?

Alessa Rogers: I came to Atlanta without much forethought simply because my older sister was already here dancing with the ballet. At the time I thought it would be a transition year between my first professional contract when I was 17 (with North Carolina Dance Theater second company) and figuring out where to go next. Now that I’ve been here for nine years, I’d say it’s been quite a long and wonderful transition!

How does it feel to be a part of Atlanta Ballet founder and dance visionary, Dorothy Alexander’s dream of bringing quality ballet to Atlanta?

You know so much has changed in the dance world since Dorothy Alexander opened Atlanta Ballet over 80 years ago. And even in the nine years that I have been here we have gone from being what could be described as a regional dance company into a world-class organization that has gone on international tours and consistently brings in the world’s greatest living choreographers. So it’s been a really amazing experience to be a part of that

Maillot’s ROMEO ET JULIETTE – Photo Credit: Charlie McCullers

growth and to be able to grow myself within that. I think the most gratifying part of my job is when someone who has never seen dance before comes to a show and realizes that it is completely unlike the stilted, inaccessible performance that they had anticipated. You might be surprised at how much even the most jeans and baseball-cap wearing of people can enjoy a night at the ballet. (You can even come in your jeans, by the way!)

We see that you just recently wrapped your role as Juliette in Jean-Christophe Maillot’s ROMEO ET JULIETTE. What was it like to play the part of one of the world’s most well-known literary female characters?

Juliette was the highlight of my career so far. Having so recently finished, it is hard to imagine ever having that profound an experience on stage again- but of course I have to hope that another ballet that special will come along again. To portray a character that everyone is familiar with, I actually had to throw all my preconceived ideas out the window. I had to forget everything I thought I knew and had been told about Juliette so that I could start fresh, with no one else’s interpretations in my head; and be able to discover her for myself again as if for the first time. That’s what I tried to do at least.

What was it like playing “Lucy” in Michael Pink’s adaptation of Bram Stoker’s DRACULA? Anything fun about that performance you’d like to share with our readers?

“Lucy” was one of the most fun experiences I’ve had on stage. She is such a complex character and it is almost always more fun to be the dark character than a sweet, vapid heroine. It’s something I hope to be able to do more in the future- the villain role. In the ballet DRACULA, the blood is made from corn syrup and everything gets drenched in it; so my pointe shoes, my hair, the whole backstage smells sweet. Every time I smell corn syrup now I think – vampires.

“Lucy” in DRACULA. Photo Credit: Charlie McCullers

Who or what influenced you to become a dancer? Any intriguing stories about how you got started?

I saw my sister’s dance recital when I was four years old, and in it there was a piece with bumblebee costumes. I decided right then and there I had to start ballet so that I could get one. (Full disclosure: Still haven’t gotten one!) And basically since I was four years old, I wanted to be a professional ballet dancer. I remember my sister and I once thinking it’d be a great idea to sleep in a split the whole night. The next day I couldn’t walk, but these are just the things we did (And we weren’t even the crazy ones!) I had lots of ideas growing up about what to do after I retired (dancers retire in their 30s generally) but I knew I’d have to be a dancer first. I don’t know that I ever made a conscious decision about the matter – it was just something I took for granted would happen.

“Esmeralda” – Camino Real – Photo Credit: Charlie McCullers

If you could be any character in any ballet or adaptation that you haven’t played before, who would it be and why?

Hmm. I don’t know that I really have any dream roles, per se, though I do have a lot of choreographers whose work I would love to do: Alejandro Cerrudo, Nacho Duato, Marco Goecke, Jiri Kylian, William Forsythe, to name a few. My favorite roles are acting roles, so any chance I have to inhabit a character is always a fun process for me. I think you learn so much about the human experience when you put yourself into the skin of someone other than yourself. There are some great works of literature that I would love to see adapted into ballets – JANE EYRE, GREAT EXPECTATIONS, THE MISTS OF AVALON.

But actually, now that I think about it- when I was 11 or 12, I went to see the ballet THE RITE OF SPRING choreographed by Salvatore Aiello. I brought my book with me to the show because back then I was very bored by ballet. But as soon as the curtain went up everything changed. I had never seen a ballet like that before – there was nothing pretty about it; no tutus or buns or pink satin ribbons. It was raw and physical and scary and I loved it. It changed everything for me about my perception of what dance is capable of. At the end of the ballet the lead woman is stripped down to her underwear and covered in paint and is sacrificed – that’s a ballet I’d love to do!

Can you tell our readers a little (without giving too much away) about your role as “Esmeralda” in Helen Pickett’s adaptation and world premiere of Tennessee Williams’ stage-play, CAMINO REAL?

I am sharing the role of “Esmeralda” in our world premiere next week. The play is inhabited by characters from literature, like “Don Quixote” and “Casanova.” “Esmeralda” has her roots in Victor Hugo’s THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME. She is a young gypsy girl who is held captive by her mother and is sold as a prostitute. Not a role I’ve had too much experience in playing fortunately!

Tennessee Williams’ CAMINO REAL, first performed in 1953, was one of the first American plays to break the fourth wall. Do you and the company

Tennessee Williams’ CAMINO REAL

have anything special planned for this exciting three-day performance? Will there be additional runs?

I don’t want to give too much away, but there are a lot of firsts in this ballet. I think the audience will be surprised by a lot of what they see – many of the dancers (me included) actually have speaking roles which has been a challenge for us. There is an original score, original costumes, an original set and they are all amazing. The collaborative nature of this ballet has been so exciting. Just being in the same studio with all these talented, creative designers and artists who are working so hard (I’m pretty sure some of the production team has just been sleeping at the studio in order to get this massive ballet built.) has been so cool to watch. I just can’t wait to get into the theater and see it all come together and come to life!

Who are some of your favorite vintage and retro dancers and why?

I grew up in Charlotte (for the most part) and North Carolina Dance Theatre (NCDT) dancer Kati Hanlon was my hero. I think more than her being an amazing dancer, which she was, she was a really kind person. That affected me a lot as a young dancer – having someone who was so down-to-earth and approachable to emulate, as opposed to an icy, photo-shopped, perfect cut-out who couldn’t be bothered to smile at the clumsy kid who idolized her. Actually Kati was the lead woman in the production of THE RITE OF SPRING that I spoke of earlier. Eventually she became my teacher and then my co-worker at NCDT. It was one of my first magical stage moments the first time I shared a stage with her as a co-worker.

Nowadays, it is the people who I am surrounded by on a daily basis who inspire me the most. Atlanta Ballet dancers like Rachel Van Buskirk and Jackie Nash who can be so powerful and so soft at the same time. It’s interesting because those two have a very different style of dancing than I do. But I love to watch them and cheer them on and learn what I can from them.

What’s next for Alessa Rogers?

A show a month until our season ends in May and then guesting with the New Orleans Ballet Theater and Wabi Sabi in the summertime. I hope to be able to keep dancing until they drag me out of the studio when I’m around a hundred and then after that…I have some more plans!

Can you tell us something you’d like folks to know about you that they don’t know already?

In my spare time, I like to relax by rock climbing!

What question do you wish somebody would ask you in an interview but they never do and what’s the answer?

Q: Would you like some ice cream? And my answer? Yes, yes I do!

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

‘This Week’ in Retro Atlanta is scorchin’ hot with Kool Kats galore and all the rockin’ good times you’ve been cravin’! Get your fill of red-hot blues, tasty tease, hootenannies and more! Get off that couch, get hep to the jive and live la vida Retro!

Monday, March 16

Get your suspense, adventure and danger fix at the Highland Inn Ballroom with The Rookery Radio Hour Live! event for two nights, featuring a live recording of comedy sketches done in the style of old-time radio at 8pm! It’s a night of surf rock and ‘70s pop at 529 with Delicate Steve, Del Venicci and Breathers! Get geeky with Blast-Off Burlesque as they start your week off right with a night of adults-only trivia at the Euclid Avenue Yacht Club, every Monday night at 8:30pm! Catch Stanley Kramer’s INHERIT THE WIND (1960) at the Charles D. Switzer Public Library’s “Brown Bag Lunch Film Series” at 12pm! Truett Lollis delivers a night of blues and soul at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta! Or boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and spend an evening with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam! Swing on by Big Band Night featuring Joe Gransden and his amazing 16-member orchestra at Café 290 every first and third Monday of the month! Blues it up with Barrelhouse Bob Page at Blind Willie’s! Get folksy with Jamie Laval at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! And blues on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a taste of the Pork Belly’s and a plate full ‘o finger lickin’ BBQ!

Tuesday, March 17

Rock on down to The Star Bar for their “Whiskey In the Jar-O” celebration of Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott with Gunpowder Gray, Night Terrors and more! Get psychedelic and space rock it up with The Church and The Sharp Things at Terminal West! Make your way to the Landmark Midtown Art Cinema for their screening of Peter Bogdanovich’s adaptation of Larry McMurty’s 1966 novel, THE LAST PICTURE SHOW (1971) during their “Midtown Classics” series at 7pm! It’s your last chance to get your suspense, adventure and danger fix at the Highland Inn Ballroom with The Rookery Radio Hour Live! event featuring a live recording of comedy sketches done in the style of old-time radio at 8pm! Get adventurous with Harrison Ford at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern with their screening of Steven Spielberg’s classic, INDIANA JONES AND THE RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981), during their “Classic Films on the Big Screen” series at 7:30! Or get really retro with Fred Astaire and Judy Garland at the Decatur Library during their screening of Charles Walters’ EASTER PARADE (1948) at 10am! Bluegrass it up with Cabinet at Eddie’s Attic! Punk out Irish-style at the Masquerade with The Tossers, DDC, Antagonizers ATL and Rotten Stitches! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Twain’s in Decatur every Tuesday at 9 pm! Or boogie on down to Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta for a taste of Bill Sheffield’s acoustic roots and blues! And as always, The Entertainment Crackers get bluesy with their folksy Americana at the Northside Tavern!

Wednesday, March 18

Gypsy jazz it up with a little garage blues in the mix at The Earl with Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas, Kool Kat Rod Hamdallah and Momcat! Buckwheat Zydeco delivers a night of Cajun zydeco, blues and roots at Terminal West! Jazz it up with Sal Gentile at the Elliott Street Pub! 529 delivers a night of country punk and hill country blues with FLAP, Tijuana Hercules and Duet for Theramin & Lap Steel! Follow the yellow brick road all the way to the Studio Movie Grill (Alpharetta/Duluth) for their screening of Victor Fleming’s THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) at 7pm! Funk it up with a night of rockin’ blues with The Georgia Flood at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! Get some bluesy soul at Eddie’s Attic with Truett Lollis and Crane! Get your rockin’ blues fix at Smith’s Olde Bar with Studio Le Bradshaw, The Gypsies and Rose for Tomorrow! Blues it up with Little G Weevil at Blind Willie’s! Emory Cinematheque screens Ross McElwee’s SHERMAN’S MARCH (1985) during their “Movies Made in Georgia” series at 7:30pm! Take a trip to Cairo with Harrison Ford at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern with their screening of Steven Spielberg’s classic, INDIANA JONES AND THE RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981), during their “Classic Films on the Big Screen” series at 7:30! It’s a hootenanny and a half at The Star Bar as Kool Kat Rich DeSantis and his band Honkytonk get smokin’ hot during their Slim Chickens’ Honkytonk Extravaganza event, featuring live-band old-time country and western tunes! Blues it up with Lola at Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint! Or make your way to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires it up with his rockin’ blues! And as always, it’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd.

Thursday, March 19

Shimmy on down and get a taste of smokin’ neo-burlesque revival and cabaret from around the world with Kool Kat Katherine Lashe and her Syrens of the South as they bring you the 5th Annual Southern Fried Burlesque Fest being held this year at 7 Stages, running from March 19-22! It’s a tantalizing four-day event that promises bawdy burlesque performances, variety shows, vaudeville, workshops and a vendors with all things pin-up and retro! Headliner for this year’s fest is Queen of Burlesque, Miss Exotic World 2014, Midnite Martini! So, come on down for a night filled with shakin’ shenanigans and tantalizing tease! Tonight’s events include the Newcomers Showcase, featuring performances by Anne Atomic, Electra Mourning, Ada Manzart, Tippy Tappage and more!

Rock out at The Star Bar with The Hotels, Ma Holos, The Nico Missile and Koko Beware! Stomp on down to The Earl for a night with Blood on the Harp, Lily & the Tigers and Moses Nesh! It’s Bluegrass Thursday at the Red Light Café, so come on down for a night with Jason Waller, Hailey Whitters and Stephanie Lambring! The Atlanta Cyclorama & Civil War Museum presents their screening of Christine Herbes-Sommers’ documentary RACE: THE POWER OF AN ILLUSION (2003) at 7pm! Jazz it up with Brian Lenair at the Suite Food Lounge! It’s a dirt road revival at Eddie’s Attic with Kristy Lee! Get retro swing, folk ‘n’ blues style at Smith’s Olde Bar with Gravy and Bosley! It’s Mai Tai Thursday at Trader Vic’s, so hula on down and get your ‘50s and ‘60s surf and rock ‘n’ roll fix with Kool Kat Joshua Longino with Andrew & the Disapyramids! Beverly “Guitar” Watkins delivers a night of rockin’ blues at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! Or blues it up with Liz Mandeville at Blind Willie’s! Stagger on over to Noni’s Bar & Deli for their Bitter Heroes event featuring DJ Brian Parris as he gets charmingly morose with a little New-Wave, The Smiths and The Cure! The Northside Tavern gets rockin’ with a little Chicago/Delta blues of The Breeze Kings! Darwin’s Burgers & Blues gets down and dirty at their Blues Jam hosted by The Cazanovas! Get your boogie on at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, as Chickenshack featuring Eddie Tigner, delivers some honky-tonk blues! And as always, get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village.

Friday, March 20

Tease on down to night 2 of the 5th Annual Southern Fried Burlesque Fest at 7 Stages for their Free Range Burlesque International Show Case featuring performances by Vince V. Vice, Agatha Frisky, Kisa von Teasa, headlined by Midnite Martini, emceed by the World Famous Bob and more! Shake a tail feather on down to the Red Light Café for Speakeasy Electro Swing Atlanta’s event and the official Southern Fried Burlesque Fest after party, featuring performances by Nikki Nuke’m, go-go girl, Trini Quinn and music by DJ Doctor Q! Or take a trip to “a dead end-end place in a Spanish speaking town surrounded by desert,” brought to life by Tennessee Williams and Helen Pickett with the Atlanta Ballet, during their performance of his 1953, “Camino Real”, running through March 22 at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center (See our Kool Kat feature on Alessa Rogers [“Esmeralda”] soon)! And tonight is the opening night of the 39th Annual Atlanta Film Festival, with screenings being held at The Plaza Theater, running through Mar. 29 (ATLRetro coverage coming soon)!

Get old-school punk-style at The Star Bar with The Queers, Richie Ramone and The Atom Age! ATL Collective presents the 1967 debut album of Leonard Cohen, “Songs of Leonard Cohen” with two shows at Eddie’s Attic, featuring Dwayne Shivers, Lonnie Holley and Marshall Ruffin! We ain’t afraid of no ghosts and neither is the Earl Smith Strand Theatre! Pack up your ghost hunting gear and make your way to The Strand for their screening of Ivan Reitman’s GHOSTBUSTERS (1984) at 8pm! Make your way to The House with Eyes’ EAV Movie Club as they present their Mystery Movie Night, featuring a classic movie of choice heckled by comedians at 8pm! The Variety Playhouse gets folksy and delivers a night of blues with G Love & Special Sauce with Matt Costa! Bluegrass it up with Del McCoury and David Grisman at The Buckhead Theatre! Jazz it up Latin-style at the High Museum with Willie Ziavino & the C.O.T. Band! Get your ‘80s fix with Kool Kat Becky Cormier Finch and Denim Arcade at Wild Wing Café in Gainesville! The Uncle Mike Band delivers a night of classic rock and ‘80s funk at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! Get the blues with Nick Moss at Blind Willie’s! Smith’s Olde Bar gets revived and delivers a night of southern gothic roots rock with Lincoln Durham and Kyle Cox! Boogie on down to Darwin’s Burgers & Blues for a night with the Alexis Suter Band! Hottie Hawgs BBQ dishes out a night of rockin’ blues with Men in Blues! It’s Salsa Dance Night at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX event, so cha-cha under the dinosaurs with the Salsambo Dance Studio while sippin’ a few cocktails! Blues it up with Stoney Brooks at the Northside Tavern! Blues it up with The Sly Dog Band at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack! Rock out with The Brotherland at The Family Dog! And as always, Time-Warp it up and get naughty with some uber musically-inclined transsexual aliens at The Plaza Theater as they continue their tradition of screening THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975) every Friday night, featuring the live cast of Lips Down on Dixie at midnight!

Saturday, March 21

Shimmy on down for night 3 of the 5th Annual Southern Fried Burlesque Fest at 7 Stages for their hottest main event, the Southern Fried Burlesque Pageant Competition along with a farewell performance by last year’s SFBF Queen, Jeez Loueez! And get nice ‘n’ toasty with their Southern Scorcher Showcase featuring Dee Flowered, Bunny Wigglebottom, Flame Cynders and more! It’s a rockin’ blues extravaganza at the Northside Tavern for two days as Chicken Raid 2015 invades with all proceeds to benefit the Frank Edwards estate! Blues it up with the best of them, including Brandon Reeves, the Wasted Potential Brass Band, Scene of the Crime, Mandi Strachota, Joshua Jacobson, Cody Matlock, Shelton Powe, Essie Mae Brooks & Family, Chicken & Pigs with Skye Paige, Sammy Blue, Albert White, Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck & the ATL Horns, Eddie Tigner and Lola in a piano showdown, Roy Lee Johnson, Beverly “Guitar” Watkins and more!

Doo-wop it up with a night of rockin’ shenanigans at Mammal Gallery with The King Kahn & BBQ Show, Milk Lines and Paint Fumes! Ride a wave on over to Kavarna for the Southern Surf Stomp featuring the Aqualads, Genki Genki Panic and Built for Speed! Yacht Rock Schooner gets smooth and ‘70s as they play a Steely Dan show at Terminal West! Get to the root of it all at the Red Light Café with the Donna Hopkins Band, the Alex Guthrie Band, the Divine Love Mission and Gibson Wilbanks! It’s your second chance to ‘80s it up this weekend with Kool Kat Becky Cormier Finch and Denim Arcade at Wild Wing Café in Suwannee! Get revved with Kool Kat Hot Rod Walt & the Psycho-Devilles at the Dixie Tavern in Marietta! It’s a night of Irish tunes at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs with The Irish Brothers followed by some ‘60s and ‘70s rock ‘n’ roll with The Rainmen! Blues it up with House Rocker Johnson & the Shadows at Blind Willie’s! Honkytonk it up at Eddie’s Attic with Joe Ely! Rock on down to Smith’s Olde Bar for a night with Eric Sardinas and 68-75! The Black Lillies deliver a night of boot stompin’ Americana at Grocery on Home! Or Stomp on down to Hottie Hawgs BBQ for a night with the Poverty Level Band! Get the blues with Bryan Lee at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues! And as always, DJ Romeo Cologne transforms the sensationally seedy Clermont Lounge into a ’70s disco/funk inferno late into the wee hours of the night.

Sunday, March 22

It’s day 2 and your last chance to blues it up at Chicken Raid 2015 at the Northside Tavern with performances by The New Radio Ramblers, Tito & the Chicken Raiders, Spike Driver, the Blues Dude, Swami Gone Bananas, Larry Griffith, Essie Mae Brooks & Family, the Rockaholics, Robert Lee Coleman, The Breeze Kings, Uncle Sugar, Ross Pead, Eddie Tigner and more! Jazz it up with George Winston at the Variety Playhouse! The Buddy O’Reilly Band delivers two rockin’ Irish/Celtic Americana shows at Eddie’s Attic! It’s your last chance to follow the yellow brick road all the way to the Studio Movie Grill (Alpharetta/Duluth) for their screening of Victor Fleming’s THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) at 2pm! Bluegrass it up at Smith’s Olde Bar with In the Wheelhouse in the Bar Room! And stick around to rock out in the Music Room with Black Pussy, the Savagist and Halmos! Make your way to Park Tavern for a night with Gareth Asher & the Earthlings! Get alternative and rock on down to Terminal West for a night with the Juliana Hatfield Three and their 21st Anniversary Tour! And get the blues with Snakelegs at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack!

Ongoing

OnStage Atlanta dishes out the infamous horror rock musical, “Little Shop of Horrors”, horrifying through March 28!

The 39th Annual Atlanta Film Festival, being held at The Plaza Theater, runs through Mar. 29!

The 35th Annual Atlanta Fair is being held at Turner Field through April 5!

The Atlanta Contemporary Art Center presents the “Gilda Radner Research and Translation Center”, an unofficial academic-ish platform for the analysis of Radner’s life and comedy, running through April 11!

The Marietta Museum of History gets Victorian as they present their “Peeling Back the Layers: Victorian Wedding Ensembles” exhibit through May 2, 2015!

The High Museum presents “Gordon Parks: Segregation Story” (‘50s Life Magazine photos) and “Leonard Freed: Black in White America”, (1963-1966) exhibits through June 7! William Bremen Jewish Heritage Museum’s, “Where the Wild Things Are: Maurice Sendek in His Own Words and Pictures” getting wild through July 5!

Blast-Off Burlesque geeks it up with a night of adults-only trivia at the Euclid Avenue Yacht Club, every Monday at 8:30pm!

HepCat’s Hop gets swingin’ every second Wednesday of the month at the 57th Fighter Group Restaurant!

Nerd Film Mafia screenings at the Diesel Fueling Station following NerdCore Trivia, every last Tuesday of the month!

ICON 80s: Music Video Dance Night rocks out at the Famous Pub every Friday night with a different 80’s theme!

The Star Bar delivers Stomp & Stammer’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Trivia at 8pm, followed by ‘80s Dance Night at 10pm, every Tuesday!

Boogie on down into Disco Hell at The Family Dog as DJ Quasi Mandisco delivers a night of classic funk, soul and disco the last Friday of every month.

The Plaza Theater Time-Warps it up as they screen, THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975) every Friday night, featuring the live cast of Lips Down on Dixie at midnight!

Every first and third Mondays are Big Band Nights at Café 290, featuring Joe Gransden and his amazing 16-piece orchestra playing jazz and swing standards in the tradition of The Glen Miller Orchestra and other legendary groups.  Second and fourth Mondays are Bumpin the Mango, ‘The groove that makes you want to move!’

Every first Wednesday is the Graveyard Tavern’s Graveyard Swing Night, featuring the swingin’ jazz and boogie-woogie sounds of the Savoy Kings!

If you have a suggestion for a future event that should be included in This Week in Retro Atlanta or see something we missed, please email us at atlretro@gmail.com.