December 12th, 5-9pm

Things are heating up at SMoCA this Friday with a Latin flair. Put on your dancing shoes and take some pointers from premier Salsa dancers from Fred Astaire Dance Studios as they perform live throughout the evening. Then, take a walk in the galleries as guest curator, Lara Taubman, and SMoCA curatorial coordinator, Claire Carter, give behind-the-scenes insight on Mexican photographer, Pedro Meyer’s Heresies. And if all this action works up an appetite, RA Sushi Bar Restaurant will be generously providing some tasty hors d'œuvres.

Lara Taubman is a freelance international curator and art critic. She is the Southwestern correspondent for Artnews and Contemporary Magazines. She has curated exhibits at local Phoenix venues such as the Heard Museum as well as the Chocolate Factory. She also creates exhibits worldwide, her most recent project being an exhibit of contemporary Romanian video art entitled “Not Figments of A Madman’s Imagination: the Uncanny in Contemporary Romanian Video Art” which opened last fall at the Florence Lynch Gallery in New York City, traveled to Madrid, Spain and will have its final showing in October 2008 at the Kontainer Gallery in Los Angeles. Her next project will be an overview of contemporary Romanian art at Bennington College in Vermont next October. Ms. Taubman has lived in Phoenix, Arizona for five years.

Before joining the curatorial staff at SMoCA, Claire Carter received her B.A. from Indiana University, majoring in Political Science with a double minor in Art History and Gender Studies. In 2005 she received her secondary education teaching certification in the state of Arizona and recently completed her graduate work in London, a Master of Letters in the History of Art from Christie’s Education and the University of Glasgow.

With nine valley locations in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area and one Tucson location, Fred Astaire Dance Studios have been teaching individuals and couples of all ages to dance for the past 44 years. We specialize in all forms of partnership dance such as Ballroom, Latin, Swing, & Country Western. http://fredastairearizona.com

There's never a dull moment at RA Sushi Bar Restaurant. The music is pumping, the mood is upbeat and the atmosphere is as stimulating as a big bite of wasabi. RA is the perfect place to cut loose with friends, toss back a few, and enjoy the best sushi the ocean has to offer. Come see why it's more fun in the RA! http://www.RAsushi.com

RA in Old Town Scottsdale
3815 N. Scottsdale Road
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
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