Oriental Fan Dancing: whilst celebrating grace, delicacy and beauty, fan dancing is an exotic, fun way to relax, its changing rhythms and body positions helping to develop physical fitness and mental awareness. All ages and abilities welcome. Tutor: Jianping Yu. 1.30-2.30pm today and every Friday until 4th December 2015, St Bride’s Centre, Orwell Terrace, Dalry. £2 per session.
Take One Action! Film Festival: ‘connecting people, world-class cinema and creative action for a better world’. Twelve days of screenings and discussions, in Edinburgh and Glasgow, on issues as diverse as environmental activism, LGBT rights in African countries, cycling, the value (or not) of university degrees, the Arab Spring, literacy, the global financial system, food chains and much more. Today’s films are;
(1)Â The Price We Pay (12+) (see Wednesday) plus short: Iron Sky;
(2)Â The Shore Break (12+) in which two cousin living in a close-knit South African community take opposite sides over an Australian company’s plans to mine titanium (followed by a Q & A session with director Ryley Grunenwald). Plus short: A Sense of Place;
(3)Â We Are the Giant (15),‘the most powerful, shocking and ultimately inspiring film to have come out of the Arab Spring so far’ (followed by a discussion with protagonist and human rights activist Maryam al-Khawaja). Plus short: Aliah.
All films at Filmhouse, Lothian Road; please check programme for times. Tickets may be purchased from the Filmhouse box office in person, by calling 0131 228 2688 or online; prices vary.
Take One Action! Film Festival Director Masterclass: Ryley Grunenwald, director of The Shore Break, offers a free masterclass on the development journey and outreach campaign behind this documentary project. 2.30-4.30pm, Edinburgh College of Art, Lauriston Place. Booking is required and may be made here.
Craigie’s Education and Environment Project Open Weekend: in the past months the project’s dedicated group of volunteers have created allotments, raised beds, a polytunnel and orchard & bee hives – and now the farm wants you to come along and see what they’ve been up to! An event for anyone interested in gardening and the outdoors – and who would possibly like to get involved in the project. The Edinburgh School of Food & Wine will also be in attendance, and there will be information on bee keeping and much more. 11am-3pm, Craigie’s Farm Shop & Cafe, West Craigie Farm, EH30 9AR. All welcome: free. Also at same times on Saturday 19th September.
BBC Radio Scotland: The Big Debate Referendum Anniversary Special. A year on from the independence referendum BBC Scotland presents topical discussion from Greyfriars Kirk, as members of the public question politicians and other prominent people on the news of the week. 12 noon-1pm, Greyfriars Kirk, Greyfriars Place. If you would like to attend the debate, please book via BBC Radio Scotland’s website here.
Finding the Audiences: The Future for Traditional Arts. Where are the audiences for the live arts, in particular for folk music, storytelling and traditional dance? This structured session grapples with the key challenges for reaching your target market and sets out an agenda for audience growth. This event will be followed by the AGM of TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland) which is open to all members of the Traditional Music Forum, the Scottish Storytelling Forum, and the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland, along with interested guests. 2.30pm, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43 High Street. Tickets cost £8 (£6 for Network members) and may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 556 9579 or online.
Boeing Employees Choir and The Dalkeith Singers: Grand Concert. 7.30-9.30pm, Greyfriars Kirk, Greyfriars Place. Free admission: donations invited for Madame Curie Hospice.
Freeze Frame Film Club: Quiz Night – Sounds of the Cinema. If you know your Jefferson Starship from your Starship Troopers, come along and test your music and movie knowledge at the first ever Freeze Frame Quiz Night, with Swiss style fondue, schnapps and prizes! Share your love for film trivia and iconic soundtracks, and hear the Freeze Frame 2015/16 season details. Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 36 Dalmeny Street. Tickets cost £10, which includes entry to the quiz, fondue, sharing platters and schnapps (for over 18s only) PLUS the chance to win a Freeze Frame Season Ticket and other cinematic prizes. Pre-booking is essential: call the Drill Hall Arts Cafe on 0131 555 7100.
The Russian Word in Edinburgh: Writing A Guide Book for the Enlightened Audience – the Case of St Petersburg. St Petersburg journalist Lev Lurie is editor-in-chief of Kvartalny Nadziratel magazine, a journalist and host of various radio and TV programmes and a multiple winner of Golden Pen and Antsiferov Prizes. Lev is also a historian and has written over 100 articles and 5 books. In 1989 he founded a classical school â„– 610, where he teaches history. As he is a fourth generation Petersburger, that city figures heavily in his work; he is the author of a popular guidebook to the city, produced by Afisha magazine. Please note that this talk will be in Russian with an introduction in English. 6.30-8pm, The Princess Dashkova Centre, University of Edinburgh, 14 Buccleuch Place. Free but booking is required and may be made via eventbrite here.
Hispanic Festival Fiesta: Arriba Edimburgo! Baila! A double gig as Edinburgh’s Hispanic community celebrate with a colourful, vibrant party night. Music of Flamenco, Salsa, Merengue, Mexico, Latin Jazz, Cumbia and Bachata, starting with a Flamenco Jam Session with an array of musicians, singers and dancers, followed by Secreto Tropical, Edinburgh’s very own 9-piece Cumbia Latin band, with music rooted in the Amazon Jungle and the Latin American continent, and winding up with late night dancing with Latin DJ Freddie Ramirez. 9pm-3am (entry from 8pm), The Jazz Bar, Chambers Street. £8/£6 on the door: please note this venue is cash only.
Balerno Village Screen: Silver Lining Playbook (15). Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro star in this film about life not going to plan: after a stint in a psychiatric institution, former teacher Pat Solitano moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own. 7.30-9.35pm, St Joseph’s Hall, Balerno. Free tickets are available from the Mill Cafe and Balerno Post Office or via eventbrite here. Balerno Village Screen is a community cinema, free to attend and funded by donations. If you can no longer attend after booking, please cancel your ticket to allow someone else to see the film.
Sneaker Shoe Arcade: 9pm-1am, Boda Bar, 229 Leith Walk.
Jason Webley + A New International. Webley is a Seattle-based troubadour who started as a street performer in 1998 and has built up an international following with his self produced recordings and uninhibited live performances. He has released seven albums and numerous collaborations on his own Eleven Records label, and one of his many side projects is the duo Evelyn Evelyn with Amanda Palmer. He has taken his passionate accordion-driven music to dozens of countries, performing everywhere from the 2014 TED conference to a former Siberian gulag. A New International perform the sounds of street music, carnival, music hall, cabaret, chanson, circus, movies, gypsy, folk + pop. 7.30pm, Henry’s Cellar Bar, 16a Morrison Street. £5 on the door.
Planet Earth Rock & Roll: Jake and Rory back in the Skylark ‘twisting your melon with rare 60s and 70s psychedelia and original tripped out visuals’. 9pm, The Skylark, 241-243 Portobello High Street.
Jazz Live At Canalside: John Burgess Hot Four. ‘Hot and sweet’ jazz from the 20s and 30s, featuring Colin Steele (trumpet) and Ross Milligan (banjo and guitar). 7.30pm (music starts 8.15pm), Canalside Cafe-Bar, Boroughmuir Rugby & Community Sports Club, Meggetland Wynd. Tickets cost £10 and may be purchased from the Canalside Cafe-Bar in person or by calling 07557 680 995 or emailing sinagraham@gmail.com.
