The Folklorama Festival in Winnipeg, Canada, is the largest and longest running multi-cultural festival in the world, and this year, Ballet Folkorico Sinaloense (photo, right) was chosen to represent Mexico. The festival invites 40 countries every year, and each country creates individual pavilions to showcase its talents and native crafts. Rebeca Llamas Lerma and her troupe of 22 dancers will give 21 performances in the Mexican pavilion from Aug. 1-7.

Next stop for the dancers is Vancouver's Mexico Fest. Ballet Folkorico was selected to represent Sinaloa and they will perform Sept. 8–14. The website (www.mexicofest.ca) explains: "Mexico Fest is an opportunity to enjoy and appreciate the richness, joyfulness and sophistication of Mexico's different region's art, cinema, dance and cuisine. On this occasion, Mexico Fest 2010 will feature the beautiful Port of Mazatlán on the Pacific Ocean."

For classic rock and roll it's Leslie Lopez and Spiral. The four-piece band's been rockin' Mazatlán for six years, playing everything from Janis Joplin to Pink Floyd. Thursday nights starting at 10:30pm it's Centro's Beli St. Pub, Belisario Domingues & Constitucion, one block from the Plaza Machado. Friday and Saturday evenings the band starts at Gus Gus in the Marina, and then swings south to Centro's Olas Altas Steakhouse to play from 11pm to 2am. On Sundays, Spiral performs at Gus Gus in the Golden Zone, 8pm to 12:30am.

Artists Glen Rogers, Mark Jay, Lucila Santiago and Rafael Avila Tirado just returned from Blu Seed Studios in New York (photo, top left) where print-making techniques were exchanged between artists from Mazatlán and New York. (Artist Gia Alexander participated but was unable to go.) September 1, Glen flies to Spain where she has a month's residency with the Foundation Valparaiso.

Josemaria Miranda's art exhibition may have just finished at the Mazatlán Museo de Arte, but the crimson colors continue on in his studio. Josemaria was born in Culiacan, and has spent the past 33 years in Mazatlán as an architect and artist. He's been drawing ever since he could hold a paint brush. To gain a deeper understanding of painting, he got a degree in architecture, so as to master form and structure. After 30 years he chose to focus on creating rather than rebuilding.

No particular artist influenced him; "just the universe," he comments. Even today, this self-taught artist enters his huge, pristine studio, switches on classical music and gazes at the stark white canvas without a single idea. He squeezes out the bright oils and begins the brush strokes.

"Then the painting starts talking, that's the best moment," said Miranda. A painting can take from eight hours to two months to complete. He paints every day, and his body of work spans from figurative to primitive to the current joyous impressionistic oils, what I respectfully refer to as "Monet on acid."

Once the painting stopped "talking" he said, "I appreciate an enthusiastic response." His gallery is on Calle Carvajal 1551, Centro; an appointment is recommended. Contact Josemaria Miranda at (cell) 6691-17-7155, miranda_21@hotmailcom.

After Midnight with G2

Hot spots are the lightly renovated Bora Bora- its beachside tables and cliffside VIP booths for a cool club night- and Heaven's music is still going strong upstairs at Valentino's. For something completely different, try Mariachi Karaoke at Mil Amores on Fridays and Saturdays, Ninos Heros #1500, Centro. Regular Cabaret Karaoke, with Robert Howes, continues at Hotel Las Flores Monday nights from 6-10 p.m.