Girlfriends dance their buns off

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Lindsay Storie

DANCE DANCE PARTY PARTY: "You can come in sweatpants or your old prom dress from 1993; it doesn’t matter," organizer Lindsay Storie told 18 women, aged teens to ’60s, who showed up Sunday for the first Dance Dance Party Party playshop. Cost : $1. DDPP is part of a dance fitness rage slipping into Canada from New York City and Chicago with only three rules: no guys, no booze and no judgment.

 It’s a girlfriends’ dance/exercise Sunday bash at the Glenwood Community Club, 7-8:30 p.m., once a month so far. Next night is Oct. 16.

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Director John Barnard

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Jonnie McPhail and Rheanna Melnick of Jonnies Sticky Buns

 You boogie to a live deejay. Best part? No loudmouth chickies in pink spandex shouting instructions. "At first, some danced in twos to catch up with a friend, but we all ended up in three circles dancing together and everybody danced all night," Storie said. "I’m married and in my 30s and don’t want to go out to the bars, but I just love to dance!"

ICE SCULPTOR ON ICE: Just when Winnipeggers got used to fancy bars carved out of ice, not to mention exotic animals, birds and mascots at their galas and weddings, premiere ice sculptor Larry MacFarlane of Krsytal Dreams Ice Sculptures is calling it quits. He’s shutting a booming business. Why?

"There just aren’t enough talented staff to fulfill our demands," said the man who does most of the creative work and also makes the large blocks of ice used by other ice sculptors. "It’s quite drastic, but my equipment is going up for sale."

 So what’s he up to now?

 "I’m teaching culinary arts fulltime at Patal vocational school, above The Chocolate Shop. But I’ll still do ice sculpting competitions all over the world," he said. "On Oct. 29, my last day of production, I’m building myself a bar to give a Halloween party. We’re going out on top."

BEST BUNS BAKE-OFF: There’s something about Jonnies Sticky Buns, a hole-in-the-wall bakery on Portage Ave. The owners aren’t ordinary bakers. They’re "artistes."

 Jonnie McPhail and Rheanna Melnick are musicians in different bands — Jonnie Vaude and the Villains and Melnick in Feed the Birds.

 But this bun business is no throwaway project! They’re dead serious about weird and wonderful buns and have lineups down Portage Avenue on Saturday mornings.

 They’re also known for creating crazy contests to attract attention.

 Today at 9:45 a.m., instead of the traditional weigh-in before big matches, there will be a "taste-in" at the bakery at 941 Portage Ave. for the local gourmet chefs competing for the title "Chef With the Best Buns in Winnipeg" over the next month. This morning is the chefs’ chance to, er, feel out the competition before sales start Sep 27. (Winnipeggers vote with their tastebuds and their purchases.) Competitors include Chef Scott Bagshaw and Alejandro Mora of Deseo, who will be using Bulldog Amber Ale, smoked bacon, old cheddar, maple syrup and Deseo’s signature hot sauce, Chef Alexander Svenne of Bistro 7¼ is doing a duck à l’orange with duck confit in the dough, and Chef Eric Lee of Pizzeria Gusto features gorgonzola, fig jam, prosciutto, and lemon-tossed arugula. Segovia’s Chef Adam Donnelly’s buns house a special preserve and smoked chorizo with a topping of grated manchego cheese. MMM-mmm.

VAUDEVILLE NUTTINESS: On Friday at 1:30 p.m., and again at 7 p.m., Farpoint Films will premiere their wild and crazy documentary called The Book of Vaudeville, showing in the upstairs concert hall at Aqua Books, created for MTS Winnipeg on Demand.

 For the film, six Winnipeg performers picked acts out of an old book of vaudeville clippings found in the rubble when The Orpheus Theatre was dynamited See Ross McMillan as The Man With 100 Cigarettes, Jacqueline Loewen as a death-defying roller-skater, Dean Gunnarson in the Houdini milkcan escape, Steve McIntyre as the man who wrestles himself, Onalee Ames as the human bird and Sarah Constible in the brassy comic dame amalgamation.

 Money from the $20 tickets will go to the Performing Arts Lodge (P.A.L.), a charity for retired people from the performing arts community, director John Barnard said.

 Got tips, events, sightings, unusual things going on? Call Maureen’s tip line at 474-1116, emailMaureen.Scurfield@Winnipegfreepress.com or send mail to The Insider c/o The Winnipeg Free Press at 1355 Mountain Ave. Winnipeg R2X 3B6