.Mar. 5: Kaleidoscope at 630 Third Street

Acclaimed hip-hop choreographer Gabriel Francisco knows all too well that the economy’s rough. With that in mind, Francisco and his friend Jimmy Hits talked the owners of the old Swensen’s building on Santa Rosa’s Third Street—you may also remember the “doomed location” as Viva Mexico, or a series of Chinese restaurants, and most recently, GG’s Earth & Surf—into letting them host Kaleidoscope, a monthly art and dance series. At its inception in February, the normally empty storefront jumped shoulder-to-shoulder with live painting, dancing, chatter, music, and actual community-building. It’s far better for a city to have something like this going on than another “For Lease” sign collecting dust, and it’s a cheap and awesome mashup of art, DJs and dance. Kaleidoscope goes down on Friday, March 5, at 630 Third St., Santa Rosa. 9pm to 2am. $5; free before 11pm. [email protected].Gabe Meline