Habibi's Celebrates 25 Years

A note on our anniversary from Andrew....

“It was twenty five years ago today …”

Her name is Dorothy, but her friend, her fellow thespians of Austin theatre, the many musicians, painters, sculptors, activists and just plain eccentrics who knew and loved her called her Dottie. She was boundless and enthusiasm personified. She wrote songs and plays and long letters as she lived her Austin, lost armadillo days. But (as the cliché says), her most cherished role was that of mother. Two beautiful, prodigious daughters whom she loved and protected. It was then that she struck upon a plan to keep herself close to all that she loved. Her daughters. Spontaneity. Music. Performing. Dancing. Celebration of the human spirit. She found a quaint little house in Clarksville, moved in, told a few friends with children to come along and play and, bingo, Habibi’s was our name-o. Her daughters grew, as did enrollment, so down the street they moved to west 6 th st. before mo-pac moved so many others. And it was here where the community. The family, the school that was Habibi’s grew and grew. People came from far away. A teen girl from Nicaragua started her new life at the hutch. A BMX bandleader from El-Paso landed. A punk rock valedictorian joined. Cool stuff ensued. The school found it’s voice, full and far reaching. It envisioned better ways and delivered them. And Dottie’s daughters grew and themselves became dancers and actors and painters and activists in the world of art and education. So Dottie readied herself for the next mountain to climb … spread her Habibi’s song like a rumor at a play group, and off she went.

Which lands us here, at 2007, at Manchaca blvd., where the means streets of south Austin meet a bunch of half naked kids with really great verbal skills and big mouths to prove it. Different families. New teachers. No more mullets. Things have changed but somehow stayed the same. Music. Spontaneity. Dance. Celebration. It all remains. In spite of old aging, our vision remains clear.

So now we need help to commemorate the birthday of this little schoolhouse that could. A party. A musical event (the list of musicians who are Habibi’s members is long and sounds good on vinyl). Maybe T-shirts. Or an article in the chronicle or the statesman. Whatever we can do to bring together family members past and present in celbration of a twenty five year old school. Thanks for listening,

Love,

Andrew