North America agenda: IDEA World Fitness

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Music festivals bring summer to a close and lead into fall. The Labor Day holiday weekend is marked by Seattle's annual arts fest, Burning Man in the desert and the largest free jazz festival in Detroit.

71st Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
August 8-14
Sturgis, North Dakota

The annual Black Hills Motor Classic, aka Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, where bikers meet to race and party, has grown from 19 participants in 1938 to approximately 750,000 attendees. Based a the site of the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum, the event includs races on tracks and hillclimbs, motocross and stunts, crashes and jumps. Concerts feature rock acts from the 1970s and ‘80s with this year's lineup including Alice Cooper, Stevie Nicks, Def Leppard, Leon Russell, Greg Allman and actor Jeff Bridges' band. http://www.sturgismotorcyclerally.com/

27th IDEA World Fitness Convention
August 11-14
Los Angeles Convention Center, LA, California

The 27th annual IDEA World Fitness Convention is the largest and oldest trade event for fitness professionals. More than 5,000 influential fitness and wellness professionals from 65 nations will participate in 350 sessions devoted to new fitness trends (Bollywood Step, Alphabics, Kranking). 2010 highlight events included celebrity Mario Lopez, tennis star Andre Agassi and the US Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, MD. After this event, fitness centers globally will be introducing new classes, techniques and products.
http://www.ideafit.com/conference/idea-world-fitness-convention-2011

D23 Disney Expo
August 19-23
Anaheim, California

This fan event, a Disney-centric version of Comic-Con, provides an exclusive look at the studio's productions from film to television, as well as what's new at the theme parks. Behind-the-scenes panels of upcoming 2011-12 releases, such as a preview of The Muppets, with excerpted footage, filmmaker discussions and star appearances will include panels with the head of production at Disney, John Lasseter of Pixar Animation and the president of Marvel Studios. Events for kids include a trivia tournament, a sneak peek at new toys, video games and collectors items.
http://d23.disney.go.com

28th MTV Video Music Awards
August 28
Los Angeles, California

The nominees for the 28th MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) this year lead with American artist Katy Perry, British singer Adele and hip hop's Kanye West, the top contenders with the most nominations. The event will be telecast August 28 live from the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles with performances by acts to be announced.
http://www.mtv.com

Burning Man
August 29-September 5
Black Rock Desert, Nevada

Tens of thousands of participants gather in Nevada's Black Rock Desert, 120 miles north of Reno, Nevada, to create a city filled with art - which is set on fire. One week after setting up camp for this unique party, there is nothing left. This experiment in temporary community is dedicated to self-expression and participation. The art installations follow a theme each year - a term or concept: and 2011's theme is Rites of Passage.
http://www.burningman.com

32nd Detroit International Jazz Festival
September 2-5
Detroit, Michigan

This Labor Day holiday tradition is the only major free jazz fest in the US, attracting 750,000 fans to the riverfront. 2011 performers include jazz favorites Dave Holland Octet and a tribute to vocalists from Dianne Reeves, Lizz Wright and Angelique Kidjo. International talent features the Netherlands' Amina Figarova, Brazil's Ivan Lins, Belgium's Toots Thielemans, Cuba's Paquito D'Rivera, Japan's Vertical Engine, and Sun Ra Arkestra from somewhere in the solar system. JazzPlanet.tv will stream performances live.
http://www.detroitjazzfest.com

41st Bumbershoot Music & Arts Festival
September 3-5
Seattle, Washington

North America's largest urban arts festival features an array of visual and performing arts, dance, theater, film, comedy and kids events. But the diverse musical line-up is perhaps the biggest draw. This year it includes Toro y Moi, Wiz Khalifa, Ray LaMontagne, Broken Social Scene and Hall & Oates among many more. Located in the middle of the city at the 74-acre Seattle Center with more than 100,000 visitors paying $35 for single tickets and $90 for a 3-day pass. Comparable to the New Yorker's Festival and Philadelphia Arts and Fringe Festival
http://bumbershoot.org/

36th Toronto International Film Festival
September 4-13
Toronto, Ontario

A premiere North American cinema event, timed prior to awards season, the Toronto Festival has launched the best of international, Hollywood and Canadian cinema. The event is located at its new home in the Entertainment District, drawing a half-million attendees to screen 336 films from 64 countries, along with panel discussions and workshops. It joins Berlin, Cannes, the Viennale and Shanghai as one of the top accredited film festivals.
http://www.tiff.net

54th Monterey Jazz Festival
September 16-18
Monterey, California

With 500 artists performing on eight stages over the weekend, the jazz talents include featured arena performances including Herbie Hancock, Sonny Rollins, Hiromi and Joshua Redman. Stages feature Bobby Hutcherson, John Pizzerelli, Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk, India.Arie and Idan Raichel, and the venerable Dave Brubeck. Plus there is an exhibit on "Impulse Records: A 50-Year Retrospective."
http://www.montereyjazzfestival.org

63rd Primetime Emmy Awards
September 18
Los Angeles, California

The annual ceremony salutes the best in American primetime television programs, presenting honors to comedies, dramas, mini-series, reality shows, and other programs on cable and broadcast. Nominees and winners are selected by 15,000 Academy of Television Arts & Sciences members. The Emmys are television's equivalent to film's Oscars and music's Grammy Awards and air this year on FOX-TV. Jane Lynch of Glee will host the 2011 event.
http://www.emmys.tv

RC