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Best Place To Go Deep Before Dawn:

deep art yoga and design

Getting up before 4 a.m. is challenging even for early birds. But deep art yoga and design’s Sadhana Morning Sunrise Meditation, held daily at 4 a.m., readies the body and spirit for the day’s offerings through breath work, stretching, chanting and meditation. Area rugs cover deep’s hardwood floor; pillows and blankets are provided. Candlelight enhances the experience. After day breaks, return to deep to check out what’s hanging on the walls as well as to attend adults’ and kids’ yoga classes, kids’ art classes, Bradley birthing classes and a monthly Fashion Flea Market, offering items from local clothing designers, artists and jewelers. (2030 H St., Sacramento; 916-448-3337; deepartyoga.com)

Best Idol Who Is Anything But Idle:

stevie scott

Stevie Scott is just a “normal girl.” Or so she says. The Fair Oaks native and Sacramento State music major was one of 24 finalists on Season 5 of the hit reality TV show “American Idol.” Although the 19-year-old has moved to Los Angeles to work on two new albums and try her luck at acting, Scott says, “Sacramento will always be home for me. It has a real sense of community.” So what does the triple threat (She sings! She acts! She dances!) do in town when she’s not training with local vocal instructor Elaine Berman or working on her pirouettes? “Downtown is super-fun,” she says. “My friends and I always hang out there.” Hey, maybe she is a normal girl.

Best Direction For Young Singers and Dancers:

galena street east

If you want to catch a great performance, look to the east—Galena Street East. The 33-year-old company, headed by husband-and-wife team Richard and Jeri Clinger, comprises six children’s performance troupes. Choreographed by local legend Ron Cisneros, the groups perform widely: The Galena Touring Company has even gone to such far-flung locations as Taiwan, Scotland, Austria and Honduras with its “uplifting programs that educate and inspire.” Locally, you can see and hear Galena Street East members at community functions throughout the year.

Best Drive-By Entertainment:

dancing dan

Next time you’re speeding down Howe Avenue or scarfing your lunch at La Bou, take a moment to watch Dancing Dan, the one-man entertainment empire at the corner of Enterprise and Howe. The 52-year-old owner of eponymous ad service Dancing Dan’s—his real name is Daniel Sloan—can be found, rain or shine, atop his parking lot pylon, getting his groove on while holding man-sized ads for local businesses. A dancer since the age of 10, Sloan says he’s used his “God-given” grace as both a Disneyland character and a fitness instructor, not to mention a jumping, jiving adman. The fitness has clearly done him good—after four life-threatening accidents and eight-hour workdays in all sorts of weather, St. Louis-born Sloan still hardly looks his age. But then, no one does when viewed at 50 miles per hour.

Best Idol For Inspiration:

mandisa

As she has said, ninth-place “American Idol” finalist Mandisa Hundley “did not set out, necessarily, to be a role model.” But that’s what happened. On Season 5, the angel-voiced Citrus Heights native took her share of lumps from acerbic “Idol” judge Simon Cowell and responded in the way you’d expect from a disciple of Christian author and speaker Beth Moore: She turned the other cheek. A former worship leader for the LifeWay Christian Women’s Convention, Hundley (who went by “just Mandisa” on the show) is now in Tennessee, hard at work doing what she does best: singing inspirational gospel.

Best Natural Wonder in Elk Grove:

sacramento natural foods co-op in elk grove

Galena Street East The store is immaculate, the service staff friendly and knowledgeable, the food samples abundant. The huge selection of groceries and prepared entrées—all organic—is enough to get you salivating. The natural theme carries beyond food; the building—open since July 2005—is constructed of recycled and earth-friendly materials. So where are the shoppers? This sister store to the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op appears to remain a well-kept secret. Give this place a look, and do your body some good. (Elk Grove Marketplace, 8517 Bond Road, Elk Grove; 916-714-7100)