A final tour for a modern master

In dance circles Desmond Richardson is famous. Very.

And residents of the area will have the opportunity to see him perform in hist last tour as a principal dancer on Saturday.

Richardson and  Complexions Contemporary Ballet will be on stage Bloomsburg University on Saturday, March 31, at 8 p.m. in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall.

Tickets are $34.50 for adults and $19.50 for children.

Complexions debuted in 1994 under the direction of Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson. With appearances on “So You Think You Can Dance” in both the United States and Australia, the company works to remove the boundaries of dance by combining many styles and periods of the art, echoing the constant movement of our world.

The Complexions show is part of the university's Celebrity Artist Series. The final show for the 2011-2012 season is a concert featuring jazz artists Grace Kelly and Phil Woods on Friday, April 13, at 7:30 p.m. also in Mitrani Hall. General admission tickets are $34.50. The box office number is (570) 389-4409.

If I was into dance (check that box) and free that night (unfortunately no), I would be sure to see this. (I still regret no seeing B.B. King at Penn State when I was a student). — EGF.

Roundup: Events for the week

At Bloomsburg University

Resistance — A touring photo exhibition about a Germany resistance to the Nazi regime, White Rose, is on campus through March 30 at the Kehr Union, Multicultural Center. The exhibit chronicles the brief yet intense bloom of the White Rose (Weisse Rose) resistance movement against the Nazi regime. The White Rose was formed by a small group of university students in 1942-43 in Munich, Germany, actively fought against the oppression of civil liberties and the persecution of Jews, and demanded an end to the war. There will be a seminar on the White Rose on Tuesday, March 27, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Multicultural Center. Students from Luke Springman's German courses will give presentations.

Speaking of minds — Stephen Elliott, author of the The Adderall Diaries and director of the upcoming film Cherry will speak at Bloomsburg University on Wednesday, March 28. He will give a talk on "Writing for New Media" at 4 p.m., in Kehr Union, Multipurpose A, and read from The Adderall Diaries at 7 p.m. in McCormick 1303.

Elliott is the author of seven books including The Adderall Diaries which has been described as “genius” by both the San Francisco Chronicle and Vanity Fair and was the best book of the year in Time Out New York, a best of 2009 in Kirkus Reviews, and one of 50 notable books in the San Francisco Chronicle. He is also the director the film Cherry, starring James Franco, Heather Graham, Dev Patel, and Lili Taylor, to be released this spring. Elliott's visit is part of the Bloomsburg's Big Dog Reading Series.

More concerts:

• Husky Singers – Friday, March 30, at 7:30 p.m. Alan Baker conducting. Mitrani Hall, Haas Center for the Arts. 
• Piano Master Class – Saturday, March 31, at 9:30 am with Melissa Marse, piano, in Haas Center for the Arts, Room 166. Contact Mark Jelinek, 389-4289. 
• University-Community Orchestra Spring Concert – Sunday, April 1, at 2:30 p.m. featuring Melissa Marse, piano. Mitrani Hall, Haas Center for the Arts. 

At the Moose

• Big Band and Swing Dancing- Live music provided by the B.U. Jazz Ensemble and demonstrations on how to swing, cha cha, rhumba, and tango. Sponsored by the CVPA Thursday, March 29th, 7 p.m., FREE admission.
•  Endless Records Concert- Maraud and Mystery Fyre Friday, March 30th, 7 p.m., $6 BYOB
• Community Market and Open Bowling- Featuring the Lexicon of Sustainability poster show Saturday, March 31st, 10 a.m.- 2 p.m.
•  Algars Music Concert- Call It Sleep, Mudera, Off The Coast, & Another Vendetta Saturday, March 31st, 6:45 p.m., $8 BYOB

Recap of the BU Dance Ensemble

A photo recap of the recent BU Dance Ensemble show is on the sister blog: www.bloomufocus.com.

Put on your dancing shoes

Bloomsburg University's Dance Ensemble will hold its spring show Thursday and Friday, March 22 and 23, at 7 p.m. at Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Admission is free, but donations are accepted.


Dance styles performed with include: Hip Hop, Tap, Latin, Irish, African, Lyrical, Ballet, Jazz, Acrobatic and Musical Theatre. The show typically draws a fairly large crowd each night with lots of support for the dancers from friends in the audience. A fun event.

Perspectives on faith

A long while ago while in college, I read The Arabian Nights (which is not a children's book at all)*, which lead me to read about Sufism. Along the way I came across this aphorism, by Al-Ghazali (shortened considerably here).

If you love someone because it makes you happy, it shouldn't be said that you love that person. Instead you love being happy. 

There's a toughness and honesty to that quote (even in it's longer form, look about halfway down the page). It's inconvenient to boot. Sufism in general, a great essay by Al-Ghazali (which can be found here)**, and that quote have stayed with me over the years. My personal variation of the quote:

If you believe something to be true that happens to be convenient to your needs, it's probably not true. It's probably just convenient to your needs.

So I think that it's wonderful that the Bloomsburg University student chapter of the Global Awareness Society International (GASI) Student Chapter is hosting an interfaith panel religious tolerance on Thursday, March 22, at 7 p.m. in Hartline Science Center, room 108.

The event will start with a screening  the documentary of "The Muslim Jesus," which talks about the Biblical and Quran's account of Jesus's life and teaching. The documentary does not provide any commentaries on the validity of the stories, but rather provokes reflection on the harmony behind these two narratives. After the movie a panel of religious scholars will speak. Anticipated speakers will include: Rev. James Edwards, Episcopal Priest; Rev. Rick Phillips, Lutheran Pastor; Rabbi Shaul Rappeport, Orthodox Jewish Rabbi; Chaplain Karl A. Polm-Faudre, Buddhist Bodhisattva; Sonia Ammar, devout Muslim and professor of Management at BU. The panelists will be there to answer questions.

** From memory and in a nutshell: In his essay, Al-Ghazali observes that most people he encounters happen to believe what they were taught to believe as they grew up. That seems to him to be an indicator of coincidence and not truth, so he sets out to learn about all religions.

* The non-children's versions of The Arabian Nights feature a series of stories within stories. Heroine Scheherazade tells stories that never quite finish to a disturbed king. The king delays her execution so he can hear the ending. The original core of stories (eg: Fisherman and the Genie, Three Ladies of Baghdad) are believed to originate from what is now Syria. This group of stories within stories, sometimes three or four levels deep, features shifting narrators that have the effect of forcing the reader/listener to consider alternate perspectives ... in a way that is similar to a Sufi parable or Zen koan. Some well-known stories (Sindbad for example) are later additions and not as structurally complicated.

— EGF

The sound of music

Here's the concert schedule for Bloomsburg University for the remainder of the semester. Show schedules do occasionally change, particularly the student recitals, so you may want to check before heading out to the concert.

• Student Recital – Friday, March 23, at 7 p.m. Matthew Leece, guitar, and Kyle Richards, percussion. Gross Auditorium, Carver Hall. 
• Student Recital – Wednesday, March 28, at 7 p.m. Adam Baugher, saxophone. Gross Auditorium, Carver Hall. 
• Center for Visual and Performing Arts Event – Thursday, March 29, at 7 p.m. Big Band/swing dance. Moose Exchange, 203 W. Main St., Bloomsburg. 
• Husky Singers – Friday, March 30, at 7:30 p.m. Alan Baker conducting. Mitrani Hall, Haas Center for the Arts. 
• Piano Master Class – Saturday, March 31, at 9:30 am with Melissa Marse, piano, in Haas Center for the Arts, Room 166. Contact Mark Jelinek, 389-4289. 
• University-Community Orchestra Spring Concert – Sunday, April 1, at 2:30 p.m. featuring Melissa Marse, piano. Mitrani Hall, Haas Center for the Arts. 
• Percussion Ensemble –Tuesday, April 10, at 7:30 p.m. Gifford Howarth, director. Mitrani Hall, Haas Center for the Arts. 
• Jazz Festival – Friday, April 13, at noon. Bloomsburg University Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Stephen Clickard, with guests Phil Woods and Grace Kelly, saxophones. Mitrani Hall, Haas Center for the Arts. 
• University Concert Band Spring Concert – Sunday, April 15, at 2:30 p.m. Annual spring concert conducted by Stephen Clickard. Mitrani Hall, Haas Center for the Arts. 
• Women’s Choral Ensemble – Sunday, April 22, at 2:30 p.m. Eileen Hower conducting. Gross Auditorium, Carver Hall. 
• Chamber Ensemble Event – Tuesday, April 24, at 7 p.m. Various groups. Gross Auditorium, Carver Hall. 
• Student Recital – Wednesday, April 25, at 7 p.m. Kevin Davenport, euphonium, and Peter Free, trombone. Gross Auditorium, Carver Hall. 
• Student Recital – Friday, April 27, at 7 p.m. Ashley Miller, flute. Gross Auditorium, Carver Hall. 
• Concert Choir Spring Concert - Saturday, April 28, at 7:30 p.m. Alan Baker, conducting. First Presbyterian Church, 345 Market St., Bloomsburg. 
• Knoebel’s Grove “Pops” Concert - Sunday, April 29. Concert Band at 2 p.m. and Jazz Ensemble at 5:30 p.m. Annual Park concert, weather permitting. Stephen Clickard conducting. 
• Guitar Ensemble –Monday, April 30, at 7:00 p.m. Matthew Slotkin, director. Gross Auditorium, Carver Hall. 
• Student Recital – Wednesday, May 2, at 7 p.m. Steven Gilliland, guitar. Gross Auditorium, Carver Hall. 
• Symphony Ball – B. U. Community Orchestra, Saturday, May 5, at 6 p.m., Kehr Union Ballroom. Festive evening of dancing and music. RSVP (570) 389-4289.

Pianist Cathal Breslin performing

Bloomsburg University piano faculty member Cathal Breslin will perform tonight (Monday), March 19, at 7 p.m. in Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium. The show is free and open to the public. Here's what he will play:

• Frédéric Chopin's Polonaise-Fantaisie in A flat major Op.61 
• Johannes Brahms' Klavierstucke Op.118 II. Intermezzo in A major V. Romanze in F major  
• Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12 in c sharp minor   
• Plus, he will explore poetry and music in Maurice Ravel's "Gaspard de la nuit: 3 poems for piano after Aloysius Bertrand"

A native of Ireland, Breslin came to Bloomsburg last August. He has performed throughout East Asia, Europe and North America.

The Frack Truth

This is something I don't often do, but I think that this essay by a retired journalism professor and award-winning writer Walter Brasch is important and timely.

FRACKING: Health, Environmental Impact Greater Than Claimed.

Some quick vitamin A and C

Some nuggets of A and C (arts and culture), and maybe a little bit of science and shopping too, for the coming week.

***

Frack perspective: “Natural Gas Extraction in Marcellus Shale: Evaluating the Impacts,” a series of lectures, films and a panel discussion, will be held at Bloomsburg University from March 20 to 29. The series will explore the social, economic and environmental impacts of drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale and is sponsored by BU’s Green Campus Initiative, Institute for Culture and Society, Institute for Human Rights and Social Justice, College of Science and Technology and the College of Liberal Arts. All programs are open to the public free of charge. The detailed schedule is here: http://organizations.bloomu.edu/gci/shale.php. 

***

Auction benefits LGBTA:  “It’s Time,” a reception and silent auction sponsored by Bloomsburg University’s LGBTA, will be held Tuesday, March 20, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Barn at Boone’s Dam, Bloomsburg. Funds raised during the event will support educational experiences for students, faculty, staff and the local community, including outreach programs and campus speakers. The $25 per person admission fee covers the cost of hors d’oeuvres and beverages. For information, see www.bloomu.edu/lgbt.

***

Spaghetti at the Moose: The annual Spaghetti Supper fundraiser for Downtown Bloomsburg, Inc. will be held at the Moose Exchange on Wednesday, March 21. Dinners will be served in the Grille Room from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., with take outs available starting at 4:30. In addition to spaghetti, garlic bread, salad, and drinks, there will be a make-your-own-sundae bar with ice cream from Brennan's Big Chill and a draw-your-own-sundae challenge for children. Tickets in advance (available at the Exchange and other downtown business locations) are $6, or $7 at the door.

***

The Big Dance: Bloomsburg University's Dance Ensemble will hold its spring show Thursday and Friday, March 22 and 23 at 7 p.m. at Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. This show nearly packs Mitrani Hall, two nights in a row. A lot of fun.

***

Friday Jazz at the Moose: The third Jazz Night concert with Burgess, Mitchell, and Seal comes to the Moose Exchange on Friday, March 23. The $10 cover charge benefits the Greenwood Friends School’s Greening Greenwood campaign, through which the school will develop eco-friendly programming and become more energy efficient. Light refreshments are available, BYOB.

***

Bookworm alert: The Friends of the Bloomsburg University Library Association will hold the 12th annual book sale Saturday to Monday, March 24 to March 26, in the Andruss Library Schweiker Room. Items include books, CDs, DVDs, video tapes, cassettes and records. The pre-sale for members only is Saturday, March 24, from noon to 1 p.m.; the regular sale runs Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m., Sunday, March 25, from 1 to 4 p.m. and Monday, March 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

***

Reminder: Murder at the Howard Johnson's at the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble runs only through March 25. 

Marimba master

Bloomsburg University's percussion professor, Gifford Howarth is a marimba master and he's travelling to Singapore next week to do some teaching and performing.  Details, and a link to a performance are at the College of Liberal Arts blog.

Photo by Gordon Wenzel, owner of Impressions Photography in Danville, who did the shoot for BU's magazine a few years back.

Syria and the road to democracy

Political activist and scholar Radwan Ziadeh, of Syria, will speak on “Arab Spring and the Road to Democracy” Wednesday, March 7, at 6:30 p.m. in Bloomsburg University's Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium. The talk is part of BU's International Faculty Association’s Scholar Speaker Series, and is free and open to the public.

Ziadeh is the founder and director of the Damascus Center for Human Rights in Syria and co-founder and executive director of the Syrian Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Washington, D.C. He is also the managing editor of the Transitional Justice in the Arab World Project. He has written more than 10 books including “Political Islam in Syria,” “Decision Making and Foreign Policy in Syria” and “The Intellectual Confronts Power: Dialogues of Syrian Civil Society.” As part of a group that would play a key role in Syria’s future, Ziadeh dreams of returning to his homeland to form a democratic political party.

The Arab Spring is a cultural and political movement that changed the governments of Egypt, Tunisia and Libya. Zaideh will explain why democracies are reluctant to support what he calls “the most liberal and Western-friendly of the Arab Spring uprisings.”

BU student theatre group celebrates 75 shows

Bloomsburg University alumni who participated in BUSTED over the past 14 years will return for the program’s 75th production, “The Reunion,” on Monday, March 5, at 9 p.m. in Kehr Union, Ballroom. BUSTED is an ongoing musical comedy series about life. Admission is free.