Miscellanea: Dance, talks, more dance, and a reception

Big Band Concert and Dance: Do you like to dance? Would you like to learn to cha cha, mambo, swing, or tango? If yes, then come to the Big Band Dance Tuesday, March 25, 7 pm in the Caldwell Consistory, Market Street, Bloomsburg. The dance is sponsored by the Center For Visual And Performing Arts. The evening will feature a live big band plus demonstrations of the different dance steps-provided by BU dance professor, Julie Petry. Admission is free.

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Bloomsburg University’s LGBTQA Commission is hosting the sixth annual reception, Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler (Let the Good Times Roll) from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 28, at The Barn at Boone’s Dam, 737 Fort McClure Blvd., Bloomsburg. The event, which supports LGBTQA educational outreach, will feature a silent auction, awards, light refreshments and musical entertainment by Chamuris and Brown. Tickets are $25 per person. For information, contact the LGBTQA Resource Center, lgbt@bloomu.edu or 570-389-2819.

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Talking about Video Games: David S. Heineman, assistant professor of communications studies at BU, will talk about the cultural significance of video games at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 26, in Warren Student Services Center, room 004. His lecture, Thinking about Video Games: Notes from a Researcher, is sponsored by the Institute for Culture and Society and the College of Liberal Arts and is free and open to the public.

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Russian Ballet to perform Swan Lake: BU is bringing the Tchaikovsky ballet, Swan Lake, to the stage as a part of BU’s 175th anniversary celebration Saturday, March 29, at 8 pm in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Tickets are $35 for adults and $17 for children and BU students. For more information, visit www.bloomu.edu/cas or call the box office at 570-389-4409.

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Library Book Sale: The Friends of the Bloomsburg University Library Association (FOBULA) will hold their 14th annual book sale from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 29; 1 to 3 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday, March 30; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, March 31, in the Andruss Library, Schweiker Room. The library’s largest fundraiser, the book sale has raised more than $27,000 to fund special projects, including digitization and preservation of local and university historic materials, and textbook scholarships. For information, contact Robert Dunkelberger, university archivist, 570-389-4210.

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Empty Bowls Banquet: Empty Bowls, an international hunger awareness and fundraising event, returns to Bloomsburg University to benefit the Bloomsburg Food Cupboard from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday, March 30, in the Kehr Union Ballroom. A minimum donation of $10 for adults and $5 for students is requested for unlimited soups. Children under 5-years-old eat free. For more information on this year’s event, contact Jean Downing, SOLVE director, 570-389-4798.

Get ready to see some dance and song

Bloomsburg University's Celebrity Artist Series is bringing "Dancing with the Stars," "American Idol" and "So You Think You Can Dance?" finalists to campus on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 8 pm in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Tickets are $45 for adults and $22 for children and BU students.

The show "Ballroom With A Twist" is an evening of entertainment for the entire family highlighted by stunning costumes, fantastic music and breathtaking performances, directed and choreographed by international world champion, Emmy nominated, “Dancing With the Stars” Louis van Amstel. This show will feature dancers Chelsie Hightower and Dmitry Chaplin.

And several of favorite “American Idol” finalists will join the bill with their powerhouse hit songs. If you love watching the cha-cha rattle on the television screen, getting up close and live beneath the fringe and sequins is a whole other ballgame you will want to experience.

Upcoming shows include:

• Nov .15 — The Graduate 
• Dec. 6 — Sara Gazarek 
• Feb. 7 — Project Trio Feb. 22 — Christopher O’Riley 
• March 7 — American Idiot 
• March 29 — Swan Lake 
• April 13 — Pedrito Martinez

Things to do in Bloomsburg that don't involve the fair

Yep. It's that time of year again. Fair week. Big crowds, artery-clogging food, traffic, etc. But there are things to do, and places to eat, that have nothing to do with the fair. A sampling:

At the Moose Exchange on West Main Street, Endless Records is sponsoring the third annual Cover of a Cover exhibit. Anyone can participate in any medium. The deadline, Sept. 29, is approaching faster than a Metallica riff.  Re-imagine or re-design an existing album cover and they'll display the new work side-by-side with its inspiration. Must be 12-3/8″ by 12-3/8″ (the size of an LP album cover). Contact Endless Records for more information: 570-951-1821 or endlessvinyl@gmail.com. Drop off your submission with the original album cover (without the vinyl please) no later than Sunday, Sept. 29; the show opens on Tuesday, Oct. 1, and runs through Saturday, Nov. 16. A public reception is scheduled on Friday, Oct. 11, from 6 to 8 pm.

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At Artspace on Center Street, ceramist Sara Baker and fabric artist Denise Richards are the featured artists at Artspace, 221 Center Street, Bloomsburg, through Sunday, Sept. 29.

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Bloomsburg University’s Office of Multicultural Affairs is sponsoring an international taste test at its Flavors of the World event on Tuesday, Sept. 24,  at 6 pm at the Kehr Union, Multicultural Center. The free event aims to bring the community together to celebrate and learn about other cultures through music and food. The Ewabo Calypso Band will perform reggae and Latin music.

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Tami Tango Trio will perform Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 7 pm in Bloomsburg University’s Kehr Union, Ballroom. The event is open to the public free of charge.

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The 2002 French film, L’Auberge Espagnole (The Spanish Apartment), will be shown at 7 pm Thursday, Sept. 26, in McCormick Center, room 2303, as part of Bloomsburg University’s Gender Studies Minor Film Series. The film tells the story of a Parisian college student who is spending a year in Barcelona sharing an apartment with international students. The film showing is open to the public free of charge.    

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The fair is famous for the artery-clogging food, but you'll find very fine fare just a quarter mile east on Main Street —encompassing pizza (lots of choices), fresh-made bagels, a casual but satisfying burrito experience, and even (very fine) dining. Plus, you get to sit down inside.

Now, this is all completely subjective ...
Pizza choices are pretty personal, but to my taste La Fontana at the square is the best. Non-pizza food is fab as well. Love Ready Go Burrito — and while you're waiting for the burritos to be made you can pop next door to Balzano's for a drink at the bar. Just tried the relatively new restaurant, Saisons on Main. BYOB, with a very reasonable $1 per person corking fee. The food isn't fussy, but it is expertly done, with nice twists that complement but don't overwhelm the dish. I had venison with a cabernet juniper glaze. Really good and the juniper was a really cool touch. Different, but to my taste equal to always excellent Inn at Turkey Hill, which is just out of town. If you're a dark beer aficionado, Marley's on Route 11 is worth a stop for the Porter alone, which is getting close to a stout with great coffee and chocolate flavors, natural carbonation, and just a little edge. — EGF.

Music? Dance? Both. Nai-Ni Chen and the Ahn Trio

The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company and the Ahn Trio will a dynamic collaboration of music and dance in “The Temptation of the Muses"on on Saturday, May 11, at 8 p.m. in BU's Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall.   Tickets cost $34.50 for adults, $19.50 for children and $17 for BU students.

Nai-Ni Chen is an established Asian-American choreographer who melds the freedom of modern American dance with the discipline of Chinese classical arts. She has taught master classes throughout the U.S. and at dance festivals in Poland, Taiwan, China and Russia.

The Ahn sisters have performed at BU several times. Angela, Maria and Lucia Ahn were born in Korea. Educated at the Julliard School, the Ahns reflect both cultures – U.S. and Korean. Unlike most musicians in the pit of the theatre, the Ahn Trio interacts with the dancers on stage for a partnership of dance and music.

The selections planned for the BU performance will include compositions by Kenji Bunch, David Balakrishnan, Pat Metheny, Ronn Yedidia and an arrangement of The Door's "Riders on the Storm."

“They’re used to practicing to recorded music and expect the same tempos and cadences,” said Angela Ahn. “As we get to know each other more, the dancers can be more free and we can, too.

For tickets or more information, visit www.bloomu.edu/cas or call the box office at (570) 389-4409.

The performance, the final program in BU’s 2012-13 Celebrity Artist Series, is supported Barbara and Michael Hudock, Hudock Moyer Wealth Management, and the Woodcock Foundation for the Appreciation of the Arts.

BU to hold dance concert Sunday, Monday

BU will host its 3rd Annual Repertory/Ensemble Dance Minor Concert, Workin' It!, on Sunday, May 5, at 3 pm, and Monday, May 6, at 7:30 pm in Carver Hall, Kenneth Gross Auditorium. Admission is free.

The performance will feature six world-premiere choreographic works created by faculty member Julie Petry and the dance minor students, and a dance re-construction staged by visiting artist Teena Marie Custer of Slippery Rock University. Additionally featured are costume, make-up, lighting, sound and projection design contributed by theatre arts faculty, staff, students, and guest costume designer Jenny Kenyon.

The performance will include adult themes and language. Choreographic topics will vary widely: the trauma of losing a baby, street-life of prostitutes, a Detroit DJ homage, a Michael Jackson musical montage, a piece about dreams, a comedy on Charlie Chaplin, and a duet offering a spiritual/soulful interpretation of struggle.

At some point, someone will be upside down

Bloomsburg University's Dance Ensemble will perform Thursday and Friday, April 18 and 19, at 7 pm at Haas Center for the Arts. Admission is free. More than 150 students involved in the ensemble and the students really take on much of the choreography and organization of the show themselves — giving it a great roll up your sleeves, do-it-yourself vibe. There will be 25 different dance routines in the show and they typically range from ballet, jazz, hip-hop to tumbling. (This shot is from  the show two years ago.)

Looking ahead to more dancing ...

BU also has a dance minor and the Third Annual Repertory/Ensemble Dance Minor Concert will be Sunday, May 5, at 3 pm and Monday, May 6, 7:30 pm in Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium. Admission is free. The doors open half an hour before the show.

Words of the week: Wind ... spring ... talent ... circus

Bloomsburg University''s Wind Ensemble will perform Tuesday, Nov. 13, from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. The concert will feature the Don Quixote Symphony and Concertango for Alto Sax, Jazz trio and Symphonic band

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The PBS documentary, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, will be screened at Bloomsburg’s Moose Exchange on Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 7 pm at the Moose Exchange, 203 West Main Street. The presentation will feature a discussion led by Claire Lawrence, Bloomsburg University English professor.

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Claim Your Fame 4 Talent Show will be held Thursday, Nov. 15, at 9 pm in Bloomsburg University’s Kehr Union, Ballroom. Students will compete in vocal, dance and lip sync categories before a panel of judges and voting audience. Admission is free to the show, which is sponsored by Residence Life and DASL Campus Leadership.

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The National Circus of the People’s Republic of China will perform at Bloomsburg University of on Friday, Nov. 16, at 8 pm in the Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. This show is part of BU's Celebrity Artist Series. Tickets cost $34.50 for adults, $19.50 for children and $17 for BU students. 

The National Circus was founded in 1953, making it one of the longest-running circus companies in China. The troupe is known for unique acts, such as Great Teeterboard, Grand Flying Trapeze and Group Contortion. Several performers have been recognized for their talents, including Li Liping, the first Chinese winner of the Golden Clown award, and Xia Juhua, who has served as chairwoman of the International Chinese Circus Society since the early 1980s. As a whole, the company has won more than 20 awards – including gold and silver medals – at circus festivals all over the world. During the 1980s, the National Circus began to focus less on animal acts and more on human stunts. This new style influenced other troupes, including early members of Cirque du Soleil, who invited coaches from the National Circus to instruct them. For tickets or more information, visit www.bloomu.edu/cas or call the box office at (570) 389-4409.

Song and dance ... in a good way

The Bloomsburg University Gospel Choir will hold a Holiday Sing Thursday, Nov. 8, at 6 pm in the Kehr Union, Ballroom.

The Bloomsburg University Dance Ensemble will have its Fall Showcase Sunday, Nov. 11, at 6 pm at the Nelson Field House. This is a preview of the choreography that the ensemble is working on.

Admission is free and open to the public for both.

A multi-media art happening

Now this looks different ...

Award-winning pianist Charisse Baldoria (left) will give a perform Wednesday, Nov. 7, at 7:30 pm in Bloomsburg University's Carver Hall.

The unusual part: BU professors will interact with the music by reciting poetry, doing live drawing, and performing dance.

Performance artist Hunter Fine will recite works by Federico García Lorca and Rainer Maria Rilke. Artist Lisa Corine von Koch will create a drawing onstage. Dancer Julie Petry will perform.

Details here: bloomuliberalarts.blogspot.com

Koresh Dance Company coming to BU Saturday

The Koresh Dance Company will perform at Bloomsburg University on Saturday, Oct. 20, at 8 p.m. in the Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall.

This production is part of the 27th season of BU’s Celebrity Artist Series. Tickets cost $34.50 for adults, $19.50 for children and $17 for BU students.

Brothers Alon and Ronen Koresh founded the Philadelphia-based company in 1991. Both are still involved in the troupe, with Ronen serving as artistic director and choreographer and Alon acting as executive director. Ronen has been dancing since childhood, when he began training with his mother, a folk dancer. He continued to study dance and work with artists both in Israel and the United States, eventually winning a People’s Choice Award in 1987 for Philadelphia’s Most Outstanding Jazz Dancer. His eclectic background has allowed him to blend several dance styles such as ballet, modern and jazz that the Philadelphia Inquirer described as “liquidly sensual.”

Koresh Dance Company has a repertoire of more than 60 works and has been featured in numerous publications. Ronen has received multi-year choreography fellowships from organizations such as the Pew Charitable Trusts, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and Philadelphia College of Performing Arts. In addition to teaching dance classes, the company holds outreach programs for underserved children and public schools in the Philadelphia area. 

Future shows in Celebrity Artist Series’ 2012-13 season include:

• Cirque Chinois – Friday, Nov. 16, at 8 p.m. in the Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Tickets: $34.50 
• The Midtown Men – Sunday, Dec. 9, at 7:30 p.m. in the Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Tickets: $34.50 M
• Monty Python’s “Spamalot” – Friday, Feb. 8, 2013, at 8 p.m. in the Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Tickets: $34.50 
• Luciana Souza – Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013, at 7:30 p.m. in Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium. Tickets: $29.50 
• DALA – Friday, April 5, 2013, at 7:30 p.m. in Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium. Tickets: $29.50 Kathy Mattea – Friday, April 26, 2013, at 8 p.m. in the Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Tickets: $34.50 
• Nai-Ni Chen with the Ahn Trio – Saturday, May 11, 2013, at 8 p.m. in the Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Tickets: $34.50 

For tickets or more information, visit www.bloomu.edu/cas or call the box office at (570) 389-4409.

Get your tickets early. Some of these may sell out.

Bloomsburg University has announced its 2012-2013 Celebrity Artist Series season with a set of shows that range from modern dance to Monty Python.

Some of these shows will likely sell out ... Spamalot, Kathy Mattea in particular. So if you're going to get tickets ... sooner rather than later would be a good idea. A few will likely be near sellouts ... The Midtown Men comes to mind ... the chinese circus too. Fact: almost all of the seats in Haas Auditorium are pretty good ... but if you want the best seats, where you can see the dancers and performers glistening ... get your tickets early.

First show in the series is Squirm Burpee by a troupe that calls itself the Handsome Little Devils.
(In the 8 to 5, I do a lot of the promotional materials for the series, and  initially I had a tough time wrapping my head around what the show was ... the more I looked into it the cooler it seems. I have an 8-year-old and I think she might dig this. — EGF.)  Looks like we should expect comedy, juggling, song, dance and a plot with a Snidely Whiplash type character — Baron Vegan von Hamburger. Satisfyingly silly.

This is set for BU's Parents' Weekend, Saturday, Sept. 15, ... so tickets will get scarce if you wait. Showtime is 7 p.m. in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Tickets run. $34.50/$19.50 Child/$17 BU student. Details from BU.

The rest of the series.

• Saturday, October 20 — Koresh Dance Company, 8 p.m.
• Friday, November 16 — Cirque Chinois, 8 p.m.
• Sunday, December 9 — The Midtown Men, 7:30 p.m.
• Friday, February 8 — Monty Python’s Spamalot, 8 p.m.
• Sunday, February 17— Luciana Souza, 7:30 p.m. (Carver Hall's Gross Auditorium)
• Friday, April 5 — DALA, 7:30 p.m. (Carver Hall's Gross Auditorium)
• Friday, April 26 — Kathy Mattea, 8 p.m.
• Saturday, May 11 — Nai-Ni Chen with the Ahn Trio, 8 p.m.

Spamalot and Mattea will be big sellers. Luciana Souza is a Brazilian superstar and DALA is a upcoming Canadian folk duo ... the venue for those is Carver Hall's Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium. It's a beautiful and intimate setting. I've been told that Koresh is known for the striking athleticism of their work. The Ahn Trio has been to Bloomsburg a number of times. I have some of their discs and they really bring an both a perspective to classical music that's both fresh and approachable ... they have a really elegant take on the Doors (looks like authentic cell-phone video from a show with decent quality). This time, they're performing with a dance troupe ... different. I'm not a Broadway guy so I don't know anything about Midtown Men or the Cirque Chinois at this point. — EFG.

Boogie down Romanian style

Romanian Dance leader Mihai David will be the leader for a dance and party Sunday, Aug. 19, from 4:30 to 6:30 pm at Bloomsburg University's Centennial Hall. The visit is sponsored by Bloomsburg's International Student Association and the Susquehanna International Dancers and a free and open to the public. There will be a reception afterwards off-campus on Millville Road.

Final shows for the semester

Bloomsburg University will hold it's second annual Repertory/Ensemble Dance Minor Concert on Sunday, April 29, at 3 p.m., and Monday, April 30, at 7:30 p.m. in the Haas Center for the Arts. The show will feature choreography by Jenna Introna, Marcedes Kennedy, Michelle Megill, Olivia Naugle, Amber Nicole and Julie Petry. Both shows are open free to the public.

Graduating Bloomsburg University seniors majoring in art history and art studio will exhibit their work in the Senior Exit Show that runs from Tuesday, May 1, until Saturday, May 12, in Haas Gallery of Art. A reception will be held Tuesday, May 1, from 11 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Featured in the exhibit are works by these BU students:

Brittney Logan
Andrew Bull
Rachel Etzweiler
Megan Combs
Melanie Ortiz
Olivia DeFranco
Megan Koontz
Lena Kurtz
Kyle Gosson 

Haas Gallery is open free of charge weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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.

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.

Enter the Dragon

Welcome the Year of the Dragon at Bloomsburg University's annual Chinese New Year celebration on Saturday, Jan. 28, at 1 p.m. in Kehr Union Ballroom. The celebration begins with an informal dinner featuring traditional Chinese food prepared by area families and restaurants. Members of the Chinese Student Association (CSA) and the Chinese community members will perform music and dance after dinner. For information, contact Ju Xin, CSA adviser and associate professor of physics and engineering technology, at jxin@bloomu.edu.

The ceramic dragon was made by Nathalie Cornelius Foster and fired at the anagama kiln of Karl Beamer.

Looking ahead

One of my roles at Bloomsburg University is to create many of the marketing pieces for the Celebrity Artist Series. Perhaps I'm a little biased, but I'm personally pretty interested in three of the remaining four shows. The remaining shows are:

• Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, Friday, Feb. 10
• National Broadway Musical Tour: The Color Purple, Saturday, Feb. 18
• Complexions Contemporary Ballet (pictured), Saturday, March 31
• Grace Kelly & Phil Woods, saxophonists, Friday, April 13

The Color Purple will be a sellout or near sellout, so if you're interested, get your tickets early. For me though, it's the other three shows that really intrigue.

Now, the Nutcracker by the Russian Ballet that played in Haas in December was a fun and colorful event for the family. My daughter loved it; my wife and I thought that the Spanish dancers had the best connection to each other and the audience.

But Complexions Ballet will bring a whole new level of athleticism and physicality to the stage. Check out the video clips.

I'll also take a close look at the Philadelphia Chamber Orchestra (my wife is a violinist) and the saxophonists, because jazz in the spring just seems right.

Adult tickets for the shows range from $29.50 to $34.50. The box office number (570) 389-4409 and holiday hours are: Monday through Friday, Noon to 4 p.m. Closed Dec. 23 to Jan. 2.

'Nutcracker' coming to Bloomsburg

For those with little girls in the house (or just ballet fans) ...

The State Ballet Theatre of Russia will perform "The Nutcracker" on Friday, Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in Bloomsburg University's Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Part of BU's Celebrity Artist Series, tickets are $29.50 for adults and $16.50 for children.

It's possible that this show will be a sellout or near sellout, so if you're interested, spring for the tickets sooner rather than later.

This is the same company that performed "Sleeping Beauty" at BU last year. The troupe has performed in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. Several of the dancers have been honored for their talents, including People's Artist of Russia Tatyana Frolova and Honored Artists of Russia Vladislav Ivanov, Mikhail Negrobov and Piotr Popov.

I'm a sucker for ballet. It was, along with fencing, one of my gym classes in college (there was a football player in the class) ... and they have some  similarities. Ballet was also the one show I saw in my college's big auditorium. Now I have a little girl of my own who is very excited about this show. The photo is from the Arabian cocoa sequence, which happens to be my fav. — E.G.F.

Yep, they're upside down

The Bloomsburg University Dance Ensemble will give its annual Fall Showcase Sunday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. in Nelson Field House. Admission is free, but they will take donations. The photos are from the Spring show in Haas Center for the Arts. Click on any of the photos to make them larger.