Sunday, March 25, 2012

IF YOU WANT MORE INFO, GO TO
info@artspaceatuntitled.org OR
artspace@untitled.org.



Call for Entries
Second Annual Photos Made on Phones Exhibition
Submission Deadline: May 1, 2012


[Artspace] at Untitled announces a call for entries for a juried exhibition of photographs made on cell phones with the theme being Summer. It is open to local, regional and national participants. The deadline is May 1, 2012. The exhibition will be June 15 through September 14, 2012 at [Artspace] at Untitled located at 1 NE 3rd Street, Oklahoma City, OK USA. All participants are required to pay a $30 entry fee via PayPal.

Submission Requirements:

Submissions are accepted electronically only. They are to be e-mailed to erin@artspaceatuntitled.org and the subject line must contain "CPIS" followed by the entrant's name. Each entrant must submit a folder containing a minimum/maximum of (6) photographs and/or (3) videos made using a cell phone. Images should be formatted as jpeg's and the file size of each should be 72dpi with a measurement of 720 pixels (10 inches) for the longest dimension. Images should be color profiled in sRGB, Adobe-1998, or not color-managed. Images that have been manipulated in post-production, for example via Photoshop, will not be accepted. Embedded information can substantiate this. Videos must be placed on YouTube and entrants must provide Untitled with the YouTube URL (address) for their video. This is to be submitted to erin@artspaceatuntitled.org. and the subject line should read CPIS/Video.

Payment of a $30 entry fee is to be made via PayPal here and clicking on the PayPal link at the bottom of the page.

For the complete submission guidlines, click here

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Tuesday, March 20, 2012


SEND ME YOUR FUND-RAISING ANNOUNCEMENTS,
AND I WILL TRY TO INCLUDE THEM.  NANCY CONDIT




Saturday, March 17, 2012

 OKCMOA CELEBRATES 10TH ANNIVERSARY
DOWNTOWN WITH FREE ADMISSION
CONTINUING THROUGH SUNDAY

THE MUSEUM STAFF WELCOMES YOU TO A CELEBRATION! 
We are offering so many events this weekend in celebration of opening 10 years ago on March 16, below is the detailed line up of everything by day. We encourage you to get your free film tickets in advance because they are going! You can go online, call (405) 236-3100, ext. 237, or get the free tickets at the Visitor Services desk by the Chihuly tower.    

See a video message from Glen Gentele, OKCMOA president & CEO, click here.
 
SUNDAY, MARCH 18  
  • NOON-5PM FREE ADMISSION TO THE MUSEUM INCLUDING THE EXHIBITION          

    Princely Treasures: European Masterpieces 1600-1800 from the Vicotria and Albert Museum showcases highlights from the Victoria and Albert's European collections, which will be redisplayed in an elegant and newly refurbished suite of galleries, opening after 2014. This exhibition presents these exceptional pieces through a series of themes encapsulating important aspects of courtly life in Europe.

  • Image: Probably Pierre Gole (about 1620-84). Cabinet on stand, 1661-65, Paris. Pine, oak, walnut and pearwood, veneered in ivory and marquetry of wood, turtleshell, bone and horn. V&A: W.38-1983. ©Victoria and Albert Museum, London. For more click here.
    • All day activities include:
      • Hands-on Art-Making, Classrooms A & B
      • Face Painting in Classroom C
      • Docents on hand in the galleries to answer questions
    • NOON-2PM Lawrence Grech Clown throughout the Museum
    • NOON Dale Chihuly exhibit gallery talk with curator Alison Amick, 3rd Floor
    • 12:30PM FREE film screening - Grease sing-along, Noble Theater
    • 3:00PM Gallery talk on OKCMOA's permanent collection with curator Alison Amick, 2nd Floor
    • 3PM FREE film screening - Grease sing-along, Noble Theater
    • 3:30-4:30PM OKC Thunder's RUMBLE appearance! 
    s include:
    • Hands-on Art-Making, Classrooms A & B
    • Face Painting in Classroom C
    • Docents on hand in the galleries to answer questions
  • NOON-2PM Lawrence Grech Clown throughout the Museum
  • NOON Dale Chihuly exhibit gallery talk with curator Alison Amick, 3rd Floor
  • 12:30PM FREE film screening - Grease sing-along, Noble Theater
  • 3:00PM Gallery talk on OKCMOA's permanent collection with curator Alison Amick, 2nd Floor
  • 3PM FREE film screening - Grease sing-along, Noble Theater
  • 3:30-4:30PM OKC Thunder's RUMBLE appearance!

10TH ANNIVERSARY EVENTS ARE GENEROUSLY FUNDED  
BY THE MUSEUM'S ANNUAL SPONSORS AND:
Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores 
Oklahoma City Community Foundation
Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau
Frankfurt Short Bruza Associates
UMB Bank, Oklahoma City
Inasmuch Foundation
Oklahoma Natural Gas, A Division of ONEOK, Inc.



STOMP LIVES UP TO
ITS REPUTATION

By Nancy Condit

“Stomp” opened at the Civic Center Tuesday night with the sound of rhythmic brushes on the stage floor, and progressed through an evening of sounds made from everyday found objects and street tap to produce wonderfully energetic and impeccably timed Broadway show in dance and rhythm. Remaining performances include matinees Saturday the 17th and Sunday the 18th at , and evening performances Saturday at and Sunday at

The sold out house loved the routines, whether they were sliding on trash can lids across the stage floor, using broom sticks to beat out a tattoo in cudgel routines – including tossing them in the air to partners across the stage, or drumming on trash cans. 
The favorites were back – stainless steel sinks slung around dancers’ necks on bungee cords, while they tapped, scraped their nails on the bottom, and finally splashed water on the stage.
The humor that lit up the evening was especially apparent when one man tried to read a newspaper.  He was joined by one dancer, then another, until, one by one, other newspapers where shaken out, and there was a cacophony of coughs. At the end of one tap number where trash can lids were used as shields and weapons in a clashing dance, one lone dancer clutched two to cover himself, like a burlesque dancer – he was full clothed.

What worked quite well as a show ending when the performers turned an actors’ exercise of a round of sounds, with fingers tapping together, then hands clapping, then thighs, then feet tapping, and so on, with one of the dancers pointing to the audience for their participation.  They led the two sides of the Civic Center audience in different handclaps, achieving syncopation. This let the cast involve the audience, and, when the audience applauded for an encore, they were content with a number that satisfyingly closed the evening for the audience.

 Tickets may be purchased via phone (800) 869-1451, (405) 297-2264, in person at the Civic Center Music Hall Box Office or online at http://www.celebrityattractions.com/.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

HUMOR AN ESSENTIAL PART
OF AN EXCITING CONTEMPORARY
DANCE EVENING
AT OU

By Nancy Condit

The student dance company, choreographers and director Austin Hartel and associate director Derrick Minter gave last Saturday’s nearly full house at OU’s Rupel Jones Theatre an excellent and humorous evening of contemporary dance.  The company was strong and capable, and the works were mostly excellent. It was an evening of original works by OU faculty members well worth attending, with choreographers and dancers taking chances.  That’s always the point of art, especially at a university where dancers and choreographers are being trained and given the opportunity to experience all types of dance.

 Three of them were choreographed by Hartel, who was a soloist and choreographer for Pilobolus Dance Company for five years, and Minter, whose work “Forever in a Day” was performed in Kyoto under a different name, and extended into the dance performed last weekend, continues his affiliation with Ailey II as a teaching artist of the Dance Foundation.

The hit of the evening was Hartel’s new work choreographed in collaboration with the dancers, The Sorcerer’s Apprentic, music by Paul Dukas.  Performed in conjunction with the Fred Jones  Museum of Art’s exhibit “A Century of Magic: The Animation of Walt Disney.  As the music went into da da bump de bump de bump de bump, the white clad figures raised to crouches, and bounced their backsides it time with the music.  It was hilarious – everything a beginning ballet student had been told not to do at the Peabody Conservatory.  The sorcerer had awakened lifeless creatures, highlighted by black light, to be dragged as they relaxed, across the stage by invisible forces, swung by an arm and a leg in circles in a figure skating move, and moon walking. Most interesting was the partnerless appearing classic ballet lift of a woman, which appeared ungainly when it was separated from the costumes, sets, and partner. 

Bicuspid, choreographed by Hartel in 1987, “when we were very big on breaking the gender barrier,” he said in a press release, was remarkable for breaking that barrier – not only that women could dance men’s roles, but also that they could be supporting partners.  While this reviewer has seen this done before, this dance underscores the huge change from the delicate appearing ballerina being supported by the male ballet dancer a la Balanchine.  Elyse Andersen and Diana Robertson completely lifted each other in this dance, one even carrying the other in her arms.  The tank topped mid-thighed unisex brilliant orange leotard added to the dance’s impact.  Music was by Nick Holmes.

Minter’s Forever In a Day, music by Bobby McFerrin, was the story of five people on three park benches.  The first couple was completely in synch, and in love.  The first solo man, dressed Bo Jangles ragtime style, performed break dancing moves, including standing on his head, which were incorporated into contemporary dance. There was the Betty Boop style woman, cute sexy, wearing a flippy skirted dress, and the sophisticated woman who moved like Jessica Rabbit, wearing a huge hat and moving without an angle in her body.  Her sinuousness spoke more of money than of sex, although the two were definite competitors.  What was very effective was that the women walked in heels, but barefoot, on demi-point, on the balls of their feet.  Everyone threw off their stylized characters to help another man in grief on a third bench.

Hartel’s On the Rim, choreographed in 2006, was a day in the life of the Grand Canyon to Ferde Grofe’s  “Grand Canyon Suite.”  It was filled with one person creatures, including those that cartwheeled as the sun came up.  Two people, standing for the Native Americans, Spaniards or others who inhabited the canyon, embraced as the sun came up.  The two person burrows were particularly effective and funny, as one person put their hands on the knees of the person under them, and they moved forward on their four legs.
One of the final moves was a pirouette by a figure with its torso stretched upward, crouched on one demi-point foot.  The changing light during the day reflected very well off the inflated clear plastic cut to resemble the canyon walls. The dance ended with a rotating figure clad in a hooded leotard, studded with small mirrors reflecting light around the  theater.  The starry night had come.

The dancers performed Minter’s Indelible Grace: A Tribute to 9/11 well. Music was by Ennio Morricone, Michael Gordon, Arvo Part, and Larnelle Harris. Because of this reviewer’s continuing reaction to the Oklahoma City bombing, she feels unable to objectively review this dance.  The following is from the press release, Minter’s new ballet is a moving tribute to 9/11 and how events that day changed America.  During the work, dancers took the audience through emotionally diverse moments of the loss of friends and family.  Minter’s work aimed to remember those involved in the tragedy, to reflect on actions that happened during the day, and to rebuild the lives of those affected.  Scenic elements included a flight of stairs and an elevator, as well as an image of the New York City skyline.

Sunday, March 11, 2012



CHOREGUS PRODUCTIONS TO PRESENT
BATSHEVA DANCE GROUP MARCH 15 –
REVIEW OF MARK MORRIS

Batsheva Dance Company to perform in Tulsa.
Photo provided

By Nancy Condit

Choregus Productions in Tulsa presented the dazzling Mark Morris Dance Group in early February, and is set to offer the well thought of Israeli Batsheva Dance Group on March 15 at in the intimate Williams Theatre in the Tulsa Performing Arts Center.

At the end of the Mark Morris Dance Group, the woman across the aisle commented that the program was over very quickly.  If it’s true that the better a program is, the response is “That’s all?”  to the Mark Morris Dance Group is that it was outstanding.  Morris’ choreography was excellent not only in what he said in dance, but in what his company danced. The pieces, except for “Going Away Party” to  Bob Willis and his Texas Playboys, were abstract rather than story-telling.

Two moves that stick in this reviewer’s mind.  The two dancers spinning in small circles within the larger circle of dancers was like watching extraordinary watch works.  This reviewer suspects that this was in “Silhouettes,” to music by Richard Cumming. The other was the dancer who wobbled from side to side in a sinuous shimmy from head to foot and back up again as the company in “Silhouettes” danced, stage left, to the side of the company.  This reviewer suspects that they were in “Grand Duo,” to a composition by Lou Harrison. Morris’ musicality is extraordinary from the program’s beginning, but  particulaly in the last section of “Grand Duo” – “Polka.”

For a taste of Morris, follow this link to auditioning dancers to "Polka" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOTafdjzzbQ

Except for “Going Away Party,” to recordings by Willis, all the music was live by his piano and violin ensemble, Colin Fowler and Joanna Frankel.

The nest program is Batsheva Dance Company, which has been critically acclaimed and popularly embraced as one of the most exciting contemporary dance companies in the world, reads the statement from the press release.. In its current repertory focusing on works by Ohad Naharin, Batsheva has won praise for fearless, full-bodied, movingly honest performances. Naharin, who assumed the role of Artistic Director in 1990, has propelled the company into a new era with his adventurous curatorial vision, distinctive choreographic voice, and revolutionary movement language, Gaga. Choregus Productions is proud to be one of only nine presenters chosen to host the company on this rare tour of the United States.

The company will be performing “Max” and “Bolero.” on March 15 at 8 p.

This link will lead you to a sneak peak of Naharin's "Max" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMJrXEXLZHg

The Tulsa Performing Arts Center is at 110 East 2nd Street, Tulsa .  The entrance to the Williams Theatre is on the opposite side of the main entrance.  There is a lot of construction in Tulsa – not as much as Oklahoma City. Tulsa's 911 actually will patiently direct you to and from the center if need be.  For tickets, call the Choregus ticket office, 918.688.6112, from l0 a. to 5 p. Monday – Friday.  Tickets usually run around $40.   

Friday, March 9, 2012


NOTE: AfroCarabeno WORKSHOPS
ABOVE THE ROOTS RESTAURANT VENUE, 
WHERE PERPETUAL MOTION HAS
PERFORMED AT ROOTS. 
AfroCaribeno WILL ALSO PERFORM
AT THE MYRIAD GARDENS AS PART
OF ART MOVES ON MARCH 21
NANCY CONDIT 


AfroCaribeño Live, an evening
of live music and dance from Cuba, Puerto Rico and Guadeloupe
including rumba, bomba and gwo ka.



As part of an effort by Unity Promotions to support live cultural performance,
Grupo AfroCaribeño performs on Saturday, March 10 at Queen of Sheba.
The doors open at 9:30p, the performance starts at 10p.
There is a $5 cover for AfroCaribeño Live.

Unity Promotions is an entertainment and marketing group that designs
cultural events and programs.
Queen of Sheba is an Ethiopian restaurant located at 2308 N. Macarthur
Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73127.
For more information about AfroCaribeño Live, or other AfroCaribeño
events, please contact grupo.afrocaribeno@gmail.com.

Grupo AfroCaribeño is an Oklahoma City-based performance ensemble that
fuses cultural traditions from Africa and the African Diaspora,
including bomba from Puerto Rico, rumba from Cuba and gwo ka from
Guadeloupe. The company aims to build a sustainable
community that studies, appreciates and celebrates African-rooted
music and dance forms through live performance, academic engagement
and collaboration. For more information about AfroCaribeño, visit
afrocaribeno.tumblr.com, or www.facebook.com/afrocaribeno.

From the press release
OCU'S DANCERS OFFER A SPRING IN THEIR STEP
WITH AN AMERICAN MUSICAL
THEATRE REVIEW

Photo provided
The American Spirit Dance Company at Oklahoma City University
will bring rapid-fire tap, jazz and musical theatre numbers to the stage
March 15 for its Spring Show. “This is our fastest-paced show of the
year and your chance to see many styles of American dance, from
what you would see on Broadway to cruise ships and theme parks
to pop artists on major tours,” said Director Jo Rowan.

The show opens March 15 and continues through March 17 in the Kirkpatrick
Auditorium inside OCU’s Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center at N.W. 25th St. and
Blackwelder Ave.

High energy numbers like “It Don’t Mean a Thing,” “How About You,“ Crunchy
Granola Suite,” “Let Yourself Go” and “Sun in the Morning” are sure to keep the
audience jazzed. Reminiscent of the Rat Pack days, “Sing You Sinners,” and
celebrating the big band era, “A Cool Cat in Town,” will transport viewers to an
earlier time.

“Love is Good for Anything that Ails You” will feature a stunning chorus line of
24 dancers. A tribute to the red, white and blue, “Corcoran Cadets” and “Stars
and Stripes” will elicit patriotic pride.
Just before closing out the show, dancers will “Raise the Roof,” celebrating
some of the best moves in theatre jazz.

Show times are 8 p.m. March 15 and 16 and 2 and 8 p.m. March 17. Tickets are $20
each and can be purchased by calling (405) 208-5227.
From the press release

CONTEMPORARY DANCE OKLAHOMA
TO BE PRESENTED BY OU THEATRE
THROUGH MARCH 11

Chirstopher Frazier to dance at Contemporary Dance.
Photo provided

The University of Oklahoma’s University Theatre presents Contemporary Dance Oklahoma in collaboration with School of Dance.  Performances are offered for one weekend only at March 7-10 and two matinees at March 10 and 11, in the Rupel J. Jones Theatre,
563 Elm Ave in the Fine Arts Center. 

Five works from School of Dance faculty members Austin Hartel and Derrick Minter will come together to create a diverse and dynamic evening. Included in the performances are Hartel’s On the Rim, Bicuspid and the premiere o f Sorcerer’s Apprentice, as well as Minter’s Forever in a Day and his 9/11 tribute, Indelible Grace.   Hartel was co-choreographer and a soloist for five years with Pilobolus Dance Theater, and Minter danced with groups including Ailey II and the Martha Graham Ensemble.     

Given its world premiere in 2005 at OU, Austin Hartel’s On the Rim carries the viewer into an awe-inspiring day at the Grand Canyon. Hartel choreographed Ferde Grofé’s Grand Canyon Suite, closely following the score to portray events in the canyon from sun up to sun down. The piece begins with a vibrant sunrise and continues through a warm afternoon, a violent storm, eventually ending with a starry night. All the while, dancers’ movements mimic the canyon visitors' days, including explorers, donkeys and crawling critters.

To help bring the canyon to life, a large inflatable plastic drop will stretch the width of the stage. “The way the light plays off the plastic is really beautiful,” Hartel said. “The effect helps set the mood and portray the passing of a day in the canyon.”

Derrick Minter’s new ballet Indelible Grace is a moving tribute to 9/11 and how events that day changed America. During the work, dancers will take the audience through emotionally diverse moments of the loss of friends and family. Minter’s work aims to remember those involved in the tragedy, to reflect on actions that happened during the day, and to rebuild the lives of those affected. Scenic elements include a flight of stairs and an escalator, as well as an image of the New York City skyline.

“The thought of creating a 9/11 tribute has been with me for a while, since I was there when everything took place,” Minter said. “I know that many audience members will connect to this work, since every American was affected by the attacks.”

In addition to On the Rim, Hartel also restaged the duet Bicuspid, which was first performed by Dendy Dance in New York City in 1990. The inspiration behind the work was the idea that the bicuspids are two teeth that share the same root, just as the dancers on stage are two people who share the same passion for
life. Bicuspid is set to an original composition by Nick Holmes and is danced either by a male-and-female
pair or a female-and-female pair. “During the time it was created, we were very big on trying to break the
gender barrier,” commented Hartel. “We wanted to show that women could be just as strong as men and men could be just as effeminate as females.”

Minter’s second work is the new, upbeat  Forever in a Day. Set to selections by musician Bobby McFerrin, this piece follows five people who have gathered at a park to observe, reflect and interact with those around them. The theme suggests playful and affectionate teasing and sensuality between the characters. 

Hartel’s new work The Sorcerer’s Apprentice closes the evening.  This fantastical dance was created to build a link between the Contemporary Dance Oklahoma concert and the opening of Fred Jones’ Museum of Art exhibit "A Century of Magic: The Animation of the Walt Disney Studios." For Sorcerer’s Apprentice, the stage will be lit entirely by black light. Performers in illuminated unitards will appear to be floating through space, bringing a magical quality to the stage.

The production staff includes: Austin Hartel, artistic director, Derrick Minter, associate artistic director, Ethan Hartman, scenic designer, Keith Ferguson, costume designer, Taylor Beth Ellis, lighting designer, Christopher Sadler and Dexter Settles, stage managers, Scott Henkels, technical director, Kasey Allee-Foreman, production manager, Rich Taylor, University Theatre executive producer.

For tickets contact the OU Fine Arts box office by phone 405-325-4101 or visit during business hours from Monday through Friday at until Tickets are $22 and can be purchased at the door by cash or check.  The Fine Arts box office is located on the OU campus in the Catlett Music Center on the corner of Elm Avenue and Boyd Street in Norman, Oklahoma.

Renee Beneteau will also at Contemporary Dance
Photo provided

From the press release