[NEohioPAL] Berko spotlight on Groundworks, Apollo's Fire and the Cleveland Pops Orchestra

[Roy Berko]

************************************

*Spotlight on Groundworks, Apollo's Fire and the Cleveland Pops Orchestra*

Roy Berko
(Member, Dance Critics Association, Cleveland Critic's Circle)

*Groundworks Dance Theater*

Since 1998 David Shimotakahara's Groundworks Dance Theater has delighted
Cleveland and national audiences with its creative contemporary and modern
dance.  Original music, world premieres, and dance were designed to fit
into various settings including churches, an ice house, libraries, museums
and traditional auditoriums.

It's most recent concert, housed at the Breen Center, featured two pieces
from the company's repertoire and a world premiere.

FOR LIFE OF ME, choreographed by former company member Amy Miller, was a
gymnastic piece with abandoned movements in a controlled setting.  Sans
storyline, it showcased life's issues to a variety of music and spoken
accompaniment.

LUNA, choreographed by Shimotakahara, was performed to electronic sounds
created by Peter Swendsen, which consisted of echoes, piercing instances
and clicks.  The physical cacophony of movements well fit the music.  A
solo segment by Annika Sheaff was keyed by her Pilobolus training.

Choreographer Rosie Hererra, who was attending the world premiere of her
piece, HOUSE BROKEN, used various mechanical and societal attitudes to
develop the eight-segment piece.   An operating lawnmower, golf balls, a
large paper box, and lawn chairs were used to develop mini-themes created
via the selected music, which included "It's Not Unusual," "Little Boxes,"
"She's A Lady," "L'Arena," and "Cranking an Old Lawnmower."  Though not
totally effective, the piece had some nicely conceived segments.

The evening of dance, while entertaining, had a fairly languid effect.
Maybe watching the company for so many years has allowed for the
expectation for groundbreaking choreography and landmark presentations
being the norm. Whether its their age or physical condition, the male
dancers generally lacked dynamics.  The women were fine, but not totally
compelling.  The usual audience cries of "bravo" and within-dance
spontaneous applause, were missing in this concert.

Capsule judgment:  This is not to say that the latest Groundworks' program
was poorly received or was poorly danced. For many dance companies, it
would have been a fine concert.   It was just was not of the high-level
enveloping presence usually experienced at a Groundworks concert.

Groundwork's annual benefit, "It Takes Two!," will be held at the Silver
Grille in the Higbee Building, on Saturday, April 26.  For information go
to:  http://www.groundworksdance.org/benefit or call 216-751-0088.

*"SEPHARDIC JOURNEY," Appollo's Fire*

Many people in the United States, both Jewish and not, are familiar with
the liturgical and joyous musical sounds of Eastern European Jews.  These
Ashkenazi tunes are sung in synagogues during Sabbath and high holiday
services, at weddings, bar mitzvahs, and home ceremonies.  Less known are
the sounds of the Sephardic, Spanish Jews.  These Spanish-originated
musical traditions, were spread around the Mediterranean world when in 1492
the Jewish inhabitants of Spain were expelled by the Catholic monarchs.

Ladino, rather than Yiddish, was the language of these people.  Their
pronunciation of Hebrew was influenced by their "native" language, their
music was played by the instruments of Spain (e.g., lute, shawm, tiroba,
castanet, other stringed instruments, and drums), and the sounds reflected
by their social customs.

Apollo's Fire, noted for their distinctive sound and memorable style,
recently presented a five-concert series entitled, "SEPHARDIC JOURNEY:
WANDERINGS OF THE SPANISH JEWS."  The well-attended concerts exposed
audiences to the vocal and instrumental sounds of the Sephardim.

Traditional prayers, such as "Adon Olam," "Lecha Dodi," and "Avinu Malkenu"
took on sounds quite different from the Ashkenazi versions.

The mesmerizing concert featured vocalists Nell Snaidas, Jeffrey Strauss
and Karim Sulayman, as well as musicians trained in the instruments used to
create the unique music.

Capsule judgment:  Bravo to Jean Sorrell and Nell Snaidas, co-directors of
the concert, as well as the entire Apollo's Fire assemblage and the guest
soloists, for creating an educational and illuminating concert.

*Cleveland Pops remembers Marvin Hamlisch*

Marvin Hamlisch, who recently died, is probably best known for composing
the score for the legendary musical, "A CHORUS LINE," including "What I Did
for Love" and "At the Ballet."   Hamlisch also wrote such memorable songs
as "The Way We Were," "Through the Eyes of Love," "Nobody Does it Better"
and "They're Playing Our Song."

Carl Topilow is the musical director of the Cleveland Pops Orchestra.  Now
in its eighteenth concert season, the assemblage offers a unique blend of
music, entertainment and audience interaction.

The composer's mystique and the pops talents came together recently in the
Severance Hall program, "THE LEGACY OF MARVIN HAMLISCH: ONE SINGULAR
SENSATION."  The program included Broadway legends Donna McKechnie, who
starred in the original Broadway production of "CHORUS LINE,"  Jodi Benson,
noted as the voice of Ariel in "THE LITTLE MERMAID," and Doug LaBrecque,
who starred in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA."  They not only sang Hamlisch
songs, but shared their personal experiences with him.

*Capsule judgment:  The exceptional evening was a true once-in-a-life-time
experience of great instrumental music, stellar vocals and a tribute to one
of America's greatest Broadway and pop composers.*

*******************************
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.neohiopal.org/pipermail/neohiopal-neohiopal.org/attachments/20140301/71a17d0b/attachment.htm>