Spoletoblog

Women in the Know

Are you a Woman in the Know?  If not, don't fret. There's still time to become one.

Saturday's matinee performance of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago is your chance. Skirt! magazine has teamed up with Spoleto to offer women a chance to see this wonderful, wonderful dance troupe and enjoy refreshments as well.

What it's all about is that sometimes women want to see performances, dance a lot of times, that their husbands, partners, friends, etc. don't want to see so they miss out because they don't want to go alone. Women in the Know sit together in designated seats AND are invited to a reception in the Jessamine Room at the Gaillard before the performance and during intermission.

So, even if you come alone, you don't have to be alone. It's a fun opportunity to meet new people, have some good food, enjoy an afternoon of world class dance and maybe make a new friend or business contact.

It's a treat for yourself and a way to feel special and don't we all deserve to feel special now and again. If you want more information, call  720-1116.

Monday reviews

Diane Sprung on Man 1, Bank 0: "This Piccolo Spoleto production at Theatre 99 is a must-see for a humorous escape."

William Furtwangler on Sunday's chamber music: The concert "found artistic director and host Charles Wadsworth waxing nostalgic about his past 45-year association with Spoleto Festival (USA and in Italy)."

Eliza Ingle on Emio Greco/PC: "This avant-garde work is not for the faint of heart, but many in the audience rose to the feet in appreciation of this thought-provoking work." (Editor's note: Bryce Donovan, who sits next to me in the newsroom, attended the same show, and let's just say he wasn't one of those who rose to their feet in appreciation.)

Improvography

Savion Glover is an electrifying performer with the energy of a jackhammer and the ability to make tap dance soar with his creative genius.  Glover is joined by a quartet of phenomenal jazz musicians whose arrangements are perfectly blended with the intricate rhythms of the tapper's footwork.  When Golver is joined by a talented trio of younger tappers, they are most effective as soloists.  There is the 14 year old Cartier Williams who nonchalantly rolls out lightning speed work or the dynamic execution of Maurice Chestnut.  All you want to do is watch Glover, though, whose presence and sophisticated rhythms keep the audience thoroughly entertained.

Sunday reviews

Arts Editor Dottie Ashley on DollHouse: "The tragic outcome of good intentions gone awry is etched on the face of Povinelli as, consumed by grief, he hurls his 4-foot 11-inch body out into the aisle of the theater, desperately asking where his wife has gone. The audience is visibly shaken, as Breuer's imaginative directing grabs the heart. Is it worth it to do what is considered the proper thing, or should you defy propriety and hold onto what you truly treasure?"

Dottie on Savion Glover:"There are no sophisticated shades of Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly in Glover's creatively honed style which reaches back to when slaves used rhythm pounded out by their feet to communicate across the plantations after their drums were taken away. Later, in his 40 minute solo, as Glover dances and sings "The Way You Look Tonight," he goes into a jazz waltz, with the exuberance of one who celebrates life. But then he slows the tempo like a clock winding down and collapses to the floor.

William D. Gudger on Basil Twist's La bella dormente nel bosco: "No thesaurus will yield enough synonyms for 'charming' and 'delightful' to describe Basil Twist's production of Ottorino Respighi's La bella dormente nel bosco... Among the singing cast there were two standouts: Nicole Heaston as the beautiful princess and Olga Makarina in the double roles of the Nightingale and the Blue Fairy. These two sopranos had voices made of seamless velvet..."

 

CBT and "Brown Bag"

Charleston Ballet Theatre choreographer Jill Eathorne Bahr sends over this photo of dancers Jessical Roan and Stephen Gabriel rehearsing the piece "Jubilee" today for Brown Bag No. 2. There's a bunch of Piccolo Spoleto dance events to unwrap this weekend, including the first of the "Brown Bag and Ballet" events at 477 King St. Tickets to the noon performances will cost you a Jefferson and you can bring your lunch or buy a sandwich there.

Other PS dance offerings this weekend:

Virginia School of the Arts, Saturday; Jazz Dance Theatre South, Sunday; Brown Bag and Ballet, Saturday and Sunday; and CBT's "Those Fabulous Flicks," Saturday and Sunday.

Get the skinny at the Piccolo Spoleto website.