DANCE THEATRE NORTHWEST PERFORMANCE WILL "ILLUMINATE" EXHIBITS AT MUSEUM OF GLASS

Patra Vessel No. 74 by Linda Lowe

The Tacoma waterfront will be the scene of "Illuminations" this weekend. 

My dictionary defines the word "illuminate" as "to enlighten spiritually or intellectually," and Dance Theatre Northwest's world premier performances of new works, experienced at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, on Saturday, March 14, will do just that. Titled "Illuminations," this entirely new presentation of dance numbers ranging from ballet to jazz and tap was inspired by three of the museum's current exhibits and is FREE with admission during Family Day. Performance times are 1p.m. and 3 p.m. 

Artistic Director Melanie Kirk-Stauffer had this to say about Dance Theatre Northwest's upcoming event and the all-new choreography: "Like all creative projects, I had a lot of fun with this show. The individual pieces are unique but they are also all related. The essential part for me is to create something that enhances what is already great art and or gives people a different perspective about what they are seeing or feeling."

Kirk-Stauffers new creations will express her interpretations of exhibits Patra Passage, The Chihuly Drawings, and Kids Design Glass Too. 

Image from "Illuminations" poster - courtesy of Dance Theatre Northwest

“There’s a lot that I like about this show," dancer Amelia Arial said. "I feel that the pieces are a lot different (the choreography) than the pieces we have done previously—unique, new, different and exciting. The dancing is challenging but a lot of fun for me.”  

Patra Passage, an exhibition of 108 ceramic vessels made and painted by artist Lind Lowe, inspired dance numbers 1-7 of the 11 that will be presented:

1. Baroque one – Grace – Antonio Vivaldi

2. Baroque two  - Power – Henry Purcell

3. Baroque three - The Light – Antonio Vivaldi 

4. Cora Son -  The Heart – solo with Allison Zakharov – Spanish Composer unknown

5. The Journey – solo with Oceana Thunder – Contemporary/New Age – N. Gunn

6. Peace of Mind – Excursion - large group lyrical jazz piece – features Philandra Eargle – Contemporary Dance

7. Flower Duet – Call Us Together—solo with Madeline Ewer –Delibes from Opera Lakme 

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8. Planets – features Lauren Trodahl – Phillip Glass – Orchestral 

The Chihuly Towers inspired Planets. The towers rise to a height of 40 feet above the deck of the "Chihuly Bridge of Glass" pedestrian overpass that crosses the freeway between the Museum of Glass and  the Washington State History Museum on Pacific Avenue. 

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9. Pas de Deux - Harmonic Inspiration – Vivaldi Concerto in G Major – Gregory Peloquin and Solana Sartain

10. Precious – Contemporary/Jazz solo with Olivia Stephen-Jordan

The Harmonic Inspiration Pas De Deux and Precious pieces relate to a children’s exhibit called Kids Design Glass Too.

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11. On Your Toes – Musical theatre TAP group Ziegfeld– Rodgers and Hart

On Your Toes relates to The Chihuly Drawings

"My mind was like a maze at first, trying to put this all together," Kirk-Staffer said, "and then the works really started to take shape."

Why not bring the whole family to this delightful and uniquely Northwest event? The museum is located at 1801 Dock Street, Tacoma, Washington. For more information, call DTNW at (253) 778-6534 or the Museum of Glass at (866) 468-7386. Here are detailed directions: http://museumofglass.org/directions


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DANCE PERFORMANCES AT MUSEUM OF GLASS INSPIRED BY EXHIBITS

        The city of Tacoma boasts its own treasure chest of jewels, known as the Museum of Glass. Into the midst of all that color and sparkle will soon come the artistic element of motion. It arrives as a special Art Inspires Art event on Saturday, March 8, sponsored by Dance Theatre Northwest and titled “TRIBUTE: Tradition in Translation." DTN’s Artistic Director Melanie Kirk-Stauffer has interpreted the glass museum’s current exhibitions as dances. Paid admission to the museum includes the opportunity to see seven FREE performances of classical and contemporary ballet and jazz by the DTN dance artists, which will accompany Kirk-Stauffer's slide show and lecture on how the art of glass inspired her own art of choreography. Performances begin at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Prepare to be dazzled by what Kirk-Stauffer calls “dance illuminations.”

       “Years ago as part of a formal study of aesthetics,” Kirk-Stauffer said, “I was given the assignment of researching, then writing, the ‘definition of beauty.’ Eights weeks later, I completed my personal definition with the realization that a universal theme had emerged from first glance to in-depth contemplation, for every work of art. Rhythm, line, color or reflection of light, repetition, perspective and personal awareness come into play in the creation of things delightful, entrancing, captivating, elusive, hypnotic, mysterious, or transitory.”

       My Webster’s dictionary defines beauty as “the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit” and the word illuminate as “to enlighten spiritually or intellectually.” Both of those words relate to the exhibits and the dances they’ve inspired. Kirk-Stauffer says her “dance illumination” presentations provide the opportunity to share insights into how she translates ideas, creations, sounds, and rhythms into dance.

       The title feature of the “TRIBUTE: Tradition in Translation” show is a ballet in four parts, and its name reflects the name of the exhibit called “Caution! Fragile. Irish Glass: Tradition In Transition.” This exhibit explores the past, present, and future of Irish glass through the work of glass artists Róisín de Buitléar and Fred Curtis. 

        Dale Chilhuly’s Irish Cylinders, and glass artists Dante Marioni, Anna Skibska, Ben Edols, Kathy Elliott, and Kelly Knickerbocker, inspired Kirk-Stauffer to choreograph other dances performed at this event, as did an exhibit of exquisite blue and green Czechoslovakian glass perfume bottles and bedroom accessories from the 1920s and ‘30s called “Bohemian Boudoir.” 

Dance Theatre Northwest's delightful contribution to this Family Day at the museum offers programs at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., which each last about one hour. They will include jazz and ballet pieces already in the Dance Theatre Northwest repertoire as well as those inspired by the exhibits. In addition to the “TRIBUTE” ballet, visitors will see:

Capriccio One (duet)

Capriccio Two (five dancers)

Man on the Street (jazz)

Fire To Rain (Lauren Trodahl- contemporary ballet)

One Voice (Allison Zakharov - contemporary ballet)

We Didn't Start The Fire (jazz)

Nite Lites (jazz) 

Featured performers will be Chhay Mam, Allison Zakharov, Lauren Trodahl, Amelia Arial, Oceana Thunder, Solana Sartain, and Gregory Peloquin. 

For more information: 

Dance Theatre Northwest website is http://DTNW.org, phone 253-778-6534 

Museum of Glass website is http://museumofglass.org, phone (866) 468-7386 

Location:1801 Dock Street
Tacoma, Washington 98402-3217

All photos by Maks Zakharvo courtesy of Dance Theatre Northwest.

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Great Gifts Ideas You Might Not Think Of.

Predictability can be a good thing, like when you're making Mom's traditional recipes for Christmas cookies. But when it comes to gifts under the tree, if it looks like a shirt box, feels like a shirt box, and sounds like a shirt box, it's probably a shirt. Ditto for new slippers, CDs, and toiletries. Part of the joy of giving is the joy of surprising. Let's shake things up this year.

Refresh your gift-giving habits and delight recipients with these suggestions:

Go "green" and support local farmers.

"What can be a greener gift than supporting local farmers at a local farmers market?" Good question, posed by Holly Foster of Tacoma's Zestful Gardens. This WSDA certified organic farm owned and operated by Holly and her mother Valerie Forster, participates in 3 local farmers markets: Broadway, Proctor, & Steilacoom. "You can purchase Zestful Dollars (gift certificates) in $50. $100, & $300 amounts for your friends, family, or co-workers to spend throughout the Farmers Market Growing season at the Zestful Gardens' booth," Holly says. Email her at zestfulgardens@gmail.com to purchase a "zestful & green" gift certificate. For more information about Zestful Gardens visit www.zestfulgardens.org." Winter won't last forever, and your gift will give someone something to look forward to next spring. Other farmers offer gift certificates too.

For our neighbors to the north, Seattle Tilth is offering a "2 for 1" membership through the end of the month of December. Take advantage of this opportunity while you can, and also check out some other exciting gift ideas on their website, like the "Maritime Northwest Garden Guide planning calendar. Click here to learn more.

For bird lovers, the "Bird Watching Answer Book" by Laura Erickson, Science Editor at the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology, makes a perfect small gift or stocking-stuffer for only $14.95. It is published by Storey Publishing and available through Amazon. Get answers to questions like these: Why is a cardinal attacking my windows? (p.87) Will birds explode if they eat rice thrown after a wedding? (p.17) How can I keep squirrels out of my bird feeders? (p.37) Do birds play? (p.268) Why don’t birds fall off branches as they sleep? (p. 305) Listen to the author talk about the book on this You Tube video.

Membership in your local Audubon Society will delight an individual or entire family with many opportunities for outings, education, and fun. It also includes a subscription to their magazine full of amazing photography and articles that captivate.

Speaking of memberships, don't forget about local Museums such as Seattle's Museum of Flight. They offer so many exhibits, lectures, and fun activities year 'round, I can't even list them all. Incidentally, my connections at the museum tell me SANTA will be arriving there by helicopter this Saturday, Dec. 12, with live reindeer on the scene too.

Tacoma's Washington State History Museum is one of my favorite places, but we also have the Tacoma Art Museum, Museum of Glass and Children's Museum.

Then there are those one-of-a-kind gifts that can be priceless even when they cost next to nothing. If you're an older member of the family, write down your life story or special memories, bind simply, and give as gifts. Include copies of old photos. It's easy to go to the Kodak machine at places like Bartell Drugs and make them inexpensively.

Frame a child's drawing for grandparents. Give a little girl a treasure chest of costume jewelry you don't wear anymore, for playing "dress up." My sister-in-law gives her 94-year-old mother, who lives in an adult group home, boxes of all-occasion greeting cards, plus postage stamps. What a great idea. Consider tickets to an event. Do you have a family heirloom and know just who you'd like to have it someday? Why not give it to them NOW? If you knit and know someone who'd like to learn, give a skein of yarn, some knitting needles, and a "gift certificate" for lessons from you. This could apply to any skill. Just be sure to follow through. And those predictable old family recipes would be a great gift on a set of recipe cards or in a small binder.

Take joy in your giving. Think about avoiding waste. And remember that often the best gift of all is simply our TIME, LOVE, and ATTENTION.