Eugene weekly., February 17, 2005, Image 21

WHAT’S
happening
Pixie dust abounds as the Eugene
Ballet Company presents Peter
Pan this weekend at the Hult
Center. This performance of the
classic J.M. Barrie tale is set to
an original score by Thomas
Semanski and choreographed
by Bruce Steivel, but young
audience members might be
more excited by the work of
Las Vegas-based company ZFX,
which helps four of the charac-
ters fly across the stage. See
Saturday Calendar, and remember to
clap your hands if you believe in fairies.
Celebrate 20
years of cultural
recognition with the
Oregon Asian
Celebration this week-
end. This two-day event
showcases Asian and Asian-
American culture through
music, food, dance, art and
more. New activities for this
year include an Oregon
Asian heritage exhibition, a
Japanese sumo robot
competition and demon-
stration by the South
Oregon Robotics
Association, and,
most deliciously, a
Sushi Showdown.
This battle of raw
fish will echo the
Food Network’s Iron
Chef competitions,
with a last-minute
unveiling of secret
items that must be
included in each
cook’s dishes. If raw
fish isn’t your thing,
though, you probably
won’t go hungry:
local restaurants
and food groups will
be on hand with
other tasty treats.
See Saturday
Calendar.
As February winds down, so does the annual Readin’ in the Rain
celebration. Molly Gloss’s The Jump-Off Creek, written in the
strong, unsentimental voice of a
Pennsylvania woman who
begins ranching in
Oregon after her hus-
band’s death, is this
year’s selection.
Gloss will be
reading, signing
and discussing
her work twice
this weekend
— Friday night
at the First
United
Methodist
Church and
Saturday at Tsunami Books. See Calendar.
In 1984, two women merged their visions to found the
Eugene Peace Choir. One woman imagined a compelling
choral group promoting the message of peace with the same
fervor the nation’s military choirs bring to their celebrations of
heroism and militarism. The other envisioned a diverse group
of people embodying the concept of peace directly through
their interaction. For 20 years, the choir has brought these
ideas to life in their engaging performances. This week, they
combine with the Rogue Valley Peace Choir to lift more than
100 voices in “America’s Promise: A Presidents’ Day Concert for
Peace.” See Sunday Calendar.
For two decades, from her early years in Austin to her Irish
sojourn, country/folk star Nanci Griffith has won legions of
fans with her feisty singing and literate songwriting, and her
music has deepened through assiduous study of the great
songwriters and storytellers. Griffith’s tour in support of her
new live album, Winter Marquee, brings her to The Shedd this
week. See Monday Calendar.
FEBRUARY 17, 2005 21