T he P ortland O bserver • O ctober 15, 1997
(Elje IJnrtlanh (iDhseruer
EHTERTAIHMETTT
Oregon Ballet Theatre Season Opens
With Les Sylphides, Street Songs and James C anfield s C armina Burana
The musical setting is Carl Orft *s
Then the mood, the music and
f ballet doesn’t evolve, it will
"Carmina
Burana" for orchestra and
the
dance
catapult
out
of
the
past
into
die," says OBT Artistic Director
choir, which is a cult classic among
the contemporary with "Street Songs'
James Canfield. And if he has
music hurt's with its powerful, almost
by San Francisco Ballet Resident
his way, ballet and dance will
Choreographer Val Camparoli. The pagan drive. This music has
be alive and kicking for a very long
J|
time. Part of Canfield’s mission is bodies are sleek in their Star-Trek become even more widely
known to less classically
like unitards.
to continually provide his audiences
The move- oriented ears in
with a continuum of
the past few
m ents
dance at each perfor
years
■
a
w
are
mance, so that they
get a sampling of
the traditional, the
transitional and the
cutting edge.
And his fall opening program
promises all this. It opens with a
turn of the century "white ballet,”
“Les Sylphides.” Here are your tradi
quick,
tionally clad sylphs in a forest setting
darting and
in stark white, three-quarter-length
Romantic tutus. Set to Glazunov’s even playful.
orchestral arrangement of some of The music is
the percussive
Frederic Chopin’s most sumptuous
soundscape
and popular piano music, this work
of Carl O rff’s
is considered one of the most
“ Music for
technically demanding in the classical
C h ild r e n ,”
ballet repertoire.
punctuated by
timpani, bells,
m a rim b a s ,
x y lo p h o n e s ,
and even hand
clapping and
OBT proves that a
foot-stomping.
company that has made
If “Street
Songs” is “just
its mark with hip
y e s te rd a y ”
contemporary ballet can
with regard to
due, in part, to being
take on just about anything dance styles.
featured in the films
James Canfield’s
in the repertoire...
"The Doors,” "Highlander,"
world-premiere, full-
length ballet, “Carmina Burana," "Excalibur," “Glory," and others.
The lyrics of Carmina come from a
promises all the cutting-edge images,
Dance Magazine
risk-taking, and expansion of dance- collection of 12th- and 13th-century
theatre vocabulary that audiences have poems and songs. They are riddled
with themes more synonymous with
come to expect of him.
I
PSU hosts piano concerts
Jon Nakamatsu
International piano gold
medalist Jon Nakamatsu
launches the 1997-98 Reason
of the Portland State Univer-
today’s action films than what one
associates with art forms from the
Middle Ages: debauchery, desire,
temptation, gluttony, gambling,
k
sex and more. In a few words, it’s
'
about human nature. It’s about
our ideals and our human tlaws.
So, what might you see at a
balletic world-premiere of Carmina
Burana? James Canfield is a unique
creator who has successfully merged
elements of classical ballet with some
hip MTV- and VHl-like production
values, growing dance audiences
across all social groups. And a world
premiere by James Canfield is always
a surprise, in more ways than one.
In some of his other works, we have
seen dancers in shopping carts, on
scaffolds, dangling on ropes, silhouet
ted behind scrims and even jumping
oft' the stage into the orchestra pit.
And his production paraphernalia and
props have included strobe lights,
smoke, scaffolds, balloons, lasers,
snow, candles, incense burners and
more. “But among all these elements,”
CanficlJ says, "we hope our audiences
have experienced new dimensions in
dance, and hopefully, new perspectives
on art, life and theatre.”
Participate in some more of
Oregon Ballet Theatre and James
Canfield’s surprises and new dimen
sions in dance...October 10 to 12 and
16 to 18 at Portland Civic Auditorium.
With very live music by the OBT
Orchestra, Nicl DePonte conducting,
and the OBT Festival Choir under the
direction of Bruce Browne.
For tickets, call 2 - BALLET
(toll free 1-8 8 8 -9 -B A L L E T ) or
Ticketmaster at 79 0 -A RTS.
The A rt Perfected
sity piano recital series this
weekend.
He performs Saturday at
8 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m.
Both concerts take place in
Lincoln Performance Hall,
1620 S.W. Park. Tickets are
$20 for general admission and
$17 for seniors. They are
available at the PSU Box
Office and may also be avail
able at the door. Call 725-
3307.
T h o m a s C r o n is e P h o to g r a p h s
C e le b r a te C o m m u n it y S p ir it
The Velvet Rope?
and loss, while "Sad Story (A Dedi
f you ever have the good tor
cation Song)” and "So Long” weave
tune to meet the members of
elements of jazz and gospel within
Phajja face to face, don’t be
Phajja’s elegant harmonies.
surprised if they say “hello” in per
The songs they chose to record
fect, unintentional harmony. "That
say as much about Phajja as the way
comes from singing together non
the group sings them. “Great songs
stop,” laughs Kena Epps, who, along
are great songs,” says Nakia. “They
with her sister Nakia and Karen
never sound dated." As lor the group
Johnson, comprise this stunning R&B
members themselves, despite being
vocal trio. Their sultry debut Warner
in their early 20’s, they never fail to
Bros, album, Seize The Moment,
impress with their poise and matu
recalls a time when sophisticated
rity, traits that can be traced to close
R&B ballads dominated the musical
family ties, dedication to their art and
landscape and love was best ex
a love of music powerful enough to
pressed in song.
sustain them through their ten years
Their name means "new begin
together as a group.
ning” in Arabic, and it well captures
When the three "old souls" finally
the spirit of the group today. "W e’ve
came together, they quickly found
been working on this album for a
success, sharing the bill in recent
long time,” notes Nakia, “and it’s a
years with such notable artists as
great feeling to see how far we’ve
Tony Toni Tone!, Arrested Devel
come.” Working with producers and
opment, and many others. Serving as
songwriters like Roger Troutman,
the group’s choreographer, Kena
Michael O ’Hara, Troy Patterson,
developed a polished theatricality lor
Somethin’ For The People and An
Phajja, which won tans ifeross the
drea Martin, Phajja has indeed at
country. "W e’re very dram atic
tracted world-class talent to their side.
women,” says Nakia with a smile.
The results bode well not only for the
Not only did audiences take to their
group itself, but also lor the future ol
high-energy sensuality, critics also
R&B.
counted themselves as Phajja parti
Seize The Moment kicks off with
sans. In fact, Kena, Nakia and Karen
“I Need You,” an a cappella tour-de
took home 1990 Boston Music
force that shows just how intricate
Awards for Best Vocals and Best
Phajja’s harmonies can be. Songs
Group.
like “Never Be Hurt Again" and
Whatever the coming months may
"What Are You Waiting For?” (the
bring,
Phajja should have no trouble
first single from the new album)
with
that.
grapple with the mysteries of love
I
The JAZZ Station
with
concepts—Control, Rhythm Nation,
■net., Design of a Decade—reficcl-
B ^her need toexpress her soul flic
jjgL-t Rope ups the ante. Her matu
ffl^rauin
- h e r stren g th .is
ills
as a w artist-
n
§B
%
m
ttngwritcr
and sc u lp lie ss . '
singer,
musical ion?
serio u s
n io ie
a
I h iii
intense She lui n , p i
HQfffQ^OTc u n iv ersal.
l.u k l i n g ih e
with sublle charm and
Her optimism, the de
ationthatdrivesherart, frames
The Velvet Rope as her most inspir
ing work. Fans who count on Janci
for hop will be more hopeful thar
ever; fans who count on Janet fot
out-and-out pleasure—songs whief
composer, performer and producer,
she pushes pop music in new and
intriguing directions. The Velvet
Rope is a triumph of the spirit, a
declaration of joy and healing that
comes from examining the past
while energizing the present. The
result is a right-now collection of
brilliant songs that define the mo
ment even as Janet’s ever-evolving
sound anticipates the future.
anet has always though big.
Since her emergence over a
decade ago, her albums have
been international events, enormous
J
beginning of this century,"says Carla
ften playful in nature,
Simon, OHS Curator of Collections.
Thomas Cronise’s pho
"The style of professional photogra
tographs illustrate the
phy through equipment manipula
essence of his subject, whether
tion and staging was being refined
schools boys posing for a "sports”
into an art form."
photo, a Japanese immigrant family,
The twenty photographs in this
or a father displaying his brood
exhibit were created from 1902-1927
perched upon his hack. The Oregon
in Cronisc’s portrait studio in Salem,
Historical Society presents The Art
OR and represent a cross section of
Perfected, a photograph exhibition
the bustling capitol city including
featuring twenty portraits from The
images of community leaders, farm
Cronise Collection, October 7 , 1997
ers,
merchants, as well as mothers
through January 11,1998.
and children.
During his 25-year career, Salem
The Art Perfected exhibit is spon
photographer Thomas Cornise pro
sored by the Jeld-Wen Foundation.
duced thousands of images of people
The Oregon History Center is lo
and places. “The Collection reveals
cated
at 1200 SW Park Avenue.
the art perfected, “say Susan Scyl,
Hours:
10-5, Tuesday-Saturday; 12-
Director of the OH S Photo Archives.
5
Sunday.
Admission: $6.00/Adults,
“It's images capture a people as they
$.3
Students
with ID, $ 1.50 Children
saw themselves, allowing us glimpses
6-12,
Free
to OHS Members and
at life in another lime."
children
five
and under. For more
"The works of Oregonian, Tho
information,
please call 503-222-
mas Jefferson Cronise. represent what
1741.
was happening in photography in the
O
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