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Grosse Pointe News - Local History Archives

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66<br />

Entertainment<br />

May<br />

CCS prepares to tap its<br />

way into your heart again<br />

By Ronald J. Bernas<br />

Staff Wnter<br />

Get out your tap shoes,<br />

Frances, the Center for Creatwe<br />

StudIes IS doing a show'<br />

Well, you won't have to aud!<br />

tIOn, but for those who say<br />

"you don't see much tap danemg<br />

anymore" every tlme they<br />

see a tap number on televIsIOn,<br />

DetrOit ISwhere you should be<br />

May 22 and 23 when CCS<br />

hosts Its second National Tap<br />

Dance Day celebration<br />

In 1989, at the request of<br />

Michigan Rep John Conyers,<br />

Congress declared May 25 Na.<br />

tlonal Tap Dance Day. The<br />

date has sIgnIficance - It's the<br />

birthday of one of the first and<br />

perhaps best tap dancers - Bill<br />

"BoJangles" Robmson.<br />

CCS's Lloyd Storey, 67, IS<br />

one of tap's final pIoneers. It IS<br />

- along WIth Jazz - the only<br />

tl'Uly natIve Amencan art form<br />

Not only dId he dance with Eo-<br />

Jangles as part of his famed<br />

troupe, Storey knew him as a<br />

mentor and fnend.<br />

It is that fnendship and Storey's<br />

dedication to his art that<br />

InspU'eS him to pass hIS craft to<br />

the next generatIon of tappers.<br />

NatIOnal Tap Dance Day is one<br />

way of domg that. As BoJangles<br />

passed It on to him, Storey in.<br />

tends to pass it on to another<br />

"There's only a few of us<br />

Meadow<br />

Brook<br />

announces<br />

season<br />

Artistic Director Terence KIlburn<br />

of Meadow Brook Theatre<br />

announced recently a sevenplay<br />

schedule for the 1991-92<br />

season. The new, shorter season<br />

will be reflected in reduced season<br />

tIcket pnces and opens Oct.<br />

3 WIth "Inherit the Wmd," a<br />

show postponed from the current<br />

season.<br />

ADMIT ONE<br />

Theater<br />

3NO.lIWaV<br />

The Jerome Lawrence-Robert<br />

E Lee courtroom drama, based<br />

on the Scopes Monkey Tnal of<br />

1925, Will feature Meadow<br />

Brook favontes Arthur J. Beer<br />

and Booth Colman. The Agatha<br />

ChristIe mystery "Ten Little<br />

Indians" will follow on Oct. 31<br />

Charles Dickens' "A ChrIstmas<br />

Carol" goes mto Its 10th<br />

year at Meadow Brook WIth a<br />

five-week run starting Nov 29.<br />

"A Chnstmas Carol" has be.<br />

come a hohday tradition for<br />

many famihes and performances<br />

are often sold out<br />

months In advance.<br />

"The Gin Game," the PulItzer<br />

PrIze.wmmng D L. Coburn<br />

play that starred Hume<br />

Cronyn and JessIca Tandy on<br />

Broadway, opens Jan 9<br />

Lee BleSSIng's new play,<br />

"Cobb," about DetroIt TIger<br />

Hall of Farner Ty Cobb, WIll be<br />

presented Feb 13. Meadow<br />

Brook is negotIatIng WIth De.<br />

trolt natIve and Tony Award<br />

wmner Lloyd RIchards to direct<br />

thiS Midwest premiere<br />

"Pnvate LIves,' the SOphlstl<br />

cated Noel Coward comedy,<br />

opens March 19, and the new<br />

Fats Waller mUSIcal "Am't<br />

MIsbehavm'," conceIved by<br />

Richard Malthby Jr, WIll close<br />

the season<br />

For ticket mformatlon about<br />

meadow Brook's 1991-92 season,<br />

call the box office at 370-<br />

3300.<br />

Meadow Brook Theatre IS a<br />

cultural program of Oakland<br />

Umvemty<br />

left," Store)! said<br />

"Tap ISa fUSionof the Insh<br />

JIg and Spamsh flamenco dallc<br />

mg " "Dunng vaudeVIlle, al<br />

most evelY act had a tap dance<br />

1ll It Then It began to Jose Its<br />

place to TV and other form~ of<br />

entertamment I - and d Jot of<br />

othel' people who loved tap -<br />

was concerned about the loss of<br />

an alt form Amellca doe!>n't<br />

have a lot of thmgs that are<br />

strIctly mdlgenous to the coun<br />

try "<br />

So he looked around and no.<br />

tlced there aren t many public<br />

schools teachmg tap as palt of<br />

theIr cw-riculum He volunteered<br />

to put on performances<br />

m DetrOit's schools as part of<br />

Black HIStory Month and was<br />

heartened by the kids' response.<br />

"They loved It," he saId<br />

So he doubled hiS efforts and<br />

today some schools In DetrOIt<br />

have tap dancmg groups And<br />

tap ISexperlencmg renewed<br />

popularity across the country,<br />

thanks to people like dancers<br />

Gregory Hmes and Paula Ab<br />

dul<br />

"We're Just mainly trying to<br />

keep tap alive," Storey saId.<br />

"And there's been a resurgence<br />

of tap, lIke, well, a renals.<br />

sance"<br />

Last year's celebratIOn of National<br />

Tap Dance Day was a<br />

Tcumer's portrait of Booker T. Washington.<br />

By Alex Suzcek<br />

SpecIal Wnter<br />

Maestro Jarvi concluded the<br />

season last weekend WIth yet<br />

another example of hIs talent<br />

for unusual but mcely balanced<br />

programnung.<br />

Not only did he treat his audIence<br />

to a preVIew of another<br />

soon-to-be recorded work, he<br />

programmed three non-tradItional<br />

pieces, presented a novel<br />

solo Instrument (the guitar),<br />

programmed vocal sound effects<br />

by the mUSICIansand made use<br />

of a sound system Whlle not<br />

all of it was fully successful, It<br />

made an mterestIng and en-<br />

IIghtemng evenmg.<br />

Walter PIston's "SUite from<br />

The Incredtble Flutist" opened<br />

the concert NotWIthstanding<br />

the programmatic character of<br />

this ballet score, it is 'beautifully<br />

crafted and engrosstng<br />

mucnc that reawakens Interest<br />

In the long neglected work of<br />

thIS American composer The<br />

themes are tuneful, ongInal<br />

and contemporary to Piston's<br />

tune (he studied in Pans With<br />

Boulanger In the 208)<br />

Most happdy, the perfor-<br />

one-nIght performance at Or.<br />

chestl a Hall featurIng Storey<br />

and hiS partner Frank Colvard,<br />

who together form "The Suitdns,"<br />

and other natIonal tap<br />

talents<br />

Orchestra Hall was standmg<br />

loom only<br />

"Last year when we planned<br />

the day we weren't sure If we<br />

\\ auld be able to sell tIckets but<br />

\\ e did," saId Kathleen Straus,<br />

one of the event's planners.<br />

"And It was the most enthusiastic<br />

audIence I've ever seen<br />

anywhere. And when they left<br />

they had the bIggest smiles on<br />

theIr faces and they asked us to<br />

do It agam next year"<br />

ThIS year's event runs two<br />

days and mcludes one free day<br />

of all the tap you could possibly<br />

want. On Wednesday, May 22,<br />

from noon to 9 p.m. Hart Plaza<br />

Will be the stage for hundreds<br />

of tappers at a state.wide festival<br />

Dancers of all ages from<br />

across the state will participate<br />

In the free program. The day<br />

was made possIble m part by a<br />

grant from the Knight Founda.<br />

tlOn<br />

Then on May 23, Storey and<br />

hIS partner and other nationally<br />

known dancers will Pf- 1'-<br />

form at Orchestra Hall pccom.<br />

panied by Jazz great Ma rcus<br />

Belgrave.<br />

Honorary chaIrman of the<br />

mance truly sparkled Jarvt's<br />

penchant for a httle fun was<br />

also eVIdent, to audIence delIght,<br />

as crowd sounds were<br />

shouted by the musIcians to<br />

add verlSmo to the<br />

ences of the circus march m the<br />

middle of the "Suite."<br />

Music<br />

~<br />

lively cad.<br />

The performance of Rodngo's<br />

"Conclerto de AranJuez" was<br />

more of a topiC for debate The<br />

work IS a blatantly romantiC<br />

guitar extravaganza utlhzmg<br />

popular and ethnic styles of<br />

Sparush gUJtar mUSIcIn a class-<br />

Ical format. Rasgueados borrowed<br />

from namenco gypsy<br />

music, plamtIve melodJes and<br />

rhythnuc strums recall earher<br />

but stilI recent tradttlons<br />

It was only at the start of<br />

thIS century, when FranC19CO<br />

Tarrega created a claSSical<br />

techmque capable of rendenng<br />

two-day event is Hmes He has<br />

been mvited to perform at Orchestra<br />

Hall, but recently began<br />

filmmg a new movie and<br />

schedulmg may not permIt it.<br />

Last year Hmes sent a tape recorded<br />

message which was<br />

played during the performance.<br />

All money raIsed by the<br />

event goes to support dance<br />

scholarshIps at the Center for<br />

Creative Studies, where Storey<br />

teaches part tIme.<br />

Storey, a constant ambassador<br />

for tap, will continue teaching<br />

and performmg and next<br />

year WIll travel to MeXICOas<br />

part of a cultural exchange.<br />

He's been to Japan, also under<br />

a cultural exchange program<br />

"We have to keep tap alive,"<br />

he saId.<br />

For more m{ormatwn on the<br />

CCS tap dance celebratwn<br />

events, call CCS at 872-3118,<br />

ext 278<br />

Uoyd Storey<br />

Born m Pittsburgh and<br />

raised In PhIladelphia, Tanner<br />

studIed under the famous<br />

Thomas Eakms at the Pennsyl.<br />

vania Academy of the Fme<br />

Arts.<br />

Declanng he could "not fight<br />

prejudice and pamt at the same<br />

time," Tanner saIled for France<br />

in 1891, where he made hIS<br />

home for the rest of hIS life, ex.<br />

cept for brIef VISits to the<br />

Umted States<br />

He began to exhibit at the<br />

annual Pans Salon m 1894,<br />

and was soon wmnIng awards<br />

and selling hIS pamtings to<br />

museums and private collec.<br />

tors. Two of Tanner's most famous<br />

canvases, "The BanjO<br />

Lesson" and "The Thankful<br />

Poor," were origInal and movmg<br />

deplctlOllS of the hfe of AfrIcan-Americans<br />

following the<br />

CIvil War. Later, he gamed renown<br />

for hIS portrayals of bIbhcal<br />

subjects which were enbe<br />

attamable in the acoustics of<br />

the DSO's hall.<br />

The adagIo second movement<br />

transcended these problems to<br />

some extent. It IS certamly the<br />

best music in the "Conclerto"<br />

and Parkening performed it<br />

with style, never forcmg the<br />

tone of his mstrument<br />

Elsewhere, however, he con-.<br />

tributed to the difficultIes.<br />

WhIle Parkenmg's performance<br />

was often exciting, even technically<br />

dazzhng, at tImes It was<br />

labored.<br />

FInally, a generous pall' of<br />

encores were played so mdlfferently<br />

as to seem tnte Not for<br />

lack of techmque, It was the fI)-<br />

cus and tenderness that were<br />

mIssing<br />

But Jarvt has an uncanny<br />

knack for bnngIng concerts to a<br />

triumphant conclUSIOn and hIS<br />

chOice of the Roussel Symphony<br />

No 3 was another coup Also<br />

long overlooked. the musIC IS<br />

ready for re-dlscovery It Will be<br />

mcluded by Jarvi In a forth.<br />

comIng CD of French musIc.<br />

ThIS post ImpreSSionIst<br />

16, 1991<br />

<strong>Grosse</strong> <strong>Pointe</strong> <strong>News</strong><br />

Detroit Institute'.'o Arts opens<br />

exhibition of Tanner's work<br />

'f.<br />

The DetroIt Institute of Arts<br />

will present the work of Henry<br />

Ossawa Tanner in a major exhIbItion<br />

through Aug. 4.<br />

Tanner (1859-1937) IS recogmzed<br />

as the foremost Afncan-<br />

American artist at the turn of<br />

the century. With more than<br />

100 paintmgs and drawings,<br />

the exhibItIOn represents the<br />

artIst's entIre career<br />

The exhibItion and its catalogue<br />

were made possible by<br />

Ford Motor Company<br />

The exhibItion was organIZed<br />

by the Philadelphia Museum of<br />

Art. AddIt1Jnal support was<br />

prOVIded by The Pew Charita.<br />

ble Trusts and the National<br />

Endowment for the Arts<br />

In Detroit, the exhIbItion is<br />

made possible by addItIOnal<br />

fundmg from Ford Motor Company,<br />

the state of Michigan, the<br />

city of Detroit and the Found.<br />

ers Society.<br />

more than gypsy strums and<br />

the scales of baroque music,<br />

that the artistic genius of<br />

Andres Segovia could win status<br />

for the guitar as a classical<br />

concert instrument.<br />

Even so, the guitar is limited<br />

dynamically and IS at a chsadvantage<br />

playmg with large orchestras<br />

m big halls. Accordingly,<br />

Rodrigo scored the<br />

"CollClerto" for reduced orchestra.<br />

And soloist Chnstophl:r<br />

Parkening chose to play WIth<br />

amplification. This altered the<br />

character of the sound and balance<br />

and emphasized percus-<br />

SIve and harsh aspects of Parkemng's<br />

playmg It also<br />

neutralized the very expressive<br />

delIcacy and tenderness of tone<br />

(made possible by Tarrega tech.<br />

mque) that are the tnstru.<br />

ment's most endeanng qualI.<br />

tIes.<br />

RecognlZlng this undesIrable<br />

trade-off, other performers (and<br />

guitar makers) focus Much effort<br />

on prodUCIng more volume<br />

WIthout electronics and achievmg<br />

a good natural balance<br />

WIth the orchestra Some have<br />

excellent success which should<br />

dowed with the same human<br />

dIgnIty that characterized his<br />

scenes of everyday life.<br />

Tanner's long and distmgulshed<br />

career was recognized<br />

by the French government in<br />

1923 when he was made a<br />

chevalier of the Legion of<br />

Honor<br />

AdmiSSIOn to the exhibitIOn<br />

WIll be free; donations of $3 per<br />

adult and $1 per child are suggesteli.<br />

Free group tours of the<br />

exhIbItion for 15 or more persons<br />

may be scheduled by calling<br />

the DIA tIcket office at<br />

(313) 833-2323 Meetings and<br />

specIal events may be arranged<br />

by calling the DIA food service<br />

and activities office at 833-<br />

7967.<br />

DBa reEQrt:<br />

Electronics impede the artful playing of the guitar<br />

French composer, sometimes<br />

dIsmlSSed as a neo-classicist,<br />

was an original whose ideas<br />

can be ef\joyed today. He also<br />

provides pyrotechnics m this<br />

symphony by making lavish<br />

use of percussion and brass<br />

which open and close the work<br />

with a breathtaking rhythmic<br />

pulse.<br />

The DetrOIt InstItute of Arts<br />

is open Wednesday through<br />

Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.rn.<br />

(Closed Monday, Tuesday, holidays).<br />

WhIle the extraordmary pol-<br />

Ish evident In the performance<br />

of the Ptston work was lacking<br />

here, J8rVl gave the Roussel a<br />

spnghtly and highly enjoyable<br />

readIng that whetted the appe.<br />

tite to hear more of this com<br />

poser's works.<br />

The ovation trIbute that followed,<br />

WInning another encore,<br />

must have been music to Jarvi's<br />

ears His Jove affair with<br />

the DSO audience appears<br />

more passionate than ever.<br />

We can look forward to Its<br />

contInuatIOn thIS summer at<br />

Meadow Brook where the innovative<br />

progranumng includes a<br />

contInuatIon r:i J8rVl'S creative<br />

Ideas For more Information,<br />

call 833-3700<br />

I<br />

- --- - - ---- - -----

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