Dance majors perform during the bi-annual Brown Bag on Feb. 26, 2008. (Jordan Chlapecka)
It doesn’t matter whether one appreciates the arts or not, everybody loves to take a break from work and studying – even after being back against the grindstone for a mere week. There isn’t an easier way to relax than to experience one of the many events during the Meadows School of the Arts’ fall season. Whether it’s dancing, theatrics, music or art, Meadows has something for virtually everyone.
Dance
This year’s Fall Dance Concert will be performed Nov. 6-9 and 13-16 in the Bob Hope Theatre. The concert focuses on African-American dance, most notably three works by distinguished choreographers Alvin Ailey, Donald McKayle and Eleo Pomare. A focus of the concert will be McKayle’s “Songs of the Disinherited,” made possible by a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts. The four-part work highlights the full range of African-American experience.
The Division of Dance presents the Brown Bag Dance Series, an event held twice a year. This year, the lunchtime performances will be showcased from Sept. 29 to Oct. 3. The dances include short ballet, modern and jazz works.
Theater
The Meadows Theater department’s fall season includes a number of performances, and kicks off in the Margo Jones Theatre on Sept 24. “The Overwhelming,” directed by Stan Wojewodski, focuses on an American professor who travels to Rwanda in search of a doctor who specializes in treating children with AIDS. The play, which will run until Sept. 28, originally debuted in America at New York’s Roundabout Theatre Company in fall 2007.
Oscar Wilde’s acclaimed comedy, “An Infamous Husband,” will be performed by Meadows students from Oct. 15-19 in the Bob Hope Theatre. Directed by James Crawford, the play is about a famous politician who is blackmailed by an aristocratic woman.
Meadows Theater will conclude the semester with William Shakespeare’s classic “Twelfth Night.” The play will be performed Nov. 19-23 in the Greer Garson Theatre. Directed by Michael Connolly, the famous comedy plays upon mistaken identity and love.
Meadows Symphony Orchestra
Three shows will be performed this semester in Caruth Auditorium: “Earth,” “Water” and “Fire.”
“Earth” (Sept. 19 and 21) features Copland’s “Appalachian Spring,” Beethoven’s “Symphony Number 6” and modern composer Alberto Ginastera’s “Popol vuh: The Creation of the Mayan World.”
“Water” (Oct. 17 and 19) includes Mendelssohn’s “Hebrides Overture,” Debussy’s “La Mer” and “Premiere Rhapsody, as well as Weber’s “Concertino for Clarinet and Orchestra.”
“Fire” (Nov. 21 and 23) features the U.S. premiere of “The Intercourse of Fire and Water,” a piece from “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” Liszt’s “Prometheus” will also be performed.
Meadows Wind Ensemble
The Meadows Wind Ensemble will kick off the fall season with “A Short Ride to Motown,” in Caruth Auditorium on Oct. 3. The performance includes works by Michael Daughtery, Bradley Bodine. Meadows faculty member Drew Lang will act as a soloist.
“The Beat of Different Drummers” will feature NEXUS, a contemporary percussion ensemble. The program will include a piece written on commission for Jack Delaney that was recorded by the MWE. The performance will act as a prelude for the MWE’s Nov. 6 performance for the International Conference of the Percussive Arts Society.
