LAUGH WITH 'GIRLS NIGHT: THE MUSICAL"
Grab your daughters, sisters, mother and your best guy friend and come have a girls’ night with "Girls Night: The Musical" at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall on Monday, Feb. 1, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35-$50 (with a limited number of "smart seats" priced at $10).
A touching and hilarious ‘tell-it-like-it-is’ look at the lives of a group of female friends, "Girls Night: The Musical" promises to have audiences laughing, crying and dancing in the aisles. Follow five friends as they re-live their past, celebrate their present and look to the future on a wild and hilarious karaoke night out.
For more information and to buy tickets, contact the Van Wezel Box Office at 953-3368 or log onto www.vanwezel.org.
SARASOTA BALLET TO PERFORM NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
A little known fact is that the now Tony Award-winning and internationally regarded choreographer Matthew Bourne received his first classical dance commission from Margaret Barbieri for Images of Dance Company. The 1995 London premiere performances of Bourne’s "Boutique" were overwhelmingly charming and opened a window into the rapidly developing new dance language of Bourne’s imagination. As it was premiered immediately before his wildly successful all-male "Swan Lake," "Boutique" displays Bourne’s unique flair, humor and cultural insights.
In four performances, Jan. 29-31, in the FSU Performing Arts Center, audiences will be the first on the North American continent to enjoy the groovy Carnaby Street fashion scene that Bourne chose for his revision of Massine’s classic "Le Boutique Fantasque" set in a Parisian toyshop of the 1860s. Bourne zooms one century later and it’s a Carnaby Street boutique where the mannequins come to life and the story takes on from there.
Sharing the program with "Boutique" is Peter Darrell’s highly dramatic treatment of the Shakespearean classic "Othello" set to the music of Tchaikovsky. "Othello," another addition to the repertoire and new to the Sarasota Ballet this season, will draw out the dramatic strength of the dancers.
The third work on this triple bill will be a new production for the Sarasota Ballet of the perennial classic showcase, "Paquita" by Marius Petipa. The Sarasota Ballet will be performing Galina Samsova’s universally acclaimed production which she produced and danced in herself with The Royal Ballet in 1981.
Single tickets are available on line at www.SarasotaBallet.org or by calling the box office at 351-8000/(800) 361-8388. For information about the entire season, contact the Sarasota Ballet at 359-0099, ext. 102, or visit www.SarasotaBallet.org.
COMMITTEE SELECTS ART FOR PARK FINALISTS
The three finalists in the Call to Artists for Fredd "Glossie" Atkins Park presented their designs and concepts to an ad hoc committee on Jan. 5. The committee was expected to make a decision after seeing all three presentations.
The artists were asked to design a sculpture for Fredd "Glossie" Atkins Park. No theme for the artwork was mandated; however, artists were requested to keep in mind the historical significance of the African-American community where the park is located, as well as the importance of the park to the neighborhood. The sculpture will not be a bust of Atkins, the first African-African city commissioner for whom the park is named.
The three finalists are: Vinnie Bagwell from New York; Frank Brown from St. Paul, Minn., and Malcolm Robertson from Scotland who resides in Sarasota. From the time a contract is signed, the selected artist will have 120 days to complete and install the sculpture. It is anticipated the new artwork will grace the park by spring 2010. The total budget for the commissioned artwork is $75,000, including delivery, installation and a 2-year warranty.
The seven member selection committee consists of neighborhood stakeholders, a member of the Public Art Committee and Atkins.
The park is located on the southwest corner of U.S. 301 and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. It opened in June 2006. This is the first time public art has been commissioned for a City of Sarasota park.
TV DANCER TO EMCEE SARASOTA OPEN
Nick Kosovich of "Dancing with the Stars" is slated to host the Second Annual Sarasota Open as Master of Ceremonies Feb. 6-8, at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota. Kosovich, an alum of seasons 2 and 3 of ABC’s hit show, where he appeared with Tatum O’Neal and Vivica A. Fox, is one of the many professional ballroom stars headlining the competition, which is organized by local champion dancer and acclaimed coach Sid (Zydrunas) Pocius along with world-class adjudicator and champion dancer Patrick Johnson.
Performing both Saturday, Feb. 6, and Sunday, Feb. 7, in a Professional Show Extravaganza are champion couples Anton and Lena Koukareko, Vaidas Skimelis and Jurga Pupelyte and Marcus Johnson and Yuki Haraguchi. All three couples are world-renowned dancers with numerous competitive accomplishments including being featured nationally on PBS.
These professional shows will top off the end of two days full of dancing, with seminars, competition and more. Saturday includes seminars with all three champion couples before a red carpet ceremony with cocktails and live music that precedes a gourmet dinner, solos, showcases and the professional show extravaganza.
Sunday marks the day of competition in which dancers from all over the United States will compete in Amateur and Pro/Am events, which will be judged by world-class adjudicators. An all-new professional dancer challenge, "So You Think Professionals Can Dance," will also be held on Sunday evening.
The first annual Sarasota Open Ballroom Dance Competition, held last January at the Chelsea Center, was a sold-out success. Participants from all over the United States competed in Amateur and Pro/Am events and enjoyed Professional Show dance performances from eight professional couples.
Interested participants and sponsors are encouraged to call 923-3923 and visit the Sarasota Open web site: www.sarasotaopen.us.com for more information.