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Event
SYRUP: One Sweet Arts Festival
New Englanders know that March is the time of year when the sap starts to flow in our maple trees and people from around the region travel to our area to enjoy their favorite syrup at their favorite sugar house. On Saturday March 17h, they can also savor the sweetness of art with the 3rd annual SYRUP: One Sweet Performing Arts Festival at one of the Valley's great performance spaces - Memorial Hall in Shelburne Falls.
Afternoon programming for family audiences starts at 2 pm with Piti Theatre's Elmer and the Elder Tree. Elmer entertains with music, dance, clowning and a compelling narrative that teaches children about nature as it involves them in Elmer's life story. After the show children meet the actors and choose seeds to take home and plant (with instructions!). Theatermirror.com wrote: "The charming tale is conceived and performed by Mirin and Richard against a magical backdrop of gorgeous butterflies, gleaming mushrooms and colorful beetles (and wonderfully noisy, evocative music)." Born in the Pioneer Valley in 2008, Elmer is heading north for its Maine premiere in April. The afternoon also features world renowned ballet-mime artist Karen Montanaro and a sample of her work with local dance group Ballet Renversé.
The "Spring Seeds Gala" evening program starts at 7 pm and includes actor Jonathan Mirin, Northampton singer-songwriter Carrie Ferguson, cellist Wayne Smith and Karen Montanaro's performance Tanzspiel which has toured around the world. Tanzspiel (German for "dance-play") is a one-woman tour de force and a triumph of athleticism, artistry and imagination. Karen blends the art forms of mime and dance to create theater with rare physical and emotional power.
One moment and old gunslinger reminisces about his youth, the next an entire baseball game plays out in front of you with Karen playing all the roles, including the avid baseball fan, the patient catcher, and an incredibly flexible pitcher.
In addition to original works by Karen, a full evening concert may include original works by Tony Montanaro, Clay Taliaferro and Louis Gervais, as well as traditional classical ballet variations. Karen will also be offering workshops in her unique blend of mime and movement on Sunday, March 18th from 11 12:30 for children ages 7 12 and teens/adults from 1:30 3 pm. Workshops are $10 for festival ticketholders and $15 for others. No performance experience necessary. A limited amount of financial aid is available.
"Karen has fused her prodigious skill in both mime and dance into a new art form, using the body as a descriptive tool--painterly, narrative and lyrical." - Donna McNeil, Director of the Maine Arts Commission.
The evening is MC'd by performer and Piti Artistic Director Jonathan Mirin who will invite community leaders onstage to literally "plant a seed" while telling the audience what's in store for them in 2012. Appropriate to the season, there will be syrupy door prizes from local syrup makers, syrup tasting in the lobby with free pickles from Greenfield's Real Pickles.
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LocationMemorial Hall (View)
51 Bridge Street
Shelburne Falls, MA 01370
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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