arts &entertai nment
The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, March 28, 1979-Page 5
Michael Cacoyannis Festival
ELECTRA
Based on the epic-tragedy by Euripides, this film sets a stand-
ard for its eloquent photographic interpretation of the clas-
sical drama that is not likely to be excelled. Cocoyannis' bril-
liant utilization of the cinematic device makes his a powerful
visual statement and the performance of IRENE PAPPAS as
Electra is simply superb. (110m)
A t Hill, red dancers
win blue ribbon
Music man
Meler muses
a
Next Cacoyannis film-April 4-1 PHIGENIA
Friday, March 30-ANIMATION NIGHT
Sat., March 31-ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN
TONITE at Angell Hall Aud. "A"
By ANNA NISSEN
Folk dance ensembles from
seven Soviet republics joined in a
spectacular performance at Hill
Auditorium Saturday night, as
part of the Russian Arts and Lec-
tures series being sponsored by
the University this semester.
Directed by Mikhail Godenko, the
94-member troupe displayed both
individual zest and controlled
corps work, a combination rarely
enjoyed today, at least by Ann
Arbor audiences. Every chorus
line was straight and every circle
symmetric, which simplistic as it
sounds, is crucial in folk dance,
where kaleidescopic floor patter-
ns can be just as dazzling as a vir-
tuoso's solo. Audience members
in the third balcony definitely had
the best seats in the house.
BUT NO ONE in the audience
felt shortchanged. Even the
children were completely cap-
tivated during the two-hour per-
formance, which is a remarkable
accomplishment despite the ex-
tensive possibilities of step com-
binations and rhythms. The
Bulgarian Folk Company which
performed here in January, for
instance, suffered from a
monotonous repertoire. Not so
with the Russians.
The numbers were brief and in-
terspersed with several specialty
and regional dances. A few of the
most memorable were a
Lithuanian village festival quar-
tet clumped out in wooden shoes
and an Armenian mountain dan-
ce done en pointe without the aid
of supporting toe shoes.
"Kudeiushki" by Godenko's
original Krasnayarsk Dance
Company of Siberia featured the
gliding technique which excited
standing ovations at Hill in 1973.
The Krasnayarsk women floated
mysteriously across the stage,
their full length skirts barely
rustling as they sang a Russian
folk song in tinny voices: "On the
river, the small river, the baby
swans float by."
THESE VIGOROUS numbers
alternated with more sombre
ceremonial pieces. The Yunost
Dance Ensemble presented a
traditional Ukrainian betrothal
dance wherein tall and lithe
women weave wreathes from
their scarves and toss them into
the imaginary river. The
wreathes are retrieved by
hopeful suitors. "Lavonikha"
was a livelier Ukrainian wedding
celebration, and like many of the
repertoire works, was a
khroved, or round dance.
Despite the variety, the dances
were ordered with some con-
tinuity. The sedate "Yunost" was
followed by "Udaltsj," which
depicted the rugged men of the
Enise river region asthey pound
their rafting poles against the
stage floor. "Ukolodtsa" was a
contrastingly tranquil river
scene, the women of the Ensem-
ble again enchanting the audien-
ce as they flow across stage in
their long dresses, scooping
buckets of water from the com-
munal well.
This was followed by "Na
Rybalke," a comic pantomime
by Grodenko-trained soloists V.
Borison and E. Vinogradova.
"SEVERNY TANETS" from
the Siberian region was another
humorous sketch which
displayed chipper female dan-
cers in endearing fur-trimmed
hoods bouncing to keep warm..
The musicians made a great
contribution to the evening's suc-
cess, and sounded exhilaratingly
professional. The 11-man or-
chestra played accordians,
balalaikas, and other exotic
string instruments, while the
dancers contributed more folksy
noises, clapping treschchetkas
(Russian castanets) in the
opening number, and playing
comb-kazoos in the finale. '
The Ensemble's verve was
irresistible. During the finale, the
whole audience clapped out the
rhythm, and the standing ovation
was immediate and unanimous.
7:00 & 9:00
$1.50
BY STEVE HOOK
In the fall of 1976, Gustav Meier came
to Ann Arbor to lead the University
Symphony Orchestra in a developmen-
tal process which he claims is half-
complete. With little fanfare, he has
enlarged the orchestra's audience and
substantially increased its appeal to the
people of Ann Arbor, although he has
received minimal attention by the local
media.
Gustav Meier was born in Wet-
tington, Switzerland, during the sum-
mer of 1929. He earned both his degrees
years to really develop an orchestra in-
to a good instrument.
"But we're on the way now," Meier
explained quietly, "the orchestra plays
much better, the spirits are much bet-
ter and there's pride among the studen-
ts. I just feel good."
ALTHOUGH HE is pleased with the
progress so far, Meier dreams of the
days when symphony music will attract
masses of students. "I feel, with a
University set up where you have 30,000
students... why don't you have them
all there? I would like to see Hill
The Ann Arbor Film Coopertieo presents at Aud A
Wednesday, March 28
CARRIE
(Brian de Palma, 1976) 7 & 10:20-AUD A
Quite simply the most brilliantly-executed horror film ever made, with no
less than five stunning, terrifying climaxes to leave you gasping. Sissy
Spacek stars as a repressed, lonely teenager with strange powers who is
browbeaten by her too-knowing classmates, offensively disinterested teach-
ers, and fanatically religious mother. For anyone who has endured the
hassles of high school, De Palma's cheerfully excessive film is the ultimate
revenge in fantasy. With IIPER LAURIE, WILLIAM KATT, JOHN ITRAVOLTA.
CAPTAIN KRONOS: VAMPIRE HUNTER
(Brian Clemens, 1974) 3:40 only-AUD A
An exceptional vampire film by the creator of THE AVENGERS television
series. Captain Kronos is no ordinary vampire killer: a student of Zen culture
and Eastern thought, he travels the countryside smoking herbs and doing
battle with the undead, always accompanied by his hunchback companion,
Professor Groat. The movie stands as "one of HAMMER FILMS' all-time
greats in the horror genre."-Cinefantastique. Don't miss it! With HORST
JANSON.
Tomorrow; de Palma's THE FURY
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nio
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1
I L how .hiFnhIg, CampusAreaButrie ld-
WEDNESDAY IS MONDAY IS
"BARGAIN DAY" "GUEST NIGHT"
$1 .50 until 5:30 I2Adults fo$3001
Except Wayside & State Except Wayside
ADUETS FRI., AT. SUN.
EVE. MOUDAYS 3.5
MON.-THURS. [Vt. $3.0
ALL MATINEES $1.56
CHILD TO 14 1.5
Wayside Theatre WALT DISNEY'S
3020 Washtnaw N
Renowned poets in
Gustav Meier will conduct the University Symphony Orchestra Mlarch 30,
accompanied by clarinet swingmaster Benny Goodman. The show will
feature Goodman soloing on a Maria von Weber Concertino, and a medley of
popular tunes.
MON, TUES THURS 7 & 9
FRI 7 & 9:25-SAT 1-35-7- & 9:25
SUN & WED 1-3-5-7-9
ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE
"BEST FOREIGN FILM"
BEST FILM
OF THE YEAR
-National Society of Film Critics
A GEM!
-Rex Reed
GET OUT YOUR
HANDKERCHIEFS
MON., TUES., THURS. 7 & 9
FRI. 7 & 9:25-SAT. 1-3-5-7-9:25
SUN 5:15-7-9, WED 1-3-5-7-9
4 ACADEMY AWARD
SNOMINATIONS
INCLUDING
BEST ACTRESS
BEST SCREENPLAY
BEST SONG
Ellen Alan
Burstyn Alda
ma meTime,
"Next "'kar"
PIPE ORGAN EVERY NIGHT
A2
for workshop
Three noted poets will read selections
of their works this week in the Pen-
dleton Room at the Michigan Union.
Sponsored by the Winter Poetry
Workshop, Grace Butcher, Richard
Burns, and William Stafford will give
the readings, which are free of charge,
at 8 p.m. tonight, Thursday, and Friday
evening.
Grace Butcher, author of The Com-
plete Woman Runner (poems) and four
other volumes, returns to Ann Arbor for
the second time in two weeks. Last
weekend, Ms. Butcher won a bronze
medal in the world class track meet
which was held here. She will read her
poems, described in The Critic as
"strongly narrative and musical," this
evening.
THE ENGLISH poet Richard Burns
will present his works Thursday night.
His visit in Ann Arbor is one of two mid-
west stops on a tour beginning in Rhode
Island and ending in. San Francisco.
Mr. Burns has lived and worked in
Cambridge for the past nine years. He
had spent three years in Italy and
Greece before that, translating from
those languages. He has received
several awards and was at one time the
regular poetry critic for the Tribune.
Widely published in magazines, Burns'
newest book, Avebury, will be released
April 15 at a reading at Notre Dame.
The series will conclude Friday
evening with National Book Award-
winner William Stafford. In his fifth
visit to Ann Arbor since'1965, the for-
mer poetry consultant to the Library of
Congress will read and discuss some of
his widely-known as well as new poems.
Stafford's early work experience in-
cludes construction work, oil refinery,
and forest service. He has taught in a
California high school as well as
several colleges across the country. He
has published in every major poetry
magazine. Currently, he is a professor
in literature at Lewis and Clark College
in Portland, Oregon.
Described as "the main man in
America's best poetry tradition," Mr.
Stafford will also be giving a writing
workshop Wednesday, Thursday, and
Friday afternoons from 2:30-4:00 p.m.
and 4:30-6:00 p.m.
at the Zurich Conservatory of Music.
Before coming to the University,
Meier worked with symphony or-
chestras and opera' companies the
world over, including the Lucerne
Opera House, the Imperial Symphony
in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the Vienna
and Zurich Opera Companies, the Yale
University School of Music, and the
Eastman School in Rochester, New
York.
"I WAS OFFERED a job here years
ago, just as I had accepted a job with
the Eastman School," he explained.
"So I would have been in Michigan for
quite a while if things had worked out."
Meier is pleased with the progress he
has made with the symphony orchestra
here. "We've increased our audiences
from a few hundred to at least two
thousand each concert.
"In many jobs, they say that when
you are new, there is a kind of
honeymoon. People are positive to what
you do. I think that's not the case here.
It just takes time. It would take five
Auditorium filled for every concert,"
he said.
"I know there are a lot of things the
students are interested in," he con-
tinues, "but there should be a lot of
people who think this is a worthwhile
thing. I very much depend on a good
student body. We need an audience; for
the musicians it's essential to have a
responsive audience."
Meier was asked how he assesses the
talent thus far at the University:
"There's so much talent around," he
replies, "the combination of talent is
unbelievable.
See HE'S, Page 8
ki
I
F,
I
.. .
1
a
This Summer
Earn College Credit in
New York City
at
a esign
Poe try
Readings
Winter Poetry,
Workshop
8:00 P.M.
MARCH 28
Grace Butcher
MARCH 29
Richard Burns
This summer come to New York and
learn in Greenwich Village, at a school
famous in the art world as well as in a
city world famous as a cultural and art
center.
Parsons School of Design is pleased to
announce a series of summer courses
designed for College students who wish
to supplement their art studies. These
courses are taught by some of New
York's most distinguished professionals
and run from July 5th thru August 1st,
Monday thru Thursday. They allow
students ample time to see how theory
is put to practical application in the
great arts capital of New York. Each
course carries 4 credits.
Courses of study include:
Photography
Painting
Graphic Design
Interior Design
Interior Design and
Environmental Analysis
Sculpture
Lithography
Dormitory space is available.
For more information on 'courses,
registration and accommodations mail
the coupon below or call (212) 741-8975.
- w -y . .. . .. sA . . . .. . . . . . .,