Thursday, September 5, 1974
THEMIC.HIGAN DAILY
Page I h ree,
L
thursday, September 5, 1974 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Three
Dance-sensory
stmulant
By MARNIE HEYN
Combining grace, free - flowing
movement, and raw power, dance is
one of the most stimulating art forms
to be found anywhere.
The University and surrounding
community offer a wide range of pro-
grams both for people who want to
dance and for those who want to
watch. Whatever turns you on-from
belly to Balinese to ballet - can be
found within walking distance of the
campus.
EACH YEAR the University Mu-
sical Society includes in its calendar
one or more dance events. Most of
these fall under the heading of ballet,
that is ,formal ,traditional dance,
but the culture from which the ballet
comes is delightfully varied.
Other University groups, depart-
ments, dorms and such occasionally
sponsor special dance concerts. Al-
vin Ailey's troupe has performed in
Ann Arbor, several major films
have been shown of the Peking Bal-
let, the Theater department has held
pantomime workshops, and East
Quad/Residential College has spon-
sored a Martha Graham weekend.
In addition, there are lots of op-
portunities for karate, t'ai ch'i, and
judo buffs to learn, practice, and
demonstrate their skills, for fun and
for credit. Check out ads, leaflets,
and diag boards for the time and
place of meetings.
On July 1 of this year, the Univer-
sity's academic dance program mov-
ed from the Physical Education de-
partment in the School of Education
to an autonomous department in the
School of Music.
EVERYONE concerned hopes that
the move will give the academic
dance program more room to grow.
In the past five years, the program
has grown from courses in Posture,
Figure ,and Carriage and Folk Dance
to include new composition, ballet,
and African dance offerings. The
quality of instruction is excellent. One
note of caution: these classes are in-
variable filled during Early Registra-
tion, so plan ahead.
Drawn from the ranks of depart-
mental classes, University Dancers
perform several concerts each year.
Last year the presentations were pro-
vocative an dstunning, and ranged
from mind - tickling contemporary
pieces to precisely - articulated for-
mal ballets.
Their autumn concert was well
above average, and the group outdid
itself in their spring concert series:
three different programs in five con-
certs given over three days. The high-
lights of the spring series included
the wide variety of styles, eight or-
iginal s t u d e n t - choreographed
pieces, and enough pageantry to sat-
isfy any parade junkie.
Prof. Vera Embree's Asaka: Cele-
bration, an African dance, was espe-
cially memorable. Fortunately for us,
she is one of three full-time faculty
members in dance, and the word is
that her classes as as much fun to
take as her dances are to watch.
IN ADDITION to the regular con-
cert schedule, small groups from
University Dancers like the Wolver-
ine Dancers sometimes offer irregu-
larly scheduled concerts. These
events are a good .opportunity for
students of dance to watch the evo-
lutionary process that compositions,
See ANN ARBOR, Page 3
f,
......
Blues musicians flock to
Blind Pig, Mr. Flood's
By ANDREA LILLY
Although there are few bars
in Ann Arbor which provide live
entertainment, the city is al-
most overflowing with bands
and musicians. The entertain-
ment changes and varies from
week to week. Musicians are
constantly changing groups and
new bands and new acts regu-
larly come to town.
Every weekend, the bars are
packed with local music freaks
who come to hear such groups
as the Vipers, the Mojo Boogie
Band, John, Nicholas and the
Blue Flames, and the RFD
Boys.
Despite the abanudance of
good local musichowever,there
is -only one place in town to,
dance-the Scene, a strobe light
circus which features only taped
music except on Sundays.
ANN ARBOR seems to fav-
or the blues - currently there
are six blues bands playing in
town and new ones are forming
all the time.
The Blind .Pig, which serves
only beer and wine, regularly
features the Vipers - one of
only because of its entertain-
ment but because of its "atmos-
phere."
Large stained glass windows,
tiffany lamps, old photographs,
a huge moose head and an oil
painting of a , nude woman
grace the interior of this heav-
ily frequented bar.
Leona Schlack, a local folk
and blues singer with a good,
Every weekend, the bars are packed with
local music freaks who come to hear sch
groups as the Vipers, the Mojo Boogie Band,
John Nicholas and the Blue Flames and the
-r n.
.ocal film freaks can choose.
rom raft of Oscar winners
By DAVID BLOMQUIST
o said that New York is
only cultural Mecca of the
ited States? On a recent
eekend, four Academy Award
inning movies were playing in
anhattan theaters. But on a
irly typical weekend last win-
r, campus filmgoers could
hoose from no fewer than five
scar winners, plus several
ther movies that won major
rizes at international film fes-
ivals.
Between the nearby commer-
ial : theaters and the major
n-campus film student socie-
ies, University film freaks face
selection of between 12 and
5 fine motion pictures each
eekend..
AND WHAT'S even better: a1
aturday night at the movies
Ann Arbor is nowhere near
s expensive as a similar trip
a large city. Admission at
he student film groups' show-
ngs is generally only $1 or
1.25, and ticket prices at the
ommercial theaters are usual-
y not much more than $2.50.
Naturally, most major re-
eases - with the exception of
a very few special films -
remiere at the commercial
ouses. Fortunately, however,
-l but one of the eight thea-
ers in the Ann Arbor area are
easily accessible from campus.
The three veteran campus for the State - Campus - Mich-
movie houses - the State, the igan trio in perhaps twenty
Michigan ,and the Campus - years by scooping the downtown
are all, in fact, within walking chain on such blockbusters as
distance of the Diag. The Mich- The Exorcist and Blazing Sad-
igan, with its vaulted, ornate dies.
ceilings and 50-year-old pipe or-
gan, is perhaps the most im- THE CITY'S bus system pro-j
pressive of the three. The Cam- vides transportation to and from
pus, however, is the only one Briarwood, which is situated
that has a Panavision - size a
screen. about two miles south of cam-
pus at the intersection of I-94
GENERALLY, the State and and State.
Michigan show first-run Holly- The Fox Village, located
wood pictures, usually about across the street from the Ma-
two to three weeks behind the pie Village shopping center in
Detroit theaters. The Campus the residential section of Ann
features either reissued pic- Arbor is the most difficult the-
tures or such special interest ater to reach from the Univer-
films as Truffaut's Day for sity. But the serious film buff
Uight and Bergman's Cries and should have no problem finding
Whispers. a carpool on the nights the
Also within walking distance, Village shows the outstanding
but a few blocks west of cam- American Film Theater sub-
pus on Fifth Ave., is the Fifth scription series.
Forum. The Forum also shows On the other hand, the stu-
special interest, "art" films,! dent film groups - while not
but occasionally secures . a able to offer the overpriced
"sleeper" first - run picture popcorn, glamorous stars, and
that often turns out to be an wide screens of the regular the-
excellent flick. aters - thrive on the literally,
The city's newest shopping, hundreds of students interested
center, Briarwood Mall, cony in cinema more as art than as
tains no less than four film entertainment.
theaters, all grouped together Cinema Guild, which uses the
as simply The Movies. In just Architecture Auditorium as its
their first ten months of oper- home base, is no doubt the Gen-'
ation, the Briarwood Four have eral Motors of these non-profit
already emerged as the first groups. The Guild's offerings
solid commercial competition a r e, almost consistently, su-
perbly
cinema
produced examples of
art.
RFD Boys.
Ann Arbor's best blues bands.
This group has two singles out
on the Blind Pig label and
draw huge crowds wherever
they play.
Other groups regularly found
at the Blind Pig are John Ni-
chols and the Blue Flames, the
Mojo Boogie Band, Boogie
Woogie Red, Rabbits and the
Muskadine Blues Band.
BECAUSE THERE are so
few bars in Ann Arbor offering
live music, they are generally
overcrowded, stuffy and smoke-
filled. However, the cover
charges are generally pretty
low and rarely run over $2.00.
The Del Rio bar, which fea-
tures live music only on Sun-
day nights, regularly presents
Mixed Bag and Ars Nova -
two local jazz groups.
Although country music is not
as prevalent in Ann Arbor as
blues and jazz, the RFD Boys,
a popular bluegrass group plays
regularly at the Pretzel Bell.
FOLK MUSIC is also very
popular locally and can usually
be found at Mr. Flood's Party
-a bar which is patronized not
vibrant voice is frequently found
at Flood's along with other reg-
ulars Stonehouse and Tod and
John.
A N N MARIE SCHRAMM,
who sings blues, jazz, rock and
Billie Holliday tunes performs
at both the Blind Pig and
Flood's.
Although classical music is
not that prevalent in the bar
district, the Blind Pig frequent-
ly presents a classical group-
Silk Purses on Sunday nights.
And there is also one group
that plays no music at all -
The Friend's Roadshow. Us-
ually found at the Blind Pig,
the roadshow does mime, skits,
slapstick comedy and old Elvis
Presley era music.
If the size of your wallet can't
accommodate your appetitefor
music, you can listen to good
local folk music at the Ark
coffeehouse where Wednesday
night hoots cost only. 50 cents.
The Ark -(see related story on
this page) alsorfeatures well-
known folk artists from across
the country on weekends for a
minimal fee (usually under
$2.50).
BUT PERHAPS the Guild's
biggest contribution to city
cinema is its annual film fes-
tival, which presents during a
week-long extravaganza each
spring over 100 student-produc-
ed movies. National judges dole
out generous cash awards to
the best of a usually fascinat-
ing series.
Cinema II, which shows its
films in Angell Hall's Auditor-
ium A, tends to concentrate
more on lesser - known pic-
tures than Cinema Guild, al-
though it too brings in such fa-
miliar films as Cabaret and
War and Peace. Unfortunately,
many of Cinema II's rarer films
are often dull, boring, and ter-
ribly obscure - especially its
Sunday night offerings.
Bursley Hall Enterprises is
the name of that North Campus
dormitory's filth operation,
which provides an informal
(bring your pillow) evening of
film each Saturday in Bursley's
West Cafeteria. Bursley's sched-
ule is generally limited to some-
what older commercial movies
such as Dr. Zhivago and Ro-
meo and Juliet.
ALSO TREADING the Holly-
wood movie mill is UAC - Me-
diatrics, a popular group which
See AWARD, Page 5
EUBIE BLAKE, a 91-year-old ragtime piano player performs
before an audience in the School of Music last January at
the presentation of the Eva Jessye Afro-American music
collection to the University
By GARY THOMAS. as Lou Killen, Norm Kennedy and Mal-
Despite the proliferation of loud and, to vina Reynolds that draw only a limited
some, obnoxious rock bands, folk music corps of folk devotees.
is still flourishing in Ann Arbor for those "The people have made the atmosphere
desiring somewhat less frenetic fare. there," Linda says. "That's why it's such
The famous and not-so-famous come a nice place to go, for both .the audience
to play traditional and modem folk at and the musicians."
the Ark. Still in existence aften ten years
with local church backing, the Ark has THE ARK ALSO sponsors Sunday after-
struggled to bring folk music here under noon religious services as well as pot
the able direction of Ann Arbor's first luck suppers The first and third Sunday
family of folk, Dave and Linda Siglin. evenings of each month are devoted to
the "Friends of Folk Music," an informal
"THERE'S A LOT of igod music in gathering of local folk musicians and
those walls," says Linda Siglin of the fans.
house at 1421 Hill St. "It's still a mellow The Ark is the last bastion of folk in a
place to go after 10 years.", community that once saw three or four
Several local churches have backed the folk hangouts. One by one, they folded
Ark since it was founded 10 years ago. It with the advent of rock music until only
struggles along, never charging more the Ark remained. Rock fans seem to
than $2.50 for its Friday and Saturday forget where their roots lie-Elvis Presley
night shows that feature such folk head- used to play the Grand Old Opry in
liners as Steve Goodman, Paul Siebel, Nashville before he achieved stardom.
Norman Blake, Dave Broinberg and a The selection of music is wide at the
host of others. That price includes free Ark. On any given night, you may hear
coffee and tea, as well as overflowing Joe ieany of Owen McBride regale you
baskets of popcorn. At that, it's one of with Irish songs and stories, or Norman
the best bargains in town for those who Blake picking his homegrown country
want to preserve their eardrums and tunes. Moder songwriters such as Steve
listen to some fine music. Goodman of "City of New Orleans" fame
But the sows are only part of the Ark. and John Pine have also graced the