Scott-Heron plays i By Jill Beiswenger T HERE'S A lesson to be learned 'about expectations and the context of a performance. Tuesday night Gil Scott-Heron and the Midnight Band played to a packed floor at the Second Chance. Like, any businessman, and most successful artists have that very necessary side to their characters, Scott-Heron gave the audience just enough to prove he was the same man they'd heard on record, butshe did no radicalizing.. Having witnessed other performances of his, it was easy to con- clude that the setting makes a big dif- ference in what he puts out. Starting off with "Is That Jazz?" - Scott-Heron identified the frustration that comes when a creative act is analyzed or defined by someone other than the artist. The basis of creativity is a celebration of individuality. If the ar- tist doesn't have the freedom to name his or her process and is limited to only certain categories (in Scott-Heron's case, usually jazz) then the artist's power is sapped. At one point the audience's political Social issues fill repertoire of sin, The Michigan Daily-Thursday, March 25, 1982-Page'\ t straight a musician/poet the audience *s definitely part of the materials. ite basic idea that America.is in retret was there in Scott-Heron's lyrics, but-it didn't seem worth hearing him 11 without, the, additional underlining'z g er thenecessity of doing. Cynicism is }ui more stagnation. The price of adL mission, to my mind, would have been gressive, involve- better spent on his latest album, with was powerful. He the twenty cents left going to pay for tiie tter perspective of postage on a letter to the state Senatp e-dominated culture or Representative of your choice. J#t e audience. He stun- then I'm an idealist. temperament was tested by prefacing "Gun" ("Everybody got a pistol ... When other folks give up theirs I'll give up mine") with a short comment on the difference of referring to releasing an album, as opposed to making one. The pun on "hostage release," past its im- mediacy, seemed to get strangled in the strobe effects on the Chance's crystal ball. From there, the group went in quick succession through some of their most well known songs including: "A Legend in His Own Mind" ("A macho man before macho ever came to town/Only problem was not enough of him to go around"), "Winter in America," "Shut Em Down," "Aliens," and "Angel Dust." To university audiences, Scott-Heron usually presents a radically different image than the sleepy-eyed and grin- ning musician of Tuesday night. In Madison, his pro yourself message spoke from the bi being black in white to a nearly all-whit ned into existence an awareness that no action on the social change and en- vironmental issues facing us is as good as strong support of the backward looking, B-Movie quality of the policies of our national administration. In Ann Arbor the man seemed a little tired of his message. I can't say the music wasn't hot, though, and the moderately drunk crowd loved it. Larry, MacDonald on congas and the keyboard player Glen Turner made dancing irresistable-if you could find the room to, that is. It's the artist'g perogative to do as s/he sees fit with the materials, and for UNISEX Long or Short Haircuts by Professionals at ... DASCOLA STYLISTS, Liberty off State... .. East U. at South U..... Arborland............ Maple Village..... 668-9329,. 66&203541, 471-997.54, 761-273-. "4. Daily Photo by KIM HILL. Gil Scott Heron performed at the Second Chance Tuesday night. THE DAILY CLASSIFIEDS ARE A GREAT WAY TO GET FAST RESULTS CALL 74-557 I ------------ Big Fun and the magic circus By Walt Owen IG FUN is not always easy to find. BMy perpetual search for this fix of frolic took me to Hill Auditorium Tuesday night. What I found was a daz- zling two hours of suspenseful choreography, provided by the Chinese magic Circus of Taiwan. Making a one-night stop on their current North American tour, the * rMagic Circus left the captivated faces of young and old filled with awe and admiration. The mystic ping-pang of the Oriental beat provided the mood as the thirteen dancers and acrobats per- formed physical feats that brought the, near-capacity crowd to the edge of their seats. The Ed Sullivan Show couldn't miss with an act like this. After a warm-up tumbling routine with bodies flying over and under a bright waving flag, the Magic Circus followed with one of the evening'a biggest Big Fun thrills: a woman balancing head-to-head on another woman. These two defied eyesight; a visual blow-out with the woman on top rotating rings on her out- stretched arms and legs while the ever- connected woman on bottom juggled four more rings in her hands. Add a roaming spotlight, the dramatic roll of the kettle drum, and some brilliant flashes of decorative color and the magical draw of the cir- cus shone through; please go on and amaze me some more, but don't fall from your precarious pearch. The acrobats constantly avoided mistakes in this two-hour spectacle, fooling the crowd with an occasional dash of comedy. The comedy was fun; the acrobatics were Big Fun. Thrill af- ter thrill hardly allowed time to fully appreciate each addition to the mesmirization process. Diving through a circle of knives may appear a feat of practiced possibility. Diving through a rotatingcircle of flaming knives while blindfolded is another matter. And the show goes on. A circus has something for everyone, and the Magic Circus of Taiwan was no disappointment. Ten acts on each side of the brief intermission mixed props both simple and complex. I still haven't figured out the levitation act (who wan- ts to?);- and lifting six bowls off your head with your feets(while doing a two-hand extension on a delicately balanced chair) is something I've never seen even my wildest friends attempt. Kurt Thomas with a Big Fun twist. I, kept doing double-takes, looking around to see if everyone else was equally dazzled. The sagging jaws and popping eyes told the story. The true magic of this Magic Circus is the near- incredible physical control of this troupe. Total concentration mixed with skillful dexterity brought a professional gleam to the Magic Circus. . The acrobats learn these "tricks" before they can walk. By age fourteen or fifteen the art is a daily routine. This devotion is largely a family-oriented ritual dating back to ancient China; lit- tle has changed with the passage of time and trend.- Watching the crucial interdependen- ce involved in these acts hints as this deeply rooted network. This Kung-Fu demonstrations of brick-breaking (way beyond the pebble-snatching stage) are attributed to the cultivation of "'Chi,'' roughly translated as "inner strength" or "life energy." Let's hope so. Anyone who puts three bricks on their head and then allows a man to slam a' sledgehammer on top better know what "Chi" power is all about. This mind over matter technique was full of acrobatic shake,.rattle, and roll Tuesday night. Try catching oranges, thrown from the audience, on a spike held in your mouth. Try it on a unicycle. From Little Big Fun to Super Big Fun (not often available), the Chinese, magic Circus of Taiwan kept it lively. * The clincher was when troupe direc- tor Hai Ken Tsai performed the Tower of Chairs. A series of chairs belanced on four wine bottles. Hai Ken climbed three chairs (uh oh), four chairs (it's gonna go), and topped it off with a fifth as he slowly disappeared high above the stage. So what does he do? A one- handed vertical handstand. Big time circus. Big time standing ovation. Big Fun. SAVE ON GOLD-SAVE ON GOLD-SAVE ON GOLD-SAVE ON GOLD GI) LOWEST GOLD PRICES # IN OVER TWO YEARS! Or ORDER YOUR COLLEGE RING NOW! - d Ct 6 l -J 0. d You can now purchase your 10 karat GOLD MARKET PRICE gold College Ring for much less' money s$800 00--r 2 than you would have paid last year-at $70000_ this time. For more good news, we'll " m see you on ring order day. Many $'00 Z styles are available to choose from. O C > NO Your Herff Jones College Ring Specialist 2 Will Be Here To Assist You When Ordering. TO ORDER: Date: March24 Time 1 K1-3 0 zPlace: FOLLETT'S MICHIGAN BOOKSTORE Z O 322 S. State Street Deposit Required: $20 AGGAECE SAVE ON GOLD-SAVE ONL GOLD-SAVE ON GOLD--SAVE ON GOLD Penn. Ballet struggles onward By Ellen Rieser AMERICAN DANCE lovers were startled to hear the announcement on January 14th that due to severe financial problems, the Pennsylvania Ballet was suspending production for 90 to 120 days. Since its founding in 1963, the Pen- nsylapia Ballet has been frequently ranked among the top five ballet com- panies in the United States "and often considered as the nation's best regional ballet company. Although its win- ter/spring home season in Philadelphia has been cancelled, PBC is still scheduled to go on its spring tour, in- Sluding the company's performances at' -Power Center in April. Jeff Gribler, a six-year veteran of the company, and several other dancers have formed a committee that meets with Charles Rannells, the new president and general manager of PBC, to discuss problems resulting from the, company's suspension of production. One&result of the suspension is that many of PBC's dancers have had to go on unemployment. Indeed, when p Gribler was i terviewed he had just come back from theunemployment of- fice. Gribler finds not dancing in Philadelphia to be "emotionally frustrating, draining, and frightening." Nevertheless, Gribler is upbeat about "the future of the Pennsylvania Ballet :and. thinks it will survive. While the company is not currently performing, according to Gribler, PBC's other regular activities have continued as before. "The day after January 14th; -~company classe was taught as usual. We've had classe every day since then. In the unsettling three-day interim between the company's announcement on January 14th of the production stop- page and the anouncement that it would keep its spring tour,, some of PBC's dancers scrambled to get temporary, positions. Commented Gribler sym- pathetically, "You know, this is a very uncertain business." As a result of the scare, one of PBC's male dancers is now working in Europe for three months. Gribler himself recently returned from doing guest ar- tist work with the San Antonio Ballet. PBC's financial. problems, Gribler doesn't expect positions to be cut for next year. Although there may be some cut- backs in PBC's school, Gribler feels that the apprenticeship program, which feeds into the company, will be com- pletely retained. "We had eight (ap- prentices) last year, which was a little too big to work with. This year we have five, whicb is a little too small." Suspicion has been voiced by some in the dance community that PBC's finan- cial difficulties will encourage the company's board to become involved in artistic direction. In a few financially strapped companies, board control over productions has resulted in seasons composed entirely of ballet war-horses and saccharine overdoses of Nutcrackers. However, Gribler is not worried: "I don't think the board wants to get involved in artisitic direc- tion. They just want to know funding is available and how the money is spent. In terms of the repertoire, the board will decide how often we get new pieces and what kind - how large. We probably won't be doing any m6re full length ballets for a long time." Right now, the entire company is working to keep PBC afloat. The board is out fund raising while Gribler and the rest of PBC's dancers have just com- pleted two weeks of gratis rehearsals for the company. In order to keep the spring tour, everyone involved has agreed to take a salary cut. i Said Gribler: "The tour is being paid for by the sponsors. We originally stood to lose $90,000, but that's been covered by what has been given up (by dan- cers, crew, and musicians). The sup- port in the nation is, as important as support in Philadelphia. This is why we're going on tour." When the Pennsylvania Ballet dances at Power Center in April, with programs featuring works by such diverse choreographers as Balanchine,- Harkarvy, and Anastos, Gribler and the rest ofd the company will be hoping that their audience appreciates PBC's quality. In the meantime, the dancers will be anxiously watching the ac- tivities of PBC's board as it attempts to raise enough funds to ensure that there will be a June season in Philadelphia and many seasons thereafter. . STE-A - DINNERS 6. Save when you buy 2 Steak & Shrimp -- or 2 Sirloin Steak Dinners- - - - - - - - - - Subscribe to The Michigan Daily SCHOOL OF EDUCATION * THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN * SCHOOL OF EDUCATION METHODOLOGICAL MYTHOLOGY AND GURUISTIC DOXOLOGY an informal talk and interaction with Fred N. Kerlinger Professor of Educational Psychology, University of Oregon Professor Emeritus, New York University Author, Foundations of Behavioral Research: Educational and Psychological Inquiry University of Michigan Education alumnus and recipient-designate of the University's 1982 Outstanding Achievement Award formerly - Professor of Psychology at the University of Amsterdam faculty member, University of-Indiana, Wayne State and Columbia universities I 1 I 1 1 1 I I I I 1 I 1 I 1 I I I I I I I I I I I i 1 I I I r~ ~ - - - -------- ------ j COUPON MUST ACCOMPANY PURCHASE COUPON MUST ACCOMPANY PURCHASE STEAK and STEAK and SHREIPSHRIMP OR OR : STRIP STEAK | STRIP STEAK t i 2 Dinners o6.99 2 Dinners $6.99 j Served with " Baked Potato * Served with " Baked Potato * " All-You-Can-Eat Salad Bar 1 * All-You-Can-Eat Salad Bar " Wa~rm Roll with Butter * " Warm Roll with Butter ] Dessert and Beverage not included Cannot be used with I Dessert and Beverage not included Cannot be used with * other discounts. 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