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Page 4-E-Thursday, September 9, 1982-The Michigan .Dily
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The Michigan Daily-Thursd6y, Sept(
Local bands play rhythm and blues and,.
. .
(Continued from Page 3)
O.K., enough rhythm and blues.
There are bands in Ann Arbor that
delve into other genres, though many
aren't nearly as popular as the R&B
groups.
The Flexibles, who have created a
unique disco-funk synthesis (stress on
the funk), with tinges of jazz tossed in
for good measure, have the most poten-
tial to achieve success beyond the
friendly confines of Ann Arbor.
I seem to catch them every four or
five months, and they sound better and
tighter each time. Their first and only
single, "Intuition/Birth Effect," a
disconcerting dance single, garnered
critical raves in Ann Arbor and on the
East Coast. Once they get a set line
up-which they may now have-and a
good vocalist, they could make it big.
On the other hand, in a matter of mon-
ths nobody may ever hear anything of
them again.
Peter "Madcat" Ruth, perhaps the
most gifted and renowned artist
currently residing in Ann Arbor, has
assembled his best band, the Mad-
cat/Brubeck Band, since the days of his
old group, Sky King.
never fails to get audiences dancing.
Ruth, one of the greatest harmonica
virtuosos of all time, performs with un-
paralleled power, igniting both the
audience and the band.
And for those disposed toward coun-
try-tinged blues, Steve Newhouse and
the White Line Fever fit the bill. The
problem is that they usually play the
dance-floorless Mr. Flood's Party,
making boogeying difficult. Hearing
Newhouse go solo at the same locale,
which he often does, is much more en-
joyable.
By no means are these the only good
bands that can be heard in Ann Arbor,
but they happen to be the better
established and will normally offer a
solid show. The best place to catch any
one of them is either at Rick's
American Cafe or Joe's Star Lounge,
mostly on the weekends. If R&B bands
aren't your style, then word of mouth
and personal initiative are the only
means left to discover bands that suit
your tastes.
Office of Major Even ts
The Ma
bination o
Sub
Mi
adcat/Brubeck band's com- (Continued from Page 3) Davies couldn't say what's up for this
f blues, rock, jazz, and funk Davies said that Major Events brought year. Performers are booked only a
in groups such as Ry Cooder last season couple of months in advance, he said.
that were financially less profitable . Are there personal rewards in a
s cribe to The because they were groups that had a lot business where hard work goes un-
of appeal to only area concertgoers. noticed while stars are pelted with
ch igan Daily Similarly, the office scheduled enter- flowers? Karen Young wears the cloak
tainment with greater money-making of anonymity proudly. "If the audience
764-0558 potential such as The Police in order to doesn't know that we exist," she said,
try to balance the hoks .lavies si. "we've done a good iob."
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DANCERS WILLIE FEUER and Susan Matheke perform "The Crane's Waltz" for an Ann Arbor audience.
Variety, quality mark local dance
By Ellen Rieser
Although Ann Arbor is not one of the
nation's major dance centers,
newcomers often are pleasantly sur-
prised at the variety and quality of dan-
ce concerts that are regularly presen-
ted in the city. Along with the rest of the
country, Ann Arbor has been caught up
in the dance boom, and local- and
university-sponsored performance
schedules reflect this demand.
The most visible dance schedule in
town is the University Musical
Society's Choice Series. -The Choice
Series offers subscribers and individual
ticket holders an amalgam of perfor-
mances by nationally noted ballet com-
panies, modern dance companies, and
ethnic dance and music troupes.
The Choice Series features an annual
performance of The Nutcracker by the
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. This year,
the Choice Series will be presenting 11
concerts, including performances by
"Pirin" (Bulgarian Folk Ensemble),
the Zagreb Grande Ballet, Pilobolus,
Ballet Folclorico Nacional de Mexico,
and Joffrey II.
Local dance concerts, however, are
not limited to performances presented
by visiting dance companies. Ann Ar-
bor has several dance companies that
maintain seasonal performance
schedules and various small dance
groups that perform at less regular in-
tervals.
For balletomanes, Ann Arbor has not
one, but two ballet companies to enjoy.
Ann Arbor Civic Ballet focuses on the
classics and serves as a training ground
for young dance students interested in a
performing career.
Founded more than 25 years ago by
local ballet teacher Sylvia Hamer, Ann
Arbor Civic Ballet was the first char=
tered company in Michigan and the six-
th in the United States. The company
usually performs twice a year, presen-
ting mixed programs of classics and
occasional contemporary works
created by both local and guest
choreographers.
A promising newcomer to the Ann
Arbor dance scene is Ann Arbor Ballet
Theatre. Founded in the spring of 1980
by artistic director Carol Scharp, Ann
Arbor Ballet Theatre focuses on
, original works performed with live
music. In its first two seasons, Ann Ar-
bor Ballet Theatre has staged original
versions of Cinderella, A Midsummer
Night's Dream, and Nightingale as well
as premieres of new works such as a
ballet version of Carnival of the
Animals.
Unusual for local-level companies,
Ann Arbor Ballet Theatre has a strong
male contingent and hence is able to in-
clude much exciting partner work in its
productions. Despite its young age, the
company has already developed a loyal
local following. Indeed, during its 1981-
82 season, Ann Arbor Ballet Theatre
was asked to represent both the
Michigan Theatre and C. S. Mott
Children's Hospital for benefit perfor-
mances.
Dance Theatre 2, a "third company
that performs regularly, is a focal point
for modern dance in Ann Arbor.
Established by local dance teachers
Kathleen Smith and Christopher Wat-
son, Dance Theatre 2 is a professional
modern dance company in residence at
Dance Theatre Studio.
Competing for attention with these
companies is Troupe Ta'Amullat
(Reflections), a nationally noted Danse
Orientale company. Along with com-
panies located in New York City and
San Francisco, Troupe Ta'Amullat is
one of the nation's only regularly per-
forming Danse Orientale troupes.
Troupe Ta'Amullat presents centuries-
old folk dances as well as original
choreography using Near Eastern dan-
* cestyles.
Although it does not constitute a dan-
ce company, the University's dance
department also sponsors frequent
modern dance concerts by its faculty
and students. Dance department
faculty members give performances
every academic year-generally one
concert a semester by individual
faculty members. In addition, every
semester there is one concert at Power
Center that showcases the
choreography of all dance department
faculty members.
Dance department students give
regular performances as well. During
the 1982-83 academic year, they will
present a variety of senior concerts,
young choreographers concerts, and
thesis concerts as well as one
choreographic production and design
concert.
In addition to the dance department's
productions, the University also spon-
sors Impact Dance, a jazz dance com-
pany under the auspices of the Univer-
sity Activities Center. Founded in 1980
as an outlet for non-dance majors who
are seriously interested in dance, Im-
pact Dance presents original
choreography by its members. The
company now has 23 members who
dance in its concerts and participate in
weekly workshops at the Michigan
Union. An annual spring concert is
presented by Impact Dance at Lydia
Mendelssohn Theatre in the Michigan
League.
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