Wednesday, July 2, 1997 - The Michigan Daily - 13 bower Center hosts arra ofm si dancc oerformances By Stephanie Glickman thoughtful in its choreographic stage For The Daily patterns and difficult technical move- The next generation has not lost its ments, its underlying purpose is to father's style. The choreography of enjoy and express uplifting music Paul Taylor is alive and well in the six through dance vocabulary. Such a sim- Ouncers who make up Taylor 2. a small- ple concept is often lost or disregarded er version of the Paul Taylor Dance in this era of conceptual and non-liter- Company. The dancers, all of whom al art. "Airs" reminds us that it is okay hold college degrees and a wealth of for dance to be entertaining and beau- performa n ce tiful to watch. experience. shared The cryptic three varied works RE VI E WA "Profiles," a from the Taylor quartet from repertory Friday Taylor 1979. set to dis- night at Power Power Center sonant music Center June 27.1997 by Jan All six compa- Radzynski, is a W members long way from joined together to open the program the lighthearted fun of "Airs." "Taylor with Taylor's classic, "Airs," first per- fills the dance with animal imagery as formed in 1978 and set to music by dancers climb up each other's backs Handel. Taylor's ability to truly capture and play jumping games. Pushing and the essential spirit of his music has not pulling duets, combined with the grat- been lost in translation from the main ing sounds of violins in Radzynski's company to Taylor 2. Playful score, maintain a tension throughout male female duets unfold into joyous the piece. Unlike "Airs," in which solos and spritely partnering. Taylor sustains typical gender roles While "Airs" is complex and and male female stereotypical interac- By Kristin Long Daily Arts Wrer The local-band sound the BoDeans bear creates a comforting melody that soothes ravaged nerves. The experi- enced tone that stems from the group's classic ballads epitomizes great music. Even more than this, the. BoDeans' unending battle to produce chart-top- 'ing hits has created many excellent burs that brand the music industry with the BoDeans' name. The Wisconsin-based band has dug a niche in the music world, and swhat is amazing is that the group has made the Top Five only once in its career. Furthermore, "Closer to Free' from tel ev is in irs "Party of Fi e, R Was released on P * baid's fifth - bum, -Go Th Slow Down" (1993). While the E e Pc where in this, music fans found a sound they liked. The rewards that followed from the "Closer to Free" success were long overdue. Griffin said, "It's the best when the stations make a hit," and as this came from a television show. it was even better. Only two other BoDeans' songs have made the Top Ten, "She's a Runaway" ( off"Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams") and "Good Things" (off "Black and White"). Nonetheless, the band refuses to retreat, regardless of its criticism. Griffin asserted, "Sure it is great to have a hit, but we continue to do what we do. and we're having a blast at w hat se are doing." Ie said much of the BoDeans' enjoy- V I E W1 ment comes from the studio, where BoDeans the group has pro- duced seven ower Center albums. July 7, 1997 Since its debut in 1986 with-"Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams," the BoDeans have been engaged in producing the songs that folks long to sing. Classic songs like, "She's a Runawsay," "Misery" and "Still the Night" make this album stellar, and any captive BoDeans audience is sure to know the siagalong routine that follows. The group's five albums have devel- oped a great following for the WaukeshaWI, fellas. The fans produce the "needed response" that makes their concerts even better, said Griffin. "It's the ultimate natural high," Griffin claimed, "to walk out on stage at a large venue to an screaming audience." But there is a difference in shows that venture too far from the Midwest con- stituency. "We get a pretty good crowd out west," he continued, but there is nothing like being at home." With fout tions, "Profiles" strips performers of sexual definition. All four wear identi- cal spotted unitards. The final piece of the night, "Funny Papers," captures yet another side of the multi-dimensional Taylor. The newest piece on the program, "Funny Papers" was choreographed by mem- bers of the Paul Taylor Dance Company and then amended and com- bined by Taylor himself. Kooky, even too silly at times. "Funny Papers" is set to different familiar ditties such as "Popeye the Sailor Man," "I am Woman, Hear Me Roar" and the yel- low polka-dot bikini song. None of the dancers take themselves too seri- ously as they mimic and parody the tunes, hamming up distinguishable gestures and many social dance steps. Although funny because of the dancers' abilities to successfully harn it ip, the choreography becomes tedious and trite far earlier than the end of the dance. "Funny Papers" seems more like a gimmicky crowd pleaser than a true Taylor work. Only four years old, Taylor 2 has members (Griffin, as well as Sam Lanas, Kurt Neumann and Nick Kitsos) originating from Milwaukee's suburbs, the BoDeans have found that local venues have a certain traditional atmos- phere. Part of this routine was broken this year, as the BoDeans did not play Summerfest (a sveekong music festival) in Milwaukee. Not only were hometownu followers disappointed, but the band was not happy as well. "t broke a tradi- tion"r Griffin said, "but our plans dif- fered from the Summrrerfes program- mer's." The mark that the group has left on its fals is ohsIous at its shows. Fans kiow the lyrics and relish the entertaining antics of the band. the BoDeains' inter- action nith the audience is electric. and lars been foresver preserved on "Joe Dirt Car'" a compiaion of live perfor- mances at some of the group's favorite verries. The BoDeans' latest album, "Blend," features a mix of the band's quick- based rock, as well as slower, more emotional drama. "The Urrderstading" has already hit the airwaves, and other singles are soon to follow. And so the group continues forward, to its fans' hopes and dreams. The sound of Lanas and Neumann, with fellow musicians Griffin and Kitsos, catches one's attention as much today as it did 10 years ago with sounds of home. The fans know lyrics by heart, and new lis- teners become fans with each new release. The group will make its first appear- ance at Ann Arbor's Summer Festival Monday at the Power Center. Despite its venture into unfamiliar territory, the band is sure to find some of the local fol- lowing to which it is accustomed, plus a few who have yet to experience the BqDeans' legeurdary te'tainnent.., already captured much of the Paul Taylor essence and spirit in its presenta- tion of Taylor's works. Within Taylor's lifetime, Taylor 2 could quite possibly be as strong as the main company. By Christopher Tkaczyk Daily Ans Writer When a Broadway performer comes to town, it is considered a happening. Not too often do the stars of the stage come to Ann Arbor for special perfor- mances. Last Wednesday the Ann Arbor Summer Festival hosted Betty Buckley for a special performance of her concert tour. Buckley is probably most remem- bered for her creation of the role of Grizabella in the original Broadway cast of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Cats" in 1981. Her soaring rendition of the theater classic Memory's launched her RE into Broadway ' history. Her Beti performance ofP the song estab- lished a mod- ern Broadway showtune standard. No one can go into a fine restaurant without instantly rec- ognizing the stealthy manipulation of the piano keys to the tune of"Memory" Television audiences probably most remember Buckley as Abby Bradford, the second mother on the family series "Eight Is Enough," which fea- tured her from 1978 to 1981 after the actress who portrayed Dick Van Patten's first television wife unex- pectedly passed. Buckley's most recent Broadway tri- umph came when she was asked by Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber to overtake the demonic role of Norma Desmond, the stair-climbing madwoman of his film noir musical masterpiece "Sunset Boulevard." Buckley's acting ability shone in her concert at the Power Center. Every song she undertook provided not only expert singing and emotion, but dramatic tone and elegance. Buckley'spowerful E P Because Taylor 2 is a tiny group, small- er communities can accommodate its performances, lectures and master classes - a step towards making quali- ty modern dance more accessible. vibrato rang the roof of the Power Center and enchanted audiences with her musical theater repertoire. Buckley was accompanied by a four-man jazz band who provided entertaining and bouncing orchestra- tions of her select works. Backed by a piano, bass, percussion and brass intruments, Buckley delightfuly delivered an enticing evening of heart- felt tunes to her enchanted audience. Singing everything from Rodgers and Hammerstein to Kurt Weill to Lloyd Webber and Sondheim, the audience never took their eyes off the talent- VIEW eddiva. Among the -y Buckley music chosen for the evening was a rower Center reminiscent song Jure 25. 1997 about nostalgic rememberance by country/pop artist Mary ChapR Carpenter. Buckley's announcement beforehand that Carpenter's "Come On, Come On" is currently her favorite song didn't need to be revealed because her performance alone could prove such. Bringing the crowd to an early emotional climax, Buckley showed the moved audience how the- atrical she transposes her songs into dramatic monologues. Two greater highlights of the evening came when Buckley performed the two Norma Desmond arias from "Sunset Boulevard." Perhaps the greatest per- formance of the night was given with her rendition of "With One Look'' which garnished the performer with a mid-act ovation. The audience couldn't have been more appreciative of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival for bringing such a grand diva to Ann Arbor for an exquis- ite showcase of divine talent. theme song might look to some like a one-time hit, to loyal fans it was just another fine; example of the BoDeans' great music. The mentality of the BoDeans exempli- fies why it has crafted such a devoted fan following. The band has a distinct *pth about its music; both the group's sound and its attitude portray what audi- ences love to rear, and swhat makes the BoDeans distinguishable from other groups. "'Go Slow Down' got back to what we are all about,' said bassist Bob Griffin in an interview with The Michigan Daily. The album was pro- duced by the BoDeans, and Griffin said that "this allowed us to do what Oe wanted, and use our own style." The album features songs that venture into intense emotional realms that ,exemplify the band's .depth; some- .