12 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, October 25, 1995 Experimental By Odt Greenberg - Daily Arts Writer CENTR They'vebeentoVegasandarebound Where: Ce forNew York. Ann Arborare definitely When: Ton not going to want to miss the Central Tickets: U Ballet of China, which will perform in 2538 the Power Center this week. Show star It has been a decade since Central Ballet of China's last tour of the United stage crew States. This time, on their 10 week, 26 of doctorsv city North American tour, the sixty danc- let of Chi ers have included grateful Ann Arbor fusion of on the tour. Wednesday and Thursday product. Ni nights' Ann Arbor debut performances hold six stu ofCentral Ballet of China promise to be shops anda unforgettable evenings. unmarried Very few people in China knew "Colur about ballet in 1959, when this then preparedth experimental dance company emerged said ZhaoF from the Beijing Ballet School. Now of Central1 a widely known ballet company with interpreter a repertoire of classical, contempo- program w rary, and traditional Chinese dances, can audien the Central Ballet of China is cel- bound tob ebrating its 36th year. Considered a both night cultural treasure by the Chinese gov- performan ernment, the company tours through- talents oft out China and extensively in many pany. other countries. The bill The company is comprised of more tic and give than just dancers. Three hundred and winning d thirty people are included in today's night begi Central Ballet of China. In one building fice," and in Beijing, dancers, orchestra members, Quatre,"4" choreographers, composers, designers, ber" and th Ballet takes RAL BALLET entral Ballet night and tomorrow MS Box office, call 764- ts at 8:00 p.m. , administrators and a team work together. Central Bal- na represents the beautiful all the arts into one final lot only does this building adios, a theater, scenic work- a clinic, it is also home to the dancers. mbia Artist Management has is tour for quite a few years," Ruheng, the artistic director Ballet of China (through an ). The company selected "a hich is suitable for an Ameri- ce." These performances are be more than just suitable, s promise to be memorable ces that will show off the this highly acclaimed com- for Wednesday night is eclec- es a taste of what these award ancers are capable of. The ns with "New Year's Sacri- d is followed by "Pas de Before the Wedding Chain- Le third act of"Don Quixote." "New Year's S famous short sto depicts the tragic feudal society.1 principal dancer' marriage to HeI Jie, winner of th ography and Dan bolic and ritualis ends when the t wedlock. "Pas de Qua produced in Lon strate the most fa famous ballerina play the talents o soloists. "Before the W ated in 1990 b professor from/ set to traditional Considered to b favorite works, 1 as "The Chinese the Eyes of an A Closing the e will perform th Quixote," a ball epic novel, " Mancha." The I personally stage Quixote on Cen 1985. Thursday nig mixed bill as w center stage acrifice," based on the romantic second act of "Giselle" will ry written by Lu Xun, be presented with the "The Red Detach- c life of women in old ment of Women." The ballet,"based on The bride, played by the true history of China," as stated by Wang Shan, is sold in Zhao Ruheng, takes place during the Laolin played by Sun ten year civil war on Hainan Island. e Suchuan TV Chore- Giselle's second act is full of wilis ace Competition. Sym- (women who died before their wedding stic, this one act ballet day) dressed in white, dead creatures of wo are truly united in the night. "Red Detachment ofWomen," depicts the hardships and struggles of al atre," which was first woman oppressed by a warlord, and her don in 1845 to demon- final liberation. The ballet ends with the vorable aspects of four woman joining the Red Army in the as of the time, will dis- fight for the liberation of the country. ffour ofthe company's The two ballets are complimentary.but quite different. Through the diversity edding Chamber," cre- of both performances, the China Ballet y Norman Walker, a aims to please everyone. Adelphi University, is Zhao Ruheng added that the con - musicofancient China. pany is very excited to perform in the e one of the company's States. "Chinese people keep theirfeel- the ballet is referred to ings inward, they don't applaud like the- Wedding Chamber in Westerner's do. That is why the danc- 3merican." ers love your audiences here." Ruheng vening, the company hopes that through this tour the corn- e ever exciting "Don pany will "have more chances of cul- et based on Cervantes' tural exchange." This is a "new experi, Don Quixote de la ence for the dancers, learning the cul- late Rudolph Nureyev ture and history of America through its dhisproductionofDon people." With a line up of such a tral Ballet of China in wonderful assortment of ballets, one expects that the company will learn jusf ;ht's performance is a how well American audiences can show vell. The classical and their appreciation. Uhh. This Is a picture of Ms. De Momay but not from "Never Talk to Strangers," 'cause like, uhh, F.B.I. agents talk to strangers a lot. It's like their job, huh huh. 'Sr em 0tofaila $tran By Neal C. Carruth For the Daily In this age of uncertainty, the advice contained in the title of "Never Talk to Strangers" is appropriate. However, there is some better advice: Don't see this movie. "Never Talk to Strangers" is a turgid, murky psycho-thriller that collapses under the weight of its own excesses. The often embarrassing per- formances by Rebecca De Mornay and Antonio Banderas only contribute to the malaise. The fittingly chilly De Mornay plays a frigid psychiatrist named Sarah Tay- lor. When we first meet Taylor, she is in the middle of a psychiatric evaluation of accused serial killer Max Cheski (Harry Dean Stanton), who may be suf- fering from multiple personality disor- der. Stanton, a perennially under appre- ciated character actor, does a credible job as Cheski; he easily delivers the best performance of the film. After this glimpse of Taylor's pro- fessional life, her personal life is re- vealed to be a solemn, solitary scene. The puckish Dennis Miller is featured in a minor supporting role as Cliff Raddison, Taylor's neighbor and lone confidante. A brilliant standup come- dian, Miller has already displayed his inability to do ensemble work from his years on "Saturday Night Live." This is in evidence here, where most of Miller's scenes falter, particularly his "emotion- ally charged" scene with Banderas. Despite this, Miller does manage to get in a few quippy gems (on his doggedly persistent pursuit of Taylor, he says: "I'm Sisyphus with a hard on.") Even though Miller's character is not Taylor's type, she does grudgingly ac- cept the charismatic advances of the brooding, mysterious Tony Ramirez (Antonio Banderas). The two strangers meet in a hackneyed grocery store scene, in which Banderas expounds on the relative virtues of different vintages of JJW Never Talk to Strangers Directed by Peter Hall; with Rebecca De Mornay and Antonio Banderas At Showcase wine. Claiming to be newly-arrived from Puerto Rico, Ramirez wants to "get to know" (wink, wink) Sarah Tay- lor. Although, Taylor is initially reti- cent, she falls for Ramirez, providing a couple of obligatory scenes of gratu- itous sex. I get the feeling that I was supposed to be compelled by both of these char- acters. Banderas, uninteresting to me whether he is sleeping with Tom Hanks or Rebecca De Mornay, is one-dimen- sional and practices his usual schtick of prideful intensity. De Mornay is as mechanical as ever and her forced, strained performance falls flat. The little bit of chemistry that does exist between the two stars is smothered by Peter Hall's rendering of the story. The most ludicrous aspect of "Never Talk to Strangers" comes near the end, when we find out that De Mornay is really the one suffering from multiple personality disorder, which she explains via silly Freudian psycho babble. In fact, the film itself is a victim of this disorder, as Hall has difficulty deciding what kind of film he's making and is unable to balance the different direc- tions in which the film veers. It is clear that he is trying to craft a roller coaster of a suspense film. But the excess of scenes devoted to the romance between De Mornay and Banderas, as well as the screwball character of Miller's scenes contribute to an overall incongruity of tone. 'Bn--Rm'fle ihenergy adexcitement By Scot woods pets. energy of the evening's dances and Daily Arts Writer After opening with "Gandalf" - a marches, this emotive piece asked for a Pure energy. strong musical tribute to J.R.R. degree of reflection the crowd had not The acoustics in Hill Auditorium, Band-O-Rama Tolkein'spowerful"Lordofthe Rings" been prepared to give. considered nearly perfect by many wizard - the Symphony Band turned After intermission, the Marching performers, are of such a quality that Hill Auditorium to more contemplative pieces. Band took the spotlight. Reviewing even the lament of a single, mournful October 21, 1995 Ponchielli's "1l Con Vego," featured numbers from previous shows and- oboe can penetrate to the remotest clarinetists Deborah Chodacki and Fred previewing this weekend's homecom- seat in the second balcony. Ormond, both faculty at the School of ing performance, the band attacked So when the 235 members of the than the crowds that come for perfor- Music. Ormond arranced the piece af- their work with zeal. The audience Michigan Marching Band stormed the mances by, say, James Galway or the ter extensive archival research of responded eagerly, clapping andsingr stage, stomping in their trademark Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Proud Ponchielli's manuscript in Italy. ing with works like "Let's Go Blue. lock-step to a frenetic cadence, the parents and family of band members Under director H. Robert Reynolds, and "Varsity." Less inhibited mem' venerable structure seemed to struggle filled the main floor, and groups of the Symphony Band expressed refined bers of the crowd roused themselves to contain their thunder. And when middle school students occupied the interpretatons both of Ponchielli and of from their seats to perform; the the band exploded into "The Victors" second balcony. their concluding suite of three old "Bullwinkle" dance and to join the it was the thunder of the audience that The Concert Band began the evening American dances. But some of their flag corps in the aisles to bop to the threatened to overwhelm. with a menu of dances and marches. fare may have been suited for a differ- "Blues Brothers." But after all, that's what the annual The confidence and enthusiasm of con- ent performance on a different night. The show, featuring the "Band-O-Rama" is: Energy, stomp- ductor Dennis Glocke infected the On an evening that otherwise belonged University's Concert Band, Sym- ing, thunder. whole ensemble. Performing well as a to the students in all three bands, the phony Band and Marching Band, be- The audience at Hill Saturday nighi unit, the band produced a full sound clarinet work of Ormond and Chodacki gan as it ended: With music charac. was refreshingly less stuffy or academic with strong performances in the trum- seemed out of place. Compared to the terized by confidence and exuberance. den amidst overdone instrumental, Most of the time when someone The pieces come from Folyd's two RECORDS atmospheric effects and violin-vo- gets ambitious enough to try and most epic works, seven from "Dark Continued from page JI. cals, redeems the recording. interpret rock music into symphonic Side of the Moon" and three from The music is, well, good. It's music, it fails. Fails miserably ac- "The Wall." Each piece is master- corny but likable. If the London tually. It usually comes out sound- fully interpreted. From the brass fan- Us and Them Philharmonic were to come to Hill ing like over produced muzak. fare in "Brain Damage" to the Middle . Auditorium and play Floyd's "Us Instead of appealing to fans of Eastern flavor of"Money", each piece Symphonc Pink Floyd and Them" but credit it to some both genres, this sad attempt at mass will make Pink Floyd fans think ofthe Point Music new, up-and-coming composer, the marketing/respectability for rock music in a new light. There are some things in life that performance might get a standing music usually ends up alienating The best example of this is "An- just weren't meant to be. ovation. everybody. other Brick in the Wall (Part II)". As a diehard classical music fan, I can imagine the stodgiest clas- But forget everything you just The piece begins with a dramatic I was sure that the London sical go-ers tapping their feet, nod- read, because someone has finally statement of the well known "We Philharmonic' s new recording of ding their heads and applauding the made the impossible possible. don't need no education" melody. Pink Floyd songs would join 8 a.m. composer as innovative and con- Jaz Coleman's arrangements of It then quickly interjects a new classes and fish flavored ice cream ductor Peter Scholes as heroic and ten classic Pink Floyd songs break theme of cascading and whirling as one of those freaks of nature - progressive. all of the aforementioned stereo- violins. It moves back and fori freaks of bizarre marketing - that As is, "Symphonic Music of Pink types. He doesn't just change the between these two concepts, lettint the world should never have seen. Floyd" is probably doomed. It's not instrumentation from guitar/bass/ the listener associate the old wit And maybe it should. It's more SKR Classical but it's also not drums to strings/brass/woodwind; the new. Also, the piece is muc than a little weird to hear one of the MTV. and he doesn't just give you a little more deliberate than the mid tempc world's top orchestras play a track The recording's big buyer might taste of the original song and then groove of the original version. A called "Brain Damage." be your great aunt looking for a go on some wild, pretentious tan- heavy structural change that is deal At times, the recording sounds a good birthday gift for her hip, young gent either. The music's translation with using style and respect for the lot like cheesy film music, a semi- relative who always seemed so ma- into the new format maintains a powerful meaning of Floyd's origi- decent marching band arrangement ture at family parties. perfect balance between the origi- nal intention. or freaky muzak that very bored Was this CD a good idea, meant nal intentions and the symphonic This album is a must for Pint employees play at 4 in the morning to break down musical boundaries, interpretation. Floyd fans. It will open your' eyes in a 24-hour suburban grocery store. or was it a disaster in the making? Coleman seems to know when it's and let you experience your favor. Believe me, I want to hate this Don't lose sleep over it. Let the time to give you some of the origi- ite old song in a new light. 'Foi music, however well it's played. marketers figure it out. nal melody and when it's time to everyone else, this album proves Yet something hard to identify, hid- - Emily Lambert introduce you to an entirely new that rock music can become a sym- I i Career opportunities at J.P. Morgan for t nirersily of .1ichigan engineering students (undergraduate) interested in Global Technology and Operations Please plan to attend our information presentation on