Where Cultures Intersect

Where Cultures Intersect

By Ramona Abbott

I have always been honest with you, my faithful readers, and I have confessed here before that I am not much of a modern dance aficionado. Eating my words once again, I must report that I have fallen in love with one of our upcoming shows that is yes, modern dance, and I will be there with bells on, cheering.  (Ribbons, actually, not bells. More on that in a minute.)

I just spoke with Lily Cai, an utterly charming woman who was born and raised in Shanghai, now living in San Francisco. She has been in the States for 30 years, and this combination of life experiences has brought her to a truly unique dance form you will not want to miss. She and her creation, the Lily Cai Chinese Dance Company will be gracing our stage (very literally) on December 1.

When I saw the images from her show, I immediately thought of rhythmic gymnastics. In one of her dances, the dancers manipulate long ribbons of fabric that make those of us from a Western tradition think of the Olympic event. Not at all, not at all. It’s a completely different thing.  The Ribbon Dance is a very important dance in Chinese culture and has been around since the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 420 BC).

The dance is said to have been inspired by a man who saved an emperor from an assassination attempt by blocking a deathly blow from a  sword with the silk from his sleeve. The earliest forms of this dance had dancers simply carrying strips of silk as they danced; the dance came into full flower during the Tang Dynasty, (589 AD until 907 AD), when the strips of siik became much longer, and were attached to sticks for better ability to manipulate them into complex movements creating rippling cascades of motion and color.

For Lily Cai, it is not only the Chinese tradition of the dance that speaks to her. Lily is all about the intersection of two cultures: the Chinese tradition of her youth and the American traditions she has absorbed in her 30 years of living here. “The first time I saw an original Jackson Pollacik  at MOMA, I looked at it and said, There’s my ribbon dance!”  People talk about his painting style as active, and that is exactly what I saw.  In my work, we bring both the extension of the body motion and fabric as color and movement on the air, like Jackson Pollack uses paint. In my piece “Flying Goddess,” the fabric is like a wing, flying over the air.”

I asked her to comment on the differing cultural approaches to dance: “ In my Chinese dance training the goal was a perfect copy; my teacher wanted me to do exactly as she did. In America, the emphasis is less on that and more on creativity: learn how to do the classics, then do them differently. I am lucky to have both traditions to draw from. Having both strengthens my dance and my choreography.”

She goes on to explain more about her early training: “I have been dancing since I was 5, and was trained according to the methods of the Shanghai Opera House, where I trained and danced for years. In the early 50’s the Russian government sent a  lot of experts to help set up the Shanghai Opera House. The organization was divided into two  departments,  dance and opera. This opera all Western opera, not Chinese opera.” So this mix and balance of Western and Chinese cultures started very early in her training.

And was that training ever rigorous!  “6 days a week, 8 hours a day . We would work on  body stretching ballet , then rehearse classical ballet. This was followed by what was called foreign character study; how to move like a flamingo, for example, or other birds and animals that might be characters.” And in case that wasn’t enough gymnastics and martial arts as well. Whew! Your faithful author gets tired just thinking about it.

So how does she see these differences play out in dance? “ In traditional Chinese classical dance everything is in circular motion – lots of circles. The classical dance shape is a circle -  motion, posture, and movements of props – always with a closed circle.

In Western ballet , everything is open , pointed, straight. Everything is totally about open and pointed – straight, like a line. Just the opposite from Chinese classical dance. What I try to do with my work is to explore the tension between the two forms and shapes.”

(Your faithful author finds it interesting that in so many of the interviews she does with music and dance performers, geometry and other math disciplines are mentioned. See, kids, it IS relevant after you finish school!)

She notes another difference between the two: “My company uses lots of props in our dance. Props are considered very good in Chinese dance, but are not used so much in American dance. I continue to use a lot of props because I feel they are a  huge benefit to enlarge your body movement motions. To extend the body and the motion, and also sometimes you can even have a dialog with the prop as a subject.” Which puts a whole different spin on it, at least for your faithful author. An interesting one, to be sure.

I asked Lily to describe what else makes her work unique: “Our company , when we perform, people always call it visually stunning. To me dance  is not dance alone – it requires all the elements together – the music, costumes, lighting, movement, props, expression. It’s a visual art; everything counts!” She laughs, remembering, “One moment that made me so proud : we were in Kennedy Center, and the head of the ushers  - who has seen shows there for 26 years – told me, ‘Your company is completely unique.” Now that’s a compliment!

I closed our chat by asking Lily what inspires her. “Every day something new happens; that is the major reason I keep doing this. Every day brings a new discovery.” Come down and join me to see what Lily’s latest discoveries of shape, color, sound and light are.  December 1, 8:00 p.m. I’ll be the one trailing ribbons.

The Mad Hatter? Wait, That's Not Quite Right...

The hat. That iconic hat. Virtually every publicity shot of My Fair Lady from the original movie starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison shows that hat.

The original Broadway musical poster (designed by no other than the brilliant Al Hirschfeld) started it all:

So when we got set to do some of our early publicity photos, we knew we had to nail the hat. So to speak. To the rescue came the costumer for the show, Jessica Carr. Currently studying at the University of Oregon, she flew up to help us seal the deal.

It's not always easy making costume magic happen. Two different hat bases were located. One was the right base color (white), but too floppy. The other had a good stiff brim like the original, and allowing for the steep angle of the originals (and so many Edwardian hats), but was a woven straw hat. The solution, naturally, was theatrical misdirection. Also known as magic.

Covering the entire hat in white (and some black) satin was relatively easy, and most of the trims were not too difficult to find. We did buy out Bellingham when it came to feathers - big feathers, that is - and luckily still had a great selection of other supplies from our hat-making escapades for the parades. However, one material was elusive; we'll let Jessica tell you her full story:

Doing Good for Those Who Do Good

We were happy to host a run of performances of Late Nite Catechism recently in our Walton Theatre. Those of you who saw the show may remember that  the actress who played the lead role accepted voluntary donations after each performance to support a local convent.

The actresses do this in each location the show plays; here in the 'Ham she collected $5,648.36 which will go to St. Ann’s Home managed by the Franciscan Sisters of Tacoma.

 "Sister" Nonie Newton Breen, pictured here with the fabulous Silvia Reed of Bellingham Explorer and her hubby Marlyn. And let's not forget the donation basket!

St. Ann is the Western Retirement Center for the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia. The Center is comprised of four homes, which supports the continuum of retirement from independence to need for nursing care. The Sisters living at St. Ann have ministered primarily in Oregon, Washington, and California.  They have served in education, healthcare, and social services. Presently, they participate in the work of the community through prayer ministry supporting the needs of the local, national, and global needs of the world.

We are thrilled to have hosted this great series two years running, and thank you all for helping Sister help the Sisters!

 (As you can see, "Sister" Nonie is irrepressible; make sure you see her next time she comes through.)

The Daring Young Folks on the Flying Trapeze

Neil Goldberg is the creative mastermind behind Cirque Dreams, an American version of a European-style circus troupe and production company. Goldberg has designed and created productions for two Superbowls, the NBA, Disney, Busch Gardens, Six Flags, Miss Universe, NBC, ABC, CBS & PBS as well as a wide range of Las Vegas casinos. In toto, Cirque Dreams shows have reached over 50 million people around the globe since starting in 1993. One way they can do this is by designing the shows to require only a bare stage; everything else they bring with and build on the spot. This may complicate their road planning, but it allows them to customize the equipment and acts to each venue. 

All of his creations are designed, developed, rehearsed and produced, including the manufacturing of each and every costume, at his 30,000 sq. ft. Dream Studios production complex in Pompano Beach, FL. His companies and shows engage hundreds of performers as well as an endless array of creative staff and aspiring artists and dreamers.

His approach is a bit different than some cirque-styled shows. “I have said since day one that I'm a theater guy. My goal has always been theater blended with circus artistry. Other companies are circuses and claim to integrate elements of theater.”

In order to take this approach, he has to recruit the highest level of acrobatic performers. We asked him how he goes about finding them:
“I just spent a month in France and I went to some of the [circus] schools and festivals there. There are many countries that support the arts and specifically the circus arts — France, Russia, Mongolia. I work year round with the Mongolian School of Contortion. We just started working with the Ethiopian circus school, cultivating and developing talent. We’ll bring those performers over in the fall.

With the Internet and social media today, it is so much easier to connect with these organizations and governments. Sixteen years ago I had to fly to China and walk the Great Wall into Mongolia and watch 150 kids as their beacon of hope and opportunity to take their art form and earn a living and help support their families. That’s one of the things that is endearing and enriching about this whole process.”

Giving back is important to Neil; he tells us about his latest venture:“Last year I formed the  Neil Goldberg Dream Foundation. What that foundation does is support the dreams and enrich the lives of the artists and families around the world that are looking for the opportunity to cultivate their talent and live out their dream.”

In addition, Neil believes in supporting American troops and this year put together an ambitious effort to entertain troops around the world. “Cirque Dreams 2012 World Tour” for Armed Forces Entertainment launched from Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam, Hawaii to entertain U.S. service members and their families in 17 military bases throughout 10 countries. Goldberg calls this his most satisfying project ever.

He gets asked a lot about the similarity of his name to Cirque du Soleil. “When I produced my first show in the late 1980s, I never even knew that Cirque du Soleil was in existence. I was a corporate meeting and event planner, and I was hired by IBM to create an entertainment concept for their launch of a new brand. I did cirque-style shows for IBM, General Electric, General Motors and other corporations. My first theater production was Cirque Ingenieux, in 1993, for Bally's casino and hotel in Atlantic City.”

In the latest production, Pop Goes the Rock, which will be on our Main Stage on April 28, his inspiration was music: “The inspiration for this show was popular music.  It is our belief that everyone has memories of different songs from different times in their life’s experiences.  Taking the emotion that is evoked from music and blending it with the motion of a Cirque Dreams theatrical experience was our goal…to blend emotion with motion!”

We asked him about another form of artistry his shows are known for: costuming.
“The hundreds of costumes featured in the show complement each songs theme while at the same time telling a story of the show’s setting.  Since the show begins with a traditional jack in the box “pop goes the weasel tune” it was only befitting to set the journey in a carnival funhouse where vibrant color, abstract shapes and optical illusions are the norm.  All of these elements have been interpreted into the show’s costumes.”

So if you’re looking for a show that has it all: astonishing acrobatics, eclectic assortment of music with universal appeal, stunning costumes and a truly theatrical approach to a European-style circus for all ages, this is the one. Two shows, 3:00 and 8:00 p.m. April 28 on our Main Stage.
 

Trocaderos Biggest Fan

The last time my immediate family – mother, father, sister, brother, self – were all together in the same place was five years ago.

On Feb 12, however, my parents are driving from Spokane, my sister and her boyfriend are flying from Denver, and my brother is taking the ferry from Victoria. After five years, what could pull us together? Nobody’s died, nobody’s getting married or giving birth; it’s not even any big birthday. It is dance that is bringing us to the same place at the same time. Not just any dance, but the most amazing, beautiful, talented, funny, and wonderful dance troupe I have ever seen. It’s more than just dance, it’s sheer breathtaking  awesomeness. It’s Les Trocks.

Who (or what), you might ask, are Les Trocks?

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (Les Trocks, as their legion of fans worldwide affectionately call them) is a normal dance troupe in many respects: their dancers are classically trained, flawless ballet dancers. They perform works from Swan Lake to Paquita to Raymonda’s Wedding. They fill theatres all over the world, and regularly spend a sell-out month at London’s Peacock Theatre in the West End. They execute jetes and pirouettes, long arabesques and graceful Pas de Deux.

I first encountered Les Trocks a decade ago, when I was a theatre student living in London, seeing any and everything I could. Because I saw so much theatre with school, I sought dance when I went out on my own. I settled into my seat as the familiar strains of Swan Lake, Act II began to play. The chorus of swans came out, beautiful in their tiaras and long tutus. Rising en pointe, they flowed from one movement to the next, seamlessly executing the equally familiar choreography. As always, I am impressed with the sheer physical ability of ballet dancers. To sustain en pointe, in my opinion, is an athletic feat akin to running an interception for a touchdown.

But the most impressive thing is that Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo is an all-male troupe. Yep. All-male. Those are men with wigs under those tiaras, and in those tutus. Those are men rising on the tips of toes and spinning and spinning around. Those are men whose leaps would make Baryshnikov jealous (and yes, I’ve seen him live, too). Those are men who are almost unrecognizable as prima ballerinas, and men who have the most amazing muscles when dancing the male roles.

Les Trocks are unlike any ballet troupe, not just because they are all men, but because they bring a sense of humor to the whole process of ballet – something that can really only be done by the truly great who truly love the dance. Have you ever been dozing your way through a pas de deux, and thought how funny it would be if the dancers got into a little pushing match over center stage? Or been bored by Giselle in the grave yard and thought it would wake up the show if that fake ghost hit Giselle in the head? How about a swan going the wrong way in the middle of a line dance? Les Trocks start with pure dance, and then slip little moments of silly into it; you never know what is going to happen or when, but you know you’ll laugh, and you know you’ll get stellar dance while you wait.

Yes, men in tights are funny in and of themselves, but men in tights who can be deliberately funny while bringing ballet to a whole new level is pretty rare.

Five years ago, when my family was together for the last time, we almost flew from Italy to Poland just to see Les Trocks. I never, in a million years, imagined that they would be in Bellingham. The only time I’ve seen them in the western United States was Honolulu – the only Christmas present I asked for that year was a ticket to take my sister to Les Trocks.  To have this internationally renowned troupe at our theatre is nothing short of amazing. Ten years ago, when Les Trocks first blew my mind, I never thought I would be working  where they are performing.  The first time I saw them, I was speechless. The second time I saw them, I bought the fancy theatre program. The third time I saw them, I bought both DVDs. This time, I’m getting autographs.

If you love dance, you MUST see them. If you don’t love dance, this is the troupe to change your mind.

Buckle up, Les Trocks are coming!!

Can You Guess Without Googling?

Daughter-in-law to Rosemary Clooney. Has recorded a duet with Rosemary, of her signature White Christmas, for pete's sake. Rosemary Clooney's White Christmas. That's some serious singing creds, folks!)  Seven Grammy nominations, three wins. Her Grammy-winning song became the biggest hit of the 1970s, spending ten consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 — longer than any other song in Hot 100 history to that point. (Outranking even Beatles tunes. The BEATLES!) Cousin by marriage to George Clooney.  Part of a historic Top 5 on the Billboard Country chart. Broadway. Television specials.   Appeared in "Baywatch Nights." Author of many children's books. Honestly, the list seems endless.

Any guesses? She's more accomplished than your dutiful author knew, that is for sure. Truly a multi-talented performer, Debby Boone will be coming to MBT December 23 for a fun-filled holiday show filled with holiday standards, some of her original recordings, and personal reminiscences.

Debby is the daughter of the legendary Pat Boone, and consequently grew up in show business. At 14, she began touring with her father and four sisters as The Pat Boone Family, later The Boones or The Boone Girls. they primarily recorded gospel music, though did also record some secular pop music, featuring Debby as lead vocalist.

Which may have led Debbie toward pop music when she started out as a solo artist. And boy, what a bang she did make in the pop world with her very first single, "You Light Up My Life." As noted above, that song made Billboard history, and was also ranked #7 on the "Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs" in Billboard Magazine's 50th anniversary issue. The song won awards all over the place, earning Boone a Grammy nod as Best New Artist (1977), and the song's author both Song of the Year from both the Grammys and the Oscars. Other awards are simply too many to list here.

Further pop success eluded Debby, however, largely in part due to her squeaky-clean image, which did not lend itself to the pop market. So she stepped back to her multi-generational musical roots to country music. (Both Debby's father, Pat, and her grandfather, Red Foley had recorded in that genre.) The crossover success of "You Light Up My Life," as well as "God Knows/Baby, I'm Yours" probably helped lead her in this direction. However the move was decided upon, it was a good one.

Boone enjoyed a string of country hits, a surprising portion of which were Connie Francis covers. And it also led to the Billboard Country historical chart alluded to above. For the week ending April 19, 1980, the Top 5 positions were all held by women. Crystal Gayle, Dottie West, Emmylou Harris, Tammy Wynette, and Debby. (Way to represent, Debby!) 

Boone then followed her heart, and moved her musical career into contemporary Christian music, another successful shift. She garnered two GMA Dove awards and two more Grammys. And in 1989, Boone released a Christmas album, Home For Christmas, which boasted a duet with her mother-in-law, Rosemary Clooney, of Clooney's signature White Christmas. Yes, that Rosemary Clooney. The one you watch every year in White Christmas, the movie.

You can bet that this will be a show for the whole family to enjoy - one of America's musical sweethearts performing Christmas and holiday tunes. Another show not to miss, brought to you by MBT.

Tickets: Debby Boone

How Do They Do That?

If you’ve ever seen a world-class magician, you know the feeling. Where did the rest of the sawn-in-half woman go? Where do the doves come from? And where on earth is the elephant? 

Magic is the art of illusion; we all know that. Done well, it can make us almost believe that the magic is real; that somehow, we have been transported to the world of Harry Potter and Hogwarts. And the group of magicians coming right here to Mount Baker Theatre for the variety show “It’s Magic” are at the top of their field. You will believe. 

Their influences include Kabuki theatre, martial arts, mime, myth, circus acts and the greats of the magic world.  All of them have won multiple competitions and have starred in Vegas and around the world. And we don’t even have to buy a plane ticket to see them; they are coming to us here in the ‘Ham! 

How is it that this level of performer comes here to the Mount Baker Theatre? For that we can thank John Walton. In addition to being MBT’s resident magician, John holds the world record from the Guinness book for executing the highest number of perfect faro shuffles in a row. (In a perfect shuffle or perfect faro shuffle, the deck is split into equal halves of 26 cards which are then pushed together in a certain way so as to make them perfectly interweave.)

Passionate about magic, John has brought that passion to the theatre for 7 years, both in the Walton Theatre and on the Main Stage.  This year’s offering is a slate of magicians that will make you doubt your own senses. “These are the big-stage illusionsists like you can only see in Vegas, and that  you would spend hundreds of dollars to see on Vegas stages,” says Walton.

Kevin James has performed on television in 60 countries and stunned audiences with his “Operation Illusion” on America’s Got Talent. He’s performed for the Prince of Monaco and at a wide variety of Vegas stages including MGM and Caesar’s Palace. He is also well known in the magic world as a prolific inventor, contributing to shows by Doug Henning and David Copperfield. 

Michael Goudeau has been performing nightly for the last 20 years in the critically acclaimed and wildly successful “Lance Burton, Master Magician” show. That’s Lance Burton, folks! Even if you are not a magic aficionado, you know that name. (And if he’s good enough for Lance Burton, well...) He also has learned his act in French, Spanish, Japanese and Hungarian, though he cautions that he cannot actually speak any of those languages well enough to ask for a glass of water. 

Joel Ward was pulled up on stage to assist a magician at a school assembly at six years old and has never looked back. By age 15 he was winning teen championships and now specializes in large-scale illusions. (Hey, we wonder if he will make the MBT tower disappear during his act?) He has also performed with Lance Burton. 

Jeff Hobson is known around the world for his award-winning mixture of comedy and magic. He spent 4 years as part of the cast of Spellbound at Harrah’s Casino and recently won Best Comedy Magic award from the prestigious International Magic Awards Association. 

Jeff McBride brings us not only a lifetime (starting at age 8) of experience, he brings a multi-cultural approach to the art of magic by incorporating Kabuki theatre, masks, martial arts into his acts. There’s a very good chance you’ve seen Jeff on  television, whether you saw him Burned Alive on ABC’s “Champions of Magic,” or as performer and expert on PBS’s “The Art of Magic,” and TLC’s “Mysteries of Magic.” Winning awards all around the world is not enough for Jeff; he even went ‘where no magician has ever gone before’ when he was a special guest star on “Star Trek - Deep Space Nine.”

From command performances for princes to holding you and your kids spellbound at Mount Baker Theatre right here in the ‘Ham' this is a group of the best magicians in the world.  And we don’t mean just pulling rabbits out of a hat. There will be large-scale illusion; there will be close-in detail work. There will be masks, juggling, and laughter. You will not believe what your eyes tell you. And most importantly, a few who attend will be bitten by the magic bug. Is your child the next Lance Burton? Bring them to this masterful cavalcade of magic and see.

Tickets available online, by phone at 360.734.6080 or in person at the MBT Ticket Office.