The Lord of Dance

The Lord of Dance is coming to UMaine! Based on the classic tale of good v.s Evil, 'The Lord of Dance' is a must see! This is a performance that combines both music and dance to unite its cast and the audience as one. "Described by the Los Angeles Times as a "show piece extravaganza," Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance is a magical adventure of sight and sound that transports its audience to a mythical time and place, lifting the spirits and capturing the hearts of all who experience it." You'll be absolutely spellbound by this performance.

'The Lord of Dance' will be performed on May 3 at 3 p.m. Tickets are on sale on the CCA website or can be purchased the day of the performance if they are not already sold out. So hurry and get your tickets to this adventure filled performance before they run out!

Image courtesy of the CCA website.

The American Ballet Theatre II

I myself used to participate in ballet when I was younger and dreamed that one day I would be a star ballerina. Then, I grew up and realized that not all of us can become graceful ballet dancers. However, some little girls did make it to their dream with hard work and aspiration.

The American Ballet Theatre is coming to UMaine and will be here for one day only.

"The New York Times has hailed ABT II's "rare purity and youthful charm" in its classical dancing." This is a must see for those who enjoy ballet or any form of physical grace and power all woven into one.

The American Ballet Theatre II will be performing on April 17 at 8 p.m. Tickets are on sale at the CCA website or can be bought on the night of the performance as long as tickets are not already sold out.

Image courtesy of Google Images.

To Kill A Mockingbird

I assume we've all read the book ,with the heroic lawyer Atticus, his daughter Scout, and Jem, her younger brother. A story of how one man seeks justice for a man of color who is falsely accused of raping a white woman. The book was published in 1960 and sold more than 15 million copies. This book is a required reading in schools across the nation; I myself had to read it when I was in high school.

Now the book becomes reality as the Montana Repertory Theatre brings 'To Kill A Mockingbird' to life. 'To Kill A Mockingbird' will be performed on April 15 in the Collins Center for the Arts. Tickets may be purchased online at the CCA website.

Image courtesy of CCA website.

'The Way We Get By' the movie

The movie, 'The Way We Get By', is about how senior citizens who visit airports when troops come home.  With simple handshakes and hugs, these senior citizens are playing a major role in the Iraq War.  The movie follows three senior citizens in particular, Bill Knight, Joan Gaudet, and Jerry Mundy.  This movie is a very truthful look at what many Americans are going through with the War.  By the end of the movie, we see how the three characters are able to cope with their own losses because of their frequent visits to the airport to greet the incoming troops.

'The Way We Get By' will be showing in the Collins Center for the Arts on April 10 at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. and on April 11 at 12 noon.  You can purchase tickets online at the CCA website or at the door on the day of the showing.

Image courtesy of Google Images.

Artist Close-up- Shea Lisbet Brook

I decided to interview one of my friends, Shea Lisbet Brook, for this blog entry.  Brook is majoring in studio art and spends hours a day in the print shop making prints.  Shea specializes in mixed media, painting, sculpture, drawing, and printmaking.  Even her room is creative, with paintings and drawings drawn and painted straight onto her wall.  Brook considers that she has been making art since she was a toddler; from the very first time she could hold a writing utensil, she showed promise above other children in regards to art.

Shea Brook has her own website, which she created herself.  If you would like to see more of Shea's art please visit her website at www.iammakingart.com/shea.

Image courtesy of Shea Brook's website.

Three Bands Concert- Tonight!

Have nothing to do tonight? Love to hear live music? The Three Bands Concert will be hosted tonight in Hauck Auditorium. The three bands featured will be the UMaine band, Old Town High School band, and Reeds Brook Middle School band. This concert is to benefit Acadia Hospital’s Youth Services through the Keep the Promise campaign and will be conducted by Denton Stokes. The concert will be held tonight at 7p.m. at Collins Center for the Arts. Tickets are $6 for adults and $3 for students with an ID, 17 and under, and 62 and over. For more information please call 973-5055.

Spring Dance Showcase

Springtime is a time for flowers, spring showers, and of course, dancing. This year, the Spring Dance Showcase will be an event that will allow dancers to showcase their talent. There will be many types and forms of dance; this event cannot be missed!



The Spring Dance Showcase will be held on May 1 and 2 at 7:30 p.m. It will be held in Hack Auditorium in the Memorial Union. Tickets are free for University of Maine students with a Maine Card and $10 for all others. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the MCA box office, but they are typically on sale the night of the show, unless they are already sold out. So, hurry and get your tickets to this years Spring Dance Showcase; you'll be glad you did!

Image courtesy of Google Images.

Hairspray

"It's 1962, and pleasantly plump Baltimore teen Tracy Turnblad has only one desire - to dance on the popular Corny Collins Show. When her dream comes true, Tracy is transformed from social outcast to sudden star, but she must use her newfound power to vanquish the reigning Teen Queen, win the affections of heartthrob Link Larkin and integrate a TV network - all without denting her 'do! Don't miss HAIRSPRAY, Broadway's musical-comedy phenomenon that inspired a major motion picture and won eight 2003 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. "

Quote from http://www.collinscenterforthearts.com/.

Sixteen years later, the musical was made it to the big screen and was made into a movie. The cast includes Nikki Blonsky, John Travolta, Amanda Bynes, Queen Latifah, Zac Efron, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Brittany Snow, and Elijah Kelley.

'Hairspray' will be performed at the Collins Center for the Arts on March 30 at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at the CCA website or on the day of the performance until tickets are sold out. Hurry and get your tickets while supplies last to this fun-filled, heart-warming dance-filled musical!

You can learn more at www.hairsprayontour.com/.

Image courtesy of CCA website.

Bob Marley and Ben Folds Coming to UMO

Bob Marley and Ben Folds are coming to UMO in the very near future. Bob Marley, the comedian, has his own blog, which can be found at http://www.bmarley.com/wordpress/. Ben Folds, a musician, is most known for being the frontman in the band Ben Folds Five. Folds also has a website that you can visit at http://www.benfolds.com/. He also has a Myspace page that you can visit. The direct link is http://www.benfolds.com/

Bob Marley will be performing April 11, 2009 in the Collins Center for the Arts. The tickets are $5 for students, staff, and faculty.

Tickets can be found online at http://www.collinscenterforthearts.com/, at the CCA box office, or you can also call 207-581-1755.

Ben Folds will be performing at the Collins Center for the Arts on April 28, 2009. Tickets can be purchased at the CCA box office or you can call 207-581-1755. Tickets are $16 for students and $22 for the public.

Images courtesy of Google Images.

Arts Websites

This week I'm continuing to work on my feature story profile on one of the main actresses that starred in 'Side Show'. It's been harder than I thought it would be to find events in my beat, the arts. I mainly check the University of Maine Website for updates, which sometimes helps. The link to this website is http://www.umaine.edu/art/. To navigate to events being held on campus the link is http://www.umaine.edu/art/exhibitions.htm. This site is mainly focused on the arts shows and exhibitions. To find out when a play or drama is going to premier go to http://www.umaine.edu/spa/Performances/PerformancesTheatre.html. I've found this website to be extremely helpful when trying to find a play to attend. I'm thinking of either attending 'The Belle of Amherst' or 'Boy's Life'. 'The Belle of Amherst' is scheduled to show on March 25 in the Minsky Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m. 'Boy's Life' is scheduled for April 8-10 at 7:30 p.m. and on April 11 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in Hauck Auditorium.

First Blog Entry

This happens to be my first blog entry ever. Let's start off by introducing myself. My name is Christina Swan, I'm a freshman at the University of Maine Orono, and my beat for my journalism class is the arts. My beat is pretty broad and general which makes it easier to find things to write about. So far, I've written about the play that was showing here at UMO a couple of weeks ago called 'Side Show'. I'm currently writing a feature story, or a profile, on one of the main actresses in the play. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to be writing about in this blog, as I feel that the arts are not related to the news that often. Sure, there are art shows, plays, and musical groups that play, but does anyone really find these things important when faced with real news like the economy or Obama's new administration? Personally, I think I could have chosen a better beat, but seeing as I'm not a journalism major, and I have no idea what I'm doing in this class, I had to make up my mind by a certain date, and the arts was all I could think of. It's what happens in the world of deadlines. Decisions have to be made and what you really want to do is sometimes sacrificed to an easier choice. I'm looking at all the buttons above this blog site now, random I know, but still rather relevant. I'm wondering if I should make the writing look fancy or put it in a different color or something... No, that's like yelling to try and make yourself sound smart; it usually doesn't work. I feel as though the only thing I'm sure of right now is the fact that I'm so very unsure. As my teacher walks to and fro in the classroom, I realize that I am ranting and that I have no actual tangible idea as to what I'm supposed to be writing. I do know that as long as my fingers click aimlessly away at this keyboard it makes me look busy, almost like I might know what the heck I'm doing.
Blogs do amaze me, though. The mere fact that people would want to sit down and read something someone else has written without even knowing the validity of the source, or even the source of the blog itself is astounding. They are useful though, in their own sense. For people who simply want to get things down as a record, citizen journalists, and even people who just need to get down feelings. I imagine that blogging about feelings is allowed? I've read a couple of fashion blogs, so I suppose that I should know what blogging is all about, but having never made one myself, it's hard to just sit down at a computer and type, especially when commanded to. The concept of a blog confuses me though, because of the complexity of its nature. The style format is left up to the discretion of the blogger, so he or she could blog about real events or simply rant and rave their own opinions giving no objectivity whatsoever. Almost like what I'm doing right now?
It's getting to be quite close to the end of class now. The day has been alright thus far; a 96 percent on my journalism midterm and the news that our feature story deadline has been moved to this Friday. On the downside, I have Statistics next and I should be getting back my midterm in that class. I shudder to think of the outcome. I've also had little to no sleep, and being that I am not a morning person, I should probably get a coffee as soon as I am done with this class. It was surprisingly nice to just sit down and type like this, and I can almost see now why people do it. Maybe this will be fun after all.