Art Evolution

Posted on by Thor

Emotions Dance Company will perform the World Premiere of Art Evolution, a collaborative arts experience on Friday, June 13 and Saturday, June 14, 2014, at 8 p.m.
at The John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center’s Mandell Theatre (812 E. Rollins St. Orlando).

Art Evolution is inspired by the famous works of well-known artists.
Audiences will experience live contemporary dance by Emotions Dance
Company, including a piece created by special guest choreographer,
Genevieve Bernard of Voci, visual art by Orlando’s celebrated sketch
artist, Thomas Thorspecken, and spoken word poetry by Jesse
Bradley.

 For this show I did a painting for each dance piece which placed the dancers inside classic paintings. The first dance was inspired by Andy Warhol‘s “Marilyn“. Jesse’s poem pointed out how Marilyn was consumed by the American public just like Andy’s other subjects like Campbell soup cans. The three dancers wore neon bright outfits with tutu skirts. Tiffany Searle poured on the extra sass that really sold the high energy flirtatious flavor of the dance. There was a minor wardrobe malfunction, but it actually added to the flavor of the dance.

The next dance called “The Understudies” was inspired by Edgar Degas‘ “L’Etoile“. Larissa Humiston the choreographer, and Emotions Dance founder explained, “It is about the girls in the wings that never get to perform.” Sketching dance rehearsals has always been one of my favorite subjects. I’ve noticed that as a senior company dancer performs, there is often another dancer in the wings mimicking the dance moves with minimal gestures. I now realize that she must be the understudy.

The next dance is inspired by Edvard Munch‘s “The Scream“.

Larissa explained that, ” I am coming at it as
though it is an impending war. The mother can see the tanks moving in,
and is trying to protect her daughter.” It was inspiring for me as a visual artist to get the inner thoughts about the choreography even as the dance was being created. Taylor Shepherd performed as the mother and Isabelle Lepp, the youngest member of the company performed as the daughter. This is the most dramatic piece in the show and it paired together two dancers whose every gesture and expression can be clearly read.

“New Soul“choreographed by Megen Gerth,  was inspired by Sandro Botticelli‘s “Birth of Venus.” This was a graceful, lyrical dance that celebrates beauty and grace. 

“Tag” was choreographed by Genevieve Bernard of Voci Dance. Genevieve explained her thoughts, “So,
I went with Keith Haring, who for me, was a big inspiration when I was
young. I was a fan kid and met him in NYC at a Swatch signing when I
was in 9th grade. Anyway, I was going between using a specific piece as inspiration or him, and I kind of did both. At
times the dancers in the piece represent him, all of the running and
cross overs across the stage are my homages to the subway drawings he
would do on black paper. When advertisements where expired in the subway, they covered them with black paper. He would draw with white chalk on them. The
dancers running and drawing and running again represents him, having
to draw and get his message out and often having to do it quickly
so as to not get caught. I
also have the dancers “drawing” on the walls, the floor, anywhere…as
he also seemed to have the need to just draw and do it …wherever,
whenever…so I interspersed moments of “stop and draw” with the dancing
and running. Some of the actual movements the dancers do trace the shape of a heart..” When I was going to the School of Visual Arts in NYC, I used to see Keith Haring’s chalk drawings in the subway stations. I therefor drew the 23rd Street subway station that I passed through every day I went to art school. In the dance, Taylor Shepherd began drawing of the wall, floor and then in the air itself. It was a magnificent and graceful gesture that showed no limits when the artist is fully involved, lost in the moment and riding the creative flow.

“Behind the Smile” was choreographed by Larissa Humiston and performed by Taylor Shepherd.  This piece was inspired by Leonardo DaVinci‘s “Mona Lisa“. Larissa explained, “There is something in that smile, yearning, sadness, jealousy,
sass, sexuality? I am coming at it with that angle for that solo.” The dancer, Taylor Shepherd commands attention. When she gracefully leaves the stoic Mona Lisa pose, her every gesture felt confident and appealing. She radiated that smile that hinted at playfulness and inner emotions that can only be expressed through dance. For this series of sketches, I studied rehearsal videos to catch the subtle graceful poses in mid action. Taylor always offered clear lines of action that were a pleasure to draw. Studying the video reference, I began to animate several of her moves just for the fun of studying and understanding her movement.

“Sibling Rivalry” was inspired by Grant Wood‘s “American Gothic“. Larissa Humiston choreographed the dance which was performed by Megan Girth and Isabella Lepp. Isabella, an apprentice at Emotions Dance, has just been accepted by the Alvin Alley Summer Dance program in NYC. This playful dance number was a favorite of the ten year old girl who was at the dress rehearsal. The two dancers playfully nudged and pushed each other as they broke free of the stoic Gothic pose. They kept trying to upstage each other to win the audiences attention.

“Persistence of Memory“ by Salvador Dali was the inspiration for Larissa’s “Time Lapse“. She explained, “This one is about life, the slow and mundane
existence, moving as though suspended in time, the everyday rigamarole,
and then of course, the sped up and frantic life. Each one affects the
others for a minute, but then they ultimately return to their regular timing.” Taylor moved in graceful slow motion for most of the performance. I wondered how she could remain so focused, so balanced for the entire duration. The strength needed must be staggering. Any yoga master would approve. Hannah Rusk moved as the accelerated counter point and thus I drew her movement more often. Karen James took the middle road perhaps representing a look at bland normalcy. 

Michelangelo’s “David” was the inspiration for “Strength and Beauty” performed by Megan Girth. Larissa explained, “This solo is about strength and beauty, power, yet not in a bad way. Regal in a way I guess. David is really about beauty, strength, and pride.
Just looking at the human body and marveling in its winders. The slow
and controlled movement shows these concepts.the David solo just just about strength and beauty, power yet not in a bad way. regal in a way I guess.” Megan moved with slow deliberation often reminding me of a proud Greek athlete. She moved like she was at the very first Olympics, proud and sure of her victory. I’ve actually sculpted David using digital tools and visited him in Florence, so it was a pleasure to revisit the pose.

The final piece is one of my favorites, and it is the first painting I executed after Larissa explained the project to me. The dance is inspired by Vincent Van Gogh‘s “Starry Night.” This is a full company dance in which half the dancers wore black sequins representing the night sky and the other dancers wore white sequins representing the stars. Each needs the other to complete the whole. They flow together in torrents and streams embracing one another. The lyrics from a contemporary pop tune keep reminding me of this dance, “The stars make love to the universe…” A majestic lift near the end of the dance reminded me of the crescent moon and Taylor reaching up towards the night sky reminded me of the flowing curves of Van Gogh’s cypress trees.

Mark your calendar! Don’t miss this show. The first performance is tomorrow, Friday, June 13 and Saturday, June 14, 2014, at 8 p.m.
at The Lowndes Shakespeare Center’s Mandell Theatre (812 E. Rollins St. Orlando). Tickets are $20 at the door. All of my original paintings will be on display and there are $2  gift cards that feature the dancers in action. Stop in and say hello.



Flight: A Crane’s Story

Posted on by Thor

Ibex Puppetry, founded by Heather Henson, presented Flight: A Crane’s Story at this year’s Fringe in the orange venue which is the largest in the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center. The show Explored nature’s deepest mysteries and the spiritual essence of life on Earth through the story a crane names Awaken. After human interference affected their environment, Awaken’s family left on migration without her. The young crane friend had to learn to fly and navigate to find her family and her destiny.

I had quite a challenge sketching the show since the house lights went dark for most of the show so I couldn’t see the page. Also there was nonstop action with kites constantly on the move. I focused my attention on the young crane most of the time ignoring the immense kites. Awaken was first shown as an egg just beginning to hatch. The indigenous North America music was performed live at house left. The woman sang beautifully while the other performer beat the drum. Awaken grew up through a series of puppets. By the end of the show there was a huge crane that would be worthy of being featured in the Macy’s Day parade. I kind of wish I had waited to catch that huge apparition, but I was already committed to the sketch I was working on.

The kites were amazing, swooping down to within inches of the audience before sweeping back up into flight. Costuming was also amazing with some performers wearing costumes that made their arms like huge wings. Movies were projected on the circular screen at the back of the stage offering views of sunsets and the intricate courting dance of the cranes. I would love to see the show again, so that I could focus on some of the truly stellar moments that slipped past me as I rushed to complete the sketch. I envied the others in the audience who could simply relax and enjoy the moment without the obsessive need to capture the moment on a page. This was an amazing show and Orlando is fortunate to have Heather Henson as a unique local artist and entertainer.

The International Crane Foundation is committed to a future where all crane species are secure; a future where people cooperate to protect and restore wild populations and their ecosystems. 

20 Nothing

Posted on by Thor

Last Minute Panic Productions from Winter Springs, Florida presented 20 Nothing, a Fringe play that satirized and celebrated the general population of today’s 20-somethings, The show highlighted this generation’s downfalls, celebrations, struggles, and adventures with comedy and honesty. It aimed to point out the outrageous and inspire, not only in 20-somethings, but also the generations that have come before and came after. That said, the shows themes went right over my head. Perhaps I’m getting too old. I talked to a 30 something on the green lawn of fabulousness however and she felt the same way about the production, that it missed the mark.

There were moments of hilarity like the couple who texted each other constantly yet were impatient and out of touch with each other, not typing what they really thought. Or the Woody Allenish scene in which yoga practitioner’s inner thoughts were broadcast to hilarious effect. More serious scenes seemed out of place like a late night discussion about death followed by a round of beers. On a whole the production left me cold and often confused without any characters that I could identify with. The scenes were disjointed, forwarding no particular plot or developing the characters. Perhaps the company’s name, Last Minute Panic Productions hints at why this was. Or perhaps the disjointed alienating quality of the production was the point. But I think any good production should offer the life raft of some reaffirmation that the struggles we all go through are in some way heroic and add depth to our experiences as we make our way through life. The show left me thinking 20 somethings are soft with no meaningful direction in life, or perhaps I’m just an old codger.

Donating Sperm to My Sister’s Wife

Posted on by Thor

Donating Sperm to My Sister’s Wife was a one man Fringe show from comedian Stewart Huff. His show is about his lesbian sister, her wife and helping them get pregnant.Actually, that is just one story in an an amazing laughter filled hour. Much of the material had to do with being raised a redneck in the south. Neither he or his sister fit the mold. His show became intensely personal when he spoke about wise another sister was who was born with complications that resulted in her brain not getting enough oxygen.

Donating sperm was awkward because he had to donate in a very unappealing bathroom while trying to aim into a tiny Dixie cup. He wasn’t so sure he could aim that precisely. Ultimately however his sisters wife did conceive and they are loving moms.

He spoke for quite some time about his admiration for men who first tried to fly. It must have taken some true faith and nerve to stand on a roof of a barn with two winks taped to arms. Honestly you have to be a bit insane to get into some of the early contraptions that people thought might fly. When he acted out what it must have felt like to try and fly a clothes washer with wings, I was laughing so hard I almost hurt myself. Once the Wright Brothers succeeded, the adventure and mayhem ended. If you ever see someone walking down the street wearing aviator goggles, be sure to follow them because the might be up to doing something weird and wonderful.

Santiago’s Bodega

Posted on by Thor

I had an hour to kill before getting to The Venue to sketch a rehearsal, so I decided to stop at Santiago’s Bodega (802 Virginia Drive Orlando FL) to try their tapas. Right after the collapse of Disney Feature Animation, Kathy Schoeppner a feature animation artist decided to rent this space as a gallery. For a while this space exhibited the art from some of the most talented artists from the studio. Kathy would suggest a different theme each month and artists would create work inspired by that theme. I was proud to exhibit my work being surrounded by so much talent. Unfortunately an art gallery on Virginia drive wasn’t a profitable business venture at the time, and Kathy had to let the gallery go. She moved to Los Angeles following the talent and money that flooded out of Orlando at the time.

Anyway, back to the Bodega. The art on the walls was less than inspired. A sad theatrical mask painting behind the maîtra d’ station greeted people as the entered. I ordered a beer and some tapas all of which tasted great. I’m not much of a foodie, so I didn’t take note of the delicate tastes. I just wanted a quick munch before heading out to sketch. I can say that I’d gladly go back and this place is within walking distance from the Fringe so I will be doing just that quite soon. The entry area had a few chairs where people could sit while waiting for their significant other, or a table.

The waiter at my table took quite an interest in the sketch and he kept inviting more staff over to take a look. A commotion broke out at the table next to me. A bee had flown through the open entry door and it was buzzing and accosting the women. The braver of the two was swatting the bee with her menu while the other woman screamed and laughed. The bee just wouldn’t die. She finally trapped it in her napkin and handed it to the waiter who had run over to help. She warned him that the bee was still squirming inside the napkin. He walked away with the trapped bee and I choose to believe he set it free.

RobotMan

Posted on by Thor

The outdoor entertainment tent at this year’s Fringe Festival rocked. Jessica Pawli organized all the bands and she brought in some amazing talent. There were times when I was between shows and I just had to stop, listen, sketch and enjoy. RobotMan had a fun jazzy sound with plenty of energy. Frankie Messina was sitting in the front row and I asked him how long the group had been playing. He said, “Probably not much longer, but I’m glad I am here to catch them”.

I always agonize that I might not have enough time to do a sketch, but I jumped right in anyway. The fast paced music slipper notes helped carry me along. Sometimes faster is better and accuracy can be replaced with spontaneity. The music reflected that thought as did the sketch. What a fun surprise to catch RobotMan in action on the lawn of fabulousness.

Weekend Top 6 Picks

Posted on by Thor

Saturday June 7, 2014

2pm to 5pm Free.  Artist Day at Snap! Space 1013 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando, Fl. Join artists Fahan Sky McDonagh, Elise Bloom and Sydney Cash (Sydney via Skype NY) as they walk us through their work, their process, experiences and answer any questions. It is the last day of our ‘Edge of a Dream‘ exhibit. www.snaporlando.com

4pm to 6pm Free. Red Bull BC One Orlando Cypher 2014. Full Sail Live, 141 University Park Drive, Winter Park, Fl. Red Bull BC One was founded in 2004 in Biel, Switzerland. Over the years, the championship has moved from Germany to Brazil, South Africa, France, the USA, Japan, Russia and South Korea. Today it remains a key event in Hip Hop culture, pushing the art forward to new levels while holding true to the original one-on-one battle format.

Last year marked the biggest year yet for Red Bull BC One, with its eight past champions competing against eight new challengers. Millions tuned in from around the globe to watch the battle go down in South Korea, where Seoul’s own Hong 10 took home his second World Champion belt.

RedBullBCone.com represents the largest online network of B-Boys and fans; and the event is home to the biggest Facebook community in the scene, with more than 1.2 million fans. The Finals and World Final will be live-streamed at redbullbcone.com.

6:30pm to 9:30pm Free. Singer Levi Jardim’s “The Road” EP Release and Benefit Concert. The Venue, 511 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL. Experience the Young Talent’s Powerful Vocals with Proceeds to Support RIPPLE Africa and The Road Foundation. After two years of hard work in the studio and five years of dreaming, Central Florida singer/songwriter Levi Jardim is ready to release his extended play (EP) and kick off his exciting philanthropic endeavor “The Road Project” combining music and giving.  Backed by an all-star band of top local musicians, Jardim will take the stage and perform his powerful original songs with his signature alternative rock sound including the album’s moving title track “Stay Strong.”  Show proceeds support the organizations RIPPLE Africa, which serves to better a Malawi community through education, housing and other environmental efforts, and announcing The Road Foundation led by Jardim, which aims to encourage kids to use their creative talents to make a difference and will give back to local and national causes.

Sunday June 8, 2014

10am to 6pm Free. Fashion Square Art Fair. Orlando Fashion Square 3201 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando, Fl. On the 2nd Sunday of every month Gallery Fresh Art Markets and Orlando Fashion Square Mall proudly present our “Fashion Square Art Fair.” This is an indoor event showcasing 30 to 60 artists and fine crafts persons located throughout Fashion Square Mall.

4:30pm to 6:30pm Free but buy a beer or two. Open-Mic Comedy. Red Lion Pub 3784 Howell Branch Rd, Winter Park, Fl. an evening of hilarity hosted by Ivon Dee . Pros, first timers, drunken fools, everyone is welcome to grab the mic and give it a shot. I can’t promise you won’t be heckled by Erick Feiling though. Ha! No cover, cheap beer and a fun, laid back atmosphere.

9pm to 11pm Free. Solo Acoustic Spoken Word. Natura Coffee and Tea, 12078 Collegiate Way, Orlando, FL. 407 482-5000

Under the Rainbow

Posted on by Thor

Under the Rainbow written and composed by Alen Gerber was the one operatic performance at this year’s Fringe. The show began with a young mother holding her infant son in a rainbow colored blanket. Crystal Lizardo, who played the mother was surprisingly petite yet her voice filled the huge Rep Theater. She sang a beautiful song in which she imagined her son’s bright future.

Years later, her son is a grown man and he leads a human rights march for marriage equality. A church group lead by the minister of the mother’s church is out to appose the march.  When tempers flair, a member of the human rights group is shoved to the ground. Sarah Purser played Grace, the injured activist and when the minister, Ricardo Dominguez, offers to help her, they sing together about what message, or lack thereof, the bible offers on gay life.

The mother conducts a chorus in church and then laments her son’s sexuality. Being religious, she wants to protect her son from sure hell-fire, but she also wants to see her son to find happiness here on earth. Whereas most parents never accept a child’s homosexuality, she finds solace in a hymns verse, “Where there is charity and love, God is there.” In the end, she accepts her son as he is, and they embrace.

I went into the show with no preconceptions and was pleasantly surprised. The woodwind player unfortunately didn’t check his reeds and thus he kept missing notes. The music as a whole was beautiful but not particularly memorable.  The main musical theme of the show was the exact chromatic inversion of the melody of Harold Arlen’s “Over the Rainbow“. The shows message of open minded acceptance transcended any technical issues. There was a well deserved standing ovation.

Bless Me Father For I Have Danced

Posted on by Thor

Bless Me Father For I Have Danced was presented by Yow Dance at this years Fringe festival. This was a blockbuster show that had a cast of over 30. The show presented amazing song and dance numbers form some of Broadway’s best musicals. The show was tied together by a storyline about a young boy who desperately wanted to audition for a show, but his religious parents refused to let him follow his dream. When the boy goes to church and talks to the priest he still is as enthusiastic as ever and the song and dance numbers are used as evidence to present his case.

A sassy and sexy Bob Fosse dance number honestly swings the balance and the priest sees the boy’s point to comic effect. The boy’s parents aren’t as easy to swayed until a secret is uncovered. The boy’s mom was once a dancer and she gave up show business when she became a mom. As strict as the father was, he also ends up doing a song and dance. A couple of singers voices didn’t hold up in the cavernous Orange venue, but as a whole the show had legs. There were dancing angels, patriotic sailors and bespangled female dancers and show stopping numbers from so many shows so that you definitely get your monies worth.

Word of mouth spread fast and there were incredible lines to get into this show often winding out the Shakespeare Theater door leaving people lined up outside in the heat. No single green room  could hold this huge cast and one day I saw them all behind the Shakespeare theater doing makeup and costuming in the tent set up for a piano near the beer vendor. Of course I couldn’t catch the whole cast dancing, so I focused on the boy and surrounded him by dancers in a cross shaped pattern with a Sexy dancer at the base of the cross. This was without a doubt the biggest production at this years’ Fringe and everyone wanted to see it. This was an ambitions show for Yow dance and the entire crew that payed off. If you didn’t go, you missed a hell of a show.

Tappin’ and Yappin’

Posted on by Thor

International superstar Cindy Starr took the Fringe audience on a whirlwind journey through her career in stage, film, TV, and more. The show featured stories, songs, and more from America’s beloved Tap Dance Queen. From her humble beginnings in Chicago to the triumph on the Silver Screen, Cindy and her accompanist, Johnnie Ivories, had the audience laughing and singing along with her best known hits.

John B. deHaas who plays Johnnie Ivories came up with the idea for the show. He was fascinated by tap legend Ann Miller and her larger than life persona. He knew Joy Anderson since 1999 and decided she would be perfect to play Cindy Starr. Johnnie Ivories seemed based on Liberace with his golden suit studded with sequins.

Cindy kept the jokes coming. An ongoing theme seemed to be that she was always pursuing men who had no interest in women. Several times she had audience members get on stage with her so she could teach them some steps. The results were hilarious. Andrea Canny directed the show, and at one point, she gave gummy bears to everyone in the audience. The pre-show announcements by Michael Marinaccio and George Fringe Wallace always ended with, “if you have any candy, Unwrap it Now!” It therefor became quite comical as Andrea struggled to open the large bags of candy in the back of the theater.

The show was fun and entertaining. As promised, there was plenty of tappin’ and yappin’ along with a couple of Swedish guests who mixed it up on stage.