Show It

3.26-4.2.08
Show It

In this week’s issue:
* Research ShowCASE A Knowledge Extravaganza!
* Comment On the {hopefully temporary} demise of Red {an orchestra}
* Soundbite Laureate Human Beings or Human Beans?
* Straight Outta Mansfield Ward 6 and the Rebirth of the Minstrel Show
* Ingenious Highlighting the imaginative and creativity in CLE
* Preview The Wicked Organ Grinder’s Ball
* Sounds The Blue Album by Pagans & Teacher’s Pet by Teacher’s Pet
* Cool Cleveland Kids podcast click here, CC podcast click here, BFD here

In the spirit of transparency, Cool Cleveland presents, for your perusal and clicking pleasure, a personalized parade, a digital display of all things cool and good this week in our part of the world. The Research ShowCASE is the annual brain-busting panoply of cutting edge research projects, while The Wicked Organ Grinder’s Ball (pictured) shows something else entirely, while featuring SAFMOD performers we interviewed last week. We point you to Ms. Adventures at CPT, and the misadventures in Ward 6 politics by Mansfield Frazier. Our Soundbite Laureate explains human beans and Kelly Ferjutz decries the demise of Red. You only go around once, Cleveland, and I would suggest you show it or go home. —Thomas Mulready

SPONSORED: The Mind of Cleveland is the title of Carl Pope’s art exhibition, and Days of Race: Democracy and Black Reconstruction in the Work of Carl Pope, is the title of the lecture by Nicholas Mirzoeff, both of which open the Cityscapes Conference at 5PM on Thu 3/27 at the Reinberger Galleries in The Cleveland Institute of Art, in collaboration with the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities at CWRU. Complimentary admission. www.BakerNord.org.

A hot selection of tech and business news & events from around the region. Got business news? Send it to: EVENTS@CoolCleveland.com

Research ShowCASE: A Knowledge Extravaganza!

A fascinating “show and tell” event, Research ShowCASE, coming to the Veale Convocation Center on the Case Western Reserve University campus on April 16 -17 will show us what the future looks like right now. This sixth annual exhibit, featuring 563 poster presenters, researchers, and academicians, highlights the most up-to-date research in medicine, technology, energy, social sciences, and engineering from Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, MetroHealth System, the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the Cleveland Clinic.

Researchers submit research abstracts for review while others submit poster displays summarizing their findings. There will also be 32 interactive booth presenters at the show. Five symposia are scheduled to be presented by expert moderators and panelists from the participating institutions along with two break-out sessions.

At last year’s show, thousands of students and visitors saw Dexter, the robotic (autonomous) vehicle designed by Case’s DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) Urban Challenge team. In November 2007, the Case team entered Dexter in the $2 million dollar DARPA national robotic vehicle competition. Without human drivers, robotic vehicles loaded with sensors had to drive through a 60-mile urban obstacle course, obey traffic laws and merge onto traffic circles, in a simulated supply mission assignment. For a first time entry competing against experienced engineering teams, Dexter did amazingly well successfully passing three qualifying exams before it was eliminated…
Read more from Susan Schaul here

SPONSORED: FITTech Alert Another way small businesses can create a healthy IT environment is with the use of Microsoft SharePoint. FIT Technologies prescribes SharePoint to companies that are looking to enhance communications across their enterprise while also offering workflow solutions, forms processing, business intelligence tools, robust search engines, content management and intranet/extranet. Learn more at http://www.fittechnologies.net/appdev.htm.

CLE vies for world’s most Intelligent Community We’re already one of the Top 7 in the world, along with Dundee, Scotland; Fredricton, Canada; Seoul, South Korea; Talinn, Estonia; Westchester, NY and Winston-Salem, NC. This week, the Intelligent Community Forum will be in town on a site visit to decide if we’re #1. What counts? Broadband deployment, promoting a knowledge-based workforce, digital inclusion, innovation in public/private sectors, and economic development marketing. Hey, at least we’re doing our part. http://www.IntelligentCommunity.org

Dress for Success Cleveland The not-for-profit, community-based organization is celebrating its 10th anniversary by urging local residents to donate one new or nearly new business suit during the week of March 30 – April 5, 2008 to help local disadvantaged women enter the workforce with appropriate work attire. Can you help them? Call 391-2314 for details or visit http://www.dressforsuccesscleveland.org.

SPONSORED: Find Funding for Your Great Idea at IdeaCrossing, the online community resource from JumpStart that’s focused on helping entrepreneurs in Northeast Ohio and beyond find the investment capital and business assistance they need to launch new business ventures. There’s no cost to register and create a profile, so there’s no risk. IdeaCrossing is the place for entrepreneurs, investors, service providers and business mentors to come together and create the connections that build great businesses. Visit www.ideacrossing.org to register.

Creating the latest wave in advertising or the next generation of hypochondriacs? AAF-Cle panel discussion decides Thu 3/27 at 2PM at Windows on the River. Click
Preparing/Enhancing the Cle Workforce is the subject of this Fri 3/28 day-long seminar at the Cle Conv Ctr. Details
Environmental sustainability roundtable hits Wed 4/2 at 2:30PM at Sheraton Independence. Register”’
Civic Inno Lab Meet The Champions Breakfast hits Trinity Commons Tue 4/8 at 8AM. Meet the honorees and see about their innovations. Click
Preparing Summit County for a 21st Century Economy luncheon features Cavs Prez Len Komoroski Fri 4/11 at 11:30AM. RSVP online or call Jill Bacon Madden at 330-374-9470
Research ShowCASE 08 Scientists, scholars in 2-day collaboration highlighting research @ CWRU Wed 4/16 & Thu 4/17. More
CAAO’s Doing Biz Beyond Your Borders at Midtown Innovation Center, 4415 Euclid Ave., Suite 201 on Fri 4/18 at 9:30AM. http://www.caao.net. Topic: Doing Business Beyond Your Borders Networked Approach to Building Prosperity in Regions 2-Day Wksp at Punderson Manor Resort beg Wed 4/23. Details
Cleveland Opportunity + Expo 2008 is designed to provide small and mid-size businesses in Cle an opportunity to promote and introduce products or services and establish new relationships. It hits Fri 5/23 at 10AM at the Galleria. Click

PR Success for NPOs The Center for Community Solutions and the Greater Cleveland Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America will host “Six Steps to PR Success for your Nonprofit” during six evening sessions starting Tue 4/8 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. To register, or for more info, call 440-899-1112, or email: prsacleveland@oh.rr.com. http://www.prsacleveland.org.

Michelle Tomallo
Co-Founder & VP, FIT Technologies

Michelle Tomallo has helped led her company through a lot of changes recently. Not only did they grow from an organization of 3 to 65 employees in their original Elyria HQ, they then expanded even more with a move to the Idea Center in Playhouse Square, and have brought on 75 NEOhioans, for a total of 160 employees both here and around the country. Their revenue has doubled every year over the past 3 years, to $14M in 2007, but the biggest change might be their name, from SchoolOne to FIT Technologies, reflecting their growth in the corporate market.

With a solid base serving the K-12 educational market with technology support, application development, disaster recovery and IT services, now they are applying their knowledge and capabilities to a wider range of industries: banking & financial services, professional service firms, creative agencies, non-profit organizations and others. Michelle pops down to the dance studio on the first floor of the Idea Center building to speak with Thomas Mulready of Cool Cleveland about their recent growth and their plans for the future. http://www.FITtechnologies.net

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Got what it takes to be a Visual Art Critic? We are looking for someone with an eye for an eye for the visual arts community. If you’re interested, drop a note to Peter Chakerian, CC Managing Editor, at peterATcoolcleveland.com (replace the “AT” accordingly.

Cool Cleveland Podcast Weekly roundup of cool events, in an easy-to-digest 3 minute audio format, for playback on your computer or iPod.

Click here to subscribe to the Cool Cleveland Podcast in iTunes.

SPONSORED: Beautiful/Decay At the age of 16, Amir Fallah and his friend Jay Littleton published Beautiful/Decay as a black and white photocopied “zine,” which has evolved into a full-color publication with over 45,000 subscribers. Their publication has become the cutting edge, go-to resource book for curators, creative directors, artists, and designers. But more than just a magazine, Beautiful/Decay is a concept that has transcended the printed page to curate art shows, launch an artist’s apparel line and various limited edition series, create branded books and develop event sponsorship programs. Fallah is also an artist in his own right and has exhibited his work at Cherrydelosreyes, LA Louver, and Rhyes Gallery. Amir Fallah lecture: Mon 4/7, 7PM Kulas Auditorium, 3rd floor, JMC Building, CIA, 11610 Euclid Avenue. No admission fee, open to the public. Info: 216-421-7000 or www.cia.edu/tomorrow.

On the {hopefully temporary} demise of Red {an orchestra}

It was with great sadness that I learned of the difficulties facing Red {an orchestra} and which led the board to ‘suspend’ operations. Was I surprised? Not very. Frankly, I was surprised it lasted as long as it did. The powers that be (and I am not referring to any one person in particular, as I’m not all that familiar with their management/organization) never quite seemed to have a good grasp of who they were, where they were, and what they really wanted to do. Too many little niggly details messed up, when they weren’t even necessary, in the first place.

The one constant, however, was the supremely high level of professionalism in the music they performed. No matter what else they tried (and which faltered a good many times) the music was always superbly performed. The musicians played with astonishing cohesiveness and intonation. Red’s music director, Jonathan Sheffer, brought us new and rarely-heard music that many of us in the audience would willingly have listened to on other occasions.

Unhappily, it was the ‘expensive out-of-town soloists’ that finally did them in. Combined with a rather-typical Cleveland March blizzard. Blizzards (or extremely heavy snow storms) are not exactly unusual for this location, especially in March. Would Red have done better by using local soloists? Maybe. Maybe not. I’m frustrated, however, that they didn’t even try…
Read more from Kelly Ferjutz here

SPONSORED: Looking at Cleveland’s Future is Norman Krumholz’s keynote address for Cityscapes, Humanities Week 2008, Fri 3/28 at 4:30PM at Amasa Stone Chapel on Case Western Reserve University campus. An urban planner and recipient of the 2007 Cleveland Arts Prize, Krumholz’ public presentation coincides with The Mind of Cleveland exhibition. Complimentary admission. www.BakerNord.org.

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

British Sea Power This divine UK act appeared live on The Late Show with David Letterman this week; you can watch their performance of new single “No Lucifer” here and then catch them at the Grog Shop Wed 3/26 with special guests Pale Hollow (read Peter Chakerian’s review of PH in last week’s CC). 2785 Euclid Hts. Blvd., Cleveland Hts. http://www.grogshop.gs.

Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express The famed Hammond B3/keyboard player, “Godfather of Fusion” and Cle fave returns to Nighttown Cleveland for two shows on two consecutive days: Wed 3/26 at 7PM and 9PM and Thu 3/27 at 8PM and 10PM. Nighttown, 12387 Cedar Rd, Cleveland Hts. Call 795-0550 or visit http://www.nighttowncleveland.com for ticket info. http://www.brianauger.com.

HOT% ArtMart 2008 is a non-juried, week-long exhibition and sale featuring the work of current members that launches at SPACES Gallery continuing Wed 3/26 throuh Fri 3/28. Artists display and sell their work, while patrons expand their wonderful art collections. SPACES’ special exhibition is visible, popular and fun. 2220 Superior Viaduct. http://www.spacesgallery.org.

The Color Purple The soul-stirring musical based on the classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker and the moving film by Steven Spielberg launches at Playhouse Square Center Wed 3/26 at 7PM. It is the unforgettable and inspiring story of a woman named Celie, who finds her unique voice in the world. Nominated for eleven Tony® Awards, with a GRAMMY®-nominated score this production is sure to uplift. Runs through mid-April. http://www.playhousesquare.org.

SPONSORED: The Cleveland Orchestra is knocking them dead in Miami, and the third of this season’s residency concerts at the Knight Concert Hall will be live on WCLV 104.9 this Saturday, 3/29/08. The classical superstar Midori will be the soloist in Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, along with the Mussorgsky-Ravel blockbuster Pictures at an Exhibition. Giancarlo Guerrero conducts. He’s the one who received acclaim for subbing for Loren Maazel when Loren couldn’t come to Severance because of illness. Full details on all of WCLV’s programming at www.WCLV.com.

HOT The Mind of Cleveland Internationally acclaimed artist Carl Pope’s latest project is incredible, and more than just a love letter to Cleveland. The thoughts of many Clevelanders will be seen on billboards throughout the city and on display at the CIA’s Reinberger Galleries starting Thu 3/27 through early May. These are the real thoughts, feeling and wishes of residents and their response to the question, “What do you think about Cleveland.” The goal of this project was to inspire dialogue and communal action. Cleveland Institute of Art, George Gund Building, 11141 East Blvd. http://www.themindofcleveland.com.
http://www.cia.edu.

Inlet’s DanceWorks See Inlet Dance Theatre perform as part of Cleveland Public Theatre’s DanceWorks 08 James Levin Theatre starting Thu 3/27 at 7:30PM and continuing through the weekend. Program includes their diverse repertoire, two premieres from Inlet Artistic Director/Founder Bill Wade and a world premiere by internationally renowned tantztheatre choreographer Stephen Wynne. A special “Saturday Educational Matinee” runs Sat 3/29 at 3PM. Call 631-2727 Ext. 501 for ticket and show info. Cleveland Public Theatre, 6415 Detroit Ave. http://www.inletdance.org.

HOT National Cityscapes Conference The annual Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities conference this year focuses on “the city as a physical, socio-economic and political entity, as well as a real, imagined, and remembered place.” It kicks off on Thu 3/27 with an exhibition of The Mind of Cleveland by Carl Pope, then a keynote on his work by Nicholas Mirzoeff, all at CIA, but continues Fri & Sat with discussions on Creating and Performing Community, Contested Spaces and Social Divisions, Organizing the City and Looking at Cleveland’s Future, ending on Sat 3/29 with a talk by public artist Lee Quiñones on the Lincoln-West High School mural project. Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities

SPONSORED: Remember the Things You Loved and Hated about School? How about the young ideals we all shared? The memorable teachers who inspired us? Well, go back to school and experience those moments again with “The History Boys” now playing at Beck Center through Sun 3/30 on the Main Stage. Winner of six 2006 Tony Awards including Best Play, The History Boys is a moving comedy about two teachers competing for the hearts and minds of eight bright young men who are trying to get into Oxford and Cambridge. Audiences are loving the chemistry between the eight wonderful young actors assembled to be Cleveland’s own ‘history boys.’ Be there to witness the year that influenced the rest of their lives. Tickets and info: (216) 521-2540 or www.beckcenter.org.

tannaz farsi: the formal absences of precious things opens at The Sculpture Center’s Main Gallery on Fri 3/28 at 5:30PM with an “Artists Talk” between the Iranian-American artist and Nancy Prudic, sculptor and educator, starting at 6:30 PM. No cost, open to the public. The exhibition, which continues through late April, is a “starkly white installation” conveying the depth and emotion of absence and loss. Sculpture Center, 1834 E 123rd St. http://www.sculpturecenter.org.

Organ Grinder’s Ball To avoid being “that guy (or gal),” take Gemma’s advice and get to Metropolis, 2325 Elm St., West Bank of the Flats this Fri 3/28 at 9PM for one of the sassiest, sexiest, turn-on fetish balls there is in the whole of the Midwest. Sensuality gets a spanking in this playful, leather-clad annual event. No pre-sale tickets are available… see Dana Aritonovich’s preview in this week’s issue. For more info, go to http://www.fetishplayland.com or http://www.myspace.com/fetishplayland.

Torah, Torah A 175-year old Torah that disappeared during the Holocaust and was recently recovered and restored will be on display at Lake Erie College Fri 3/28. On loan from Kenyon College, the Torah will be on display during an interactive program with Marc Bragin, Kenyon Hillel director and Jewish chaplain at Kenyon, from 1 – 2PM in the Social Parlor located in College Hall. Bragin will be available until 3PM. A dessert reception will immediately follow a Shabbat service in the Social Parlor. 391 W. Washington St., Painesville. http://www.lec.edu.

Bernadette Peters and the NCMC On Fri 3/28 at 8PM in the Allen Theatre on Playhouse Square, award-winning diva Bernadette Peters performs with the North Coast Men’s Chorus in a revue of song, comedy and dance and featuring the Cleveland Pops Orchestra. Tickets for this unique event are available at the Playhouse Square Ticket Office or online http://www.playhousesquare.org.

Get Torqued Clevelands Improv Comedy Machine brings their March Improv Madness to The Powerhouse Pub on Fri 3/28 at 9PM. It’s a double shot of absolutely unscripted hysterical improv comedy. Comedy at The Pub is a slam dunk! http://www.clevelandimprovinstitute.com.

The Exurbs Three new painters, Dana Oldfather, Susan Danko, and Laura Sanders, explore “environment” and their work will be displayed at The Bonfoey Gallery, 1710 Euclid Ave. The exhibition entitled Exurbs: A Collected Environment launches with an opening reception Fri 3/28 from 5 – 8PM. Exhibition runs through late April. http://www.bonfoey.com.

SPONSORED: Two CIM Live broadcasts are on tap this coming week on WCLV 104.9. On Fri 3/28, WCLV is live at CIM’s Mixon Hall for a recital by Cleveland International Piano and Van Cliburn Competition medal winner Antonio Pompa-Baldi. Tony will play music by Debussy, Schumann and Liszt. On Wed 4/2, at 8PM from Kulas Hall, the CIM Orchestra will be under baton of Cleveland Orchestra Assistant Conductor Tito Munoz with Martin Leung, piano. It’s an especially attractive program – Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and Mahler’s Symphony No. 1. Full details on all of WCLV’s programming at www.WCLV.com.

HOT Human Rights Campaign Dinner & Dance The Cleveland chapter of the Human Rights Campaign — the nation’s largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization — hosts its 15th Annual Dinner and Dance supporting equality on Sat 3/29 from 6PM – midnight at the Mariott at Key Center. The evening will feature comedian Jason Stuart and keynote speaker, Gov. Ted Strickland. Also includes a silent auction. To purchase tickets, click here. For more info, email: dinner.cleveland@hrc.org, call 800-790-2538 or visit http://www.hrc.org/your_community/6016.htm.

A Gala Dinner for Chagrin Valley Little Theatre Catered by Twiinz Catering and featuring a production of Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure, this Gala Dinner Event hits Sat 3/29 at 6PM, with the curtain for the show at 8PM. Enjoy a delectable meal including Beef Tenderloin, Blue Cheese Souffle’, Green Beans with Almonds, English Trifle and more. RSVP by TODAY (Wed 3/26) by calling 440-247-8955. http://www.cvlt.org.

HOT The Future Collective with DJ Olive Experimental DJ mixes dancehall, downtempo, latin funk, breakbeat & dub, then throws in a layer of politics, then creates an installation to create a “sleeping pill” in collaboration with Cleveland Institute of Art students all week, with a no-cost event The Future Collective at 9PM on Sat 3/29 at the CIA Factory, the kick-off of their Tomorrow & Tomorrow & Tomorrow series. CIA.edu

Conya Doss The Ohio neo-soul queen performs at the Beachland Ballroom this Sat 3/29 at 8PM with special guests Hubb’s Groove and DJ Lady Skill. Her voice smolders with sugary sweetness; Doss is the leader of the “Nu Soul” movement alongside Jill Scott, Lauryn Hill and younger acts like Corinne Bailey Rae. http://www.beachlandballroom.com. http://www.conyadoss.com.

Visible Voice presents… first time author Robert Calsin on Sat 3/29 at 1:30PM celebrating his first novel – Misgivings – an action-packed, intriguing book that takes the reader on a wild and thought provoking ride into the heart of a corrupt corporation. Echoing today’s current events of Enron and WorldCom, the book takes you behind the scenes of corporate greed and high finance scandals. For more info on the Calsin book signing or their book selection, call Visible Voice Books at 961-0084 or visit them at http://www.visiblevoicebooks.com.

Great Garden Adventure Spring must be here, because Stan Hywet opens for the season Tue 4/1. Yeah, we know it’s not a formal event listing. We’re explicitly telling you to put down the laptop and go outside. Note: Their Great Garden Adventure — an interactive exploration of the gardens and grounds on the Estate — opens in early May and incorporates treehouses, tunnels and “imagination stations” for kids. 714 N. Portage Path, Akron. http://www.stanhywet.org.

Love Song for Cleveland In celebration of April as Poetry Month, Joseph Beth Booksellers hosts an evening with acclaimed poet/musician Ray McNiece who will be reading from, and autographing copies of his latest poetry collection, Our Way of Life and performing from his forthcoming cd, Love Song for Cleveland at Joseph Beth Booksellers, Legacy Village in Lyndhurst on Tue 4/1 from 7 – 9PM. Presented by the Lit (formerly the Poets and Writers League of Greater Cleveland. http://www.josephbeth.com. http://www.the-lit.org.

Swedish Chamber Orchestra The Cleveland Museum of Art’s (CMA) acclaimed VIVA! & Gala Around Town concert series welcomes the orchestra with conductor and music director Thomas Dausgaard and pianist Piotr Anderszewski on Wed 4/2 at Severance Hall. For more info on this and other VIVA! performances, visit http://www.clevelandart.org/viva.

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

SPONSORED: Animal Estates created by Fritz Haeg, are prototype dwellings for displaced animals. Known as a visionary architect, Haeg’s work engages the communal sphere, and the larger social realm. Other projects include “Edible Estates,” focusing on the conversion of conventional front lawns into gardens that suggest World War II era “Victory Gardens.” Haeg is about to break ground on the Jones High Desert Residence in Joshua Tree, and hosts the “Sundown Salon” weekly at his home/work place LA. Currently a fellow at MIT’s Center for Advanced Visual Studies, Haeg has also exhibited his work at Tate Modern, London and The Whitney Museum of American Art in NYC. His lecture is Mon 3/31 at 7PM, Aitken Auditorium, Gund Building, CIA, 11141 East Boulevard. No admission fee, open to the public. Info: 216-421-7000 or www.cia.edu/tomorrow.

Carl Pope
The Mind of Cleveland
Joint Fellow Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities & Cleveland Institute of Art

“Carl Pope is doing the hard work of imagining a future for the United States at one of the bleakest times in its history,” says professor Nicholas Mirzoeff, who is the keynote speaker for the upcoming National Cityscapes Conference hosted by the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities at Case Western Reserve University, 3/27-29, a confab of international artists & scholars exploring the intersections of the urban environment, the humanities, and social change. Carl Pope himself has been in Northeast Ohio on and off since last October, hosting over a dozen public meetings with citizens young and old, black and white, and asking them the simple question, “What do you think about Cleveland?” Their answers have been collected on the site, TheMindOfCleveland.com and displayed on over 70 huge billboards and kiosks around the region thru 4/18, and printed on traditional letterpress posters, which will be on exhibit at the Cleveland Institute of Art’s Reinberger Galleries, 3/27-5/3. Cool Cleveland’s Thomas Mulready caught Pope in the Gallery installing his work, and they discussed how he evolved from photography and graphics into the public art realm, and how art can affect society. http://www.TheMindOfCleveland.com

SPONSORED: The Audio Janitor Cleans Up at the Future Collective event featuring DJ Olive on Sat 3/29. The 9PM show features Olive, widely known in the international music scene as the Audio Janitor, and a producer, composer, performer and distributor. He designs and produces light shows, video screening, and “voyages” that go beyond the conventional club scene at such events as the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, the Burning Man Festival in Nevada, and the Venice Biennale. His aural “sleeping pill,” an ambient work creating an atmosphere of tranquil sounds, was recently featured at the 2008 Whitney Biennale. Join us for the Future Collective, a live “club” event open to the public (no admission fee) Sat 3/29 at 9PM in room 105, East Entrance, JMC Building at CIA, 11610 Euclid Avenue. Info: 216-421-7000 or www.cia.edu/tomorrow.

So your kids love soccer? They went 10-1 last year, and if your kids didn’t get to see what’s up with our Cleveland City Stars soccer (we like the word futbol better) team, it’s a great time to get them interested… check ut their website here.

Arts Collinwood Brings Art And Kids Together How do you tell a mime from a sculpture? You’ll have to ask the kids in Arts Collinwood’s Art & Drama Camp this summer. The camp’s unusual blend of visual and stage arts is offering four distinct, one-week curriculums, starting with an exploration of ways to present ideas in three dimensions, through sculpture, and also through the ultimate three-dimensional device – the body – to communicate ideas. Details and dates at http://www.artscollinwood.org.

Guitar Hero Competition Get ready to “Bang Your Head” at the Lee Road Library’s first ever Guitar Hero Competition Wed 3/26, Thu 3/27 and Fri 3/28 from 2 – 5PM at the Lee Road Library. “Surrender” and come to the library during spring break, ’cause “School’s Out.” You’ll go “Round and Round” on Guitar Hero, so be sure to register so you can “Rock this Town”. Refreshments will be served, and fun will be had, but remember; only “One” will win the ultimate prize! (Sorry for the play on words, folks. We’re a little stir crazy). For students ages 11 – 19. http://www.heightslibrary.org or call 932-3600.

Tremendous Tuba Former Cleveland Orchestra Principal Tuba Ronald Bishop will introduce children ages 3-6 to the “The Tremendous Tuba” in the Fri 3/28 (10AM) and Sat 3/29 (10AM and 11AM) Musical Rainbow concerts, held in Severance Hall’s Reinberger Chamber Hall. Local actress and singer Maryann Nagel hosts the 30-minute programs, which include narration, demonstration, audience participation, and musical selections both familiar and new to the preschool set. http://www.clevelandorchestra.com.

HOT Roving Mars A whole new world awaits with this mysterious exploraion of the Red Planet at the Great lakes Science Center starting Sat 3/29 at 10AM. The Walt Disney Pictures/ OmniMax presentation is coupled with a lecture by NASA Aerospace Engineer Dr. Geoffrey A. Landis at 2PM. Call 694-2000 or visit http://www.greatscience.com.

I-X Indoor Amusement Park The annual indoor extravaganza is back, this year with a high-energy trick dog thrill show. Details, schedule and other info at http://www.ixamusementpark.com.

Simply Sinatra The Cleveland Pops Orchestra pays tribute to one of the greatest singers of our time – ole blue eyes himself, Frank Sinatra, on Sat 3/29 at 8PM at Severance Hall. World renowned Sinatra interpreter Steve Lippia joins the group in a family-geared show. Expect to hear all the classics — “It Was a Very Good Year”; “The Lady is a Tramp”; “Send in the Clowns,” “That’s Life,” “Fly Me to the Moon,” “Come Fly With Me” and of course, “My Way”. http://www.clevelandpops.com.

Royal Lipizzaner Stallions It sounds kitschy, but if you’ve got kids who love horses, these amazing, dancing white stallions are something to see. Two shows, Sun 3/30 at 2PM and 6PM at the CSU Wolstein Ctr. http://www.lipizzaner.com. http://www.wolsteincenter.com.

MonsterPianos! returns to the E.J. Thomas Hall in Akron on Sun 3/30 at 3PM. The brilliant, family-geared show features multiple pianos played by 26 different pianists! Galen Karriker, director of The University of Akron Marching Band, will conduct. A big-screen “piano cam” will put the audience in the middle of the musical sights and sounds. Details online at http://www.ejthomashall.com.

SPONSORED: Kids Fly at No Charge! Pack up the family and head to the sunny skies because right now, kids 12 or under fly at no charge to Myrtle Beach aboard Southern Skyways, when accompanied by an adult. So if two adults are flying, that means two kids are going along at no charge! Your trip will begin at the family-friendly Akron-Canton Airport, where shorter lines and smaller crowds will send you off more relaxed and ready for fun. For tickets, just visit www.SouthernSkyways.com. But hurry, you’ve got to book by Wed 4/30. And, just think, with all the money you save, you’ll have plenty left over to invest in a shiny new pail and shovel for your children to get busy building those sandcastles!

Cool Cleveland Kids Podcast Weekly roundup of cool events for kids & families from 11-year-old Cool Cleveland Kids correspondent Max.

Click here to subscribe to the Cool Cleveland Kids Podcast in iTunes.

Human Beings or Human Beans?
Baseball 2008: A New Season, A New Crop

Like most sports enthusiasts, I have enjoyed watching “March Madness” this past month, relishing the opportunity to see college basketball stars perform in the NCAA Tournament before they turn pro. And it’s hard to believe that three months have already passed since the New Year’s Day foot-Bowl games provided a glimpse of future NFL stars in action in their final college performance before a nationwide audience. But where do big league Baseball players come from? Have you EVER tuned in on a Saturday afternoon to watch Notre Dame and Gonzaga in a pitchers duel for college baseball’s highest honor?

How DO baseball players get from Little League to the Big Leagues..?
Read more from The Soundbite Laureate here

SPONSORED: A woman in Iran Novelist and filmmaker Marjane Satrapi is in Cleveland to discuss her personal experience of living through the Islamic revolution in Iran. The Academy Award nominated author of Persepolis speaks Fri 4/04 at CWRU’s Amasa Stone Chapel; a no-charge, public event co-sponsored by the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities and The Cleveland Institute of Art. Visit www.BakerNord.org.

Sepesy and Garrigan detail Ms. Adventures

It isn’t often that a local actor gets to premiere a new one-woman show, but it’s even rarer for one to be tailor-made for her talents by a writer who knows her well. When the actor is Alison Garrigan [Frankenfurter, Rocky Horror Show, CPT, lead singer of The Deadward Goreys] and the writer is the award-winning Michael Sepesy, the recommendation is “run, don’t walk”. That comic and dramatic evening of monologues, Ms. Adventures, was a hit in the 2007 Big [Box] series and this year CPT has brought it back for a late-night run. Cool Cleveland contributor Linda Eisenstein talked with them and recorded this rollicking conversation.

Cool Cleveland: What made you decide to write a show for Ali?

Michael Sepesy: It was after I came back from New York in 2003, where I’d performed my show Loserville at the NYC International Fringe Festival. I realized that I liked writing one-person shows but didn’t particularly enjoy performing them. I’d written a few monologues for women, and I immediately thought of Ali. I’d seen her in a lot of shows but nothing that featured all her skills. She is a very plastic performer, but she had been getting typed in a narrow range of roles. As you know, it’s often a problem with roles for women –- so many don’t allow them a whole lot of range. I watch movies and think, “There’s that character again – the one-dimensional love interest who listens to the hero.”

Alison Garrigan: I’m thrilled because I so often get typed as “strong leading lady” or “musical theater person”. People don’t realize that I’m a comedienne, for example. I like being a chameleon. I’ve got this unique physicality – I’m almost 6’, angular – with a forceful personality. Michael’s work lets me become someone I’m not. And he really hits the woman’s voice – it’s easy to learn the lines because they feel so real…
Read more from Linda Eisenstein here

Ward 6 and the Rebirth of the Minstrel Show

“Intelligent people talk about ideas; average people talk about things; small people talk about other people” — Attributed to various authors

I’ve never met John Boyd face-to-face, but we have a number of things in common: We both are formerly incarcerated persons; we both have strived mightily to turn our lives around since exiting prison, and we both are persons of color. Just in case you’ve been residing on the moon for the last couple of years, prisoner reentry — how to ameliorate the negative impact of the close to 700,000 individuals who return home from prison in the US annually — is one of the hottest topics on the American agenda; and for good reason: Keeping formerly incarcerated persons locked out of employment, housing, and all of the other requisites for stable living will cost American taxpayers billions of dollars over the coming decade. By not allowing for second (and in some cases third) chances we force people back into lives of crime… which impacts greatly on public safety, as well as breaking state budgets.

So it’s not surprising that when Boyd came in second in a six-way special election contest to permanently fill the City Council seat in Ward 6, the Greater Cleveland reentry community (of which I am an active member of) took notice. Everyone was of the opinion that individuals with felony records could not hold political office in the State of Ohio … everyone but John Boyd that is. After doing some research, he concluded that the Ohio Revised Code was cloudy and in conflict on the issue, and any first year law student can tell you that when the law is at odds with itself, the “push” goes to the individual, not the State. If Boyd were to win the April 22 runoff, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason would have to seek a ruling from Attorney General Marc Dann’s office in regards to whether Boyd can serve or not…
Read more from Mansfield B. Frazier here

SPONSORED: A Little Glitz at the Ritz? Dust off your prom dress or treat yourself to a new one and bring your young, restless and hip friends to relive your prom at PROMapalooza. GeneratioNEXT, a group of young professionals age 25-40 who support our community through United Way of Greater Cleveland, will hold PROMapalooza, its first gala fundraiser for the annual United Way campaign. This nostalgic evening of glamour and glitz will take place at The Ritz-Carlton’s Silver Grille in the Higbee Building on Sat 4/12 from 7:30PM to midnight. Sponsorship packages are available. Contact Sarah Trimble at 216-436-2185 or strimble@uws.org for more information. Complete sponsorship information can be found at www.uws.org/promapalooza.

DJ Olive
CIA Kacalieff Lecture Series: Tomorrow & Tomorrow & Tomorrow

DJ Olive, who, as The Audio Janitor, has exploded as one of the leading figures on the international experimental DJ scene, is in Cleveland this week collaborating with students at the Cleveland Institute of Art in all disciplines to create what he calls “an omni-sensorial sweep-out.” They’ll brainstorm all week and use audio, visual art, sound art, dance music, performance, and video installation work to create The Future Collective, to be presented on Sat 3/29 starting at 9PM and running into the early morning hours. This is appropriate for a guy like DJ Olive, who once worked in collectives in Brooklyn, NY after studying painting and photography, but found himself more interested in the gallery environment than the art on the walls. So he and his friends rented a place in Brooklyn for $500 a month and put on multi-disciplinary shows every few weeks, a precursor to what became known as raves. DJ Olive talks with Thomas Mulready of Cool Cleveland about how he used dozens of answering machine cassettes to loop his sounds before he learned about samplers, and how he created his now-infamous hour-long “sleeping pill” for his friends in post-9/11 NYC. www.CIA.edu

SPONSORED: It’s All Bach, All Weekend! Join us for the “76th Anniversary Bach Festival,” Fri 4/18 through Sun 4/20 at Baldwin-Wallace College. Major Work: St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244. Five concerts throughout the weekend: Fri 4/18 concerts: 4PM and 8PM (Gamble Auditorium). Sat 4/19 concerts: 1:30PM and 4:00PM (Gamble Auditorium). Sun 4/20 concert: 2:30PM at United Methodist Church of Berea (no admission fee, open to the public). Special performances throughout the weekend by Baldwin-Wallace College, Baldwin-Wallace Motet Choir, Baldwin-Wallace College Choir, Members of Opera Cleveland Orchestra, Festival Brass Choir and more. For info and to reserve tix contact www.bw.edu.

This week’s most active post on BrewedFreshDaily.com

Case Western Reserve University has received a grant of $2 million from the Maltz Family Foundation of the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland to establish the Milton and Tamar Maltz Professorship in Energy Innovation, the university’s first endowed professorship in energy. As an anchor of the new Great Lakes Institute for Energy Innovation, the professorship serves as the cornerstone for the university’s energy program and will provide leadership for the program’s academic and research nucleus. Readers respond:

* In Cleveland, we need jobs NOW. Not another endowed professorship. Look, people are installing wind farms all over the world and Clevelanders could be making the turbines NOW. Clevelanders could be making the panels and equipment for thermal solar NOW. We could be creating a wind farm in Lake Erie and installing Cleveland-made turbines NOW… If 100,000 NE Ohioans were to invest their $300 individual federal income tax rebates in a jobs project for Cleveland, what would you propose? comment by Carla Rautenberg

* One of the characteristics of Cleveland is the relative slowness with which “strategies” get developed and implemented: 10+ years to decide on a convention center, 10 years to establish a business improvement district downtown after Gateway, 3 years spent on a community engagement process, slow progress on implementing wind initiatives or the design district… comment by Ed Morrison

* Whatever the stimulus proposed, I think it all goes back to Ed’s comment about the systems’ processes and its relatedness to speed and decision making. More importantly, our current system set up not only impacts process speed, but relevance making. Our public systems are distinctively fragmented; which is why proposals and initiatives are fragmented and the discussions (like the exciting one above) are fragmented. Here, in the milieu of fragmentation, innovation is slow in coming and – more importantly – solutions are as well. comment by Georgia Reash

* There are probably many local start-ups that could use parts of the $30M. Maybe an established player in the start-up space — JumpStart — could start a new venture fund? “The Local Fund” and get local folks in the region focused on helping ourselves. Of course, married couples could contribute $600 or keep 300 and contribute 300. Not only would this raise needed $$$, but it would raise the “can do” buzz in this region — a real win-win… comment by Valdis Krebs

Read and add your comment here

SPONSORED: Adaptation of Iphigenia? The Lake Erie College theatre department will explore the complexities of war and sacrifice in a radical re-imagining of the ancient Greek classic “Iphigenia.” The production will take place Thu 4/3 – Sat 4/5; Thu 3/10 – Sat 4/12 at 8PM and Sun 4/6 at 2PM. “Iphigenia” is the story of a young girl who has been promised as a human sacrifice by her own father in order to insure success in the Trojan War. The production explores the powerful pull of love and darkness in a father-daughter relationship, and looks at the ways in which parents sacrifice their young to irresistible social pressures. Tickets: $10 for adults; $8 for seniors and students. Information: www.lec.edu.

The Wicked Organ Grinder’s Ball

Dog collar? Check. Thigh-high vinyl boots? Check. Oversized diapers? Um, check. Yes, it must be time for the Organ Grinder’s Ball! Northeast Ohio’s most notorious and anticipated fetish experience of the year will feature fabulous entertainment, sexy-as-hell models, and, as always, an opportunity to indulge and experiment with your kinky side.

“Even if you kinda have a quirky little fetish or idea in your head, you’re not the only one,” says Gemma Viets, one of OGB’s organizers. “I think that people are exhibitionists, and it’s one of the few outlets that allows them to express themselves the way they want to and not be judged. We want you to come away thinking, ‘Wow, I can really be myself, that was really a lot of fun.’”

One of the main attractions this year will be local contortionist and aerial acrobatics performer Sora Sol (check her out at http://www.myspace.com/passionate_sun ). “I’m really excited,” Gemma’s husband Tommy says. “The last five years, I’ve been looking for contortionists. A lot of them are in Europe or Asia, so I’m really excited about finding Sora. I think it’s really hot, you know — use your imagination..!”
Read more from Dana Aritonovich here

Links to interesting NEO blogs

Does RTA make you feel unsafe?
3 situations that reflect poorly on Cleveland.
NOTACON mentioned in Forbes Magazine.
We could just BUY Tower City, demolish it and build a new county administration building with a medical mart and convention center attached.
Spring is a time to think about renewal.

The Blue Album
Pagans
Smog Veil

Teacher’s Pet
Teacher’s Pet
Smog Veil

If you’ve followed the rock scene for any length of time, you know that Northeast Ohio gets its share of punk rock kudos about as often as its ignored for its hot, post-punk power pop. Leave it to Smog Veil — a brilliant indie label with over 70 releases under their belt and in business since 1991 — to lift the veil on both. Next week, Smog Veil releases two “new” and spectacular releases: a set of “lost classics” by the Akron power-pop Teacher’s Pet, and a live concert recording from the Pagans. And both are absolutely stunning… like a trip in the WABAC machine with Peabody and Sherman to the time before pre-fab bands. Both discs are filled with previously unreleased material that should pacify historians and purists, thrill the newbies and stoke the Northeast Ohio punk rock fire once more.

Teacher’s Pet finds the quartet ripping through a set recorded in (and lost since) 1979, full of cocksure swagger and bravado. Led by Ron “PeteSake” Mullens — who hosts DIY Radio on WAPS-FM 91.3 in Akron and at www.diyradio.net — the band’s smart-ass attitude, disparagement and affected bluster scream through on 15 excellent cuts. All the cuts are standouts, with “Cincinnati Stomp,” “Main & Market,” “Little Arthur,” “The Cops are Coming” and a really hot, live cover of “Summertime Blues” topping the list. The disc also features some bonus vintage videos that aren’t to be missed.

Recorded on the last proper tour and featuring an incendiary lineup, the Pagans Blue Album is a 9-cut live effort recorded in Madison, Wisconsin on the group’s last proper tour… back in 1988, no less. Vocalist Michael Hudson, bassist Tim Allee, drummer Bobby Richey and guitarist Mike Metoff kick out these 9 tracks of blistering punk rock with their firebrand, manic energy and frenetic focus on tunes like “She’s a Cadaver,” “Her Name was Jane,” “Real World” and the surf-influenced leadoff “Cry 815.” (Our advice? Pick up this one and listen to it as you read Hudson’s new book Diary of a Punk: Life and Death in the Pagans, published by Tuscarora Books).

Visit Visit Smog Veil at http://www.smogveil.com/ecom.

From Cool Cleveland Managing Editor Peter Chakerian peterATcoolcleveland.com

Wanna get reviewed? Send your band’s CD (less than 1 year old) to: Cool Cleveland, 14837 Detroit Avenue, #105, Lakewood, OH 44107

Quick reviews of recent events
Submit your own review or commentary to Events@CoolCleveland.com

Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall, 3/20 Bold outlines, brassy fandangos, and energetic music-making stood out Thursday night at the Cleveland Orchestra’s last concert before this week’s Miami concert gig (where they are now, playing the same program we heard first in Cleveland). World-famous violinist Midori (she of the single name, like Madonna or Cher) offered an athletic performance of Tchaikovsky’s “Violin Concerto in D major, Opus 35” that showed off her justly renowned mastery of her nearly 300-year old Guarnerius del Gesu violin. Her performance, glittery as her stunning black and silver gown, seemed to lack heart, however, and the collaboration between violin and orchestra didn’t seem as strong as it might have been (and probably will be with repetition). But who knows? The good-sized crowd seemed very appreciative and gave a sustained and enthusiastic standing ovation.

Guest conductor Giancarlo Guerrero also led the orchestra in Roberto Sierra’s “Fandangos for Orchestra” (imagine Roman legions marching to a bullfight) and Ravel’s transcription of Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” (originally piano pieces). The Ravel fleshes out the piano version and allows for more color and nuance in passages that range from all-out percussion (especially the bass drum) to cathedral-holy (and spooky) winds. The orchestra made much of it though at times it sounded too like the Sierra piece that opened the program; all heat and brassiness brought to the fore. Next up in Cleveland on April 10-12: the fabulous Cleveland Orchestra Chorus (led by Robert Porco) with Leonard Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms” and Ralph Vaughn Williams’ “A Sea Symphony”–both not to be missed.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

FIRST Buckeye Regional Robotics Competition @ CSU Wolstein Ctr 3/21 Just what the heck is a robotics competition and what do the robots look like? My curiosity got the best of me. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a non-profit national organization coordinating robotics and LEGO competitions for high school age students and engineering mentors, sponsored the seventh annual Buckeye Regional robotics competition here featuring 46 teams representing Ohio, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Indiana, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Each team received an identical kit of pieces and parts and they had six weeks to design and build a robot to compete in this year’s Overdrive challenge. Each year the challenge and the kits are new, total surprises.

The floor of the Wolstein Center was a beehive of activity, divided in half; one side was called “The Pit” where crews adjusted and fine tuned their 4-foot high robots. The other side was the official playing field, a 54’ x 27’ track bordered by a fence and divided into a Red and Blue side. The field was bridged midway by an overpass holding two large blue and two large red trackballs. The challenge was for two three-team alliances to race around the track with their robots in a counter clockwise direction manipulating the trackballs.

The object of the game is to attain a higher score than your opponent by making counter-clockwise laps with your robot while moving large trackballs over and/or under the overpass that bisects the track. The robots had arms to reach up to the overpass, and push the balls over or grab hold of the balls. Team mates acting as remote drivers stood outside the fence perimeter and steered the robots. Matches were two minutes fifteen seconds along with pile-ups and penalties, a short time to garner points. School teams, teachers, coaches, family members, friends, and corporate sponsors all cheered these teams on to victory. Congratulations to the winners and participating schools. FIRST was founded in 1989 by Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway Personal Transporter, who wanted to find ways to motivate kids to pursue science and technology careers. The FIRST robotics competitions began in 1992. Visit http://www.firstbuckeye.org and http://www.usfirst.org for more information.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Susan Schaul susn1ATatt.net

Not Exactly DanceWorks @ CPT 3/22 This program, which recently completed its run as part of Cleveland Public Theatres’ DanceWorks, was not your typical dance concert. No tights, tutus, high lifts, classical music or choreographed movements here. Instead, knives, lighted juggling balls, fire, devil sticks, hats, a whip and jokes prevailed.

Yes, it was definitely, not exactly, danceworks! It was, instead a tribute, a tribute to Zoe Schultz. Schultz, who recently died of cancer, was the guiding force behind SAFMOD, a performance group which combined many forms of movement into creative concerts. SAFMOD was supposed to be part of Cleveland Public Theatre’s DanceWorks series. To cancel the troupe’s performance was not an option according to its members, so Aaron Bonk and Sora Sol stepped forward. Bonk is a premier juggler/ stiltist/ fire dancer/ guitarist/ singer/ comedian. Sol’s specialty is trapeze and aerial silk/fabric/tissue performance — think Cirque du Soleil.

The duo totally entertained the enthusiastic audience who were eager vocal and physical participants in Bon’s antics which included bull-whipping the head off a rose being held in the teeth of the theatre’s policeman, making choreographed audible sounds as Bon juggled all sorts of objects, and being foils for his jokes. Sol’s outstanding aerial feats were also well received.

”Capsule judgment: Thanks to Aaron Bonk and Sora Sol for making sure that the legacy of Zoe Schultz was not let down. She may not have been there physically, but her presence and spirit were definitely in the house for Not Exactly DanceWorks”.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Roy Berko royberkoATyahoo.com

Roy Berko’s blog, which contains theatre and dance reviews from 2001 through 2007, as well as his consulting and publications information, can be found at http://royberko.info.

Not Exactly DanceWorks @ CPT 3/22 We went to see Aaron Bonk and Sora Sol at CPT last night in their Not Exactly DanceWorks concert. Bonk, who we’ve known as an innovative stilt-walker with SAFMOD, performed as a juggler, a skill we did not know he possessed. Sol billed herself as “premiere aerialist,” a claim which we heartily endorse.

The concert started with Bonk juggling in perfect time to an up tempo Latin beat in front of a cyclorama lit in bright colors. 3 balls a tempo, double time, overhand, underhand, lying supine with 2 hands and one foot — it was reminiscent of if not quite up to the polish of Cirque de Soleil juggling acts — but Bonk was unusually successful at keeping the audience’s attention thanks to his versatility, musicality, an animated physical presence, a humorously self deprecating persona, and finishes timed to coincide with musical accents in the recorded score. By the time Bonk had run through the inevitable escalation — 3 balls and his hat, 4 balls, 4 balls and a 5th balanced on his foot, 5 balls — the 7 minute curtain opener had set a high standard for the rest of the show.

Pausing for a spoken introduction to the next piece, Bonk quickly established the beginnings of a developing rapport drawing upon interaction with the audience and launched into “Hoedown Showdown,” in which he sang a karaoke version of “Devil Went Down to Georgia,” substituting a juggling contest with Indian clubs for the fiddling contest.

Then some devil’s stick before he waxed “classy,” dancing and manipulating his hat to Louis Armstrong singing ‘Mack the Knife.” Bonk mostly plays his considerable facility as a dancer for laughs but his hat tricks leave Bob Fosse in the dust.

We are admittedly not connoisseurs of juggling, or even particularly interested in juggling, so we found it notable that Bonk kept us both engaged and entertained for 36 minutes before Sol made her exciting entrance. Only partially visible to most of the audience as she slid in low along the floor in what would have been the orchestra of the Gordon Theater and then working with one chair on an empty stage, Sol, a tiny woman, proved to be invisibly strong and showed nice lines in her handstands and walkovers and tantalizing bits of dance – an arabesque here, a pirouette there. The rest of the concert, about 2 hours including a 15 minute intermission, alternated Bonk and Sol, though not exactly in equal amounts.

Toward the end of Act I, Bonk sat down on the stage and paid tribute to Zoe Schultz, whose untimely demise in February of this year forced her grief-stricken colleagues in SAFMOD to cancel their appearance in DanceWorks. Schultz’ official title, Executive Director of SAFMOD, fails to express her importance to that company and to Cleveland’s dance scene. Zoe was not only the sister of Hope Schultz, SAFMOD’s Movement Director, she was an acknowledged friend, mentor, and artistic collaborator to many, including Bonk and Sol, who stepped up to replace SAFMOD with this unique performance.

Sol’s 2nd piece picked up the somewhat pensive mood perfectly. Beginning high over the stage suspended from 2 strands of fabric, she moved slowly to slow music, adding to the aesthetic impression she had made in her first piece.

The rest of the concert both was and was not more of the same. In addition to juggling and manipulating various objects, some of them very sharp and definitely dangerous in less skilled hands, Bonk played the guitar, accompanying Sol in a Spanish dance, and sang a comic song somewhat in the delivery style of Pete Seeger. Sol pulled out the stops for her final number, climbing to the highest point in the proscenium arch and executing a breath-taking controlled fall to within 7 feet of the stage floor. The audience gave her a standing ovation. For his finale flourish, Bonk performed a visually arresting number juggling lighted balls in the dark. Oooh! Ahhh!

Not Exactly DanceWorks certainly wasn’t exactly dance, but it certainly was an unusually entertaining, two-person show. While Bonk and Sol both have some limitations as dancers, their dancing added considerably to their other more professionally polished performing skills. Both show considerable unrealized potential to become better dancers, which, we think, would take their acts another step higher still.

Not Exactly DanceWorks was performed at Cleveland Public Theatre 3/20 – 3/22/08.

From Cool Cleveland contributors Elsa Johnson and Victor Lucas vicnelsaATearthlink.net

Most clicked
Here are the Top 5 most clicked links from last week’s issue, with one more chance for you to click.

1) How far does your food travel before it hits your plate? Purchase fresh local veggies, bagged and delivered to your neighborhood & grown by local farmers.
http://www.cityfresh.org

2) Cheapest gas prices tracked by the County.
http://auditor.cuyahogacounty.us/gasprice

3) Do the test and you may be surprised with your answer.
http://www.dothetest.co.uk

4) A Poll Worker Has a Question: “Why Can’t We All Just Be Democrats?”
www.CoolCleveland.com

5) Cleveland Cupcake Company launches a new website (3nd week in the Top 5!).
www.ClevelandCupcakeCompany.com

Exposed Laying it bare for you every week, give it up for Peter Chakerian, T.L. Champion, George Nemeth, Steve Copley, Dana Aritonovich, Linda Eisenstein, Roy Berko, Kelly Ferjutz, Mansfield B. Frazier, Doug O’Bryon, Victor Lucas and Elsa Johnson, and Susan Schaul. And lastly, though certainly not least, thanks to our readers and everyone who partners with us. Want to volunteer and contribute your writing to Cool Cleveland? Send your reviews, articles, or story ideas to: Events@CoolCleveland.com.

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