CATA to present ‘Make Purple’ at Mass. State House
Boston — The Moving Company, Community Access to the Arts’ resident dance company, will present two flash mob performances of “Make Purple” at the Massachusetts State House on Thursday, Sept. 21, at the Grand Staircase at 1:15 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. The piece, which premiered at CATA’s “Everyday People” showcase in May, was choreographed by Dawn Lane, who directs the Moving Company and also serves as CATA’s artistic director. The Moving Company appears at the State House by invitation of Rep. William “Smitty” Pignatelli, D-Lenox.
The Moving Company is a mixed-ability dance company featuring dancers with disabilities as well as dancers who have been classically trained. The company choreographs and performs works that both acknowledge and transcend disability and has performed venues including Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Shakespeare & Company and Berkshire Theatre Group’s Made in the Berkshires festival. The Moving Company dancers are Lane, Lorimer Burns, Lucinda Burns Kara, Ali Flynn, Louisa Millonzi, Leslie Nelson, Teresa Thomas and Olivia Wilber. “Make Purple” features music by Peter Revell and Richard Everard Lawrence.
Said Lane: “’Make Purple’ is CATA’s Moving Company’s response to the polarity and conflict in our government. Dancers perform divided ‘blue’ and ‘red’ dances, but the dance is not fully realized until they literally step away from their color zones and dance together to make purple!”
The performances are free and open to the public. For more information, contact CATA at (413) 528-5485 or info@cataarts.org.
–E.E.
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Hotchkiss School to welcome Michael Musillami Trio +2
Lakeville, Conn. — The Hotchkiss School’s Hotchkiss Concert Series will present jazz group Michael Musillami Trio +2 on Saturday, Sept. 16, at 7 p.m. in Katherine M. Elfers Hall of the school’s Esther Eastman Music Center. The group will perform new original music for its forthcoming 2018 release, “Think Of Something Beautiful.” The Michael Musillami Trio + 2 augments Musillami’s longstanding core trio, featuring bassist Joe Fonda and drummer George Schuller, with the addition of Kirk Knuffke on cornet and Jason Robinson on tenor saxophone.
Born and raised in California, Musillami studied with guitarist Joe Diorio before moving to the east coast in the early 1980s, working primarily in organ trios led by Richard “Groove” Holmes and Bobby Buster, among others. Over his 30-year career, Musillami has led a variety of ensembles, releasing 19 CDs and touring throughout North America, Canada and Europe. Along with his longstanding flagship trio, he has earned critical notice as the leader of groups ranging from duo to octet. In 1999, Musillami founded Playscape Recordings to give himself more control over his recording career and support other musicians. Built around a cadre of frequent collaborators, the label has garnered critical praise and boasts a catalog of more than 70 releases. When not working with his own bands or managing his record label, Musillami also teaches at the Hotchkiss School.
The concert is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Hotchkiss School at (860) 435-4423.
–E.E.
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Relay for Life wrap-up celebration
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LABspace to exhibit ‘Double Vision: Artists Who Instagram’
Hillsdale, N.Y. — Erick Johnson and Janice Caswell, in conjunction with LABspace, will present “Double Vision: Artists who Instagram” Saturday, Sept. 16, through Saturday, Oct. 7, at LABspace. The show features the work of Rosaire Appel, Caswell, Johnson, Mary Lum, Tom Martinelli, Liz Nielsen, Chris Sauter, Karen Schifano and Karen Schiff. A reception for the artists will be held Saturday, Sept. 16, from 5 to 7 p.m.
“Double Vision” investigates the sometimes-blurred line between studio and street. The exhibit’s curators, active Instagram users themselves, became aware of many others who are taking photos that seem directly connected to the art they make. Their photographs clearly relate to their studio work, though none of these artists consider themselves photographers or envision their photographs being presented as their art. The show pairs the artists’ studio work with a sampling of the photographs they’ve shared on Instagram, highlighting their connections to each other.
For more information, contact LABspace at (646) 567-9681 or labspaceart@gmail.com.
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