Mahaiwe to welcome MOMIX
Great Barrington — The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center will present MOMIX performing “Opus Cactus” Friday, July 5, at 8 p.m. and Saturday, July 6, at 7 p.m.
In an endless search for another gravity, MOMIX artistic director Moses Pendleton combines athletic dance, riveting music, outrageous costumes, inventive props and pure talent to create an entertaining multimedia experience. The troupe of dancer-illusionists has thrilled fans in over 22 countries and has been featured on stage, screen, and television.
In “Opus Cactus,” Pendleton brings the landscape of the American Southwest to life with his signature illusionistic style, creating dynamic images of cactuses, slithering lizards and fire dancers. Originally created as a 20-minute piece in 2001 for Ballet Arizona, “Opus Cactus” was then brought back into the MOMIX repertoire and a full-evening work was created.
Tickets are $28–$78. A limited supply of $15 youth tickets is available for everyone ages 30 and under on a first-come, first-served basis in person at the Mahaiwe box office. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or call the Mahaiwe box office at (413) 528-0100.
–E.E.
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First Fridays Artswalk to celebrate differences
Pittsfield — The July 5 First Fridays Artswalk will encompass 16 art shows featuring over a dozen regional artists in Pittsfield’s Upstreet Cultural District from 5 to 8 p.m. The Artswalk will kick off with opening receptions and artists present throughout, plus a free guided walking tour beginning at 5 p.m. at the BRTA Intermodal Center.
Steven Valenti’s Clothing will display “Problems” by Michael Paul King, an exhibition that explores the overprescription of medications, through Monday, July 29. The Lichtenstein Center for the Arts will feature Community Access to the Arts’ annual “I Am a Part of Art” show through Saturday, July 27, which features a collection of more than 200 original works of art by 125 artists with disabilities from across Berkshire and Columbia counties.
The Unitarian Universalist Church will present Pittsfield’s first transgender youth art show, “Self Made Human” by Hunter Schrade, a selection of acrylic and oil paintings that chronicle Schrade’s transgender journey before and after top surgery. The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Pittsfield branch, 66 Allen St., will feature illustrations by 2019 MCLA graduate Bailey Brissett for the month of July. Dottie’s Coffee Lounge will host an opening reception for “Personal Demons, Obsessions, and Complusions,” a group artshow curated by Richard Britell and featuring the work of Tagan Hawk Mundy, Dana Piazza and Phil Pryjma.
New shows from local artists will also be displayed at NUarts Gallery & Studios, Berkshire Museum, Uncorked Wine & Beer Lounge, Lee Bank, Hotel on North, TKG Real Estate, Brothership Building window, Marketplace Café, Berkshire Paint and Sip and Berkshire Medical Center. For more information, contact Downtown Pittsfield Inc. at (413) 443-6501.
–E.E.
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Norfolk Chamber Music Festival to present ‘Sounds from Home and Away’
Norfolk, Conn. — The Norfolk Chamber Music Festival will present “Hidden Influences: Sounds from Home and Away” Friday, July 5, at 8 p.m. in its Music Shed. The concert will feature Haydn’s Piano Trio No. 39 in G Major, “Gypsy”; Janáček’s “Mládí Suite”; Ravel’s “Mother Goose Suite”; and Price’s “Five Folksongs in Counterpoint.”
The program juxtaposes works depicting the exotic with works that evoke the ideas of home and childhood. Haydn uses gypsy music in his famous trio as a way of injecting faraway lands into the traditional classical form, and there are depictions of southeast Asian music in the Ravel. In contrast, the Janáček and the Price include music from each composer’s childhood, and additionally the Ravel was written for children. Featured performers will be Stephen Taylor on oboe, Robert Blocker and Wei-Yi Yang on piano, and Fellows of the Norfolk Festival.
Tickets are $20–$60 general admission, $10 for young adults ages 19–35 and free for youth under age 19. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival at (860) 542-3000 or norfolk@yale.edu.
–E.E.
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Bidwell House Museum to host country fair
Monterey — The Bidwell House will host the Bidwell Country Fair Saturday, July 6, from 1 to 4 p.m.
The museum has planned a full afternoon of programs and entertainment for all ages. The Adams Brothers followed by Bonner McAllester and Joe Baker will provide music during the celebration. Butler’s Rangers will portray historic characters including refugees, soldiers, women and children, and will give a talk about historic clothing titled “Loyal They Began, Loyal They Remain.
Those wishing to show off their baking skills may drop off a pie no later than 2 p.m. Ribbons will be awarded for the top three pies judged by local chefs Michele Miller of Bola Granola; Rachel Portnoy of Chez Nous; and Clayton Hambrick, formerly of Church Street Cafe.
Children’s activities will include games, crafts, face-painting, a scavenger hunt, a fern maze, a project with Flying Cloud Institute and a pony ride with Marilyn Fracasso. Sausages from the grill, SoCo Creamery ice cream and soft drinks will be available for purchase, and there will be free lemonade, popcorn and watermelon.
The Berkshire Hills and Dales Spinning Guild will showcase historic spinning techniques, Brad Morse of Uncarved Block will about timber framing, Brian and Adam Puntin will demonstrate blacksmithing, Adam Paul Heller will carve stones inspired by Colonial memorials, and Lou Meyerdierks will exhibit early wool applique techniques.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information or to register for the pie-baking contest, contact the Bidwell House Museum at (413) 528-6888 or bidwellhouse@gmail.com.
–E.E.
