School Food Project announces community-wide fundraising challenge to help BVSD schools

The School Food Project, a public-private partnership dedicated to healthier school meals throughout Boulder Valley School District, announced this week a community-wide fundraising challenge to continue the positive momentum the three-year long program has initiated to improve school food in every BVSD school. The campaign’s goal is to raise $250,000 by May 15, 2011. A $100,000 fundraising match is already committed by the local nonprofit, Luff Family Foundation. The fundraising efforts, entitled “Healthy Bodies = Healthy Minds” campaign, will be housed online at a special crowd-sourcing site found by visiting www.bvsd.giveo.com.

Funds will support two projects that were already implemented in the current school year: completing the funding of the five new regional kitchens which make and distribute cooked-from-scratch meals and new green practices which replaced disposable serving items to 100 percent reusable plates, utensils, and trays in the cafeterias of all elementary schools plus one middle and one high school. To date, 50 percent of the funds necessary for these major improvements have been raised from community donations.

“We’ve made really good progress in our first 18 months of change,” said Chef Ann Cooper, BVSD director of nutrition services. “But we still have a lot of work to do to fulfill our goal of healthy, delicious food creating healthier bodies and minds for all BVSD school kids.”

Cooper, whose nonprofit, Food, Family, Farming (F3) foundation, just partnered with First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools” Coalition, has a vision for healthy school food across the nation. She believes Boulder Valley is a major case study for other school districts to follow in their own transition from highly-processed and unhealthy food to wholesome, more appetizing made-from-scratch food.

“Boulder is a bellwether community for the nation on so many levels – especially healthy lifestyle. We need to continue to invest in improvements so we can fulfill our three-year plan for healthier school food throughout BVSD,” said Cooper.

Parents might consider giving the value of a week’s worth of school lunches to the School Food Project at $15, a month’s worth of lunches at $60 or a year’s worth of lunches at $500.

“Every donation helps us meet our goal, and allows for continued improvement,” said Robin Luff, chair for the School Food Project and a long time community activist for educational initiatives.

To date BVSD transitioned every meal from highly-processed heat and serve to made-from-scratch recipes using fresh ingredients from local sources when possible. Every school in BVSD has a healthy salad bar and all cafeterias now serve organic, rBGH-free milk in bulk. Unhealthy ingredients such as, trans-fats and other hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, artificial preservatives and coloring agents, and pre-fried, processed foods, have been eliminated from the BVSD lunch menu.

Individuals and businesses interested in making a donation to School Food Project can visit www.bvsd.giveo.com.

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About the School Food Project

Vision: All children of Boulder Valley School District will have daily access to fresh, flavorful and nutritious food made with wholesome and, when possible, local ingredients, so that every child may thrive.

Path of Beauty: Singing the Grand Canyon Collaborative Performance Experience

Song, soundscape, and visual imagery combine to offer audiences a
contemplative journey through the Grand Canyon

"Path of Beauty: Singing the Grand Canyon" with Sound Circle,
photographer Christopher Brown and guest artists
St. John's Episcopal Church, 1419 Pine St., Boulder
Dec. 10-12
7pm

"Path of Beauty: Singing the Grand Canyon" is a colloboration between Sound Circle, the 16-voice Boulder-based women's a cappella ensemble, photographer Christopher Brown and guest artists including Bonnie Carol playing hammered dulcimer, Southwestern singer/songwriter Becky Reardon, harpist Christine Tulis with percussionist Kem Stralka, and Tree Andrew playing Native American flute.



The program was premiered last May at the Broomfield Auditorium and is being repeated as a Solstice season offering based on the strength of audience response to the premiere. The goal of the performance, which is a continuous flow of song, soundscape, and visual imagery, is to offer the audience a contemplative journey through the Grand Canyon.

Christopher Brown's book, Path of Beauty: Photographic Adventures in the Grand Canyon, has just been published by St. Martin's Press. Many of the photos in the book are included in the performance.

Music by composers including Malcolm Dalglish, Bobby McFerrin, Bill Douglas, Kimmerjae Makarus, and Mary Ellen Childs, Becky Reardon, Joan Szymko, with poetry by Joy Harjo and others, will intertwine with improvisational material and soundscape.

Tickets are $20 for general admission, and $15 for seniors and children. To purchase tickets, gotobrownpapertickets.com/event/133234 or call 1-800-838-3006; or purchase at Boulder Body Wear, 2660 Canyon Blvd. in Boulder. Advance purchase is recommended.

For more information, contact Sound Circle at (303) 473-4525 or visit the Sound Circle website.

Comfort Dental provides free dental care on Care Day, Friday, December 24

All Comfort Dental offices will provide free dental care to anyone on Friday, December 24, through it's Care Day event.

Care Day will be at all Comfort Dental general dentistry offices (60+) throughout Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Missouri and Ohio. Offices will be open on December 24 from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. See locations or call 1-877-330-7676.

Since 1984, Comfort Dental has offered free dental care on Christmas Eve Day. Care Day was started 27 years ago as a way of improving accessibility to dental care. On Care Day, all services are free to anyone. Patients are helped on a first-come, first-served basis, receiving a variety of basic dental care from cleanings to extractions. More serious dental problems are handled on a case-by-base basis and at the discretion of the individual dentist.

Approximately 200 Comfort Dental dentists and 1,200 staff members donate their time on Care Day. Last year on Care Day, Comfort Dental offices saw 3,200 patients and gave away $600,000 in free dental services. This year, the need is likely to be bigger based on economic conditions.

Since Care Day’s beginnings in 1984, Comfort Dental has given away $10 million in dental services. Last year, Governor Bill Ritter recognized Care Day. President and Founder, Dr. Rick Kushner says, "We provide free dental care to help people. If someone has a bad tooth, hopefully we can make them feel better. For some people, including kids, Care Day might be the only time they see a dentist all year. We’re dentists, so we give away dental services for the holidays. Care Day is one of the cornerstones of the company. According to Dr. Neil Norton, Vice President, "Due to the tough economy, we anticipate a record turn-out. In a typical year on Care Day, we average 2,000-3,000 patients, but last year was more than 3,000, and this year may be even bigger. There are a lot of families out there who just can’t afford dental care, and this is their only dental visit all year."

Together with the Children Participates in Colorado Gives Day, Dec. 8

Creating recreational environments for the emotional and social development in children, ages 3 to 6, from low-income families affected by violence

Together with the Children, through its sister organization in Puebla, Mexico, supports street involved children and their families to build positive futures away from the streets. To aid this work, TWC promotes the work of the Mexican office with financial assistance. TWC provide a vehicle for individuals and families to make tax-deductible cash donations to Together with the Children to make a real difference in the lives of children who truly need our help.

On December 8, Together with the Children teams up with Community First Foundation and FirstBank for Colorado Gives Day. When you donate online during the 24-hour period of December 8, the value of your donation will be increased by the Colorado Gives Day Incentive Fund--a pool of dollars created to increase donations made to nonprofits through GivingFirst.org. FirstBank contributed $250,000 as a lead gift to the fund, and additional dollars are being solicited from other Colorado businesses. The Incentive Fund will be proportionally allocated across all donations received on Colorado Gives Day, increasing the value of each individual gift.

Visit www.togetherwiththechildren.org and click on the GivingFirst link to make your donation in support of the day center in Puebla, Mexico for market working children.

Other organizations participating in Colorado Gives Day include the Colorado Chautauqua Association, the Boulder International Fringe Festival and more.

Celestial Seasonings® Brings the Sleepytime™ Bear to Life Online

Specialty Tea Leader Introduces a New Tea Time Ritual by Way of Social Media, Providing Escape and Calm for Tea Drinkers

The Celestial Seasonings® beloved Sleepytime® Bear is about to transform traditional tea time. With the help of social media, the Sleepytime Bear character will be brought to life – delivering inspiration, calm and community and establishing a new tea time ritual that is reflective of today’s realities.

On Wednesday, December 8 at 7 p.m. MST, Celestial Seasonings, Inc. will host a live launch party for its weekly “Tea Time with Sleepytime Bear” Twitter sessions at its Boulder, Colorado headquarters. Local bloggers and Sleepytime Bear himself will be in attendance to discuss their tea rituals (and the escape they provide) with Twitter users . The event will also introduce a new Celestial Seasonings tea variety, Sleepytime Decaf Lemon Jasmine Green Tea.

“My mantra, ‘Serenity in a cup, drink it up™,’ speaks directly to the unique ability of tea to help everyone relax and take a break for a few moments,” said Sleepytime Bear [mascot] of Celestial Seasonings. “I think of tea as ‘liquid wisdom’ and I’ve been creating and blending my own line of teas since 1972, so I have a considerable amount of wisdom to share and Twitter and Facebook offer the ideal medium, one that tea drinkers greatly value.”

The Sleepytime Bear recently launched his own Facebook page and Twitter handle to provide a destination for those seeking a respite from their everyday cares. His weekly “Tea Time with Sleepytime Bear” Twitter sessions will serve as an outlet through which tea drinkers can connect with others, share tips for finding calm and heed the inspirational wisdom and comforting humor of the Sleepytime Bear. The weekly hour-long Twitter sessions will take place every Tuesday at 1 p.m. MST beginning December 14.

“This new tea ritual combines the release and connections social media provides with the naturally calming and replenishing properties of tea,” said Peter Burns, General Manager of Celestial Seasonings. “Much like tea time, our iconic Sleepytime Bear has migrated from ‘sleepy’ to stylishly Zen as seen on the packaging of our newest Sleepytime tea varieties, so we’re excited to bring him to life via Twitter and Facebook to inspire tea drinkers everywhere.”

Each week, a different Celestial Seasonings tea will serve as “sponsor” for the Twitter “Tea Time” session, enabling online users to learn about the many all-natural varieties of Celestial Seasonings tea – including herbal, green, white, red, chai and wellness. Additionally, Celestial Seasonings will give away special tea gift packages to select “Tea Time” participants once a month.

Additional information is located at the Celestial Seasonings website, www.facebook.com/SleepytimeBearTea and www.twitter.com/SleepytimeBear.

Follow the launch party live Tweets by searching on the Twitter hashtag #CSTeaTime

"Honoring Our Heroes" Balinese Gala Benefit for Fourmile Fire Fighters is Dec. 3

A Spectacular Evening of Balinese Music and Dance

Benefits Boulder's Fourmile Fire Fighters

Friday, December 3, 7pm
First United Methodist Church
1421 Spruce St., Boulder

The allure of the Indonesian island of Bali comes to Boulder!

Shimmering metallophones...stirring gongs and drums...exquisite costumes, sets, and dances..."Honoring Our Heroes" Balinese Gala is a wonderful way to start the festive season.

This spectacular evening of Balinese music, dance and cuisine honors Boulder's Fourmile Fire Fighters, and features a rare appearance by the mythical Barong lion for a processional/ purification ceremony and the popular Barong dance.

Proceeds will go to help rebuild the four mountain fire departments devastated by the Fourmile Fire (Fourmile, Sunshine Canyon, SugarLoaf and Gold Hill). Volunteer firefighters also provide the first medical response to emergencies in the mountains. Your support of these heroes is greatly appreciated and needed!



Gala ticket includes:

* Concert with preferred seating * Reception with Indonesian cuisine * Live music by Boulder's Musha Marimba ensemble * Meet the Artists and Firefighters. Gala tickets are $40/Adult; $30/Students & Seniors; $20/Children 12 and under and must be purchased by Tuesday, November 30.

Concert Only tickets are also available in advance and at the door, and are $15/Adult, $10/Student, Senior and Children 12 & under.

Purchase tickets online at Gamelan Tunas Mekar's website, or call 303-433-3782 to make reservations by phone.


A FESTIVE FAMILY EVENT

The concert features new and traditional dance pieces with guest Balinese dancers Ni Ketut Marni, Luh Made Didik Dwi Wahyuni, and I Putu Tangkas Adi Mayena and Boulder dancers Linx Selby and Jeanna Del Vecchio.

A special highlight will be the Lion Barong appearing in a traditional Bala Ganjur processional which is believed to clear negativity and assist in purification and rebirth.

The four mountain fire chiefs and the firefighters who lost homes have been invited to lead the processional as the Barong dances down the aisle to the stirring sound of gongs. Residents whose homes were destroyed and other firefighters will be invited up front to form the "villages" to which the Barong will bring blessings.

Dance and instrumental pieces will be performed on the gamelan angklung instruments, imported from Bali in 1976.

A Gala Reception will follow, featuring the festive music of Boulder's Musha Marimba, along with traditional Indonesian cuisine including Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce, Vegetarian Lumpia (Indonesian egg roll), Perkedel (corn fritters), Kue Singkong (gluten-free Kasava cake) with Shredded Coconut, Pisang Gorang (fried, batter-dipped bananas) and more. The artists and guest firefighters will also be available to meet with Gala attendees.

With prices starting at $10, "Honoring Our Heroes" Balinese Gala is a wonderful family event.


NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS

"When our daughter Linx decided to return to Boulder this fall for her senior year, she started dancing with a world-renowned Balinese music ensemble," says Linda Jade Fong. "Her first performance was at an international benefit just after we returned to our still-standing house after being evacuated for over a week during the Fourmile fire. So it gave me the idea of asking the group, named Tunas Mekar, if they'd come to Boulder, bring their spectacular color, music and dance, and do a Fourmile Fire benefit.

They enthusiastically agreed to help us and even bring the magnificent Barong lion (pictured top right) in a rare appearance. Not only is Linx a Fourmile Canyon resident, but several other members of Tunas Mekar are from Boulder, so they will be performing for neighbors and friends who lost their homes."

TICKET PRICES

Gala Ticket - includes preferred seating and Gala Reception: $40/Adult, $30/Seniors & Students, $20/Children 12 and under

Concert-only Ticket: $15/Adult, $10/Student, Senior & Children 12 and under

Purchase tickets online at the Gamelan Tunas Mekar website or make reservations by phone using the Tunas Mekar ticket hotline: 303-433-3782.

ABOUT GAMELAN TUNAS MEKAR

Tunas Mekar performs the indigenous music of the island of Bali, Indonesia. Modeled after typical village groups found throughout Bali, and learning by traditional methods under the direction of Artist-in-Residence I Made Lasmawan, Tunas Mekar provides audiences with a glimpse of one of the world's most fascinating cultures.

Gamelan Tunas Mekar is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is sponsored in part by the University of Denver Lamont School of Music.

An unique classical organ and Phantom of the Opera concert at Boulder High

Boulder High Orchestras present their Winter Concert featuring Saint-Saens "Organ" Symphony No.3. A special digital church organ, which gives the experience of a real pipe organ--in stereo!--has been brought in for this event. It will be played by BHS senior Ambrose Soehn. Under the direction of Dr. Katherine Mason, the three BHS orchestras will also perform music by Vivaldi, Dvorak, and Schubert as well as selections from Phantom of the Opera.

7p.m. Tuesday, November 30, Boulder High Auditorium. Free.

"Dance2Donate" Fourmile Canyon Benefit Concert on 11/11

Local Music Production Company to Hold Benefit Concert featuring Fresh2Death, FieVeL & LoLo, Eminence Ensemble, 2Dubaii and the CU Buff Gold Dance team

On Thursday, November 11, Souls In Action Entertainment along with Heydontjudge.com are putting on a benefit concert for the tragic Four Mile Canyon Fire, donating a portion of the proceeds to the Community Foundation of Boulder County. The concert is going to be held at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom in Denver, and includes a local line-up of great electronic music.

Souls In Action Entertainment is an innovative music production company founded in the fall of 2009 by Miss Lulu Clair, a Colorado native. The company strives to use music and artistic expression to help evolve popular culture into a uniting force around the world, especially in time of crisis. SIA is completely committed to their mission of bringing the latest in musical and artistic talent into communities and using them to raise awareness for various social issues, causes and movements. SIA lives by the notion that everyone in our world is connected somehow by one thing, and that is the love we all share for the arts and especially music.

FOUR GREAT ACTS

The night will feature Fresh2Death, a live musical collaboration duo from Boulder, CO. The duo including DJs Greg Fisk and Ben Samples, has performed alongside many up and coming producers/DJs such as Mimosa, Eliot Lipp, Ana-Sia, Lazer Sword, Savoy, Pretty Lights, VibeSquad, Boombox, and many many more. Opening for Fresh2Death will be; FieVeL & LoLo, an electronic DJ duo from Aspen, Eminence Ensemble, a progressive dance rock band based out of Boulder, and 2Dubaii, a 2 person Electro-Rock Music collaboration from Durango. All of the artists will be donating their time to the cause.

RIDE THE BUS TO THE EVENT!

The Basics Fund will be donating party buses to and from the event. The CU Buff Gold Dance team will be donating their time to perform at the event. Reserve your spot to ride to benefit with the Basics Fund on the Basics Fund website.

Tickets are being sold for $12 in advance at the Cervantes Masterpiece website, and $14 day of the show. The show is at 9pm, doors at 8pm. More information can be found on SIA’s blog.

Donations to the Fire Benefit can be made at Community Foundation website.

Fairview High School presents the epic Broadway musical Les Misérables

Broadway’s legendary musical Les Misérables will be presented by Fairview High School beginning Tuesday, November 9. This Tony Award-winning musical is an epic saga of one man's escape from social injustice. After Jean Valjean's parole from prison for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his family, he is haunted by a constant cloud of suspicion and distrust. Les Misérables, one of the greatest musicals ever written, is an inspirational story of love, courage and redemption. This sensational and dramatic show is not only a superb adventure but also a powerful social document. Families should know the show is rated PG based on adult themes.

Les Misérables was composed in 1980 by French composer Claude-Michel Schönberg on a libretto by Alain Boublil, The musical is based on Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel of the same name. Set in early nineteenth-century France, the plot follows the stories of the characters as they struggle for redemption and revolution. An ensemble that includes student revolutionaries, factory workers, and others joins the lead characters. The Tony Award winning score includes the songs "I Dreamed a Dream," "Do You Hear the People Sing?," "One Day More," "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables," "A Little Fall of Rain," "Master of the House," and "On My Own."

Fairview High School, long known for its professional-level musical productions and broad range of student talent, is presenting an extended run of Les Misérables opening on November 9. The production is presented by 82 cast members, 20 band and orchestra members and 26 crew members from the Fairview High School student body. Female lead roles have been “double cast” to accommodate the extensive student talent. The diverse student cast includes members of the varsity football and tennis teams, notably Javert played by Matt O’Connor and Comberferre played by Will Kuelthau. In fact, in order to allow these talented student athletes to also perform in the musical, no shows have been pre-scheduled for the evening of November 12 and the matinee on November 13. These will be added as additional shows, depending on the playoff status of the Fairview football team.

If you have seen a Fairview musical production before, you will know that Les Misérables is a must see! If you are new to the amazing sets, costumes, lighting and talent presented on the Fairview stage, then you’re in for a theatrical treat!

Les Misérables
A musical by Alan Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg
Book by Victor Hugo

School Edition specially adapted and licensed
by Music Theatre International and Cameron MacKintosh

Directed by Janice Vlachos and Tracy Warren

November 9, 10, 11, 13 at 7:00 p.m.
November 14 at 2:00 p.m.
Fairview High School Auditorium
1515 Greenbriar Blvd., Boulder

Tickets: $10, Reserved seating (checks and cash only)
To Purchase, visit the box office November 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 12 from 11:45 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Also, the box office will open 30 minutes before each show.
For more information: (720) 561-3253 or e-mail FHSLesMisTix @ gmail.com
www.fairviewhs.org/musical

Free Screening of "Race to Nowhere" Documentary Nov. 4

The Watershed School is sponsoring a free screening of the national documentary "Race to Nowhere" on November 4, 2010 at 7:00pm at the Backdoor Theater in Nederland.

It will be followed by a short panel discussion led by Boulder County educators. This documentary is about the pressure our culture puts on students and the detrimental effects of that pressure on young people today. Race to Nowhere is a call to action for families, educators, and policy makers to challenge current assumptions on how to best prepare the youth of America to become healthy, bright, contributing and leading citizens. Please contact your school community to let them know about this important film! Initial reactions from teachers and parents alike indicate this film is "not to miss". You can view the trailer and more information at Race to Nowhere website.

Boulder Author Elaine Pease Weaves Magic with History in "Ghost Over Boulder Creek"

“Elaine Pease has written an excellent novel full of ghostly spirits of the past, filled with mystery and Cheyenne trails.”
-Gordon Yellowman, Cheyenne Indian Chief


“When I received this manuscript I just couldn't put it down- it is stories like this that turn kids into readers.”
-Cathy Morrison, illustrator

Author Elaine Pease, a Boulder, Colorado-based author and publisher of children’s fiction educational picture books and middle grade novels recently released Ghost Over Boulder Creek, (Filter Press; October, 2010) an exciting Native American history mystery. It follows a half-Cheyenne, half-white boy, Run Through Fire on his journey with Buffalo Bill to find his father. But ghostly images haunt him and Run Through fears for his life.

Filled with the colorful characters that made up the Westward Movement, Ghost Over Boulder Creek takes young readers back to 1868, when cultures clashed and Manifest Destiny ruled. But one boy defies the odds to save his mother, his people, and prove his bravery as a Cheyenne.

“After Father taken away, the Cheyenne pushed from reservation to reservation. He would not know Tsitsistas in Oklahoma Territory on the Washita.” He wanted to smile confidence but something caught his attention, something that swirled in the dusty sunbeam behind the two men. Was it his spirit guide? Was it a ghost? Then, it disappeared, with a sudden tent rattling breeze, and a moan that could have been the wind but still raised bumps on Run Through Fire’s arms.”

When Run Through Fire’s white father is accused of stealing horses and taken away by white men, Run Through Fire knows he must protect his Cheyenne mother. Though both survive the terrible Washita River Massacre upon their Cheyenne people, they are captured and his mother is sent to prison. General Custer believes Run Through Fire is a captive white boy raised by the Cheyenne. Run Through Fire pretends it’s true to stay alive in the white man’s world and he and Buffalo Bill journey across the Oklahoma plains toward newly settled Boulder in Colorado Territory, to find Run Through Fire’s father. After he arrives in Boulder, ghostly images that have haunted Run Through Fire during his journey, prove to be more than warnings.

Author Elaine Pease is passionate about western history. She wanted to bring it to life for young readers. How, she wondered, could she write about history and also make it an exciting story? When she researched her local Boulder newspaper’s archives, she stumbled upon a real find. In 1867, the local sheriff and deputy reported seeing a ghost by Boulder Creek. The story tied in nicely with the timing of the Washita River Massacre and other important events and people. Weaving fact and fiction, Elaine created a survivor from that massacre—half Cheyenne, half white boy, Run Through Fire.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elaine Pease is the author of two picture books, the sweet and vibrant I’ll Never Leave and her more recent, Even Sharks Need Friends. I’ll Never Leave is the story of Little Leaf, a leaf in springtime that loves her work on the tree, so much, she’s fearful of leaving. Children learn about photosynthesis and nature’s cycle.

Even Sharks Need Friends is the funny and zany story of a hammerhead shark looking for a friend. Hammy the hammerhead is teased and bullied because he’s a big guy. When he meets a little sea urchin, he rejects her because she’s little and wears ugly eyeglasses. Through the adventure, Hammy finally learns good friends can come in small packages. Ms. Pease wrote and illustrated this sparkly, 3-D undersea world. Toddlers through third graders love these bright and boldly illustrated books, filled with fun, educational games.

AREA BOOK SIGNINGS

Sat. Oct. 30, 2010, 12-2pm
GHOST OVER BOULDER CREEK Launch and Uni-Hill Boo'k Fair
Barnes & Noble
2999 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO 303-444-1066

Sun. Oct. 31, 12-1pm
GHOST OVER BOULDER CREEK signing with ghostly treats
Borders
Flatiron Crossing, Broomfield
303-466-4044

Ghost Over Boulder Creek releases October 30, 2010.

All books can be ordered through Books West, 800-378-4188, Baker & Taylor 908-541-7862 or online at www.peasepodbooks.com. “Ghost Over Boulder Creek” can be ordered directly through the publisher Filter Press, 888-570-2663.

MARCH OF DIMES SIGNATURE CHEFS AUCTION OFFERS CHANCE TO SUPPORT HEALTHY MOMS AND BABIES

Tickets on sale for gourmet food tasting and auction

In an average year in Colorado, 70,772 babies are born. Of these, 10,403 are born to moms who receive inadequate prenatal care; 8,580 are born too soon (premature); 6,292 are born too small (low birthweight); and, 416 will die before their first birthday. Improving the odds for moms and babies and helping them be healthy is the mission of the March of Dimes. Right now, Boulder residents can make a delicious difference.

Tickets are on sale for the annual March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction, an evening of gourmet food sampling featuring the area’s top toques as well as music, an inspiring program and an auction of dining, travel, recreation and other packages. On the menu also is a special opportunity to further the cause through Fund the Mission. Signature Chefs Auction will be held on Thursday, October 21 beginning at 6 p.m. at the Omni Interlocken Resort (500 Interlocken Boulevard in Broomfield). Individual seats are $150 and corporate tables (which include ten seats) may be purchased for $2,500. Reservations may be made by calling the March of Dimes at 303-692-0011 or by visiting the website.

Featured chefs are: Samir Aniba–Magnolia; Michael Drazsnzak–Colterra; Fabio Flagiello–Bácaro Venetian Taverna; Chris Hansen–Tahona Tequila Bistro; David Harker–Meritage; Tony Hessel–Brasserie Ten Ten; Matthew Jansen–Radda and Mateo; Eric Johnson–The Greenbriar Inn; Kevin Kidd–Salt; Jaime Martinez–Aji; Marcus McCoy–Restaurant 4580; Laurent Mechin–Jill’s; and, Alexander Porter–Flatz.

Event sponsors include Jackson National Life Insurance Company, the Omni Interlocken Resort; Frederic Printing and the Daily Camera.

Signature Chefs Auction (which has a $150,000 fundraising goal in Boulder) benefits the March of Dimes and its ongoing efforts to help moms and babies be healthy. Through research, services, education and advocacy, the March of Dimes works to prevent birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. This year in Colorado, the March of Dimes will fund $2 million in programs. Of every dollar raised by the March of Dimes in Colorado, 87 cents goes toward mission programs.

Three other Colorado communities also are hosting Signature Chefs Auction events in 2010: Colorado Springs (Thursday, October 14), Grand Junction (Saturday, October 23) and Denver (Tuesday, November 9).

About the March of Dimes

The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. Learn more about programs and activities in Colorado and get valuable health information by visiting the website.

Cavalia: The New Big Top in Denver?

A Slow Start with a Strong Finish


As I headed toward the white, big top-style tents easily spotted from I-25 in Denver, my curiosity about Cavalia was piqued, to say the least. With its myriad of international performers and more than 60 horses—a good number of them stallions—the show has been touted as “Cirque de Soleil with horses.” The magnificent imagery enveloping the entrance and the enchanting melodies being piped through the tents set the stage for a stunning performance.

To open the show, a solo cellist played as images of spring were projected onto a 70-foot-long screen. The audience was primed to be wowed, yet the first few numbers left much to be desired, despite the rich colors and textures of the set, costumes and projections. Slow moving and with no real cohesiveness, the disjointed acts felt more like vignettes using the horses as props. The show itself felt as if it was holding back.

Things improved after intermission, as if the first half of the show had been a bit of a hustle before the big revelation. Even the simpler numbers, in which the horses almost seemed to be roaming freely, had a completely different feel. Witnessing some of the most spectacular horse breeds, including a variety of Arabians, calmly and naturally interacting on stage with no apparent cues from a trainer, was poetry at its very essence. The magnificence and beauty of the fantastical creatures revealed itself in even the most subtle movements and gestures. Imagine stepping into the enchanted forest of a fairy tale and you will get a sense of this simple yet breathtaking performance. This is what the audience was waiting for, with plenty of aerials and acrobatics coupled with expert lighting and consistently high-quality live music performed behind a scrim. The energy stayed high during what felt like an hour-long (yet very welcome) finale. Horse after horse charged across the stage, and the performers displayed endless energy while doing some truly jaw-dropping tricks. “Cavalia” ended with a bang that kept going for nearly the entire second half of the show.


Even amidst these heart-pumping theatrics, the favorite of the crowd was far and away the “Grande Liberté.” Both the performer and her horses put on a show that was not only artistically innovative but also so highly technical and well-executed that I could have watched an entire program of just her on stage, handling these horses with grace and precision, and the horses' reciprocal elegance and dexterity.


With a running time well over two hours, beginning at 8pm (earlier for the weekend matinees), and fairly high ticket prices (adult tickets range from $34.50 to $189.50), “Cavalia” is definitely an investment. While the higher-priced tickets include extras such as a visit to the stables after the show, going with a more economical ticket might be your best option. For the horses' well-being, no audience member visiting the stables is allowed to pet them. So, although seeing some absolutely beautiful horses is a nice extra, you can still get the full experience while saving a bit of cash.

In a time when movies often miss the mark and live shows repeat permutations of the same old thing, “Cavalia,” even with its slow start, injects much-needed energy into the entertainment scene.

“Cavalia” runs through Sunday, Oct. 17, at the Pepsi Center in Denver. For tickets, visit cavalia.net or call 1-866-999-8111.

New Bosom Buddies Calendar Honors Breast Cancer Awareness Month

A unique and beautiful calendar, featuring 11 breast cancer survivors baring nearly all, is now available at the HealthLinks Foundation website, HealthLinks Clinic and other outlets throughout Boulder.

“We want to raise awareness about breast cancer and celebrate our health, happiness, and hope for the future,” says Valerie Gillon Griffiths, who had the idea to create the Bosom Buddies calendar and is Ms. January.

Every month features a stunning portrait of a survivor naked from the waist up, strategically holding an item that was significant to her during her cancer treatment. Each calendar girl has written or quoted a message of inspiration for the month.

“We hope that the calendar will reassure people currently going through cancer treatment that it is possible to emerge from it all with a healthy body and a healthy sense of fun,” Griffiths says.

Local photographer David Schlatter donated many hours of his time to create the calendar. Proceeds from calendar sales will support HealthLinks Foundation, providing grants to people at HealthLinks Clinic in Boulder who have cancer, Parkinson’s disease or other chronic illnesses.

Founded in 1999 and directed by Trudy Turvey, MSPT, HealthLinks Clinic offers comprehensive services including physical and exercise therapies, nutritional guidance, psychological counseling, massage, yoga and Pilates. The clinic is staffed by five highly trained therapists who provide compassionate, supportive care to many Boulder county residents.

For further information visit the HealthLinks Foundation website, or call 303-443-1937.

"Fall Family Portrait Days" benefit The Community Foundation of Boulder

Need a family portrait? Fall Family Portrait Days are a wonderful opportunity for stunning family portraits, and they benefit The Community Foundation serving Boulder County! Offered by Boulder-based photographer Michelle Maloy Dillon, the donation days are Saturday, Oct. 9, and Sunday, Oct. 17, at outdoor locations in the Boulder area.

Session fees are $65 for 20 minutes and include a customized photo session and a private website of the photos, so that families can place their order for prints or for holiday cards. Session fees will be 100 percent donated to The Community Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works to improve the quality of life in Boulder County and to build a culture of giving.



"I have worked in the Boulder community for many years taking photos of special events and portraits of kids and families," Dillon says. "I feel honored to have the opportunity to use my photography talent to help such a wonderful nonprofit organization. The Community Foundation is an organization that addresses hundreds of needs throughout Boulder County in the arts, health and human services, the environment and education. Boulder is my home and where I chose to raise my family. It’s important to me to give back to my community.”

Reprints are available after sessions from a set of four wallets for $19 to an 8x10 for $65 and a 20x24 for $219. Custom cards, books and framing are also available. To make an appointment, e-mail michelle@mmdphotography.com or call 303.499.0787.

About Michelle Maloy Dillon Photography

Specializing in people photography in an unobtrusive and photojournalistic style



For nearly 20 years, Michelle Maloy Dillon has been documenting the moments and events of people's lives through the meticulous craft and creative art of photography. Based in Colorado, Michelle is a photojournalistic event and portrait photographer, working in a candid and unobtrusive documentary style. Versatile and experienced at her craft, Michelle is very active in the Boulder and Denver area, shooting portraits on location and in environments where her clients feel comfortable. Although she has shot in the digital format for years, she worked for more than a decade in traditional fine art, black and white film photography, and brings that experience to the pictures she takes.

She has traveled all around the state of Colorado and beyond to photograph weddings, bar mitzvahs, parties and special events and has been awarded The Knot Best of Weddings for the last three years.

Clients include Denver Mayor John W. Hickenlooper and family, former presidential candidate Howard Dean, University of Colorado, BSW Wealth Partners, Fireman's Fund Insurance Company, KGNU Public Radio, Heart Center of the Rockies, National Business Officers Association, Arapahoe/Douglas County Mental Health Network, Starz Entertainment and Sunflower Preschool. For more information and a portfolio visit Michelle Maloy Dillon Photography's website.



About The Community Foundation

The Community Foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life in Boulder County and to build a culture of giving. The Foundation is the place where giving is informed and inspired to have the greatest impact on the vision of a better Boulder County. To learn more or make a gift, please visit The Community Foundation’s website or call 303-442-0436.

"Reflections on Cultural Identity" art show opens at the Muse Gallery, October 8

Traditional transforms into Contemporary in Reflections on Cultural Identities

The Muse Gallery, 356 Main Street, in downtown Longmont will feature Reflections on Cultural Identities by Denver artist Kanako Uno in the WESTend exhibit space, and all new work by resident artists in the Main Gallery.

Uno’s work is a biographical travelogue of sorts, exploring the journey of one woman whose roots and origin are in Japan, but who now lives in the American West of Denver, Colorado. Her paintings employ traditional Japanese imagery and media, while incorporating her own unique, signature contemporary style.

“Our ideas and identities are shaped by cultural and social environments. I have learned how much identity means to us. As such, my experiences in the U.S. have shown me the values of identity and cultures. My focus in this series aims to share the stages of emotional development that individuals discover through time, space, and self-recognition. My goal is to stimulate ideas of identity and cultures through visual dialogues to help my viewer look into themselves so that they may become aware of greatness within their own cultures, origins, and identities.” - Kanako Uno

Kanako Uno was born and raised in Kyoto, Japan. Uno began her formal education at the University of Colorado Denver in 2003. Uno’s work has been exhibited at the Emmanuel Gallery, University of Colorado Denver (UCD) student juried shows in 2003 and 2009, the invitational student group show Fiesta at Courtyard Marriott, Downtown Denver in 2006, and at the College of Art and Media Advising Office in UCD in 2006. Uno currently has her work displayed at the UCD Writing Center and at the College of Art and Media Advising Office.

OPENING RECEPTION

Meet the artists on Friday October 8, 2010 at the opening reception from 6-9pm. The reception will feature appetizers by Sakura, wine provided by Fox Creek Wine, Beer & Spirits, and Beer from Left Hand Brewing Company. The exhibition runs through November 6, 2010. For more information contact the Muse at 303-678-7869. The exhibition is sponsored by the Boulder County Arts Alliance and the Kanemoto Families.

THE MUSE GALLERY

The Muse Gallery is a collaborative artist gallery in downtown Longmont where local artists display and sell their work. For the community, it is the Gallery where they can view and buy local art ranging from jewelry to abstract paintings. While the Muse is a member gallery, not all members show at the same time, so each exhibition is fresh and new.

The WESTend exhibit space
T The WESTend is a dedicated space within the Muse Gallery created to provide a space for diverse well-known to emerging artists with a variety of themes and are local to national and international artists. It was created for shows just like this – ones that challenge or engage Longmont with a message to share and art to enjoy.

The Main Gallery
The Main Gallery will feature new work by our resident artists. The Muse Gallery’s resident artists for this exhibition are Ana Maria Botero, Jon Clarke, Katherine Ware-Wolniewicz, Susan Strok, Angelo Ambrosia, Linda Sole Faul, Lora Becker, Carolyn Bradley, Caron Ellis, Scott Mohr, Ani Espriella, Lisa Pentz, Dan Hollingshead, Janet Aitken, Marcy Davis, and new Muse artists Kathleen Reilly, Barbara Hegy, Debra Rocchi and Doug Beall. Each month the Muse features student art from Front Range Community College. Our featured artist is jewelry artist Liz Giles. Our resident artists bring a variety of styles and mediums including hand blown glass and ceramics to jewelry, painting and photography.

Muse Community Space
Japanese Art Scrolls by Rocky Mountain Elementary 3rd Graders. Rocky Mountain students have been studying Japanese art and created their own Art Scrolls. A special student reception will be held on Sat, Oct 16 at 2pm at the Muse. During the reception student ambassadors from the Longmont Sister Cities will share their experience of their summer travels.

Gallery Hours
Tuesday - Friday, 11am -5pm
Saturday, 10am -4pm

Exhibition sponsored by the Boulder County Arts Alliance & the Kanemoto Families

Mamma Mia! Walks down the aisle at the Buell Theatre Nov. 2-7

Tour cast includes Denver actor Christopher Sergeeff

Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus’ MAMMA MIA!, the smash hit musical based on the songs of ABBA, returns to the Buell Theatre November 2-7 only. Single tickets went on sale Sunday, September 12 at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts website or by phone and walk-up Monday, September 13 at 10am.

Leading the cast of 30 in this national touring production is Kaye Tuckerman as “Donna Sheridan,” the independent single mother whose carefree past catches up with her on the eve of her daughter’s wedding. Bride-to-be “Sophie Sheridan” is played by Chloe Tucker; her fiancé “Sky” is played by Happy Mahaney.

Mary Callanan and Alison Ewing play Donna’s best friends and former back-up band, “Rosie” and “Tanya,” (respectively) who reunite with their best friend on the island for Sophie’s wedding. The three men from Donna’s past and Sophie’s possible dads are John Bisom (“Sam Carmichael”), John-Michael Zuerlein (“Bill Austin”), and Paul DeBoy (“Harry Bright”). Sophie’s & Sky’s best friends are played by Stephanie Barnum (“Ali”), Elena Marisa Flores (“Lisa”), Ethan LePhong (“Pepper”) and James Michael Lambert (“Eddie”).


MAMMA MIA!’s ensemble features Jeff Applegate, Amy Biedel, Julius Chase, Thomasina E. Gross, Sean Hayden, Carole Denise Jones, Alison Luff, Marlene Martinez, Mario Matthews, Brian Ray Norris, Merrill Peiffer, Christopher Sergeeff, Jennifer Swinderski and Travis Taber.

An independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island, Donna is about to let go of Sophie, the spirited daughter she’s raised alone. For Sophie’s wedding, Donna has invited her two lifelong best girlfriends—practical and no-nonsense Rosie and wealthy, multi-divorcee Tanya - from her one-time backing band, Donna and the Dynamos. But Sophie has secretly invited three guests of her own.

On a quest to find the identity of her father to walk her down the aisle, she brings back three men from Donna’s past to the Mediterranean paradise they visited 20 years earlier. Over 24 chaotic, magical hours, new love will bloom and old romances will be rekindled on this lush island full of possibilities.

Inspired by the storytelling magic of ABBA’s songs from “Dancing Queen” and “S.O.S.” to “Money, Money, Money” and “Take a Chance on Me,” MAMMA MIA! is a celebration of mothers and daughters, old friends and new family found.

Seen by over 42 million people around the world, MAMMA MIA!, is celebrating over 3,650 performances in its ninth smash hit year on Broadway at The Winter Garden Theatre and remains one of Broadway’s top selling musicals. The original West End production of MAMMA MIA! is celebrating 10 years and over 4,000 performances in London, an international tour has visited more than 50 foreign cities, and the blockbuster feature film adaptation is the most successful movie musical of all time grossing over $600 million worldwide. With a worldwide gross of over $2 billion, the global smash hit musical is acclaimed by the Associated Press as “quite simply, a phenomenon.”


Produced by Judy Craymer, Richard East and Björn Ulvaeus for Littlestar in association with Universal, the creative team responsible for bringing MAMMA MIA! to theatrical life includes some of the most gifted and celebrated talents of musical theatre and opera. With music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, MAMMA MIA! is written by Catherine Johnson and directed by Phyllida Lloyd. MAMMA MIA! has choreography by Anthony Van Laast, production design by Mark Thompson, lighting design by Howard Harrison, sound design by Andrew Bruce and Bobby Aitken, and musical supervision, additional material and arrangements by Martin Koch.

Single tickets for MAMMA MIA! start at just $25. To charge by phone, call Denver Center Ticket Services at 303.893.4100. TTY (for Deaf and hard-of-hearing patrons): 303.893.9582. Groups of 15 or more, please call 303.446.4829. Tickets may also be purchased at the Denver Center Ticket Office, located at the Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex Lobby. Buy and print online at www.denvercenter.org.

MAMMA MIA! is an added attraction in the Denver Center Attractions 2010 season, and is sponsored in Denver by The Four Seasons. The 2010 DCA season is generously supported by United Airlines and Vectra Bank. Media sponsorship for DCA is provided by The Denver Post, CBS4 and Denver Magazine. The Denver Center for the Performing Arts is supported in part by the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District.

For information about MAMMA MIA! around the world, please visit the Mamma Mia! website.

# # #

PERFORMANCE DATES

November 2-7

Tuesday– Saturday, 8pm
Saturday & Sunday, 2pm
Sunday, 7:30pm

Children's Concert Oct. 2: "Nature music" with Jeff Kagan and Paige Doughty

Children's Concert: Jeff Kagan and Paige Doughty
Date: Saturday, October 2
Time: 10:30AM, doors open at 10:15AM
Venue: Louisville Center for the Arts, 801 Grant Avenue
Cost: $3 Children/Adults/Seniors

Boulder Naturalists/Children's Musicians Jeff Kagan and Paige Doughty head east for their first ever appearance in Louisville. Join them for an hour of live nature music for kids (ages 3-8), educational skits/stories, audience participation, quick costume changes and unexpected surprises. Their music explores the realm of ecological cycles, life in the alpine ecosystem, pollination, bear and mountain lion safety, symbiosis, water purification, water and electricity conservation, alternative transportation and so much more. Now if this sounds a little lofty for the kiddie set, then think again. Each song is instructive, but never preachy. And the messages are delivered in a playful manner with memorable musical hooks designed to captivate children and adults alike.

Web site: louisvillearts.org
Facebook: LCC on Facebook

It's October - It's Time for Open Studios Fall Artist Tour!

“One of the best [tours] in the nation”

(source: John Villani, “The Best 100 Art Towns in America”)

October 2 & 3 and 9 & 10, noon – 6pm, free and open to the public
October 1, 6-8pm – Public Reception, Canyon Gallery Boulder Public Library

The annual Open Studios Fall Artist Tour of 128 artist studios in and around Boulder, CO. On the first two weekends of October, 128 artists reveal the secrets of their creations to the public. Tour their studio, watch them create, talk to them about their process, try your hand at it and maybe leave with a new piece of art. Open Studios is a free event averaging 5000 visitors and over 70,000 individual studio visits. September 11 – Oct. 10, one piece from each artist will be on display at the Canyon Gallery of the Boulder Public Library.

OpenArts believes that Art must be accessible to everyone and Open Studios strives to make that happen through events that are relaxed, unintimidating, educational and free. Local artists are some of our most treasured resources that often go unappreciated. Boulder has one of the highest per capita resident artists in the country and Open Studios celebrates their valuable contribution to our lives by revealing their gifts to all.



New this year: The Guidebook has gone online! Now, everyone can easily access information about the tour, the artists and even the map online at Open Studios website. A full color Map with artist images will also be for sale throughout the Front Range for $6 + tax. Visit the Open Studios website for locations. Purchase is not required but makes the tour easier and support Open Studios, a not-for-profit organization.

Open Studios signs and the Map will direct visitors to the studios around Boulder. The Map will note wheelchair accessibility, new artists, bike routes and studios hosting special activities for children.

For more information visit the OpenArts Boulder or the Open Studios websites.

What would 10 minutes of dance at 10:00 a.m. each day in October look like?

Who: Dancer Mary Wohl Haan
What: HAAN Dances: 10 @ 10 throughout 10 / 2010
When: Every morning throughout the month of October, 2010 at 10:00 a.m.
Where: 1100 block of the Pearl Street Mall, east of the split stone sculptures, just east of Boulder Bookstore, Boulder, CO
Why: A dance offering to the community.
FREE!

For the entire month of October, dancer Mary Wohl Haan will be found in downtown Boulder dancing at 10:00 a.m. for ten minutes. As a member of the Boulder dance community for the past twenty years, Haan has wanted to take her dancing to-the-streets in recent months and was inspired by a Canadian dancer who spent 30 minutes dancing in a public place for 30 days this past summer in New York City. With a few adjustments, she decided on a variation that felt like a good starting point - something manageable and not too obtrusive, thoughtful, yet hopefully enough to pique some interest. Wanting to jump right in and with October being the beautiful, if volatile month we know it to be; she's decided to inaugurate this project with ten minutes each day.

Passers-by will find her on the 110 block of the Pearl Street Mall just east of the split rock sculptures, east of Boulder Bookstore each day in October. Rain or shine, snow or wind, this daily dance for the community will be part ritual and part spectacle as she explores the changes that might occur over an extended period of time. Without recorded musical accompaniment, she looks forward to the ambient sounds of people talking and going about their business. Haan says, “I will choreograph a loose structure as a starting point to be repeated each day with whatever variations happen. I’m also bringing a small white wooded pedestal to help ground where I am and delineate the area. Dancing out-of-doors or producing site-specific work is not new, but it’s always a little risky. That variable often brings a new excitement to how we look at artists and art making.”

Haan will be dancing for herself as well as the community, and has set up a day-to-day diary online to document the process. People are encouraged to bring their cameras, cell phones or other recording devices and post what they see to You tube, then forward the links to her www.HAANdances.com site. Her Web site will also have a place for people to log comments if interested.

Photos: Mary Wohl Haan / HAAN Dances from her recent performances in the Boulder Fringe Festival

Photos by Heather Gray Photography

*****

ABOUT MARY WOHL HANN

Mary Wohl Haan, modern dance choreographer, teacher and performer, took her first dance class as a sophomore at the University of Toledo with Elaine Valois. After receiving an Master of Fine Arts degree in choreography from the University of Utah, she spent nine years in Chicago as faculty at Columbia College Dance Center and principal dancer with Mordine & Company Dance Theater. Performing in New York City, across the Midwest and at the World Expo in Brisbane, Australia, she won Chicago’s 1989 Ruth Page Award for Outstanding Dancer of the Year. Since moving to Colorado, she has taught and produced concerts across the country.

As Artistic Director of HAAN Dances in Boulder, she creates original solos and group dances and commissions solo work for herself from other artists. Haan has been an integral part of the Boulder dance community for 20 years, and is currently coordinator of the Boulder Arts Commission’s dance resource project, Dance Bridge.

Growing up as one in a family of twelve children, her choreographic work stems from a belief that one-among-the-many can speak of our human condition and commonality, and still develop a uniquely individual voice. She continues to be excited about the possibilities for dance and performance, collaboration and experimentation. Mary teaches in the local community and is also a competitive master’s swimmer.

2nd Annual ROCK THE HOUSE! Event is Oct. 22

Safe Shelter of St. Vrain Valley is excited to present its 2nd annual ROCK THE HOUSE! event, to be held on Oct. 22 from 6:30-11pm. It will be an evening of rock n’ roll, good food, door prizes and a silent auction.


Sponsors, including Amgen, First MainStreet Insurance, Longmont United Hospital, Guaranty Bank and Longmont Dairy Farm, are helping to raise funds in support of Safe Shelter’s domestic violence programs. Join them for this concert by Wendy Woo at the Loyal Order of Moose Lodge 1548 in Longmont – where there is more room to get your move on! Tickets are $35 in advance and $50 at the door. Please RSVP to Liz@safeshelterofstvrain.org or call 303-772-0432 ext 104.

Safe Shelter provides safety, support and resources to individuals affected by domestic abuse. It promotes empowerment through direct services and community education, advocating for the right of every individual to live a life free of intimidation, exploitation and abuse.

Dance Theater Review: “Tap Dogs” — Just See It!

“Tap Dogs” at the Buell Theatre

Denver Center for the Performing Arts

Through September 26

An Australian steelyard comes to life in a muscularly beautiful cacophony of sound

By Carolyn Oakley

“Tap Dogs” opened Wednesday night at the Buell Theatre in Denver to a thrilled audience. The hoots and whistles began early as the packed house let the Dogs know "We're here for you, we recognize your talent." The Dogs responded with a knockout show.

Pre-concert house music blasting AC/DC and a program note mentioning the Blundstone Australian work boots worn by the dancers let the audience know immediately that this would not be your Golden Age of Hollywood tap-dancing show.

Fade to black.

An innovative set made of corrugated sheet metal, pipes, ropes, beams and pulleys plunges the audience into the industrial world of the Australian steel town where “Tap Dogs” was born. Strong backlighting that casts the dancers into silhouettes, rhythmic switching on and off of industrial flashlights and the flying sparks of steel grinding steel create a gritty mood of constant motion. Six male dancers in T-shirts, jeans, cutoffs and flannel shirts evoke a world when men work hard, play hard and dream passionately.

These men are strong. They dance on steel beams and ladders, and pulling on ropes while dancing on the moving set. One puts on climbing gear and tap dances upside down. These dancers are athletic and powerful.

These men have dreams. Breakout solos, and duets of grace and ease, suggest nights of introspection and moments of waking fantasy when a steelworker might dream of being on Broadway some day.

These men have passion. Nothing is done halfway. The pounding rhythms of a well-composed and well-paced, shifting score highlight the interplay between the tap rhythms, recorded sounds of deep basso sine waves, the bells and clangs of the steelyards, and a skillfully played array of live percussion. (The percussionist is clearly part of the ensemble here, playing rhythms with his hands while the dancers play rhythms with their feet.) Soft repetitive loops create a hypnotic background. Unaccompanied "a cappella" pieces are woven throughout the performance.

These men have humor. Oh, there is loads of that. Good-old-boy humor, musical-jokes humor, dance jokes, street humor, and that special brand of Aussie humor that’s quirky, goofy and heartfelt all at once.

These men are clearly individuals. Each has his own unique style, yet what is unusual about the Dogs, as opposed to, say, Radio City's Rockettes, is how that individuality is fostered and encouraged. My companions and I came away with nicknames for each dancer: "The Boss," The Kid," "Happy," "Cool Man," "Tough Guy (NOT)" and "Joe." You will come away with your own. Each "character" has his story, and the love and affection between them, in the rough, ribald way of men, is clear. The lead dancer "owns" the show with strength and charm, but without hubris (a feat “Riverdance” lead dancers struggle to accomplish). Yet the Dogs are a company, and their ensemble work is extraordinary. It’s precise and intuitive, with interlocking rhythms that are spot-on (one man using his left foot, the other his right in perfect counterpoint), and tempo changes accomplished with no music track except their own tap sounds interwoven with the rhythms of basketballs being bounced and tossed. Even the taping of microphones to a dancer's feet is accomplished in rhythm.

For this reviewer, one of the most powerful themes of “Tap Dogs” is the beauty of sound found in the ordinary world. As the dancers arrange and rearrange the Erector set-like staging, they drop beams and move pipes in rhythm to the music and to the interplay of their own taps. The clink-thump-tong-thwat of the steelyard comes to life as a beautiful and exciting cacophony of sound with a life of its own. One can imagine Dein Perry, the creator and choreographer of “Tap Dogs,” standing in the midst of the yards one day as the "noise" of the yards resolved itself into the soundtrack of his future international hit. I personally will never hear a metal saw or listen to the sounds of construction (ever present in Boulder, it seems) the same way again.

Do yourself a favor. Go see “Tap Dogs.” Bring people you love to see “Tap Dogs.” Bring people who need a reminder that everyday life is full of creativity, possibility and joy. And today, as you wait in traffic or queue up at the bank, stop for a moment, listen, find the rhythm and tap in.

SHOW TIMES:

Tuesday–Saturday, 8pm

Saturday & Sunday, 2pm

Sunday, 7:30pm

TO PURCHASE TICKETS:

Single tickets for "Tap Dogs" start at just $20. To charge by phone, call Denver Center Ticket Services at 303-893-4100. TTY (for Deaf and hard-of-hearing patrons): 303-893-9582. Groups of 15 or more, please call 303-446-4829. Tickets may also be purchased at the Denver Center Ticket Office, located at the Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex Lobby, or at TicketsWest outlets, located in all King Soopers stores. Buy and print online at www.denvercenter.org.

For more information on "Tap Dogs," visit the Tap Dogs website.

********

A special “bravo” goes out to Denver’s own young Tap Pups, who joined the Dogs for an encore. Tap Pups was established by Dein Perry to ensure the continuation of the unique Tap Dogs style. More than 180 Tap Pups kids are currently enrolled in the program.

Left Hand Brewing to hold "Fire Fundraiser" September 22

Longmont's Left Hand Brewing Company is hosting a fundraising event for victims of the Fourmile Canyon Fire.

Left Hand's ‘Fire Fundraiser’ will be held Wednesday, September 22, from 6-9pm, at 1265 Boston Avenue in Longmont.

Local musicians Kort McCumber, Tom Cornwell, and Travis Bush will perform that evening, even donating their tips that night to the cause. Kort McCumber and his family are canyon residents who were evacuated as a result of the fire.

A silent auction will also be held that evening, featuring authentic local artwork and crafts, local handmade quilts and paintings, gift certificates for Longmont businesses, Left Hand Brewing beer and merchandise, and a “Brew Day at Left Hand Brewing.”

“We personally know several people who were chased out by the fire and are now homeless,” says Eric Wallace, President of Left Hand Brewing, “and we want to help anyway that we can.”
All donations, cover charges, earnings from the silent auction, tips for the band, and $1 per pint sold will go directly to the Foothills United Way Fourmile Canyon Fire Relief Fund, which is designed to address unmet immediate needs, as well as provide for long-term recovery for fire victims and the community.

For more information about the event contact, please contact Joshua Goldberg at Left Hand Brewing Company, or Pat Monacelli at Foothills United Way.