Dance school loses dean of 10 years
After spending half of the summers of her life at the American Dance Festival School, Donna Faye Burchfield, 52, is seizing a new opportunity to influence the dance world.
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After spending half of the summers of her life at the American Dance Festival School, Donna Faye Burchfield, 52, is seizing a new opportunity to influence the dance world.
As the weekend draws near, residents can begin to plan how they will roll, jog or stroll through the streets of Carrboro in the town’s annual July Fourth Celebration.
A team of researchers from UNC are six years into a study on new approaches to early HIV detection and prevention. And with a $1.7 million grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the study is set to expand.
It is a common practice for UNC-system presidents to have their portraits made upon their departure.But it is less common for that portrait to be painted by a former classmate.Erskine Bowles knew artist Ben Long, who has been commissioned to paint his portrait, back in their days at UNC more than 40 years ago.“We’ve been friends a long time,” Long said.Long left UNC with one semester of general education requirements left.“I knew I’d never do calculus, and so far I haven’t,” he said. After taking every class he could in creative writing, Long set out for New York to study art and has been painting ever since.The process of creating a portrait is long and involved, since Long refuses to take any shortcuts in his work. He will not paint anything from a photograph.“Basically it’s copying a two-dimensional object onto a two-dimensional plain,” he said.“Doing it from life, you can create the illusion of a three dimensions.”Long said he tries to capture everything about the subject, including the atmosphere surrounding them in an effort to portray personality rather than simply a likeness. But painting from life can present unique challenges.“Whether you like it or not, you’re going to reflect what’s on your mind and how you’re thinking, what’s bothering you or what’s making you happy — some of that is going to show through,” Long said. So he usually budgets 15 two-hour sittings for each of his portraits, which allows him some extra time to start over if necessary.The additional sittings allow him to be sure he captures the person’s character rather than simply how they’re feeling on a particular day.At the same time, Long said he is aware about the dangers of taking too long.“You lose a little of the momentum, and it takes a little more to get back into it,” he said.Long spent 30 years in Europe, studying art and commissioning works while living in Italy and southern France. Ten years ago, he returned to Asheville to start the Fine Arts League of the Carolinas, a school for all ages that teaches the fundamentals of art.The school, which has 25 students and seven faculty members, is supported by donors and the school’s art gallery. It has recently moved to the Grove Arcade in downtown Asheville.While working on Bowles’ portrait for the next several months, Long will also be available for more commissions. His work, as well as the work of his apprentice John Dempsey, is on display for the next month in Toots and Magoo’s newly opened gallery space, right next to the store on Franklin Street.While Long will often converse with the person he paints, he said sometimes the most genuine moments are when nothing is said at all.“You get them quiet for a moment of time, and they drift away. You might catch them at a moment when they’re themselves. I don’t think you can do that with a photograph,” he said.Bowles’ portrait will likely join the portraits of previous UNC-system presidents hanging in the Spangler Center, which houses offices for the UNC-system General Administration. Contact the Arts Editor at arts.dth@gmail.com.
Tchaikovsky’s “Polonaise” may not be in the Top 25 Most Played on James Carlson’s iPod, but learning to conduct it is his top priority. “It is really the other end of the spectrum for me,” said Carlson, a UNC alumnus and guitarist for the local band Modena. “I’m more of an alternative rock musician, and I grew up on listening to Nirvana.”Modena is preparing to record a new album in August with Jim Wirt, a producer for artists such as Incubus and Hoobastank.Before then, Carlson will help lead the North Carolina Opera’s June 12 program “Opera About Town: Opera, Broadway, and Zarzuela,” at the N.C. Museum of Art.The chance to conduct came as a live auction prize in a February opera fundraiser.“It’s a unique opportunity for anyone who has the guts and the potential talent to lead a full orchestra and enjoy a few minutes of fame,” said Walton Ferrell, communications manager for the North Carolina Opera.Carlson has put that potential talent to work. He’s been playing music for more than half his life.He started young, picking up the trumpet in 2nd grade as a member of his elementary school band program in New York. He switched to tuba in 7th grade but remained intrigued by the guitar.“I’d see pictures of my mom playing,” Carlson said. “I was always curious. Her guitar was always sitting around and I wanted to pick it up, but I didn’t know how to do anything with it.”In his first year of high school, though, he finally started to learn basics from his mom.“She has always supported me, and I’m grateful for that.”And it was his mother — a board member of the North Carolina Opera — who placed the winning bid for the conducting gig.In early May, Carlson got what he deems a “crash course” in conducting from the opera’s artistic director, world-renowned conductor Timothy Myers.Myers is currently touring in Beijing but will return to the state Monday to prepare to conduct the rest of the opera program.“James is already a good musician, which is the most important part of being a good conductor,” he said. “He and I have simply been working on the mechanics of how to express the music inside him to the musicians.”While Carlson already knows how to read music, conducting the 40-member orchestra in the opera will prove more demanding.“When you look at the score, it has every instrument laid out for you, so you have to keep up with it,” he said. Page turns are as critical to a conductor as they are to musicians, but conductors must also determine when to make cues and how to bring the instrumentation together.He said his work with conducting has made him look at music on a much larger scale, going from his five-member band to full orchestra with roughly 25 distinct parts.“It’s cool to get to work with other musicians that see it from a totally different perspective,” he said. Carlson, who has never performed for a crowd as big as the opera’s, said Myers offered him some wisdom.“He said the great thing about being a conductor is that you don’t have to face the audience,” Carlson recalled with a laugh. Myers expressed his special affection for opera in its ability to unite many distinct art forms such as voice, orchestra, literature and theater.“All of these combine to communicate something very special to the audience in a unique moment that will only be seen and heard once.”Contact the Arts Editor at arts.dth@gmail.com.
“It is one of the most significant gifts of artwork we’ve ever received.” The words of Nic Brown, museum communications director, echo sentiments felt throughout the Ackland Art Museum. The 51-piece gift from former Director Charles Millard’s Tyche Foundation will make its public debut Sunday. The giftMillard formed the Tyche Foundation after selling an extremely valuable piece from his private art collection, a piece that he has not identified. The primary mission of the foundation was to purchase artwork for the Ackland. The addition is fairly small in size, especially when considered within the context of the 15,500 pieces comprising the museum’s permanent collection. But because of Millard’s intimate understanding of the museum, his gift works to fill out the museum’s permanent collection in a way that many say only he could do.“It’s a really significant gift for us because he purchased all these works with us in mind,” said Amanda Hughes, director of external affairs, adding that most gifts aren’t collected to be given away. The artworkThe collection includes works that span roughly 2,500 years and represent everything from Asian art to 19th century photography to colorful modern abstract pieces. “This collection represents something about what it’s like to go to an art museum in the broadest sense,” Hughes said, pointing to the varied reactions solicited from each piece. Some are more easily identifiable, while others are more abstract.“It is eclectic,” Chief Preparator Joe Gargasz said. “Each one of these pieces fits into a niche that helps the (museum’s) collection overall.”A 17th century Mughal miniature joins the Ackland’s extensive miniature collection, though it is set apart by what it depicts.“It doesn’t fall as easily into a religious narrative as it does into sort of an academic narrative,” Hughes said, adding that it fits the Ackland’s scholarly vision.The Manjusri, a 10th century Buddhist sculpture, also speaks to the museum’s teaching mission. “To have the bodhisattva of transcendent wisdom in our midst is a lovely thing,” Hughes said.The 19th century photos offer a sense of how artists used photography as a medium, she said. The first published etching by Édouard Manet hangs in one room; 20th century artist Jules Olitski’s color field paintings in the next.The collection reflects the varied tastes of Millard, essentially leaving his legacy at the museum.The exhibit Charles Millard’s prominence in the art world also attracted other big names in North Carolina fine arts to this project. Celebrated North Carolina author Alan Guganus wrote several short fiction pieces in response to the artwork. His works are included alongside art history commentary and pictures of artwork in the Ackland’s special exhibit catalog.The museum will not include its customary explanations next to the art, honoring Millard’s artistic principles. The catalog will be on sale and available to use as a complementary guide inside the gallery, but the idea is to let the art stand for itself.“He always tells you to go and look, just go and look,” Hughes said. “We like to teach, and he’s teaching too, just teaching in a different way.”Contact the Arts Editor at arts.dth@gmail.com.
Street artists tossed flaming props in the parking lot while a magician mingled with guests in the lobby and a live jazz band started up the tune “Witchcraft” in the next room. Ragged outlines of the Eiffel Tower hung opposite classic Parisian posters.Thus proceeded Cirque des Artes, The ArtCenter’s 35th anniversary all-day celebration, which opened with a Parisian Street Fair in the afternoon and extended into a more formal gala in the evening.“We hoped to raise awareness of The ArtsCenter and make sure people know what we’re about and where we are,” said Jillian Holmquist, director of development for the Carrboro venue.
A scaffolding draped in greenery towers upstage in the Paul Green Theatre. Fairies flutter, glide and dance across the stage as a piano floats through the air.This is a scene from the PlayMakers Repertory Company's Summer Youth Conservatory production of A Midsummer Night's Dream"" which opens tonight.The conservatory is a five-week program for students ages 10 to 18 years old. Out of more than 100 aspiring actors, just 40 were selected from auditions in February. Tonight is their first night to show what they've learned and accomplished.I think I've just enjoyed being able to fully delve into the play and into every aspect of it"" said Emma Carson-DeWitt, who plays the queen fairy, Titania, in the play.I think the devotion of the faculty and the creative team really bleeds over to us"" she said. The program, in its third year, has had many returning students who were in the past two plays. It almost has a familial vibe" that the older kids look out for the younger kids and are helping them sort of understand the process" said PlayMakers member and educator Jeff Meanza.Kathy Williams, another member of PlayMakers and a visiting lecturer, added that the experience often has positive effects on the students that make it easier to deal with pressures in school.This opens up their world to this group of people who have this shared interest" this shared love of theater" she said.The show is directed by Tom Quaintance, a teacher and director from California who has been with the conservatory since its inception.His primary role was to stage the play after the students had read through scripts and developed their characters with the guidance of various other coaches.The conservatory is all about everybody"" he said.The idea is that all 40 participants should be getting a kind of equal experience whether they're playing one of the principle lovers or one of the fairies.""And this sort of focus and attention to detail appeals to students like junior Angie Sumner"" who plays Hippolyta.""It truly is a lot better than working at school"" she said.This year, the conservatory added a technical component that has allowed six students to work with professionals on lighting, costumes and set design.Even the music was affected by the involvement of the students.Kids can hit certain kinds of moments that adults can't do"" said Composer and Musical Director Mark Lewis, who was determined to keep things simple yet challenging. The expectations are high" and they rise to them" Williams said. They're remarkable.""Contact the Arts Editor at arts.dth@gmail.com.
Thursday begins the second phase of the 8th Annual 10 By 10 Festival that will continue showing through Sunday at the ArtsCenter in Carrboro. ""I think the best way to describe it is ‘great theater for people with a short attention span""'"" said sound designer and Musical Director Shannon O'Neill.The 10 By 10 theater festival is an international event featuring 10 ten-minute plays chosen from a pool of about 400 submissions from all over the world. There are no rigid guidelines for which plays are included in the festival.""I wish there were a clear formula"" said Emily Ranii, ArtsCenter artistic director. We're just looking for plays that we fall in love with.""The selection process lasted five months.""It's definitely worth it" because by going through all of them we come out with a really good production" O'Neill said.Saturday saw a completely sold-out crowd when the playwrights held a post-show discussion. This coming Saturday is expected to be just as popular with the Meet The Artists event, where everyone involved in the shows will lead a discussion with audience members.The plays are set anywhere from a glacier to a box, and another features organs talking within a body.The festival also features a musical — its second ever — that inspired them to have musician Billy Sugarfix onstage during all 10 productions for live music and sound effects.It's exciting because not only is the sound aural this year" it's also got a visual element to it too" O'Neill said.Transitions are usually kept to about 30 seconds, but this year is different in that Sugarfix provides live entertainment between shows, too.Matt Casarino, of Delaware, who wrote Green Eggs and Mamet" is in his fifth year with the festival.It really feels wonderful. They really take the craft of playwriting seriously" Casarino said.He said his play this year is very different from his other work because of its rhyme scheme, modeled after Dr. Seuss. It was really my first time trying anything with that rigid of a structure"" he said.Casarino said the high caliber of actors, directors and the community support adds to the quality of the event.I think this could possibly be the strongest year"" he said. I saw some plays that just absolutely blew me away.""This is absolutely one of the best short play festivals in the country.""The brief time frame for so many plays made for a complex rehearsal schedule.""I couldn't even look at it because it was so confusing" actress Jeri Lynn Schulke said of the schedule.Schulke works at the ArtsCenter running the Youth Performing Arts Conservatory.The fact that they're short plays there's a lot that can be compacted in that and you don't want to miss anything she said. The plays will show at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. It has really been quite magical the whole process" Ranii said. It's great to flesh out these plays by playwrights from across the country.""Contact the Arts Editor at arts.dth@gmail.com.
Twenty-four venues throughout Chapel Hill and Carrboro will open their doors Friday night welcoming pedestrians to this month's 2ndFriday ArtWalk.Since its inception nine years ago the event has featured anywhere from 12 to 27 venues in a given month attracting hundreds to the area.In 2004 the 2ndFriday ArtWalk board registered the title as a trademark in hopes of attracting more national recognition.Board member Garry Meldrum said the event acts to promote the community" the venues and the artists involved.""The idea is to get people familiar with particular artists or a type of art"" Meldrum said.The ArtWalk not only features artwork in galleries, but it also includes art displays in law firms and coffee shops.Even Carrboro Town Hall has an exhibit. This month, photographer Dave Otto will present his work exploring the Carrboro greenway system.Nonprofit organizations are able to promote a special event on the ArtWalk's Web site at no charge. These organizations, called special venues"" provide specific community-oriented connections.This month's special venue is the Cybrary, located in the lower level of the Century Center.The theme for the Cybrary's summer book club is Be Creative" so the venue will be displaying artwork created by patrons.It's all about getting people to recognize art around them" said ArtWalk board member Jackie Helvey, owner of UniqueOrn Enterprises.The event also features demonstrations, such as when an artist brought her wheel just outside the gallery and threw pottery. Meldrum said the demonstration sparked interest and inspired visitors to ask more meaningful questions than if they were just looking at the pots themselves.A venue must pay $100 to be listed on the Web site for a year. And if artists want to show somewhere, they must contact the venue directly.The Ackland Art Museum participates through their Art After Dark program, complete with a live musician and a cash bar.This month, the Ackland will feature a talk from mixed-media artist Kaola Phoenix and a performance by synthesizer composer Andrew Robbins-Pollack.University Mall has three galleries featured in 2ndFriday ArtWalk, each with its own wine tasting and hors dourves. Each month, a strolling musician performs in the mall. This month will feature a guitarist.It has turned that second Friday around in Carrboro" Helvey said. It's nice that it not only happened" but it continues to happen and it has become sort of a destination.""Contact the Arts Editor at arts.dth@gmail.com.
The language barrier dissolved Saturday evening between the Russian-speaking Bolshoi Ballet and its English-speaking audience in Memorial Hall.The company moved to Tchaikovsky's music played by the N.C. Symphony under the baton of Bolshoi orchestral conductor Pavel Sorokin" manifesting expressions that words could not.""There should be a list of human wonders of the world" and this would be at the top of the list" Chapel Hill resident Mary Phillips said. It was marvelous.""Intricate costuming" lighting and scenery completed the show's mystical effect transporting the audience back to the late 19th century" when the Bolshoi debuted ""Swan Lake.""It was evident that the work had been created for this company. Each dancer lived their roles as though the music ran through their veins.One of the most memorable moments was the scene of 24 swan maidens on the lake"" each of them channelling her movements precisely into the larger form.""It's almost as if it is one heartbeat" one animal said Lee Anne McClymont of Hillsborough. They just smile and they reach" and they're not mechanical.""Gov. Bev Perdue" who joined the audience for Saturday's performance" expressed her enthusiasm for the Bolshoi's performance.""Who would have thought that we in North Carolina would have the Bolshoi?"" she said.""It's just breathtaking for a state. People from all over the country and all over the world are here tonight.""Jess Isaiah Levin" a violinist for the N.C. Symphony since 1974" said this was the first time the symphony had ever done the complete ballet performance of ""Swan Lake.""""It's been a wonderful experience" he said. It's frustrating of course not to be able to see any of it. I love the ballet and I wish I could be out there" especially with a magnificent company like the Bolshoi. But it's a lot of fun.""Hannah Davis"13 an aspiring dancer from Chapel Hill said one of her favorite parts was watching Ekaterina Shipulina" the lead ballerina.""As soon as she comes onstage" your eyes go straight to her" she said. It's like you don't see anything else.""Though the show is called ""Swan Lake" former New York Times dance critic Anna Kisselgoff warned against misinterpretations at a lecture at the Ackland Art Museum on Friday.Please please don't think that Siegfried the hapless prince falls in love with a bird. I can't imagine that she said to an uproar of laughter.As a woman" she goes into swanlike arabesques. But she is a woman.""It was difficult" however to think of Shipulina as anything but a swan. Her elegance and fluidity mirrored that of the graceful bird as she floated and fluttered across the stage in the most natural way.In ballet especially with companies as talented and precise as the Bolshoi it is easy to get caught up in the footwork of the dancers. But the characters' expression is often in their eyes as much as it is in their feet.For instance Shipulina transforms herself from the beautiful swan princess Odette into the dark maiden Odile by narrowing her eyes and curling the corners of her lips.Emil Kang UNC's executive director for the arts" credited the week's success with the cooperation of his staff and the University.""If any one thing doesn't work" it just falls apart he said. It's very much analogous to the dancers" the orchestra and the conductor.""Contact the Arts Editor at arts.dth@gmail.com.
Acoustic guitars lined the stage Friday as a sold-out crowd awaited the entrance of Brandi Carlile at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro.Carlile moved front and center unplugging her acoustic guitar and joining her also-unplugged bandmates onstage. The crowd hushed to listen to their soft harmonies.Carlile of Seattle performed as a part of The ArtsCenter's American Roots Series. Her music usually blends aggressive rock with her own acoustic guitar work" but this concert had a different feel. She played it acoustically.""We are playing the show in order to strip down acoustic and to play songs in their purest" rawest form" she said.The intimate setting lent itself to the nature of the concert as Carlile played songs off her new album, Give Up The Ghost, to debut Sept. 1.Carlile had a way of throwing herself into her vocals that breathed life into her songs.She was joined onstage by Tim and Phil Hanseroth — known as The Twins — and cellist Josh Neumann.This is the first time we've ever been on a tour acoustic for any other reason than we can't afford it"" Carlile said with a laugh. Those drummers are expensive.""At times" Carlile had the audience captivated by the weight of her lyrics. At others she had everyone out of their seats" dancing in the aisles to her spirited vocals and interpretations of songs by The Beatles and Johnny Cash.""I come here pretty often"" said Jim Vernon, a longtime resident of Chapel Hill. I've seen some pretty good bands"" but I've never seen this kind of anticipation for an artist.""Tess Ocaña" concerts and facility director for The ArtsCenter" said the show's success was due to the buzz created by the public.""A buzz without talent is a baseless lie" so you have to have the talent" she said.Judging from the standing ovations, many would agree that Carlile had the talent. Ginger Brown, a Raleigh resident, first heard Carlile's song, The Story" on a commercial for WRAL's news broadcast. I'm 72-and-a-half years old and it was the most moving song I've ever heard" she said. Carlile has used this tour to help others. She brought her friend Nichole Ward, who designed her poster and many T-shirts. Ward was recently laid off from her job, so she could go on the road to sell the merchandise.Carlile donates $1 from every ticket sold to The Looking Out Foundation, which she founded with The Twins as a way to contribute to causes she believes in.In that sense" every concert is a benefit concert she said. Wherever there's need" we try and help out where we can.""The foundation focuses on environmental issues" but Carlile said they have contributed to a wide array of causes including hunger" indigenous rights and disease education.Ocaña said she arranged the concert through a partnership with Cat's Cradle that she formed five years ago.""We're like the little sister who's just getting old enough to drive and wants to hang out with her older brother" she said. Now" we're rocking out.""Contact the Arts Editor at arts.dth@gmail.com.