Helanius J. Wilkins in a 2017 Kennedy Center performance. (Kennedy Center video)
Award-winning choreographer and 2021 RADicle Residency Artist Helanius J. Wilkins makes his debut in southwest Michigan as part of Kalamazoo’s signature Midwest RAD Fest with the performance of The Conversation Series: Stitching the Geopolitical Quilt to Re-Body Belonging — a multi-dimensional evening length dance production that confronts and celebrates heritage, residence, justice, and hope.
Taking place Friday, March 4, at 8 p.m. in the Wellspring Theatre at the Epic Center, this work features a male duet not only navigating but, through real time interactivity, converting a modular set design, through video projects, into multiple geographical and architectural landscapes and memory walls that create a vibrant video landscape that “stitches” the past, present and future.
Wellspring/Cori Terry and Dancers are presenting the 13th annual Midwest RADFest in a hybrid face-to-face and virtual format on March 4-6. The event will feature the works of more than 25 different choreographers and 20 screen dance makers from Russia, Barbados, France, New York City, Chicago, and many other U.S. locations including several cities in four different concerts, two different screen dance presentations, a movement installation, and a special show. Additional, RADFest will offer master classes, workshops, informational perofmrnaues, artist talks and a Movement Installation in the form of an immersive dance film. All in person events will take place at the Epic Center and the Kalamazoo Public Library.
Midwest RADFest Tickets start at $25 for youth and go up to $80 for an all access pass. For more information about the Midwest RADFest, visit midwestradfest.org.
The Concerts Under the Stars series continues with local band Hollywood Makeout performing familiar, yet refreshing sounds of surf-garage-pop-rock at the Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) on Thursday, Feb. 10. Sit back and experience the wonders of the cosmos, featuring fully immersive audio and visual experiences in the Museum’s Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium, highlighting local music and visual artists.
Formed in 2013, Hollywood Makeout is composed of four talented artists including Erin Lenau (lead vox, guitar) and Cedric Canero (bass, backup vox), Tim Broderick (drums, backup vox) and Tim Warren (guitar). All members have been musicians from young ages and their combined experience shows itself in their songwriting and performances.
Julie Seaward, a local freelance artist, will accompany Hollywood Makeout, providing captivating visuals on the planetarium dome to complement the performance. Julie’s focus is on illustrative 2D animation and motion graphics, graphic design and painting. Her work primarily explores cultural identity and hopefulness within the human condition.
The show will begin at 7:30 p.m. with doors opening at 6 p.m., including access to the Museum’s first two floors of exhibits. Performers will play two sets with a short intermission in between. Refreshments, beer and other beverages will be available for purchase. Tickets are $20, with discounted pricing of $16 for GRPM members. Tickets are currently on sale and available at grpm.org.
The 2022 Concerts Under the Stars series will conclude in March, featuring a unique blend of alternative rock sets performed by Lazy Genius with two shows on March 10 and 11.
Farmers Alley Theatre will feature the original one-woman show, The Conviction of Lady Lorraine, written and performed by Dwandra Nickole Lampkin. The play will be on the online streaming platform BROADWAY ON DEMAND, available thru Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, and your PC beginning Oct. 29 and available for streaming thru Nov. 5.
Set in Memphis, TN near the Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated—a writer has a brief but powerful encounter with a homeless woman, Lady Lorraine. She finds herself transformed by Lady Lorraine’s more than 20-year quest to right a social wrong. One year later, the writer returns to Memphis, hoping that Lady Lorraine will share her full story of conviction. But the writer quickly finds herself asking new questions about many things, and finding that Lady Lorraine is not the only one on a quest for recognition.
Dwandra Nickole Lampkin is as an associate professor of Theatre at Western Michigan University. Local audiences will remember her from the Farmers Alley stage in the productions of Doubt, a parable, The Christians, and Clybourne Park. Lampkin had previously performed Lady Lorraine, to a sold-out weekend of houses at Farmers Alley Theatre in January of 2018.
The Grand Rapids Symphony and Chorus perform “Hallelujah”. Sound mixing done by Jay Round. Video editing by Glen Okonoski and Steve Secor. (Grand Rapids Symphony)
Though the concert halls are empty, the musicians of the Grand Rapids Symphonyand Symphony Chorus have not been silent.
More than 70 musicians of the orchestra and chorus have banned together to create a virtual performance of the “Hallelujah” Chorus from Handel’s Messiah.
The production led by Music Director Marcelo Lehninger debuted Thursday evening. You can see “Hallelujah for Hope: From Our Homes to Yours” here on the Grand Rapids Symphony’s website as well as on its Facebook page and YouTube page.
More than 70 musicians of the Grand Rapids Symphony and Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus each recorded his or her performance in their own homes, and all of the individual tracks were brought together in the nearly 5-minute performance unveiled on April 9.
“During these extraordinary circumstances, we need music more than ever. Music sustains us and nourishes us. It gives us comfort when we’re troubled and offers hope for renewal,” Lehninger said. “Beethoven said it best: ‘Music can change the world,’ and we agree.”
Grand Rapids Symphony and Chorus members recorded their pieces from home.
The very first performance of Handel’s Messiah was given in April 1742 as a benefit concert to raise money for two hospitals in Dublin. The “Hallelujah” Chorus may be 278 years old, but its message of comfort still rings true, and its promise of hope is just as relevant for us today.
Grand Rapids Symphony selected the most famous chorus from the best-known oratorio in the English language because it’s so well-known and because it uses both orchestra and chorus.
“Because of its message of hope, as well as the importance of expressing joy for the gift of music, we believe this would be a powerful piece of music to share as a gift to our community,” said Mary Tuuk, President & CEO of the Grand Rapids Symphony, who also participated in the virtual performance.
In response to the outbreak of COVID-19, the Grand Rapids Symphony began cancelling concerts and events on Thursday, March 12. The GRS offices closed as of Monday, March 16 with staff continuing to work from home.
Two weeks later, the Grand Rapids Symphony launched From Our Homes to Yours featuring daily solo performances by musicians throughout the Grand Rapids Symphony family. The series debuted March 27 with a video featuring Principal Cellist Alicia Eppinga and Music Director Marcelo Lehninger on piano.
Through the end of April, you can enjoy a new performance every morning at 9 a.m., seven days a week, on the Grand Rapids Symphony’s Facebook page or YouTube page. You also can view the entire lineup of videos already posted on the Grand Rapids Symphony’s From Our Home to Yours page on YouTube.
“In challenging times, we need music more than ever,” Lehninger said. “So our talented musicians will continue to perform from their homes to yours.”
To maintain operations, the Grand Rapids Symphony has launched a fundraising campaign titled Music More Than Ever: From Our Home to Yours. All donations to the campaign (up to $5,000) will be matched dollar for dollar by generous friends and supporters who have pledged $50,000 in matching funds.
“Although the Grand Rapids Symphony isn’t performing, our musicians and staff still are being paid,” Lehninger said. “You can help us by supporting our Music More Than Ever campaign.”
Will Oltman, aka Will Juggle, courtesy his Facebook page
See a real-life introvert juggle as an extrovert on-stage. No mean feat, this, but it helps to take on a name that’s an incomplete, future-tense sentence. I mean, who’s juggling here?
The answer, of course, is self-explanatory.
Will Oltman, aka ‘Will Juggle,’ works corporate events, birthday parties and street performances, but perhaps the grandest audience of all was the U.S. President.
This month, Will performs in Grand Rapids and Kentwood at two venues:
Nov. 7 – performing as part of Comedy Outlet Monday at Dog Story Theater, 7 Jefferson Ave. SE, Grand Rapids. Show starts at 7 pm. Tickets are $5.
Nov. 11 – performing at Flowerland’s Holidazzle, Kentwood Flowerland, 4321 28th St. SE, Kentwood. 6-9 pm, free and open to the public. Registration required at myflowerland.com.
