Sunday, March 23, 2014

The Salon Wrap-Up for March 23, 2014 - "Steppin’ Out – Songs Made Famous By Dancers And/Or Inspired By Dance"

March 23, 2014
Theme: “Steppin’ Out – Songs Made Famous By Dancers And/Or Inspired By Dance”

We’re so glad that Mark Janas was feeling better and back with us on this first weekend of spring! And though the weather is taking a turn for the cold AGAIN, we found the community warm and thriving at Etc Etc!

Our Co-Host was Bessie Award Winner Caleb Teicher! Caleb’s choreography has been showcased at The Duke on 42nd Street, Symphony Space, Joe’s Pub, Olympia Theater at the Gusman Center in Miami, The Wheatland Music Festival, Choreographer’s Canvas (2012), BC Beat (2013), and many other venues. He most recently finished, “The Most Wonderful Time”, a choreographic commission for Chicago Tap Theatre. For more information: www.calebteicher.com

Co-Host Caleb Teicher!
We had a bit of a Salon first tonight - Caleb and his friend, Demi Remick, came up during a couple of numbers and broke out in some improvised tap dance during musical breaks! It was breathtaking (and impressive!)

Also impressive - our Salon Spotlight featured 2-Time Bistro & 3-Time MAC Award Winner Steven Ray Watkins! Steven will be appearing at The Duplex – 61 Christopher St, NYC 10014 – in THEY USED TO CALL IT NEW WAVE to celebrate the music of the eighties in honor of his ‘dreaded’ 50th birthday May 1st, May 8th & May 15th at 7pm. For more information: www.duplex.com


Sneak Peek: Classical Corner

“The problem with this theme is that there’s just too much” said Mark Janas as he took to the mic in his signature segment at The Salon.

Dance music originated in a certain sense the baroque suite of dances. Mark says we’ve lost the sense that these pieces were originally meant to be danced to. Bach & many other baroque composers wrote for dance. There were a bunch of different dances/music styles that came out of baroque dance music:

prelude
allemande
courante
sarabonde
intermezzi (may include minuet, bouree, polonaise or gavotte)
siciliana
(and many more I couldn’t list!)

Each of the styles above have different time signatures and “feels.” Mark used some small pieces of Bach, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Chopin to demonstrate each “feel” and how dance music changed over the years, becoming more concert music than music for a dancing court. But even in concert music, Mark said that the “gestural nature” of the music retained a sense for what the dance would be like if it WERE to be danced.

Mark demonstrated a little “Nocturne in E flat” by Chopin, after which he played a longer snippet of Chopin’s “Waltz in C# Minor.” (Both pieces played by memory, naturally!)

Next up, Mark talked about something revolutionary that happened musically 100 years ago. In 2013 Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” celebrated its centennial, and back in 1913 the music caused quite a stir. The score, and the dancing it inspired, were so unusual that it split audiences - some loved it, some hated it - which created such a loud argument in the theater that the dancers couldn’t hear the orchestra!

To close out Classical Corner, Mark brought in a recording of “Rite of Spring” and share a section of the piece that really caused the uproar. So powerful and enchanting!


Roster of singers for the evening (in order of appearance):

(click link to visit the singer’s website, when available.)

Andy Gale
Charles Baran
Susan Black
Bill Zeffiro
Jason Wisdom
Steven Ray Watkins
Ellen Joy Hoffman
Richard Eisenberg
Demi Remick
Sally Darling
Matthew Martin Ward
Candice Oden
Perry Sook
Victoria Rae Sook


Special thanks to tonight’s pianists and musicians: Mark Janas, Susan Black, Bill Zeffiro, Jason Wisdom, Matthew Martin Ward,

And thank you to Gil Alexandre on lights and sound!


Upcoming shows:

Monday, April 7, 2014 (7pm) - Adam Shapiro will be appearing in Joseph Macchia’s “Diva-Palooza” at The Metropolitan Room, 34 W 22nd St, NYC.

Sunday, April 27, 2014 - Sally Darling is bringing her show (music directed by Matthew Martin Ward!) back to Don’t Tell Mama, 343 W 46th St, NYC.

Monday, April 28, 2014 - Anna Marie Sell, Victoria Rae Sook and Perry Sook will be appearing in “A Touch of Rain: A Tribute to Herbert Greene.”

Thursday, May 1, 2014 (7pm) - Steven Ray Watkins will be appearing in “They Used To Call It New Wave” to celebrate the music of the eighties in honor of his ‘dreaded’ 50th birthday, at The Duplex, 61 Christopher St, NYC

Friday, May 2, 2014 (7pm) - Sally Darling is bringing her show (music directed by Matthew Martin Ward!) back to Don’t Tell Mama, 343 W 46th St, NYC.

Thursday, May 8, 2014 (7pm) - Steven Ray Watkins will be appearing in “They Used To Call It New Wave” to celebrate the music of the eighties in honor of his ‘dreaded’ 50th birthday, at The Duplex, 61 Christopher St, NYC

Saturday, May 10 2014 (4:30pm) - Jim Speake is doing “I’m a Brass Band - Jim Speake sings Cy Coleman” with musical director Steven Ray Watkins, at The Duplex, 61 Christopher Street, NYC.

Saturday, May 10, 2014 (9pm) - Sally Darling is bringing her show (music directed by Matthew Martin Ward!) back to Don’t Tell Mama, 343 W 46th St, NYC.

Tuesday, May 13, 2014 (7pm) - Jim Speake is doing “I’m a Brass Band - Jim Speake sings Cy Coleman” with musical director Steven Ray Watkins, at The Duplex, 61 Christopher Street, NYC.

Thursday, May 15, 2014 (7pm) - Steven Ray Watkins will be appearing in “They Used To Call It New Wave” to celebrate the music of the eighties in honor of his ‘dreaded’ 50th birthday, at The Duplex, 61 Christopher St, NYC

Saturday, May 17, 2014 (7:30pm) - Ruth Carlin will be performing in “A Light in the Window- The Songs of Judy Collins” at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 W 42nd Street, NYC.

Sunday, May 18, 2014 (4:30pm) - Jim Speake is doing “I’m a Brass Band - Jim Speake sings Cy Coleman” with musical director Steven Ray Watkins, at The Duplex, 61 Christopher Street, NYC.

May/June 2014 - Amy Beth Williams is appearing in “Crazy To Love You” (directed by Tanya Moberly) at Don’t Tell Mama, 343 W 46th St, NYC.

May/June 2014 - Carly Ozard can be seen in “Midler on the Roof”, music directed by Steven Ray Watkins at The Duplex, 61 Christopher St, NYC.

May/June 2014 - Natasha Castillo is bringing back her show “They’d Only Just Begun- A Carpenters Tale” to The Duplex, 61 Christopher St, NYC.

June 2014 - Charles Baran will be premiering a new show, “Rockaway Beach Revue.”

June 6-22, 2014 (Wed-Sat 8pm, Sat-Sun 2pm) - Erin Cronican is directing, producing and starring in THE LARAMIE PROJECT with The Seeing Place Theater, 314 W 54th St, 4th Floor.

Friday, June 6, 2014 (7pm) - Marnie Klar has her new show, “Home” (directed by Tanya Moberly) at Don’t Tell Mama, 343 W 46th St, NYC.

Tuesday, June 10, 2014 (7pm) - Marnie Klar has her new show, “Home” (directed by Tanya Moberly) at Don’t Tell Mama, 343 W 46th St, NYC.

Thursday, June 12, 2014 (7:30pm) - Ruth Carlin will be performing in “A Light in the Window- The Songs of Judy Collins” at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 W 42nd Street, NYC.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014 (7pm) - Marnie Klar has her new show, “Home” (directed by Tanya Moberly) at Don’t Tell Mama, 343 W 46th St, NYC.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014 (7pm) - Marnie Klar has her new show, “Home” (directed by Tanya Moberly) at Don’t Tell Mama, 343 W 46th St, NYC.


Next Week: THERE IS NO SALON

Be sure to join us again April 6, when we welcome co-host Eric Yves Garcia, with Salon Spotlight Carly Ozard! Our optional theme is ”The Chase – In The Pursuit Of…” We’ll see you then!


Erin Cronican
Blogette for The Salon
(Updates? Changes? Email me.)


No comments:

Post a Comment