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Best bets at the Rochester Fringe Fest
Professor of Digital Design Marla Schweppe and students will project “crazy, fairy tale graphics” (according to provided info) on the exterior of Christ Church (141 East Ave.) in an enigmatic and imaginative, temporary transformative project titled “Dragon’s Lair.” (Saturday 9/22 9-9:30 p.m. at Christ Church. Free to spectators of all ages.)
Casey Carlsen’s Picks
It’s not often that dance and science mesh this closely. “AstroDance” is an astrophysics/dance project funded by National Science Foundation and conceived and choreographed by RIT faculty Thomas Warfield that represents concepts of gravitational physics interpreted Day of Dance: Kristi Faulkner Dance PHOTO COURTESY Cherylynn Tsushima through dance. Phew! Heavy. The enterprise is an RIT collaboration involving the National danced to music ranging from Brazilian Girls Institute for the Deaf, the B. Thomas Golisano to Carl Orff. (Saturday 9/22 1-2 p.m. at George College of Computing and Information Eastman House Terrace Garden. Free admission.) Sciences, and the College of Science. (Saturday Finally, Day of Dance offers an opportunity 9/22 6 p.m. at Little Theatre 1. Admission is free.) to see a number of different groups perform PUSH Physical Theatre is technically astride on two separate days. The first day brings the fence between dance and theater, but I am Next Best Thing, Kristi Faulkner Dance, I always eager to include them under the umbrella am Cooper, and Geomantics Dance Theater of dance. I find their work riveting in its feats of (led by Richard Haisma, this company is physical prowess as well as insightful and deeply worth catching). On the second day, enjoy the humorous in content. My 9-year-old alternates concert dance of Juxtapose, the tap of Cheryl between gasping and chuckling appreciatively Johnson (also see her in the highly entertaining when attending their performances. HusbandBill Evans and Company: Modern Dance, and-wife team Darren and Heather Stevenson Modern Tango and Contemporary Dance founded the company in Rochester in 2000 performances) and the percussive dance of out of a desire to “push” the boundaries of Brouhaha. I’m curious about Areadance from traditional theater. During Fringe, the company New York City, premiering Britney Falcon’s will perform two new pieces: “The Evolution newest modern dance work. (Saturday 9/22 of Aviation” and “The Natural World.” Take 12:15-3:15 p.m., Sunday 9/23 noon-3 p.m. at the kids. (Friday 9/21 6-7 p.m. and Saturday RAPA’s East End Theatre. Suggested donation $5.) 9/22 10:30-11:30 p.m. at TheatreROCS at Xerox Auditorium. Tickets cost $15.) Two solo dance performances immediately Big name comedian Patton Oswald headlines caught my eye on the Fringe schedule. I the comedy portion of the Fringe Festival. recommend both of them. Heather Roffe, Possibly best known for his roles in “The an alumni of Garth Fagan Dance, a current King of Queens” and the voice of Remy member of Futurpointe Dance, and one of in “Ratatouille,” Oswald has also appeared the most talented, consistent and professional everywhere from “The Fairly Odd Parents” dancers in Rochester today, performs “Spection to “Community” to “Grand Theft Auto.” An — Intro/Retro.” The show features selections accomplished stand-up comedian and writer from her more recent choreography set to (he most recently penned “Zombie Spaceship music ranging from Aretha Franklin to tango to Wasteland”) and with five comedy albums Meredith Monk. (Saturday 9/22 4:30-5:30 p.m., under his belt — and just as many stand-up Sunday 9/23 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Geva Theatre specials — Oswald will bring the geek-friendly Nextstage. Tickets cost $15.) laughs. (Saturday 9/22 8 p.m. at Kodak Hall at Relatively new to the Rochester Dance Eastman Theater. Tickets cost $15-$55.) scene is Mariah Maloney Dance. Maloney is a Braving the long, long hike from Auburn former member of the renowned Trisha Brown is The Great Chernesky, a musical maelstrom Dance Company. This summer her company blending folky strumming with humor, wit, performed her choreography at the prestigious and humorous wit. Chernesky’s most recent Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. During Fringe, album, “Spilled Brews & Busted Stools,” just she will appear in a solo set to traditional Irish music. Her company will present a 14-member hit earlier this month, so you can expect just ensemble piece she created inspired by Baroque as much when he comes to Java’s as part of Fringe. His Davey Crocket raccoon hat will choral compositions and an edgy female sextet
Willie Clark’s Picks
20 City SEPTEMBER 12-18, 2012
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probably be there, too. (Friday 9/21 8 p.m. at Java’s. Free admission.) Sure, ukuleles have become sort of a thing now: a smaller and higher-pitched answer to those loud and lavishing guitars that used to be all the rage. Oliver Brown and His Extraordinary Ukuleles blends this mystical sea-shanty instrument with humorous song topics ranging from Shakespeare to the wonders of the peanutbutter sandwich. He’s also had a song appear on “Sesame Street,” so take that credential for what you will. (Friday 9/21 7-8 p.m. at Bernuzio’s Uptown Music. Tickets cost $5.) Dear Dexter (and yes, the group takes the name from the serial-killer show you’re probably thinking about) will bring some acoustic-laden rock ‘n’ roll to the Fringe Fest. The group, fronted by Jason Morgan, is shifting and growing. But Morgan’s central vocals and songwriting cement the group strongly in alternative-rock territory, while retaining the intimacy acoustic instruments allow. (Thursday 9/20 9:30 p.m., Saturday 9/22 5 p.m. at Java’s. Free admission.) And sometimes you just need to have fun. Comedic hip-hop duo Garden Fresh, made up of Professor Fizizizt and Tha Dome, takes the style and ground that hip-hop makes as soil and creates something else: a polite, fiscally responsible rap group that is as profound as it is hysterical. You won’t find alcohol-promoting jams here (instead the group praises water with songs like… “Water”) or rap-battling egos (see; “Sitting Politely”). (Friday 9/21 and Saturday 9/22 9:30 p.m. at Bernunzio’s Uptown Music. Tickets cost $5.) Writing a good song and writing a good story aren’t really that different. Weaving these two art forms together at the seams, Howie Lester is equal parts musician and storyteller, bringing in influences from just about every road-faring and wandering people you could imagine. Blues, gypsy, klezmer, Cajun, and other roots traditions all rolled into one ball
Patton Oswald PHOTO PROVIDED
made of storytelling yarn in his performance, “The Arkansas Traveler Meets Mulla Nasrudin.” (Saturday 9/22 10 p.m. at the Little
Café. Free admission.)
Paloma Capanna’s Picks
The Eastman School of Music students creating “Hide the Moon,” an original adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s “Salome,” are billing the event by the emotions infatuation, loathing, fear, and lust. Who doesn’t want an hour of high drama? The student group, led by Andrew Pramuk, are infusing drama, music, movement, and original arrangements to tell the Biblical tale of Salome requesting the head of John the Baptist on a platter for her dance of the seven veils. There will be actors as musicians and musicians as actors in a show that Pramuk describes on Kickstarter as “theater like a rock concert.” (Wednesday 9/19 8:30-9:30 p.m., Saturday 9/22 10:30-11:30 p.m. at RAPA’s East End Theatre. Admission is free.) Raise your parasols to the skies as the voices of the Harlem Gospel Choir descend upon the Fringe Festival and lead you home to that place of “Hallelujah!” After 26 years of touring the world, performing for presidents and royalty, and alongside legendary musicians from Sonny Bono to Josh Groban, who hasn’t heard of this group? Its 65 members range in age from 17 to 70, touring in a simple configuration of nine singers, keyboard, and drums. Come out to sway to songs like “Oh Happy Day” or dance in the aisles to songs like “When the Saints Come Marching In.” Rochester gospel sensations The Campbell Brothers open. (Friday 9/21 8 p.m. at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. Tickets cost $10-$40.) Not performing in Fringe? You can still participate. Multimedia artist and ESM student Peter Ferry brings a solo percussion performance to the festival, including his work “Nostalgia Project.” The musical piece was written especially for Ferry by ESM graduate Matt Evans. You can go to nostalgia.cias.rit.edu to listen to a bit of the work and then submit a photo of your own that evokes feelings of nostalgia. Evans previously performed with ESM’s new music group OSSIA, and was awarded a 2012-13 post-graduate fellowship to work with Bang on a Can. He also works with So Percussion, Nexus, and Ensemble Signal. (Thursday 9/20 6-7 p.m., Saturday 9/22 1-2 p.m. at Hatch Recital Hall, ESM. Tickets cost $5.) Improvisation upon the church organ is not a new thing. But, for Fringe, here comes a triple-improv of church organ, dance, and images. Set in historic Christ Church, “Spirits Within” will involve Stephen Kennedy on the organ, dancers from FuturPointe, and multimedia displays projected onto the dancers from RIT Professor Marla Schweppe and 3Ddigital-design students. Kennedy is director