Interlude - February 11
February 11, 2021
Love songs, book club, new dance works and more
Welcome back to Interlude, a fresh batch of arts and entertainment suggestions to warm up your Valentine’s Day weekend. The chocolate and flowers are on you.
How do you define “love song”?
Of the many phenomena that inspire song, love remains the hands-down winner. It seems the joys and sorrows of love can be expressed in infinite musical ways – or at least 281.
We asked a group of hardcore music fans – a.k.a. our staff – to suggest their favorite love-oriented tunes for a very special Spotify mix. We ended up with a list long enough to cover all of your waking hours this Sunday, with selections from artists as diverse as the Beatles, Janelle Monae, Frank Sinatra and the Psychedelic Furs. In fact, get a head start now and listen to the Center’s Valentine’s Day 2021 playlist!
More L-O-V-E from the G-A-S-F
Sometimes music touches the heart and mind when little else can, and that’s the basic premise behind the Great American Songbook Foundation’s Perfect Harmony program, which is aimed at people with dementia and their caregivers but can be enjoyed by everyone.
With love in the air this month, the staff has prepared a new batch of Perfect Harmony songs and activities to match the mood. You can clap along with “Heart and Soul,” get “Misty” with Johnny Mathis or reminisce to the tune of “L-O-V-E.” (Millennials may know the song from the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap. Older folks recall hearing it in the unforgettable voice of Nat King Cole.)
Visit TheSongbook.org to access printable activity guides, visual prompts and lyric sheets to help you share in a meaningful musical experience with that special someone in your life.
Legacy Society: For the love of the Center
When the Palladium was still a blueprint, Carmel residents Micki and David Stirsman chose a location across the street for their business, Salon 01. Over the past decade, as volunteers, patrons and sponsors of the Center for the Performing Arts, they have seen firsthand what the Center’s mission means to the Central Indiana community, especially young people seeking arts education.
“Since early on, we have been inspired by the youth we have encountered from all walks of life and demographic circumstances – learning about the performing arts, attempting to cultivate their own artistic talents, and developing uniquely individual ways to express themselves through it,” David says. “We want to ensure that the Center offers opportunities to young people throughout our Midwestern sphere of influence and beyond.”
Learn how the Stirsmans made a planned gift to support the Center’s education initiatives and how you too can join the Legacy Society.
Bookies: The man with all the answers
As he explains in his book’s compelling introduction, Alex Trebek had long resisted writing a memoir until a Stage 4 cancer diagnosis changed his mind. The result, The Answer Is ...: Reflections on My Life, was published in July 2020, just a few months before the beloved Jeopardy! host’s passing.
If you’re a fan, find a copy (there’s a Grammy-nominated audio version too) and prepare for a lively discussion with the Center’s literary club, the Palladium Bookies. Their next gathering takes place at the Palladium and also online at 7 p.m. April 12. You can RSVP and clear up any questions with a note to Outreach@TheCenterPresents.org.
Hancock dancers make leap to film
The Center’s resident Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre drew raves in October with Part One of its ambitious Dances for a New World project, which combines multiple stories into a theatrical take on the human condition in the modern era. Although public health concerns derailed plans to present Part Two last month on the Tarkington stage, the group boldly forged ahead and adapted the production to a new medium: film.
“Creating dance for film is a uniquely different process from a typical stage performance,” Mr. Hancock says. “This was an exciting new adventure for the dancers and me.”
You can experience the result when Dances for a New World: Part Two premieres online at 7:30 p.m. this Saturday. And if you miss opening night, you can watch the performance on demand through Feb. 20. Get your single or family viewing tickets on the GHDT site.
This week in performing arts history
February 8: On this date in 1932, John Williams – composer of some of the best-known film scores in history, including Jaws, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones and E.T. – was born in New York City. The Indiana Wind Symphony (pictured above) has dedicated two Center performances to his works, in October 2017 and March 2020.
February 10: On this date in 1942, “Chattanooga Choo Choo” by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra became the first recording to be awarded a Gold record. It was a master copy of the disc sprayed with gold paint by RCA as a publicity stunt. The actual award for selling 1 million copies (now 500,000) would not begin for another 16 years, when the Recording Industry Association of America borrowed the idea. The first Gold single was awarded to Perry Como in 1958 for “Catch a Falling Star,” and the first Gold album went to Gordon McRae for the soundtrack to the musical Oklahoma!
