Campus Life has lots in store for the Arts and Entertainment
series this winter. Laugh until you cry during Scott McCloud's
comedy lecture, get up and dance during Decadance Theatre's
hip-hop performance and even learn about feng shui from
James Randi.
"This winter, we're showcasing a vibrant and contemporary
mix of performers and speakers," said Melissa Ginotti, associate
director, McKenny Union and Campus Life. "We're particularly
excited about the powerful voices of women representing
an incredible range of genres, cultures and talents that
you'll see over the next few months."
Don't miss a chance to see the National
Underground Railroad Freedom Center Saturday,
Feb. 11, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Using the Underground Railroad
as a lens through which to explore a range of freedom
issues, the Freedom Center offers lessons and reflections
on the struggle for freedom in the past, in the present
and for the future. Discover the power of one voice — shared
with many — by speaking out about the meaning
of freedom. Tickets are $20 for EMU students and $40
for faculty and staff. Cost includes roundtrip transportation,
lunch, an admission ticket and a guided tour. A bus departs
at 8 a.m. from in front of Bowen Field House and returns
at 11 p.m.
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Stomp
|
Tickets are now on sale for EMU's "Stomp" excursion,
scheduled Saturday, March 18, at Michigan State University's
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts. This international
percussion sensation uses everything but conventional percussion
instruments — matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms,
garbage cans, Zippo lighters and hubcaps — to
fill the stage with magnificent rhythm. Tickets are $30
for EMU students and $50 for faculty and staff. The price
includes roundtrip transportation, admission to the show
and dinner at a local restaurant in East Lansing. Limit
is two tickets per student ID. For tickets, call 487-2282.
A bus will be departing at approximately 4 p.m. from in
front of Bowen Field House, and returning by 11 p.m.
You'll find yourself tapping your feet to the beat during
Decadance Theatre Friday, Feb. 17, Pease
Auditorium, 8 p.m. Cost is $5 for EMU students and $12
for the general public. A DJ and MC drive the beat on stage
as eight aggressive hip-hop dancers "mash up" Stravinsky's
classic ballet, "The
Firebird." Using hip-hop's four elements, the performance
creates a fantastical, urban narrative. This event also
is part of Black History Month.
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Imani Winds |
Imani Winds comes to EMU for two days,
Sunday, Feb. 19, 5 p.m., Pease Auditorium; and Monday,
Feb. 20, 3 p.m., in Sponberg Theatre. The first night,
Imani Winds will present a wind quartet concert exploring
the links between European, African and American music
traditions with this dynamic and critically acclaimed young
ensemble. On Feb. 20, enjoy "The
Art of the Spiritual," a lecture/demonstration examining
the history of spirituals and their effect on classical,
contemporary and world music. Both events are free and
open to the public. This event also is part of Black History
Month.
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McLean |
Be a part of a conversation about corporate ethics with
Bethany McLean, the journalist who broke the Enron story
in 2001. McLean will speak Wednesday, March 8, 7 p.m.,
in the McKenny Union Ballroom. McLean, a senior writer
at Fortune magazine, also co-authored "The Smartest Guys
in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron." This
event is presented free by Campus Life and co-sponsored
by the College of Business, the Eastern Echo and Women's
Studies. This event also is part of Women's History Month.
 |
Voices of Africa |
Enjoy a soul-stirring performance by Voices
of Africa Sunday, March
19, 8 p.m., in Pease Auditorium. Voices fo Africa is
a dynamic ensemble of African-descendant women who play
drums, perform four- and five-part a capella harmonies,
and West African percussions spanning the culture and
traditions of the African Diaspora. The event is free
and open to the public. The group will provide an educational
performance for K-8 schools Monday, March 20, 11 a.m.,
Pease Auditorium.
Scott McCloud will make you cry from
laughing so hard during his comedy lecture, "Understanding
Comics," Monday,
March 20, 7 p.m., McKenny Union Ballroom. Through his books, "Understanding
Comics" and "Reinventing Comics," he explains the inner
workings of the medium and examines many aspects of visual
communication along the way.
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Randi |
James Randi, magician and escape artist, tireless investigator
and demystifier of paranormal and pseudoscientific claims,
visits campus Thursday, March 23, 7 p.m., in the McKenny
Union Ballroom. Randi's lecture, "Quackery and Health Scams
in the New Millennium," debunks healing claims of the new
age, from feng shui to touch therapy to a variety of homeopathic
remedies. He reveals how fake cures and subtle swindles
are more popular today than at any other time in history.
The lecture is free and open to the public.
 |
Diva |
Diva, one of the nation's foremost big
band jazz orchestras, swings into campus Friday, April
7, 8 p.m., in Pease Auditorium. In its review, Jazz Times
raves, "The band
punched, kicked, roared and swung with a disciplined abandon
and an unaffected joie de vivre." The cost is $5 for EMU
students and $12 for the general public.
Tickets are available at the Convocation Center by calling
487-2282 or the Quirk Theatre Box Office at 487-1221. For
more information on Campus Life's complete winter Arts & Entertainment
lineup, visit www.emich.edu/campuslife or call Campus Life
at 487-3045. — Ron Podell contributed to this
report.
