Aisle Be Seeing You

Ailey: Ronald K. Brown's "Dancing Spirit" (video)

Ronald K. Brown pays tribute to Judith Jamison with Dancing Spirit, a new work that echoes the title of Jamisons autobiography. Set to music by Duke Ellington, Wynton Marsalis, Radiohead and War, Brown uses movement from Cuba, Brazil and the United States to conjure dancing spirits who embody the elegance, vision, dignity and generosity of Jamison.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to The Citi Performing Arts Center's Wang Theatre April 15-18
(Dancing Spirit will be performed April 15 and 17).

Online Auction is underway - check it out!

Consider this an invitation from Aisle Be Seeing You: The Celebrity Series of Boston's Standing O! Auction is now open for bidding!

Auction by the numbers:

7 Red Sox games
6 Concert programs
5 Health & Fitness
4 Personal pampering
3 Theatre events
2 Hotel & Travel
1 Bose Wave radio

The auction will run from March 15, 2010 to April 18, 2010. All proceeds support the Arts, Education and Community Program of the Celebrity Series. Tell your friends, your family, and your community, and let the bidding begin!

Check out the Standing O! Online Auction

Kuumba Singers at Symphony Hall

Preparing to go on with Bobby McFerrin, Sunday, March 21, 2010.

Globe: "Improvising, McFerrin style"

The Boston Globe had a chat with Bobby McFerrin recently and the results appeared in today's print edition, just in time to preview his concert at Symphony Hall this Sunday afternoon. He talked about appearing on the TV program Sing-Off! and the story of VOCAbuLarieS, his upcoming recording, eight years in the making. Here's a snippet:

"I have always played to mixed audiences on every level — age, type of music, on and on. There are always people who remember 'Don't Worry, Be Happy,' and I’m happy they remember it, of course. But, like any artist over 20 years, I've moved on. Fortunately, I’ve moved on in a lot of new directions, which keep it all fresh and inventive."

Read all of Improvising, McFerrin style.

Check out Bobby McFerrin at Symphony Hall this Sunday at 3pm, brought to you by the Celebrity Series of Boston (ahem).

0MG D00D, a Leetspeak posting (and a video)

 
Something for all you Leet speakers out there ...

0MG D00D 8088Ψ |\/|<I=€221|\| 15 T3H l_l83Я 1337 Я0XX0ЯZ!

Translation for the rest of us:

OMG, dude, Bobby McFerrin is the über-elite rocks-er!

Um, so he is. Come check him out this Sunday at Boston's Symphony Hall.

Globe review of Black Grace Dance Company

Karen Campbell's review of Black Grace Dance Company (in the photo above) is informative and positive (our favorite kind of review!), but my personal favorite bit comes from the comment section:

"I arrived tired and left buoyant."

High praise in a busy world.

Here is Karen's review.

Check out Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in "Hymn" (video)

Check out Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Hymn.

And don't miss them at Citi Wang Theatre this April 15-18.

200K ... a little or a lot?

This blog has just hit 200,000 page views since its creation in mid-2005.

For me, it seems like both a colossal figure and, well, not very much for 4 and a half years of posting. Expressed in Uraguayan pesos it doesn't seem like much either; just ask Pedro Figari (the guy on the bill). And then when you consider how many of this blog's visitors were just trolling for free images ... um, hey, has anybody been to any good concerts lately?

Black Grace dances at Perkins School for the Blind

They are performing this weekend at Boston's Paramount Theatre, but members of New Zealand's Black Grace Dance Company took some time to work with students at the Perkins School for the Blind today as part of the Celebrity Series Arts, Education and Community Program. The class was funded by The Peabody Foundation.

The video above was shot by Martin Finucane for an article on Boston.com.

Here is The Boston Herald's coverage of the same event.

Max Raabe wows Paramount crowds, reviewers

He's glamorous, he's suave, he's totally Weimar. His deadpan delivery and tuxedoed band played two fantastic concerts at the Paramount Theatre last week. Ironically, Max Raabe, playing music of the 1920s and 30s, is a man of the moment.

Here are two reviews of his show:

Boston Herald (Bob Young)

Boston Globe (Matthew Guerrieri)