Monday, June 4, 2012
Events Spoleto Update: Festival approaches final weekend
Posted by Andrew Alexander @AndrewAWriter on Mon, Jun 4, 2012 at 2:03 PM
- Courtesy k.d. lang
- GARDEN TOUR: k.d. lang performed at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens on Friday, June 1, before making an appearance at Charleston's Spoleto Festival on Sunday, June 3. Her performance there was part of the annual arts event's final week.
After her performance at Atlanta's Botanical Garden on Friday, June 1, velvet-voiced singer k.d. lang made a stop at Spoleto, performing to a sold-out crowd at Charleston's Gaillard Auditorium on Sunday, June 3. Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet also performed at the same venue on Friday and Saturday nights. The company brought three dark, abstract pieces, presenting audiences with a challenging program of contemporary work.
We were expecting to be blown away by Cedar Lake's presentation of Angelin Preljocaj's "Annonciation" and Crystal Pite's “Grace Engine,” but it was actually Hofesh Shechter's "Velvet Kid" that left the strongest impression with its odd blend of interiority and social anxieties: in the piece, unusual waves of movement formed patterns across the company or rippled from one dancer to the next before dissipating. "The Annonciation" had a bit of an emotionally-distant, almost old-fashioned subject—the Biblical annunciation: though the Preljocaj piece had wonderfully dramatic, whiplike moves and quick full-bodied shifts, it was hard to connect to the central drama. The contours of "Grace Engine" were too similar to those of "Velvet Kid" for the two abstract ensemble works to sit comfortably on the same program. Although "Velvet Kid" was a knock-out for us and there was much to admire in the other two pieces, many in the audience had understandable obstacles in finding a sense of connection with the company.
- Christopher Duggan
- CRACK UP: zoe|juniper's "A Crack in Everything" opens at Charleston's Memminger Auditorium on Wednesday, June 6.
We were especially glad to see some of our favorite Atlanta acts participating in Piccolo Spoleto this year. New Trinity Baroque performed a stunning afternoon series of works by Vivaldi, Pachelbel, Handel and other Baroque composers at the First Scots Presbyterian Church; The Seed and Feed Marching Abominables brought their delicious brand of Atlanta outrageousness to various outdoor locations around Charleston; and dance company Gathering Wild will perform its tribute to the 27 Club (consisting of famous rockers Amy Winehouse, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, and Janis Joplin, who all died at the age of 27). Gathering Wild's Piccolo appearance earned them a nice preview in Charleston's alt-weekly City Paper. Congrats, GW, and break a leg at the show. We hope to see even more Atlanta acts at Spoleto 2013.
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