CricketToes

Reggie Watts At TED = Much Needed Hilarity

Ya know what we need? We need a timeout from all things painfully serious by gettin' ourselves some seriously wacky laughs, courtesy of Reggie Watts at TED2012:

 

Phew, that felt good!

Related:
TED Presents: Andrew Bird & His One-Man Music Show!

Bring Your Own Artistic Creature To Life In The DanceLAB--Mwahahaha!

The process of artsy creation is always complicated and always messy, and anybody who tells ya different has never gotten his/her brain dirty--all right now, y'all know what I mean, sheesh! In the most obvious yet poignant metaphor in English literature, Mary Shelly told us so in her Gothic novel Frankenstein--a.k.a The Modern Prometheus. While she narrates nearly nothing of what must surely be a gruesome procedure of animating inanimate matter, we gather all too well that the process of bringing a new creation into this world is filled with both wonder and terror. Ask any mom--she'll tell ya that plus more than ya ever wanted to know!

So if that's the case, if it's so damn tricky and scary to create, why do we do it at all? Fair question, kids. Ya gotta be at least half off your nut to even try, right? Well, yes, but being half off your nut just means you're human, so that's no excuse, and being human means you not only try in spite of the tricky/scary but because of the tricky/scary, right? Right on!

In that spirit, Danceworks invites you and the artistic partner of your choice to apply for participation in its DanceLAB Art to Art 2013, an experimental performance event featuring works created by multiple two-artist teams who practice different disciplines. It's an artsy cross-pollination hootenanny!

One stipulation: One member of each team should be a choreographer or at least know a little sumpin' sumpin' about choreography. Pretty sure dancing along with the Glee gang in your living room doesn't count, but if you got the gumption and a high level of what-the-hell attitude, I'm not gonna tell ya you can't apply.

For the rest of you in film, music, theatre and visual arts, all you gotta do is find yourself one of those fancy dance types to partner with and you're good to go. Easy peasy!

Go to the Danceworks website to download the Art to Art 2013 application--it's under the DanceLAB tab--so you can face the wonder and the terror together!

(Thanks, Elyse!)

Related:
Video Confession: 3 Guys, 3 Beers & Modern Dance

Alverno Presents' Quest For The Best Yields Trisha Brown Dance Co

If there's one thing those who pay even the slightest attention to live performance in Milwaukee know it is this: When the folks at Alverno Presents set their collective mind to bringing fantastical dance to our fair city, they do not mess around. They are focused, centered, maybe even a bit obsessive, but that's what it takes to get the best of the best here to stun and amaze us. To wit, the triumphant performance of Bill T. Jones' Serenade/The Proposition in 2010.

This season AP welcomes the Trisha Brown Dance Company on Saturday, October 20, 2012 at 8:00PM. And I tell you, it's gonna be somethin' to write home and abroad about!

With work that spans over five decades, Trisha Brown has been churning out choreography that challenges both dancers and audiences, creatively telling the traditional dance world to get with it or die from an excruciating painful boredom of its own making. Just take a look at this excerpt of Planes (1968):

 

Yes, kids, you read that date right--twas choreographed in 1968. Well trained, off-their-nut rock climbers got nothin' on those dancers!

During the October 20 show, you'll be treated to a repertory mix, including her latest work I’m going to toss my arms – if you catch them they’re yours. Hear tell there'll also be a cameo appearance of sorts by local Latin sensations De la Buena, though in a different form then their usual. Shhhh, it's a surprise!

Don't wait to get your tickets, do it now or forever wallow in regret!

Link (Thanks, Rory!)

Related:
Bill T. Jones & The Dance Of History

A Centennial Celebration Of Cage: It's Gonna Be A Circus!

John Cage can be fairly described as a jack-of-all-arts. A composer, performance artist, visual artist, writer, poet, mycologist--that's somebody who studies mushrooms at a super smart nerd level, and anyone who's experienced his abstract experimental music should not gasp with surprise at that fact--and an all-around lovable freaky dude. On September 5 of this year Mr. cage would have been the very venerable--some would say waaay too old--age of 100. Celebrations have been taking place 'round the world and Miltown is no exception.

Spearheaded by Thomas Gaudynski--himself a lovable freaky dude--and co-sponsored by Woodland Pattern Book Center and the Urban Ecology Center, the John Cage Centennial Literary Musicircus this Sunday will feature volunteer readers, um, reading various works penned by Cage that are sure to blow each and every mind in the general aural vicinity.

So what makes this event remarkable? Well, the readers will be scattered throughout Riverside Park, so in order for you to hear the profound, sometimes wacky words and line breaks crafted by Cage you'll have to move your booties instead of sitting like a lifeless lump on a giant 'shroom à la Alice In You Know Where. Ha! The tables do a turn, don't they? Indeed.

Just be clear, there will not be any music, though the name certainly might give you that impression. This is a literary event, but the "Musicircus" reference is to honor Cage's spark of genius when he had musical and other performers do their thing simultaneously while the event-goers traipsed around them. It's a happening, man.

The John Cage Centennial Literary Musicircus takes place Sunday, August 26, from 1-4PM in Riverside Park if the sun be a'shining or in the Urban Ecology Center if the rain be a'drizzling. If you'd like to volunteer to read, contact Thomas Gaudynski at tgaudynski at mindspring dot com.

(Thanks, Thomas!)

Related:
RIP Merce Cunningham
Sonic Poetry Explored

RIP Gil Scott-Heron

It was with great and profound sadness that we learned of the passing of Gil Scott-Heron on May 27, 2011, at the age of 62.

A master poet and extraordinary musician, Scott-Heron was not only a major influence on the hip-hop and rap artists who followed in his footsteps but legions of spoken-word artists, writers and poets--like old Cricky here--introducing us to the power of socially conscious art.

His most famous piece "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," originally recorded in 1970, is laced with sardonic humor and timely cultural references, serving as both a scathing indictment of racism in America and a controlled yet sure warning that change is coming, ready or not:

 

Here's how he explained the piece in an interview for the series The 90's:

 

Though brilliantly insightful, Scott-Heron was plagued with drug addiction that waxed and waned for decades, proving that even the most remarkable among us can fall into downward spirals of self-destruction and self-abuse that at times exert such force we cannot free ourselves.

But that is not how those of us who owe so much to Gil Scott-Heron will remember him. No, we shall remember him as a man of intellectual and artistic prowess who taught us that truth-telling is the path to honorable art and a critical component to creating a just world.

Related:
The Art Tim Hetherington & Chris Hondros Left Behind
RIP J.D. Salinger
In Honor of Two African American Artists

Express Your Support For Miltown's Artsy Youth

The desire to express oneself artistically has been well documented throughout the cosmic blip that is human history. The drive to do so emanates from the need to make sense of our specific reality and communicate it to others, therefore expanding the understanding of the vastness of human experience.

For the young among us, this hankerin' to be heard and seen through creative means is so strong it completely blows away any other urge they may have bubbling away in the volatile volcanoes of their hearts, not to mention other body parts--hehe! And don't tell me that ya don't remember those days 'cause somebody somewhere has got ample evidence of your tween and teen explosions, 'kay?

As a subset of the pre-adult crowd, at-risk youth have all the more the reason to get their art on. Why? Because, as we all know, the creative process strengthens the ability to comprehend and articulate individual circumstance and come to terms with painful experience, which is in no short supply for many. Also, they just can't help it, so why not, huh?

Express Yourself Milwaukee is acutely aware of this need in our city, working tirelessly to help the youngins release the pressures of an often mad world through artistic venting. And tonight it will present the Annual Multi-Arts Show, featuring a whole gaggle of artsy kids eager to tell the world who they are and how they roll. Best part about it is that you're all invited. Whoot!

This year's theme, PULSE, is a one-word descriptor of life and the program is set show off the visual art, music, dancing, spoken word, and video work of young talents from 8th Street School, Our Next Generation, Westside Academy, Running Rebels Community Organization, and St. Aemilian-Lakeside with representation from the Milwaukee County Juvenile Detention Center.

So get yourself on over to the Humphrey Scottish Rite Center, 790 N. Van Buren Street, at 6PM sharp tonight to witness the creative PULSE of Milwaukee's youth. It's free and open to everyone, but we encourage all to chip in at least the $10 suggested donation.

Link (Thanks, Daisy and Mary Beth!)

Related:
Help The Kids Earn Some Cash/Make Art

A Marathon Of Perfect Words

As consistently stunning as it is to me--and perhaps to some of you--I am often asked, "Cricky, what's the secret to becoming a halfway decent writer?" After gathering myself from the impact of that colossal compliment and mentally stifling my initial instinct to answer, "Why don't ya ask me something simple, like the secret to world peace?" I nonetheless manage to muster up a far less snarky reply by saying, "Practice, practice, practice."

While this is indeed the best on-the-fly answer I've squeezed out of my noodle to date--one which I've stolen from others and seems to placate the majority of inquirers--there are a few key details left unsaid: Listen to, read and write poetry. That's right, poetry.

Now before you frantically click away in fear to find the latest video documentation of the very best jackassery humanity has to offer, let me just share a little mantra you can use to soothe your spirit as you read on: Poetry is not your enemy, poetry is your friend. Repeat while clicking your heels three times. Ha! That's a joke, people!

Okay, so now that you're feelin' as loose as Judy Garland did, well, most of the time--bless her talented, tipsy soul--I shall explain why the exposure to and the writing of poetry is the foundation to becoming a better wordsmith in general. You ready? Then let's do it.

In its most magnificent form, poetry focuses our brains on what is elemental, what is pure and what is basic. This, of course, is not to say that it lacks complexity, but through its intense and deliberate use of perfect words in perfect placement it presents an uncluttered vista at which we may gaze and perceive the true depth of any subject. Also, it very effectively teaches us the skill of elimination, ridding our work of the unnecessary writing that bores the crap out of our readers and ourselves.

Phew! That was a lot to absorb, I'll grant ya, but there's a reason for all that lead-up and it is to encourage you to witness firsthand the power that poetry grants us all by attending Woodland Pattern's 17th Annual Poetry Marathon. You are now free to holler, "Whoozzah!"

Beginning Saturday, January 29, at 10AM and going all the way until 1AM Sunday morning, the gallery space of Woodland Pattern Book Center will be abuzz with the constant stream of perfectly chosen, placed and uttered words, generating what will no doubt be described as an immaculate linguistic maelstrom by those who experience it. And you wanna be counted among them, don't ya? Course ya do.

To you poets, writers, performance artists, and musicians--yes, you're all welcome!--who haven't yet reserved your 5-minute time slot and/or raised at least $35 in pledges, waitin' around for fickle inspiration to kick ya in the caboose, considered yourselves booted and sign-up now!

It all happens Saturday, January 29, at 720 East Locust Street in Milwaukee, and all proceeds go toward Woodland Pattern programming.

Related:
How To Make Writers/Poets (Temporarily) Less Cynical: Pay Them!
Will The Best Poetic Slammers Please Step Forward!

Video Confession: 3 Guys, 3 Beers & Modern Dance

Like so much of what we've labeled Modern and sometimes confusingly Contemporary Art--which is it, people? Stuff made in the here-n-now or stuff made since the end of WWII? Sheesh!--Modern Dance has received a resounding and unequivocal "Meh" from the majority of the general public. This reaction is based on an uncomfortable, icky feeling that ya must have to know something about it in order to get it.

Most practitioners of the art form, however, would argue that, while it's a fantastical thing if you're able to grasp a particular underlying meaning and/or reference, it is much more important that you experience a piece at a visceral level. Feel it first 'cause there's plenty of time to think about it later.

In an effort to expose the anxiety that most folks feel about Modern Dance, three regular fellers recently sat down at a bar in Miltown with beers in hand to confess their own trepidation toward the art and how they've managed overcome it:

 

Did ya recognize the oh-so brave souls in that video, kids? That's right, it's David Ravel--Director of Alverno Presents--artist Milan Zori--a.k.a Dwellephant--and 91.7 WMSE's own Ryan Schleicher. Which just goes to show ya that even creative types carry around their own super secret fears about some forms of art.

Apparently, there's gonna be two more of these insightful video confessions that'll be posted on David's blog in the near future, so I encourage all of ya to tune in and spread the word. Let's all lose our fear together!

(via @muzzleofbees)

Related:
Bill T. Jones & The Dance Of History

Step Right Up & Get Your Very Own Art Souvenir!

Gentlewomen and Gentlemen, Ladies and Germs, and all the rest of ya who bristle at being categorized by ancient titles fit more for an historical novel than your ultramodern life, may I have your undivided attention please? I have an invitation that is so completely enchanting, so absolutely captivating, even the most sour of sourpusses amongst ya can't resist it.

On Wednesday evening, September 22, there shall be a gathering unlike any known before in our burg--an assembly of artistic performers and jesters sure to bedazzle your senses, mesmerize your mind and make you whisper to your soul mate/friend/hanger-on, "Really, I've never seen anything like it." The event is called Souvenirs and it is the 6th incarnation of the annual Performance Art Showcase!

Brought to you by super artsy co-producers Pegi Christiansen--co-founder of IN:SITE-- and John Loscuito, Souvenirs will present the unique work of 28 artisans, many of whom are famous and not-a-little infamous for bringing a mathematically impossible 110% to everything they create: Kate Brandt and Anna Helgeson, Theresa Columbus, Zoë Darling, Jason and Kasia Drake-Hames, Mark G.E. and Theresa Ala Mode, Laura Gorzek and Angie Moser, Robert Hoffmann with Philipp Hoffmann, Lewis Koch, Angela Laughingheart, Gina Litherland and Hal Rammel, Sarah Luther, Geoff Marsh, Jennifer Morales, Molly Noyes, Jessica Poor and Judy Dubrosky, Petra Press, Joseph Reeves, John Riepenhoff, Danielle Rosen, Paul Schwarzkopf, and Pinkerton Xyloma.

Holy artists convention!

Best of all you won't leave empty headed as each work will provide you with new thoughts, new ideas and new ways to view the world. Also, some attendees will walk away with somethin' tangible to place gently in their hope chests, so you've got nothin' to lose and much to gain!

Souvenirs is tomorrow night--the Autumnal Equinox, don't cha know--in the 4th Floor Gallery at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD), 273 E. Erie Street in Milwaukee, from 7:30-9:30PM. Suggested donation at the door is $3 for students and $5 for everybody else.

(Thanks, Pegi!)

Related:
Open Call For Performance Art Souvenirs
9 is a Magic Number

Artists, Musicians & Dancers Needed As Soon As Now!

Hey there! Nice to see ya. Glad ya could stop on by. Ya know, I'm not a betting gal, but I'd say odds are better than those on a wrestling match between a cockroach and an elephant that you're here readin' this post because you're one of three artsy types in one of the following sticky situations--these are only examples, your own experience may vary:

1. You're a visual artist sittin' around admiring your latest series of phenomenal works, drinkin' a cold one and feelin' mighty satisfied, but you're wondering where, oh where you can show and sell these masterpieces tout de suite--that's fancy French for now!

2. You're a musician or one of a group of 'em and you've just cranked out some crazy hot tunes while beatin' the heat in your basement and you're thinkin', "The world must hear this life changing music immediately, but how can I possibly find a venue worthy of the urgency I feel?"

3. You're a dancer, troupe of dancers and/or choreographer and you've just rehearsed a sweaty, mind-blowing new movement piece for the umpteenth time and it's finally ready to be presented to the dance lovin' masses, but you're at a loss as to where you can locate a stage posthaste.

Eh? Was I right? Haha, I knew it!

Okay, so now that we've worked out who you are--more or less--and where you're at--give or take--I've got some fantabulous news for you: The Walker's Point Traveling Arts Festival is just the solution you need and it's happening this Saturday, July 24, in Milwaukee from noon-9PM!

That's right, the organizers of the very first Walker's Point Traveling Arts Festival are seeking artists to sell their work, musicians to make the crowd shake its collective booty and dancers to entrance and mesmerize the young, the not-so-young, and the as-long-as-I-got-one-lung-workin'-I'm-gonna-live-dammit crowd.

Jenn Turner, director of Bucketworks, gave me the lowdown thusly:

"Yeah, we're definitely still looking for artists and performers. There is a commission that is being taken (it's $25 for a table and 10% of sales) [and] it's going to the Walker's Point Association. Bucketworks might be willing to contribute to paying the performers if they would be willing to give us a lower rate."

Hear that? With just a bit o' friendly negotiation, everybody has the opportunity to get paid!

Call Jenn now at 414-305-1324 x702 and tell her Cricky sent ya.

Link (Thanks, Jenn!)