STOMP Is the Rhythm of Life

Four Perfomances Slated for Lied Center Stage

STOMP is more than dance and more than theater. STOMP's performers exploit the everyday rhythms of life, finding the beat in street sounds and the tone in simple objects. STOMP performs at 8 p.m. Nov. 6; at 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. Nov. 7 and 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Nov. 8 in the Lied Center for Performing Arts.

STOMP astonished audiences at their first Lied Center appearance in 1995 and this year's concerts promise to be just as electrifying.

Eight performers create the buzz in STOMP. From the show's opening moments - a single performer with a broom and a rhythm - the pace accelerates as more performers enter and the rhythms get more complex, the intensity crescendos into a climax of sound that softly diminishes as the piece comes to a finality.

For STOMP founders Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas, rhythm is the music of life. They hope STOMP opens up people's minds and encourages audiences to recognize the rhythms in their own lives. Rhythms describe mood, speed, form, motion. Rhythm is an intrinsic part of music, yet can it be the only part of the music? Important to the experience is tone, pitch, balance and contrast. Thus the clash of a garbage can lid against the rustle of paper, the quiet swish of a broom between the clicking of a lighter give a different tone and texture to the rhythms.

Since its founding in England in 1991, STOMP has excited audiences on several world tours.

While the group congealed in 1991, Cresswell and McNicholas had been collaborating on dance and other performances for more than 10 years.

So what's the point? It's that you can make something of nothing, says McNicholas. It's that group dynamics can bring people together to create something memorable. That "culture," as defined by STOMP, is an everyday occurrence. Cresswell and McNicholas feel they have succeeded when audience members leave STOMP's upbeat concerts with a burning desire to tap a rhythm on the first object they encounter.

Pre-performance talks, part of the Lied Center's ongoing education programming, begin in the Lied's Steinhart Room 55 minutes and 30 minutes prior to curtain.

Tickets for all performances are $38, $34 and $29. Ticket prices for University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Nebraska Wesleyan University and Doane College students and youth 18 and younger with proper identification are $33, $29 and $24. Section 3 student prices for the performances at 5 p.m. Nov. 7 and 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Nov. 8 are $14.50.

Call the Lied Box Of Office at 472-4747 or toll free, (800) 432-3231 for ticket availability. Box Office hours are 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays. On performance weekdays, the Box Office is open from 11 a.m. through the first intermission. For evening performances on weekends, the Box Office opens at 3 p.m.

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Masks, Magic, Mystery Exhibited at Hillestad Gallery

The Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery will present the artwork of Sha Sha Higby in collaboration with the Wagon Train Project of Lincoln, from Oct. 26 to Nov. 6.

"Masks, Magic, Mystery," will be shown in the Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery, College of Human Resources and Family Sciences, Home Economics Building on East Campus.

Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Higby will perform in the same costumes at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7 and at 2 p.m. Nov. 8 at the 7th Street Loft, 504 S. 7th St., 3rd floor

The Heartland Arts Fund, a division of the Mid-America Arts Alliance, is providing support. The exhibit is funded by the department of Textiles, Clothing and Design, College of Human Resources and Family Sciences.

Visit the Gallery web site at http://ianrwww.unl.edu/ian r/tcd/gallery.

High Art, starring Radha Mitchell (left) and Ally Sheedy (right), is part of the Gay/Lesbian Film Fest at the Mary Riepma Ross Film Theater. The Festival began Oct. 22 and will run Oct. 24, 25, 29-31 and Nov. 1. Other films will include The Brandon Teena Story (a film shot in Nebraska), Billy Hollywood's Screen Kiss, Dear Jesse and East Palace, West Palace. Additionally, two feature-length collections of shorts will be shown, Boy's In Love 2 and Women Make Movies.

Curtis Photographs Symposium and Exhibition at Great Plains Gallery

A symposium, "Edward Sheriff Curtis: Photographs of The Plains Indian Peoples," will meet Nov. 13 and 14 in the Great Plains Art Collection, 215 Love Library. Admission is free, but pre-registration for the symposium is advised. Call 472-3082.

The symposium is in conjunction with the exhibition, "Edward S. Curtis's Photographs of Plains Indians," at the Great Plains Art Collection, 215 Love Library from Nov. 3 to Dec. 12.

An opening reception will be sponsored by the Office of the Chancellor and the Institute for Ethnic Studies from 7 to 9 p.m. Nov. 13. Talks by Nancy Heugh, conservator of photographs, and Martha H. Kennedy, exhibition curator, will begin at 8 p.m.

The exhibition and symposium are sponsored by Friends of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, the Center for Great Plains Studies and the Nebraska State Historical Society. Additional sponsors: the Abel Foundation, the Cooper Foundation, the Kimmel Foundation, James Stuart Jr., the Nebraska Humanities Council, the University of Nebraska Foundation, the Institute for Ethnic Studies and the UNL Research Council.

Colorprint U.S.A Opens Nov. 6

Colorprint U.S.A., a national exhibition of original prints by 53 artists celebrating the vitality, the variety and the portability of the printmaker's art, will open Nov. 6 at the gallery inside the newly renovated Nebraska Union. The exhibition is sponsored by the University of Nebraska department of Art and Art History. The show is made up of more than 50 works of art with at least one artist from every state in the United States represented. Representing Nebraska is Karen Kunc, UNL professor of art.

An opening reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 6 in the gallery.

The show features outstanding examples of lithography, woodcut, etching, screenprint and other printmaking procedures by some of America's finest print artists. Because each artist contributed an edition of more than 50 prints, all shows scheduled in the 50 museums and art galleries coast to coast will simultaneously exhibit the same works beginning Nov. 6. The exhibit runs through Nov. 24.

Colorprint U.S.A. for 1998 was conceived by its director Lynwood Kreneck as a spin-off of the popular printmaking exchange portfolios. Each artist made an edition of prints which were shipped to Texas Tech University in Lubbock. The prints were then collated into suites of prints comprised of one work from each of the participants.

These prints were shipped back to the artists who had arranged to open the exhibit on the same weekend in November at a venue in their home state.

Subject matter included in the show includes mystical to traditional treatments of landscape and figures and is spiced with satire and social commentary. Colorprint U.S.A. is a celebration of the vitality, the variety, and the portability of the printmaker's art.

In addition to Kunc, some of the other artists represented in the exhibition include Cima Katz, University of Kansas; Keith Achepohl, University of Iowa; Tom Lang, Webster University (Mo.); Eldon L. (E.C.) Cunningham, Metropolitan State College of Denver; Mark Ritchie, University of Wyoming; and Lloyd R. Menard, University of South Dakota, Vermillion.

During this year's renovation of the NU Department of Art and Art History's Richards Hall, all Gallery of the Department of Art and Art History exhibitions this year will be held in the gallery inside the Nebraska Union.

Gallery's Web Site Tallies 100,000 Visitors

The Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery's Web site recently served its l00,000th visitor. Since its beginning on Nov. 1, 1996, the site's traffic has grown to an average of nearly 400 visitors each day. Comprising some 562 pages representing 190 artists and 250 works of art, the site affords opportunities for a much wider audience than ever before possible, to increase its awareness of, and interest in, Sheldon's extensive art collection.

The site's pages have been viewed by visitors from more than 70 countries and 500 universities. Additionally, users locally, regionally, and nationally receive information on current exhibitions, events and acquisitions. The site's designers hope those who use the site also experience the collection in person.

Stuart Wheat, Sheldon's museum education technology specialist and web site designer, said, that as a not-for-profit venture, the Sheldon's site exists solely for the benefit of its users, "who we hope share a belief of the centrality of the arts to human existence. The growing equality of access provided by the worldwide web will only become greater as time progresses, and Sheldon hopes to continue to be a presence in this important conversation, disseminating the rich heritage of our state and country to a greater and greater audience. We believe immeasurable opportunities are afforded by the web through its promotion of the sharing of information, and that the possibilities for lifelong learning are present, attainable, and worth pursuing. We believe the arts promote a greater understanding of the human experience, and foster creativity and critical thinking. These understandings, in turn, assist communication between individuals, generations, and cultures."

The Web site is at: http://sheldon.unl.edu/.

Lecture by Graphic Designer Nov. 16

The Department of Art and Art History, Graphic Design Program, is hosting a lecture "kenoections" and book signing by international graphic designer Kenneth J. Hiebert at 7 p.m. Nov. 16 in the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery. Hiebert is professor of graphic design and as former chair was instrumental in organizing the graphic design department at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

Hiebert has received two individual design arts awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, many awards from the American Institute of Graphic Arts and other professional organizations, and the Master Teacher Award of the Graphic Design Education Association.

His work is in the permanent collections of major museums, including the Museum of Modern Art, Cooper-Hewitt Museum, and the Gewerbemuseum Basel. Excerpted from his introduction: "The connections that I make in this presentation "kenoections" are between nodes in my matrix of existence and projects that I have done or my students have done and the relations of these to influences and stimuli. This is not the latest, the hottest. It is what for me connects and has continued validity".

He is the author of two significant books, Graphic Design Processes (Van Nostrand Reinhold Press $37) and Graphic Design Sources (Yale University Press $45) both of which will be available for sale at this event.

Attention Humans: Mothra Invades Nov. 8

A 13,200-ton insect with an 820-foot wingspan swoops down on Lincoln Nov. 8 as part of Dinosaur Theater and Auction, a fundraiser sponsored by the Friends of the University of Nebraska State Museum.

The 1962 science fiction classic "Mothra" will be shown in the auditorium of the museum at Morrill Hall. "Mothra" is a Japanese science fiction movie about a giant insect that terrorizes the world and can only be stopped by singing a special song with secret lyrics. The fundraiser also includes auctions, pizza and a cash bar. Proceeds will benefit the museum.

The event begins at 3 p.m. with a silent auction featuring a set of Brazilian agate bookends, artwork and other items. Guests can watch "Mothra" in the museum auditorium at 4 p.m. A live auction begins at 7 p.m. and features a basketball hoop, an antique silverplate service for 12, artwork and collectibles. A mountain bike, a child's bike and a framed print by wildlife artist Neal Anderson will be raffled off during the evening.

Tickets for Dinosaur Theater and Auction are $10 per person, $20 per family and raffle tickets for the bicycles and the print are $1 each. Both tickets can be purchased at the museum or by calling (402) 472-6365.

Parking is available near the museum.

Halloween Specials on Nebraska ETV & EduCable

Ghosts, goblins, witches and other supernatural denizens live-make that die-for late October when their cronies in uncanniness revel in scary festivity on All Hallow's Eve, better known as Halloween.

The statewide Nebraska ETV Network and EduCable, Nebraska ETV's cable television service, celebrate the spooky "trick-or-treat" holiday with several special broadcasts.

Even monsters can be scared on Halloween. In Elmo Says Boo!, airing at 11 a.m. Oct. 30 on Nebraska ETV and at 7 p.m. Oct. 31, on EduCable, everybody's favorite little red monster from Sesame Street visits the Count's castle to tell some of his funniest jokes. Elmo Says Boo! is closed captioned for hearing-impaired viewers.

At first, Elmo finds the atmosphere a bit overwhelming, since the Count shares his castle with jangling skeletons and howling ghosts. Even the paintings on the wall have a tendency to shriek. But once the Count introduces Elmo to all his spooky friends, they settle down for "spirited" jokes, songs and skits. Elmo learns that appearances can be deceiving and that what seems scary at first can end up being a lot of fun.

Everyone enjoys dressing up for Halloween, especially the literature-loving Jack Russell terrier Wishbone, who stars in Halloween Hound: The Legend of Creepy Collars, airing on the WISHBONE series, at 5 p.m. Oct. 30 on Nebraska ETV and Halloween night, at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 31 at on EduCable. WISHBONE is closed captioned.

The hour-long special finds Joe Talbot, Wishbone's young owner, joining friends in a Halloween scavenger hunt. The hunt leads Joe's team to the abandoned Murphy house where Wishbone joins the kids to help them overcome their anxiety and guide them to victory.

Meanwhile, Joe's fears spark Wishbone's imagination and transport him to a literary adventure-Washington Irving's 1819 classic, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. As Ichabod Crane, Wishbone comes paw-to-hoof with the Headless Horseman.

Dracula - The True Story, airing Halloween night at 10:10 p.m. on Nebraska ETV, is a factual program about superstition, fearful fantasies and history brought to mass culture by the famous novel Dracula. This captivating documentary travels to the heart of Transylvania, in today's Romania, to uncover the historical truths behind the legend.

Author Discusses Life of Aviatrix on Roger Welsch

Learn about the life of a Nebraska aviatrix through the eyes of biographer Diane Bartels when she appears at 8:30 p.m. Oct. 30 on ROGER WELSCH on the statewide Nebraska ETV Network.

Welsch comments, "The only problem with talking to a biographer is that they are usually more interested in talking about their subject rather than themselves. Diane Bartels is that type of biographer. She is the author of Sharpie, the story of Nebraska aviatrix Evelyn Sharp, which chronicles the life of this heroic and notable female pilot. If we're lucky, we'll learn something about both Diane and Evelyn this week."

Outdoor Nebraska Features Live Call-In Special on Nebraska ETV

A live, call-in special about hunting issues in the state is featured this week on Outdoor Nebraska. The outdoor news magazine series airs at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 29 and repeats at 8 a.m. Oct. 31 on the statewide Nebraska ETV Network.

Tune in to learn how permits can be obtained via the Internet on the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission's home page at http://hawk.ngpc .state.ne.us/license/permits.html. A panel of wildlife experts will be available to answers questions.

First-Plymouth's Lied Celebration Live on EduCable

The 6,500 pipe Lied Organ in Lincoln's First-Plymouth Congregational Church will be featured on a Lied Organ Celebration broadcast live starting at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 27, on EduCable, the cable television service of the Nebraska ETV Network. The event is scheduled for two-and-a-half-hours.

In addition to its beauty, the four manual and 110 rank pipe Lied Organ - at a cost of $2.1 million - is special because of its versatility. Pipes as long as 28 feet and as thin as 3/8 of an inch provide a range of tones.

The concert will feature Abendmusik's artistic director and First-Plymouth's music director, Jack Levick, conducting the Abendmusik Chorus, the Westminster Choir, the Nebraska Wesleyan Choir, the Omaha Symphony Orchestra, soloists, and guest organist, Todd Wilson.

Wilson is director of music and organist of The Church of the Covenant, a presbyterian church in Cleveland, Ohio, where he is in charge of a program of choirs and a concert series. He is also head of the Organ department at the Cleveland Institute of Music.

Viewers will have the opportunity to listen to works such as Alexandre Guilmant's "Symphony No. 1," Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Requiem" and Horatio Parker's "Organ Concerto" and "Hora Novissisma," among many other selections.

Rock-a-Billy and Blues Featured On 33rd Street Sessions

This week's Nebraska Showcase features rock-a-billy tunes by Radio King and Native American blues by Indigenous, set to entertain viewers in back-to-back episodes of 33rd Street Sessions, the Nebraska ETV Network's music series featuring up-and-coming local and regional acts. These two half-hour programs air at 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Oct. 30 on the statewide Nebraska ETV Network.

The four members of Radio King - John Helwick, vocals; Rand Paul, drums; Tony Robertson, guitar; and Marty Stenhausen, bass and vocals - combine their roots in rock 'n roll to create their unique sound. With an influence of bluegrass, surf, blues and rock-a-billy, Radio King delivers viewers a concert that kicks. Songs performed in this broadcast include "The Flies Are Bitin'," "Liquor Stop," "Ballad of the Prison Guard" and "Motel 666."

At 9:30 p.m., the second program features "reservation blues" by the Native American blues band Indigenous. From Yankton Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, this powerful family trio sets its sound apart from that of other blues bands. With Mato Nanji (shown above) working the guitar, while brother Pte backs him on bass, sister Wandbi provides the backbone with her hard-driving rhythms. Indigenous' CD, Blues from the Sky, was recorded live during the making of this 33rd Street Sessions concert.

33rd Street Sessions is recorded at the Nebraska ETV studios at 1800 N. 33rd St. in Lincoln. The series is produced by the Cultural Affairs Unit of University of Nebraska-Lincoln for broadcast on the Nebraska ETV Network.