By Sheila Cowley
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Creative Clay’s Visual Artists
are Joyous Performing Artists
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May 20 from 6-9 pm
Nova 535, St. Pete
Details here
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At our second Sparks Collaborative Ensemble rehearsal for Billow, Creative Clay’s artists were flying.
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The performance is part of Creative Clay’s Spring for the Arts fundraiser on May 20. Billow is a short play dozens of Creative Clay’s member artists have a hand in – from painting strikingly beautiful billowing flags to moving and dancing and shouting out lines with actor Jan Neuberger, dancer Helen Hansen French and choreographer Paula Kramer.
The artists had been busy, and we had a lot more gorgeous wafting flags and lovely Moons and Earths and stars this time – enough for everyone to hold up high.
This time Jan was speaking from atop a ladder – Paula’s brilliant brainwave. Paula and a Creative Clay artist who was wandering by draped it with long shimmering bolts of fabric which had all been part of many Sparks plays before.
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Jan ran us through the script and Helen guided everybody through the motion. Our ensemble all enjoyed the words and movement, and we were grateful that several Creative Clay artists who don’t often participate in our performances, grabbed a flag and joined in with joy and energy.
As ever, things were going pretty well, but when we added music to parade everyone into the performance space and off again, everything took off. Our plans for live musicians hadn’t worked out, so Helen suggested jazz and I quickly called my husband Matt, a longtime jazz player. I shouted quietly into the phone in the midst of all the hubbub and the ever-present uproar from I-275 just a few feet away, and he thought a moment and told me, “Count Basie.”
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I quickly found a couple instrumentals on my phone and we decided on Basie’s rollicking “Flight of the Foo Birds.” And suddenly, when people have a lovely flag to wave and music to step into, you have got a wonderful parade.
Just one more rehearsal, before an exuberant performance.
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Creative Clay is a recipient of the Pinellas Recovers Grant,
provided by Creative Pinellas through a grant from the
National Endowment of the Arts American Rescue Plan
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Disclaimer – Sheila Cowley serves as the Managing Editor of the Arts Coast magazine
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