By Amanda Sieradzki. I step through the side gate to the Southwest Pool, part of the Largo Recreation Center and home of the Suncoast WaterWorks’ Synchronized Swimming team. The club thrives as Pinellas County’s only competitive synchronized swimming program. I’m mind-boggled by the endurance demonstrated by these young swimmers who so often hold their breath while achieving the unimaginable. I’m also elated… Read More
By Kurt Loft. “If I’m authentic on the stage, with the music I do, the way I sing, how I present myself – the audience, no matter their background, will connect with what I’m giving them,” says Ona Kirei. “I try to focus on that everywhere I go and I always feel the warmth of the audience, and it’s the best feeling ever.” Kirei believes people need that “best feeling” in large doses today because of the anxiety from COVID, mass shootings and so much political division. “Art always plays one of the biggest roles in difficult times… Read More
By Andrea Assaf. At Water’s Edge / Al filo del agua is a bilingual, interactive, theatre and dance performance, with storytelling and live music, created by three women from different generations and different geographic locations—one in the United States, the other in Mexico, and the third at the edge of the two. Stories, legends and acts of resistance intertwine as their lives intersect…. Read More
By Jake-ann Jones. Erica Sutherlin, who is making herstory as the first Black woman director at American Stage, has brought together a panel to discuss Amiri Baraka, the man behind the upcoming play Dutchman. The evening’s presentation, “Through the Lens: Amiri Baraka, the man behind the words,” is the first in a three-evening series of talks in the free “Beneath the Surface” conversations on the play. The next discussion, “The Forbidden Fruit: exploring the themes in Dutchman” will be held Tuesday, June 14 at … Read More
By Carlene Cobb. The 9th Annual Champions for ACT Breakfast at St. Petersburg Pier was an inspired success. Performances by Arts Conservatory for Teens students and alumni rocked the appreciative audience with music, singing, dancing, acting, spoken word and inspired energy…. Read More
By Sheila Cowley. At our second Sparks Collaborative Ensemble rehearsal for Billow, Creative Clay’s artists were flying. 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.
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Words by David Warner, Photos by Tom Kramer. Collaboration is a key word for BEACON, the annual concert of contemporary dance at The Palladium. The 2022 edition on April 29 was no exception, with partnerships not just among dancers and choreographers but with a jazz pianist, a composer of electronic music, two laptops, two visual artists and even the audience. I know I will hold all of these dances in my heart for a very long time…. Read More
By Laura Kepner. This Saturday, the City of Tarpon Springs’ Tarpon Arts, a division of the Cultural and Civic Services Department, is hosting The Art of Health at Craig Park, 5 Beekman Lane in Tarpon Springs, a free all-ages event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., which will focus on the ways art uplifts and improves lives through music, painting, dance and more…. Read More
By Kurt Loft. It’s not often we hear music from a composer who lived more than 900 years ago, about the time of the Second Crusade and building the Cathedral of Notre Dame. But the poems and sounds of Hildegard von Bingen still linger after all this time – a German nun whose music, writing, scientific musings and mysticism shaped ideas in a world dominated by male thought and action. This weekend, The Florida Orchestra and Master Chorale of Tampa Bay offer a piece by Hildegard to kick off a serene night of music that ends with Mozart’s Requiem…. Read More
By Kurt Loft. The all-volunteer orchestra includes 70 musicians ages 18 to 80 and serves as a platform for people who want to play part-time, but still tackle challenging works. “The beauty of our group lies in the members,” says double bass player Paul Kurtz. “It’s a beautiful blend of young, old, Black, white, brown, yellow, straight, gay – basically, come as you are. And to me that is a true reflection of community.”… Read More
