January 2011

 This long weekend, Friday – Monday, February 4 – February 7, 6 p.m.,Telluride's Sheridan Arts Foundation's Young People's Theater company presents an encore performance of the 1930s period masterpiece, "Anything Goes."

With this her latest production of the Cole Porter hit, director Jen Julia is clearly playing a game of "Can You Top (Hat) This?"

Back in 2002, Jen's original adaptation of the Broadway musical hit was, well, "a Picasso painting, a Bendel's bonnet, a Shakespeare sonnet, Mickey Mouse." The best. It too featured an abundantly talented group of 30 local teens, 9th – 12th graders, singing, dancing and jiving. And yet, of the 2011 incarnation of "Anything Goes," Jen exclaims:

[click "Play" to listen to Susan's conversation with Alyssa Gitto Saunders]

 

Fling It does not matter where. (No, the Telluride region is not immune.) It doesn't matter who. Sexual assault and domestic violence ignore cultural boundaries, race, even gender, although women are more often victims than men. The fact is the twin horrors are equal opportunity offenders.

Almost 20 years ago, in 1992, a group of locals formed the Telluride-based San Miguel Resource Center (then Tomboy House) as a non-profit victim services agency dealing with interpersonal violence. By 1994, Tomboy House had established a 24-hour hotline to help victims through crisis intervention, information, and referrals. Today, the San Miguel Resource Center's menu of programs in English and Spanish includes advocacy to help clients with court services, employers, housing, transportation and community services, and using the unrestricted funds raised at the Chocolate Lovers Fling, awareness/outreach to educate local children and adults about violence and positive alternatives.

Just an FYI: If you are skiing in Telluride this week, be alert for the "Wild Bunch"- wheelchair athletes, people with vision impairment, skiers missing a limb or two. You'll find them on Chair 9, dropping in on La Rosa, any bump run. They...

[click "Play", Lawrence de Bivort discusses current Middle East affairs with Susan]

 

 

Lawrie & Sus Outside the Telluride bubble, the New Year came in with a bang. Waves of unrest that began in Tunisia and spread to Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan and Yemen suggest the old order from might be ending.

In response to these seismic shifts in the global landscape,Telluride's five-star Wilkinson Public Library invited long-time (20 years) Telluride local Lawrence de Bivort to share his perspective on the Middle East. It is an opportunity for Telluride locals and guests to hear from the horse's mouth: in a career spanning 40 years+  years, de Bivort has worked as a consultant and policy maker on the Middle East to the Beltway, including to the White House, where he currently advises on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

De Bivort's talk, "What in the World is going on in the Middle East?," takes place Tuesday, February 1, 6 – 8 p.m. in the Library's hyperactive Program Room. Among the timely questions de Bivort plans to address:

 Telluride's Palm Theatre venue for Ailey II, Thursday, February 3

“The entire company looks terrific. Clearly, the future is theirs.” The New York Times

In Telluride, if I say "Revelation," you say, "Bowl." It's all about high-alpine powder surrounded by 13,000-foot+ peaks. Mostly right – just not this time. This time "Revelations" refers to a peak dance experience, a jubilant, soul-stirring suite that is easily one of the most uplifting ballets in the modern dance repertoire.

"Revelations" is a tribute to the cultural heritage of African Americans and to the genius of a man named Alvin Ailey, Jr. (1931 – 1989). Ailey, an African American modern dancer, teacher and choreographer, founded the world-famous Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, one of our country's boldest and most exciting troupes.

Announcing:  2011 Winter Puppet Program for San Miguel County Elementary Schools:

Puppets_paleontologist 
Paddy the Paleontologist with his library

The Watershed Education Program Puppet Theater of the Telluride Institute is entering its 4th season with exciting new additions to its repertoire. We have been rehearsing, working on our stage, and making some new puppets such as "Paddy the Paleontologist" who tells the story of the dinosaur bones recently discovered on Norwood Hill. The puppeteers include Ashley Boling, Sally Davis, Jeb Berrier, Laurie Lundquist, and Colin Sullivan. Buff Hooper has been working behind the scenes with Sally and Laurie on props and puppets. We will be performing up and down the watershed in various schools and libraries with the goal of educating and entertaining. It will be lots of fun!

The basic concepts of watershed awareness are introduced in simple ways that form a foundation for childrens’ later participation in our Watershed Education Program (WEP). The real stars of these shows are the animals and insects of the watershed. When you come to a show you are likely to meet a bear, a coyote, a beaver, a cricket, an eagle, and even a mosquito! All of these wild creatures have a point of view; we can learn a lot by listening to them interact. The dynamics of our watershed are rich and complex. It is good to hear about this place from the horse's mouth… and the dog's bark and the cricket's chirp…!

Our fun filled puppet shows for the 2011 season include :

January 27 to February 3, 2011
Visible Planets: Morning: Mercury, Venus and Saturn  Evening: Jupiter

The Tropical vs. the Sideral Zodiac

Sun&planets Last week I addressed the media whoopla and collective attention concerning what is generally known as one’s “sun sign” – the astrological identity we are given according to our day and time of birth.  Word on the street has it that due to some recent scientific discoveries, we have to “change” our sun sign. If you’re wondering about this, check out my column last week on either my website @ www.alacazem.com or the astrology page @ www.tellurideinside.com. You’ll find a brief explanation of the difference between the astrological Tropical Zodiac used in the Western world and the fixed star Sidereal Zodiac, used in Vedic astrology, which is practiced in India and much of the Far East. But, this week I’d like to address something I’ve also been asked about a lot lately - a mysterious 13th “sign” - a “new” constellation that “really screws everything up” and “changes the zodiac” even more, causing one’s astrological sign to be even further off kilter and, according to the good ol’ word-on-the-street, even more irrelevant.

[click "Play" to hear Ashley Deppen talk about Cynthia Vincent's designs] Last week it was cashmere queen Minnie Rose. This week for Fashion Friday, Telluride's Two Skirts is focusing on accessories by Los Angeles designer Cynthia Vincent: her 2011 line of Spring shoes...