The Wizard of OZ @ Rainbow Company Youth Theatre

In this charming musical based on the popular L. Frank Baum stories, Dorothy and her dog Toto are caught in a tornado's path and end up in the merry old Land of Oz. Here they meet some memorable friends and foes and journey to meet the wonderful Wizard of Oz. The entire family will want to return to Oz in this bewitching musical. December 1, 2, 8, 9 @ 7pm and Dec. 3, 9, 10 @ 2pm.

Charleston Heights Arts Center

800 S. Brush St., Las Vegs, NV

Tickets are $6 ($5.50 plus tax) Recommended for all ages. 702-229-6553 or 702-229-6383

Online orders

#Theatre #listing #rainbowcompany

EMAV Review: Intimate, poignant pieces highlight UNLV Dance's 'In Between'

★★★★☆ - Delicious

Experience shapes art. UNLV Dance's recent fall concert "In Between" featured profoundly personal works by student choreographers that seemed to emanate straight from the heart, as well as those which took a panoramic look at more abstract ideas.

Carolyn Lajara offers a deeply-felt meditation on grief in her piece "For My Papi," set to the wistful music of Oliver Tank. About a young woman (Alissa Kuhn) struggling to deal with the death of her father (Malik Gray) who appears to her in a vision, it features religious imagery and captures the psychic inner turmoil of sorrow, which both Kuhn, Gray, and the ensemble of otherworldly beings embody with their frustrated movements and mournful facial expressions. We see the bond between Kuhn and Gray in their fleeting duets and lifts, and feel for them when Gray is swept away by the beings while Kuhn tries in vain to follow. The clarity of Lajara's narrative along with the haunting music, movement, and performances make this a piece that lingers.

Gray's own riveting work "Insecurities of a Dancer," set to "She Used to be Mine" by Sara Bareilles, is an introspective and spare, melancholy chair dance that examines the crippling self-doubt that keeps many women from achieving their dreams. After describing their perceived physical shortcomings in voiceover, five seated women dance with restricted movement that builds in momentum until the music stops abruptly, and we are jarred out of the moment as the women slide off and under their chairs. As the music resumes they dance and move the chairs freely - they have broken out of the chains of doubt and are now in control of their destiny.

The slow-jazz piece "Love Unraveled," choreographed by Rebecca Huppenthal to "Almost Blue" by Chet Baker, is like watching the memory of a painful break-up through a filter into the past. To tinkling keys and a soulful trumpet Gray and Kristina Hakobyan make a sensuous pair, perfectly attuned to each other as they gesture and move softly in unison both separately and through anguished lifts and penchés. It's an ache to which everyone can relate.

Kalie McLaughlin blends dance with theater to create her clever "Time Has a Time of its Own," set to music by Collen Whitton, which studies time as a human construct and our exasperating race with it. Both funny and complex, a quartet of dancers perch on individual hourglasses, tapping their feet as they wait impatiently for time to pass, and enact comedic voiceovers with movement to match the words.

Kuhn's evocative "Evolving Existence" is set to "Bend Your Knees" by James Vincent McMorrow and is a spiritual piece about the struggle for self-fulfillment. A central dancer in spotlight moves plaintively while confined on a rotating disc as others move freely around her. The yearning, reaching, and pretty positions contrast starkly to another piece of the supernatural kind, Lay'la K. Rogers' unsettling and cinematic "I Can't Help Myself," choreographed to the music of Svedaliza and others. A procession of women in mourning wear black dresses and veils of Spanish lace, carving the space with their forceful movements under moody lighting (atmospherically lit by Eric Haufschild), pointing fingers like it's a day of reckoning and giving a feeling of despair that we are reluctant to experience.

There's a calming quality to Jayden McCree's "Ái," choreographed to the music of Wong Hu Mao and others, with a sculptural, Asian-inspired aesthetic. The dynamic lighting intensifies dancers' angular movements as they shape the area around them, and the mood shifts with the music as dancers balance and bow with intricate hand gestures giving a beautiful visual effect. Another aesthetic and spacious work is artist- in-residence Kristine Keppel's "Unforeseen," set to "I Found" by Amber Run. Inspired by inspiration itself, there's a dreamy sadness to the piece that features fluid, emotional movement in ever-changing combinations of dancers leaping and lifting with the wonderful Zack Frongillo in a central role.

At first glance the final piece of the program, "Vega: #vegasdancestrong," choreographed by faculty member Vikki Baltimore-Dale, might seem like a work about the Oct. 1st tragedy. But perhaps that's for another time, because it's actually an elegant tribute to the extensive dance tradition of Las Vegas. Set to the music of Rupert Gray-Williams and others, the piece is metaphorical on many levels. The "Vegans" in their disco-look, colorful dresses, stiletto heels, and subtle headpieces evoke not only showgirls and Cirque performers on stilts, but also strippers, especially when the "Watchmen" appear, carrying their long poles. Baltimore-Dale paints a mesmerizing stage picture of dualities as the Vegans glow with their conservative,

controlled-yet-bold movement that gradually becomes flowing and soft. The Watchmen use the poles as levers for their own difficult moves and leaps, and support the Vegans during acrobatic lifts.

Kudos to all the choreographers, dancers, and technicians who participated in the compelling "In Between."

#UNLVDance #Dance #Review #Bennett

EMAV 10 Bites: Frank Robles, Sfx Makeup Artist

In every neighborhood, there is someone who makes the Arts a part of their life, and our community. You'd be surprised to discover how many different people use the arts to improve the quality of life in or hometown. EAT MORE ART! VEGAS will feature them regularly in our series "10 Bites."

What performing art do you do?

Painting, Sculpting, Tattooing, sfx make up, martial arts

Why do you do it?

It's an inescapable urge to create art and experience a different reality. I see theatre because I only like to watch it live. I've tried watching professional recordings of shows and that bores me. Live theatre is exciting and captivating.

What’s your favorite production/performance so far?

I've only been a part of two productions. She Kills Monsters as the make-up artist, and Bourgie Willie B. in which I was commissioned to do 2 large paintings as set pieces. She Kills Monsters would have to be my favorite of the two because I was able to experience the thing I want to do for the rest of my life.

What jobs have you done other than being an artist?

Busser and Hot Topic employee. I have been tattooing for 3 years, 4 including my apprenticeship. I've been a painter my whole life.

What memorable responses have you had to your work?

"I want your art to cover my body!" and how unique my art is.

What would you be doing if you weren't performing your art?

I wouldn't know life without art. It's a part of who I am and who I've always been.

Name something you love about Las Vegas, and why.

Most places are open late!

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

"I fear a man who has practiced a kick a thousand times, more than a man who has practiced a thousand kicks."

What superpower would you have and why?

The ability to control the elements - Like The Avatar!

Any future projects?

I work at Skin Factory on Sunset Tuesday - Thursday: 12-8pm and Fridays and Saturdays 2-10pm. Always taking commissions!

Follow Frank at: @franktattoos147

Learn more about Frank's ink work here

Are you a local artist of any discipline? Do you work with a company as a designer, stagehand or administrative staff? We'd love to get your 10 Bites to share. Fill out a form here, and you might be featured in a post!

CHECK OUT OUR 10 BITES FEATURE GALLERY HERE

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