Page 25 - the Noise December 2017

ARTSBRIEFS: DECEMBER2017
NOLLAIGÍ LE GAEILGE
An Irish Christmas features an award-winning cast of Irish dancers led by World Champi- on Dancers Scott Doherty (Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, Rockin’ Road to Dublin), and Tyler Schwartz (Magic of the Dance, Gaelforce Dance, Celtic Fyre), as well as Connor Reider and Emily MacConnell in a memorable night that sparkles with the charm and magic that only this festive time of year can bring.
From its feature length performance on PBS to the stage at Ardrey Auditorium, this production brings the Emerald Isle on a West Coast and Southwest tour with two December stops in Arizona. Come be transported through musical numbers that will have an audience elated with “out of your seat” tempos.
This family-friendly performance features exquisitely sung Irish ballads, lively, toe tap- ping instrumental tunes, and thrilling Irish dancing, while evocative photographic images provide a backdrop to some of the rich historical traditions. Audience members will experi- ence an immersive take into the enchanting spirit of the season.
The cast represents the finest traditional artists from Ireland bringing you and your loved ones on a fun-filled start to the holiday season of 2017. Executive Producer Margaret O’Carroll says, “Just try and stay in your seat,” as the night unfolds with dancing numbers that celebrate the traditions of “butter making” and “chasing the wren on St. Stephen’s Day.”
Draw down the half door for spectacular dance, enjoy superb music-making and Christ- mas caroling in an unforgettable Irish night! Songs spinning out of the mists and into the familiar include “Silent Night,”“Little Drummer Boy,” and “Carol of the Bells,” and superb mu- sic of the pipes, flutes, fiddles, and bodhráns are just the beginning. Come take a ride and be transported into the delightful charm of An Irish Christmas.
Performances are 7PM December 9 at NAU’s Ardrey Auditorium and Sunday, December 10 at the Yuma Art Center. nau.edu/cto YumaShowTickets.com
LONG LIVE THE GREEN RIVER!
Viva la Verde - Healing Rivers & Healing Public Lands, a film screening and fundraiser is scheduled for Thursday, December 14, 7-9PM at NAU Prochnow Auditorium, 307 W. Dupont Avenue, in Flagstaff.
Join NAU’s Sustainable Communities Program and the Sierra Club of Northern Ari- zona for a special screening of Viva la Verde, a documentary about the Verde River, one of Arizona’s last living rivers and what we can do to keep it flowing. Filmmakers Hugh Denno and Gary Beverly will discuss the project and efforts to protect rivers and community wa- ter resources in the local watershed in Arizona. The project is celebrating its 65th screening on the film tour!
This local film is more than a movie, it’s a campaign to save the last rivers and heal the many we have already lost. Time is running out for Arizona rivers; every drop counts and many drops make a flood.
Raffle prizes include a Colorado River rafting trip, kayaking on the Verde River and more. Proceeds from ticket sales will support the film’s conservation campaign as well as Flag- staff’s Healing Lands Project, which is raising funds to take children of domestic violence on a June 2018 river trip with Grand Canyon Youth. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. For tickets and more: tinyurl.com/yd2zf22j and vivalaverde.org
— Joey Bono
HOW DO YOU TAKE YOUR HOLIDAYS?
People are very particular about their holidays. There’s the “I’m so over it!” camp, that la- ments traditional holiday celebrations as cliché and needs an innovative twist to get their spirit in gear. And there’s the “It’s tradition!” camp, that waits all year for cherished songs and celebrations and regards change as something akin to putting Santa in a leisure suit.
This season, Yavapai College Performing Arts Center lets you call the holiday tune. A reverent and moving walk through the Yuletide Playbook? Or a brassy, speakeasy jam ses- sion that leaves you feeling a little Bing Crosby-ish?
If you’re looking for maximum “pop” from your holiday traditions, then you’d best begin December first – the day before Prescott’s Christmas Parade Courthouse Square lighting – and combine those events for a weekend Christmas cocktail that’ll have you buzzing with seasonal cheer all month long. Let the Season Begin! is designed to do just that.
Powerful and moving? Check. Festive and family-friendly? Check.
Nothing softens your inner-Grinch like beloved holiday carols sung by a choir. Yavapai College brings multiple choirs — the YC Master Chorale, the YC Women’s Chorale, and the YC Concert choir — to the songs we know so well. This army of joyous voices will be anchored by the return of soprano Carmen Cancél. Hailed by Verona’s L’Arena as a soprano of “crystal- line timbre,” Ms. Cancél has performed in operas all over Europe as well in as last season’s critically-acclaimed production of The Messiah. Together, with the Yavapai College Orches- tra, they will tackle the holidays’ broad musical repertoire, from the ancient-and-sacred to the charming/contemporary. Add in dancers and the large-scale spectacle YC Performing Arts is becoming known for, and you’ll have your holiday fires stoked before most people have torn off their November calendar sheet.
Picture all your favorite holiday moments, spun through the wise-cracking uncle that was always too cool for your parents, and you have the attitude behind The Hot Sardines Holiday Stomp.
The Hot Sardines – darlings of the Newport and Montreal jazz festivals, and a staple of the New York City spots like Joe’s Pub and the Bowery Ballroom — are a fun-loving, horns- keyboard-and-a-girl jazz combo. Founded by bandleader Evan Pallazo and singer Eliza- beth Bougerol as an homage to the likes of Louis Armstrong and Dinah Washington, the Sardines use the lens of gin-joint jazz and their own remarkable musical chops to find hid- den treasures in the holiday songbook.
That translates to clever takes on classics like “White Christmas,”“Please Come Home for Christmas,” and “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy,” as well as forgotten fun like Ella Fitzgerald’s “Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney” and stunners like Edith Piaf’s “Le No†l de la Rue.”
Like last year’s Pink Martini, The Hot Sardines have the capacity to surprise audiences with their range; sometimes sassy, sometimes reverent, they are always having a good time. It may not be your grandfather’s holiday ... but it will put a few fun wrinkles in your own.
Let the Season Begin! plays Friday night, December 1 at 7PM; tickets are $25. The Hot Sardines Holiday Stomp plays Tuesday night, December 5, at 7PM; tickets begin at $29. Both performances will be held at the Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, 1100 East Sheldon Street, in Prescott. For tickets, or more information, contact the YCPAC Box Office at (928) 776-2000, or visit: ycpac.com .
— M.J. Grady
www.thenoise.us | the NOISE arts & news | DECEMBER 2017 • 25