Page 8 - the Noise February 2017

THE LIFE OF A SOLDIER – AND THE LUCK OF THE IRISH AT YCPAC IN FEBRUARY
Let others concede February to Valentine’s, Super Bowl recaps or President’s Day sales. Over at Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, two very different performance troupes – Cantus vocal ensemble and Rhythm of the Dance – will spend February’s first
half telling epic stories in music, motion and song.
CANTUS
If the idea of an a capella men’s ensemble does not sound inviting, then you have never heard of Cantus (February 9). Universally recognized as one of America’s finest professional male vocal groups, this Minneapolis-based, eight-member ensemble sings with astonishing depth and subtlety. Without looking, one would never imagine such a rich, rolling sound could come from an a capella group too small to even act as a jury. It’s a sound that Cantus produces holistically. With no conductor to lead them, they develop as chamber musicians: sharing solos, building on each other’s strengths and instincts. Though Cantus’ musical rep- ertoire extends almost as far as music itself — medieval chants, Renaissance music, world music, folk, spirituals and pop — their Prescott performance focuses on a single theme.
“No Greater Love Than This” tells the journey of the soldier through several generations of songs that celebrate, reflect, and lament the experience of war. “So often, when we talk about war, it’s about ‘who’s right and who’s wrong?’” singer Chris Foss explains, “We de- cided we wanted to tell the story of the individuals who experience war firsthand.”
From the thrill of the cause (George M. Cohan’s “Over There!”) and the camaraderie of brothers to the terror of the fight (“What do you think I fought for at Omaha Beach?”) and the ultimate reckoning with mortality (Lee Hoiby’s poignant “Last Letter Home”), “No Great- er Love” evokes the powerful and sometimes conflicting emotions residing in the heart of every veteran.
RHYTHM OF THE DANCE
Two days later, Rhythm of the Dance spins ancient yarns, Celtic traditions and modern stagecraft together for a boisterous two-hour extravaganza designed to get your Irish on a wee bit early this year. Staged by the National Dance Company of Ireland, Rhythm of the Dance has been hailed as one of the most popular step dancing shows in the world.
“This incredible, highly professional show saw fans gasping and shouting out in awe,” says England’s Native Monster Theatre blog.
A worthy heir to its predecessors Riverdance and Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance, Rhythm of the Dance offers plenty of those fast-and-flyin’ feet for step dance aficionados. Originally conceived for a three-week performance run almost twenty years ago, Rhythm of the Dance has been the subject of a PBS special and has performed live in four continents, 36 countries and to more than seven million fans. The show’s endurance may be due to the versatility of its storytelling and breadth of the thousand year-old tale it tells.
The story begins at Newgrange, Ireland’s Neolithic monument on the bank of the River Boyne. It follows the Irish people from the lush farmland into the towns, through evolution, repression and rebellion. Using wistful flutes, sawing fiddles and costumes fashioned from the ancient Book of Kells, Rhythm of the Dance’s three-tenor, twenty-plus dancer ensemble configures and reconfigures, in moving solos and fiesty musical combos, to present the fullest possible picture of the Emerald Isle. Along the way, you’ll see ancient dances like the Sean Nos, and hear traditional instruments like the harp, the Bodhran drums and the Uillee- ann Pipes. And – because it is Ireland – you’ll see lots of rowdy showmanship and moving odes to causes and people long gone.
Cantus performs Thursday night, February 9 at 7:30PM. Tickets are $30 to $45;
Rhythm of the Dance plays Saturday night, February 11, at 7:30PM. Tickets are $35 to $56. Both performances will be held at the Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, 1100 E.
Sheldon Street, in Prescott.
For tickets, or more information, contact the YCPAC Box Office at (928) 776-2000, or visit:
www.ycpac.com .
8 • {online at thenoise.us} FEBRUARY 2017 | the Noise PHOTOS, FROM TOP: The men of Cantus; the National Dance Company of Ireland. PHOTOS BY CURTIS JOHNSON & COURTESY NATIONAL DANCE COMPANY OF IRELAND
BY MJ GRADY