Author Archives: Scott

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About Scott

A cultural thinker with a life long interest in the arts and humanities: theatre, music, architecture, photography, history, urban planning, etc.

Friday Faces of February: Native Knowledge

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In the month of February the LR Culture Vulture will highlight four different faces found in sculpture and architecture in Central Arkansas.

Native American Face

To start things off is one of the faces from the new sculpture Native Knowledge which is located in Riverfront Park.  The installation was created by Denny Haskew.  Native Knowledge is a tribute to the Caddo, Osage, and Quapaw Native American Cultures of Arkansas.

It is sited near the Quapaw Line and La Petite Roche.  The location is important because the Quapaw Line was used as demarcation to separate the Quapaw Tribe from land available for white settlers.  It ran from La Petite Roche due south.  In addition, La Petite Roche was a stop along the “Trail of Tears” as Native American tribes were resettled from their original homes in the American Southeast to points west.

 

Ballet Arkansas Master Class Tomorrow

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FBLOGOBallet Arkansas presents the fourth in a series of open master classes tomorrow.  Guest artist Darrell Grand Moultrie is will be teaching a class on Saturday, February 2, from 10:30 to noon at the UALR Dance Studios.

Mr. Moultrie is choreographing a new work for Ballet Arkansas’ spring concert, Spring into Motion, which premieres at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre April 5-7, 2013.

The class fees are: $25 to participate, $10 for UALR students (with ID) and $15 to observe.  Reservations are required. Space is limited. Reserve your spot now by emailing info@balletarkansas.org

DarrellHS-bioDarrell Grand Moultrie has quickly emerged as one of America’s most sought after choreographers and master teachers. Not one to be pigeonholed into any particular genre, Moultrie has carved out an impressive career that seamlessly weaves his distinctive and highly praised ballet and modern dance choreography, to on-stage Broadway performer (most recently seen in Billy Elliot), and to television work where he has choreographed national commercials for Mastercard, Mod’s hair products, Schick Quattro 4razor, and has worked on the Dave Chappelle Show.

His work is often marked by sharp contrasts and bold patterns with an eye for form, a strong theatrical sensibility, and a knack for showcasing the great athleticism of his dancers.

A proud recipient of the 2007 Princess Grace Choreography Fellowship Award, Darrell’s work has been performed by Ailey 2, North Carolina Dance Theatre, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Colorado Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, The Juilliard School, BalletMet Columbus, Milwaukee Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Rasta Thomas and his Bad Boys of Dance, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Tulsa Ballet, and Ballet X. In 2010 he participated in Sacramento Ballet’s Capital Choreography Competition where his work “Moved” won both the judges and the audience awards.

Sandwiching in History at Capital Hotel today

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Capital Hotel frontThe Arkansas Historic Preservation Program’s “Sandwiching in History” program pays a visit this month to a location which is accustomed to receiving visitors — The Capital Hotel.

Built in 1872-1873 by businessman William P. Denckla, the Denckla Block, as it was then called, housed various shops on the first floor with offices and gentlemen’s apartments on the upper floors. The building featured a distinctive cast-iron façade with a projecting cornice, arched window openings, and engaged columns with Corinthian capitals. In 1877 the Denckla Block was converted into an hotel and quickly became the center of political and social activity in Little Rock. Over the years the building has been expanded upward and southward.

By the late 1960s, it fell into disrepair.  But through two extensive renovations, the Capital Hotel has been restored to its original beauty and continues to provide luxury accommodations in the capital city.

The “Sandwiching In History” program is a series of tours that seeks to familiarize people who live and work in central Arkansas with the historic structures and sites around us. The tours take place on Fridays at noon, last less than an hour, and participants are encouraged to bring their lunches so that they can eat while listening to a brief lecture about the property and its history before proceeding on a short tour.

The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program is an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

ASO Musicians Play at Capital Hotel This Evening

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ASO at CH

Scene from a previous ASO concert in the Capital Hotel lobby

Musicians from the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra will be performing this evening in the lobby of the historic Capital Hotel.

In 2011, the ASO started these free concerts in the lobby of the Capital Hotel.  The marble and tile of this historic lobby provide a wonderful acoustic backdrop for the musicians.

The concert will feature short, accessible pieces along with commentary from the musicians.

Unlike concerts in music halls, guests here are encouraged to bring drinks to their seats or to stand and move around while the musicians are playing.  It is a relaxed, informal atmosphere where the audience and musicians alike are able to interact with each other.

This concert is part of the ASO’s ongoing efforts to play throughout the community under the leadership of Music Director Philip Mann and Executive Director Christina Littlejohn.  In addition to the Capital Hotel concerts, they offer occasional free concerts at UAMS and have recently started the INC (Intimate Neighborhood Concerts) subscription series.

Science After Dark: How the World May End….Some Day

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scienceafterdarkTonight, the Museum of Discovery’s monthly “Science After Dark” series returns with It’s Not the End of the World.  Science After Dark is a monthly program for adults 21 years and up.

Last month the Mayan “prediction” of the world ending did not come true.  Obviously. But that doesn’t mean that it won’t end some day.  Scientists have examined the life cycle of stars, planets and other heavenly bodies.  From this, they can extrapolate how the Earth might come to an end, years and years and years into the future.

Science after Dark occurs the last Wednesday of each month. Museum educators pick a science-related topic, and develop an event around it. The event is for ages 21 and older. General admission is $5 per person. Museum members get in free.

It is a great chance to explore the museum’s exhibits and enjoy downtown Little Rock.

LR Look Back: Mayor W. W. Stevenson

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On this date in 1797, future Little Rock Mayor William Wilson Stevenson was born in South Carolina.  In 1811, he came to Arkansas when his family settled in Batesville.  An ordained Presbyterian minister, he married Ruana Trimble in 1821 and had two children.  After she died, he married Maria Tongray Watkins in 1831 and had two more children.

In 1831, he ran for Mayor in the first election for the office but was defeated by Dr. Matthew Cunningham.  The next year he ran to succeed Cunningham and was elected.  After leaving the Mayor’s office on December 31, 1833, he continued public service.  He was State Commissioner for Public Buildins in 1839.

In 1849, he delivered the funeral oration at the ceremony for Hon. Ambrose H. Seveier.  Later that year, he was hired as a geologist for the Little Rock and California Association which was created to take advantage of the gold rush.  He and his two oldest sons moved to California and never returned to Arkansas. He died in 1888.

No known photograph of Mayor Stevenson is known to exist.

Jets and Sharks in the Rock

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Celebrity Attractions is bringing the national tour of West Side Story to Little Rock this week.  It will be at Robinson Center Music Hall on January 29, 30 and 31.

West Side Story features a book by Arthur Laurents and songs by Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein.  This modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet was originally directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins.

The show was originally on Broadway in 1957.  In 2009, an award-winning Broadway revival opened. The current tour is based on the revival.

For this tour, Arthur Laurents’ direction has been recreated by David Saint.  Joey McKneely reproduced the choreography both on Broadway and for the tour.  He studied West Side Story with Jerome Robbins as they worked on creating Jerome Robbins’ Broadway.

The design team includes James Youmans, David C. Woolard, Howell Binkley and Peter McBoyle.

For tickets, visit the Celebrity Attractions website.