Heaven & Earth: Celtic Mass

Here's the local show that I'm performing in:

"HEAVEN & EARTH: A CELTIC MASS"
by Ben Allaway

First Christian Church, 25th and University Avenue, Des Moines
Tickets: $15 in advance, $17 at the door, $10 student
Join the Des Moines Vocal Arts Ensemble in collaboration with other co-commissioning choirs, Tommy Sands and Tim Diebel, narrators, and Ben Allaway, conductor, in the world premiere performance of this new work by Des Moines composer, Ben Allaway. Featuring Tommy Sands and his Band from Northern Ireland, Heaven & Earth: A Celtic Mass is an epic tale of the Celtic Spirit of the people of Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and England, and of those who brought this culture to cities, farms and mountain dwellings across America. Iowa composer Ben Allaway traveled to the Celtic countries and to Celtic strongholds in America, to many places where his own ancestors lived on both sides of the ocean. He has combined his keen understanding of traditional choral writing with his love of folk music, scoring the work for choir, Celtic band, organ and soloists. Hear tales of historic figures, individuals, and families, told against the emotional landscape of the traditional Latin mass. Coeli et Terra - or, Heaven and Earth - a recurring phrase in the Mass, is meaningful to Celtic spirituality which acknowledges the relationship between the Creation we can see - the visibilium - and the part of Creation in the spirit realm - the invisibilium. Celtic peoples' strong connection with the earth, the sea, sky, fire, wind and rain, and the "thin places" where the tangible world meets the unseen heavenly places close enough to touch, makes for vivid imagery and emotional story-telling.

Jubilee!/Logistics

Hi all!

I've been asking you all for some ideas on dates, but not heard any feed back.  How about we also start talking about whether you want to do this on a weekend or during the week?

For those of us who will be coming from out of town, it's always cheaper to be there during the week.  We have a time share there, and my whole family is joining me, so if I can't get any dates from people, I'll just find out when I can get the time share and build it all around that.  I'm not trying to be selfish, but I think it's just better to get a date and then we can get going.  Most folks who live in town can work around almost anything.

Kimberly and I have already planned and organized our trip to Paris!  I'm amazed, we talked about it for a couple of weeks and then it's done.  Much easier to organize for two.  Anyway, Sara Honey is planning on joining us as well not to mention all the dancers we know over there. I wish you could all join us!  I'm excited to go and just be a tourist, just be me and not visiting family and not ever having time to do what I used to do in Paris.  I'm so lucky to have this time! (not that I don't appreciate my in-laws, but I miss ME sometimes ;-)

**If you want to receive more day to day updates, I've also started a Twitter account and you can find me simply as:  dancersdumonde

I was thinking I could gather everyone's email addresses and send out round mails.  Would you all be OK with that?

Brooke has been kind enough to help us get tickets.  I'm still trying to confirm the price.  Last year, we paid $10/person.  That's totally reasonable and we sat very close, which makes it more fun for us and the cast. 

I look forward to hearing from you!

Let's get this party started!

Hi all, we are up to 14 strong, and that's enough to get started.  My last post was to get some ideas for times.  Brooke, have you had time to check into anything? Again, you are inside link ;-)  Diane still hasn't gotten back to me.  Usually, she's very quick so I'm just going to call. 

Are there any times that people already know they will be in Vegas?  Angelia, I know that you will be there end of March for your son's soccer tournament.  I cannot come until after April 2, as I said before.  But, that doesn't mean that people can't organize little mini get reunions. Please feel free to use this blog to do so.  If others see it, then they too can contact you and join in!

Question:  Do you all prefer Spring or waiting until closer to the official date in July???  Personally, I'd rather do it sooner rather than later, just because putting things off usually results in things not happening! 

Start putting some thoughts out there.....thanks!!!

JUBILEE! turns 30

Hi all! 

We might as well start talking about dates!  Last year, as Kimberly and Angelia posted, we were a small group, but we had a GREAT time!   Four of us went to dinner, met up with others at the Sports bar outside the theatre (it was the first time any of us had entered through the theatre's front doors!) and watched the show.  Randy was good enough to get us dancer discounted tickets at $10.  I'm hoping that can happen again.  All in all, about 10 of us watched the show and then met up with a couple of folks still in the show (Brooke stopped by to say HI!). 

Brooke, right now, you are the only one on the "inside."  Do you know anything about any times or official happenings??  I'm still waiting to hear back from Diane about that, but maybe you can help us faster?

I personally can't make it before April 2nd as that's the day we have our performance here that will be taped live on Public Television. 

I heard that the 25th reunion was by invitation only, so we may be better off just to take it upon ourselves to organize something around the same time that the "official" time would/will be.  Once we get that information, we can start talking dates!!  Thanks all!

JUBILEE! turns 30

Hi folks!

Thanks for taking the time to join my blog.  My goal is to hear if people are wanting and willing to meet in Vegas for the reunion.  As I said on the first blog, doing it via Face Book is fine, but I also want people who are not on FB. 

PLEASE feel free to forward URL to anyone who is either not on FB or not friends with me.  Abby, thank you for suggesting that I find Mikey!  I'm sure there's other folks out there that I'm missing and I'm sure they'd appreciate being included anyway we can. This way, if people don't want to friend me, they can still partake in the dialogue with everyone else.  

There's a few people, like Robin, who isn't on FB and doesn't check her email regularly that I'm going to have to call or figure something else out.

Last year, it was a small group who gathered for dinner and then went to the show and then met afterward for drinks.  It was a great time and didn't involve any stress, that is my goal! 

I've spoken with Randy (backstage) and I've sent Diane an email, so I hope to hear some more details soon.  The few folks that I still know in the show, maybe you could shed some light! 

Enough for now, hope to hear from you!  Love, Cindy

Welcome to Dancers du Monde!

Hello everyone!

Thank you for coming to my blog.  This is the first time I'm posting--wooo hoooo!  I'm starting this as a place where any and all dancers/students/choreographers/teachers/studio owners/managers and other artists can meet and discuss whatever is going on in their world.

I'll start!  For me, there are currently two things that I am involved in:

I am performing in what has been labeled as the "first ever, Celtic Mass."  It will have 190 choral members, 10-15 dancers, a small orchestra and performers from Ireland.  My current ballet instructor, Hank Adams, is the choreographer.  I am taking adult ballet with in his new studio, The Pointe Academy, in West Des Moines, Iowa.  I'm having so much fun dancing again on my home turf!

The second thing I'd like to start organizing is an informal reunion of my "JUBILEE!" cast mates.  The show   turns 30 this year and so I'm trying to get a feel of when is the best time for folks to come together and the official celebration with Bally's Hotel & Casino.  I want to start a message board for this and I hope you will contribute!  (I'm open to suggestion how and where to do that...the technical aspect of that is currently in the works!)   The problem with using Face Book is that I can only put so many people on each FB  e-mail.

Ok, this is enough for now!  Stay tuned, thank you!

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