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Music and dance group Dublin Irish Dance travels to tell the story of Irish immigration to America with their "Stepping Out" performance. The show “Stepping Out” follows lovers Ciara and Aidan as Ciara decides to immigrate to America, and what they bring to and find in the new world. According to the event’s program, the performers for Dublin Irish Dance have performed around the world, with many working with “Riverdance,” Michael Flatley’s “Lord of the Dance” and “Celtic Woman.” The group combines step dance with its band to tell the “Stepping Out” story, featuring performances from guitar player and singer Ryan O’Shaughnessy. O’Shaughnessy has been into tap dance and singing since he was a child, and joined the Irish television show “Fair City” when he was eight. O’Shaughnessy has been with Dublin Irish Dance for a year, since he was asked to join, and has enjoyed getting to meet people from all different walks of life. “I like to jump headfirst into the unknown," O’Shaughnessy said. The show is split into two parts, the first revolving around Ciara and Aidan in Ireland, and the second following Ciara as she heads to America. Once there, Ciara is welcomed by other immigrants who came before her, including a man named Sean who takes interest in her. Aidan later arrives in the US as well, and the rest of the show centers on Aidan and Sean competing for Ciara. Choreographer Ciaran Connelly and Celtic Entertainment choreographed and directed the performance, which the dancers had a week to learn before visiting UCA last month. “For the dancers, it was a really difficult task to absorb all this information in a week, but they’re such professionals that they’re able to take this and really learn so quickly and get the show together,” O’Shaughnessy said. The band, meanwhile, had just two days to learn their parts, then came to Conway to kick of their tour, with which they spread Irish culture and what Irish dance has done for America. With so many experienced performers from even Australia and New Zealand, O’Shaughnessy said the caliber of dancing for the group is top-notch. “Every day I learn something from these guys who have been on the road before,” O’Shaughnessy said. “I think we have a really good relationship within the group now where everyone’s learning from each other, and it’s kind of helping to make the show even better every day.” The story of “Stepping Out” aims to show the effect Irish immigration had on American culture, but growing up in Ireland, O’Shaughnessy never thought about what the culture would mean to him. “I’ve grown up immersed in that atmosphere, so to me, it’s peculiar for someone not to have a connection that’s as strong as my connection is to my roots,” O’Shaughnessy said. While performing, O’Shaughnessy has the audience sing along with the song “Lonesome Road,” teaching a section of four lines. O’Shaughnessy recounted how, after one performance of the song, an audience member took the line “take me home” to heart, and approached the group’s fiddler, Brian Murphy, and he indeed went home with her. Murphy said he joined Dublin Irish Dance after receiving an e-mail from the group’s manager, and sent in an audition tape. After only six days back home following a 6-month tour, Murphy then started up with the group, and said you get used to performing for so many people in time. “After 10-12 gigs, it feels normal,” Murphy said. For O’Shaughnessy, who will represent Ireland in the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest, the future could lead anywhere. “Any opportunity that comes to me, I grab the bull by the horns and take it for a ride,” O’Shaughnessy said.
Audience members at the Dublin Irish Dance show "Stepping Out" at UCA's Reynolds Performance Hall Feb. 17. Fans like 3-year-old Brantley Shipp-Nutt got signed CDs after the show.
The UCA Dixieland Band opened a jazz ensemble concert Tuesday with songs of Mardi Gras and New Orleans in the Snow Fine Arts Center. The group kicked things off with Paul Barbarin’s “Bourbon Street Parade,” decked out in Mardi Gras masks. Saxophone professor Jackie Lamar joined the group playing the soprano saxophone, and introduced each performance. Following “Bourbon Street Parade” were two songs about New Orleans, and finished with “Royal Garden Blues.” The group had solo performances from some of the musicians as well as singing performances from Lamar and senior clarinet Jake Gatlin. The Jazz Ensemble II group followed the Dixieland Band, with assistant professor of trumpet Larry Jones directing Sammy Nestico’s “Bashful Albert.” Immediately after this was “On Green Dolphin Street” from Keeper and Washington, followed by Dee Barton’s “Consonata.” The group’s final song was “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride,” which featured a guitar solo from senior Davis Norton. Norton said the concert was incredible despite the band having a rough start this semester due to changes in personnel, in part due to help from Jones. “Sometimes it takes a minute for everyone in the band to click and start playing together, instead of next to each other,” Norton said. “But the last couple of weeks, we had some really good moments in rehearsal where everything would fall into place.” Everything fell in place just in time for the ensemble, which Norton said might be one of the favorites of his career. “All the soloists sounded great; the band was tight,” Norton said. “I couldn't have asked for a better performance.” The last group to perform was Jazz Ensemble I, with assistant professor of tuba and euphonium Gail Robertson directing songs like “Time After Time” and “Hunting Wabbits.” The group featured multiple solos, including a soprano saxophone performance from sophomore Justin Mason. Robertson said the solos performers are chosen for any number of reasons, including instrument-specific pieces and lack of certain players for the band. The band consists of students of all kinds of age ranges, and Robertson said students don’t have to be music majors to join, as is the case with the group’s drummer. Robertson said the band had to hustle to learn their full performance because of how soon it took place after the semester started, and they did well despite a smaller audience. “The audience was not as big as I’d hoped, maybe because it was on a Tuesday,” Robertson said. The band will simply have to counter this by choosing different times to perform, Robertson said, as along with the typical audience of family members, they would like for more community members to get involved.
Members of University of Central Arkansas Jazz Bands performing at the Snow Fine Arts Center during the Feb. 13 Jazz Ensemble.
University of Central Arkansas Farris Hall residents got to hang out and personalize some stockings Dec. 3. The University of Central Arkansas recently held its 2017 annual "Tubafest" concert in the Snow Fine Arts Center on campus. The University of Central Arkansas recently held its annual Fall Fest in the parking lot beside the HPER Center. The school's student activities board hosts the event. |
Brandon JonesAnd the videos, which I am slowly getting better at. Videos done with either Adobe Premier or VSDC Free Video Editor. Archives
April 2018
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