RTP-area local music and culture

["Heather Russell" <HeatherRussell AT nc.rr.com>]

Wellness Partners in the Arts  (WPA)
319 West Main Street
Downtown Durham
www.wpadurham.com


:: The New Deal: WPA's monthly performance series
Friday, May 21st, 7:00PM, $5 suggested donation
Every 3rd Friday as part of the continuing downtown Durham Culture Crawl...

The New Deal is a showcase of original dance and visual arts, along with a
diverse selection of music, theater, short films, spoken word, and more.
This month's featured artists are:

Rhythmic Life Dance Company - The Rhythmic Life Dance Company works to
present Middle Eastern, Polynesian,and African Dance in their true, varied
forms, and to also find the similarities between the three styles and create
fresh, innovative works using those similarities.

marc faris - Composer and electric guitarist marc faris is a Visiting
Assistant Professor at Duke University Department of Music and holds an
Artist Fellowship from the North Carolina Arts Council for 2003-2004. marc
is active as a performer and organizer of new music in a variety of musical
fields. In addition to serving as co-director and founding member of
pulsoptional, he performs regularly with the indie-rock band The Sames and
as a solo guitarist.

Durham School of the Arts Dance Department - talented students from the
Durham School of the Arts will present "Smoothed Out", a modern dance
choreography to the music of Acoustic Alchemy.

Ann Deagon - author of ten books of poetry and fiction, Ann Deagon has
performed one-woman shows of her poems, stories, and songs at colleges, arts
centers, and festivals in some two dozen states. Since retirement she has
worked in community theater, advertising, and film, while continuing to
write and sing blues. Her work has appeared in New Monologues for Mature
Actors. Her most recent performance was in The Vagina Monologues at
Fearrington Village and in Carrboro. She will be reading a selection of
poetry with music and dance-related themes.

There will be a reception following the performance.


:: In the Mind of the Beholder 2, Artwork by Allan Eckhaus
Art Exhibit through May


 Allan works mostly with torn magazine pages, acrylic medium and paint on
canvas. He tries to achieve a sense of mystery and ambiguity as many other
abstract artists do. His work varies from quite studied to spontaneous and
sometimes humorous. It is very modern but pays homage to two classical
techniques: Impasto, or the heavy application of paint that achieves a
three-dimensional texture is similar to the exaggerated forms created by
purposely crinkling the torn paper. Sfumato, a term and technique
originating with Leonardo Da Vinci, is the gradual blending that adds
interest and depth to so many paintings.

Most of the artwork on display was created within the past 18 months. Since
WPA is a studio for creative movement as well as an art gallery, Allan has
selected some pieces that give a sense of freedom and bodies in motion. In
all his work, there is an underlying complexity. So, the more you look the
more you see.


Coming Up ::

:: Discovery through Movement Art
with Photography by Steve Clarke
Reception June 19th, 7:00 - 10:00PM
Exhibit June - July 2004



 For more information on classes, workshops, and studio rental, please visit
http://www.wpadurham.com.




Heather Russell
Assistant Director
Wellness Partners in the Arts
319 West Main Street
PO Box 25306
Durham, NC 27702-5306
http://www.wpadurham.com
info AT wpadurham.com
919-380-7882 home
919-412-4946 mobile
919-680-2562 studio