Wise Fool Valentine's Cabaret

Feb 11, 2010

For some, the body is perceived as an impediment to transcendence; for others, it’s the vehicle.

As they float, glide and twirl through space, members of the Wise Fool Circus surf the edges of human potential and seem to carry audiences along for the journey. The performance group has offered classes for nine of the 10 years they’ve made Penasco their home. Their educational offerings include an after school program which serves local youth at nominal cost to participants.

This Saturday, Feb. 13th at 7:30 pm Wise Fool presents a Valentines Cabaret at the Penasco Theater, located at 15046 State Road 75, with “every penny” of the proceeds benefiting this program. The multi-media show features acts by local acrobats, trapeze artists, musicians and students as well as a screening of two short films from the Taos Mountain Film Festival. Admission is $5-$20 sliding scale.
Chocolate truffles, wine and handmade Valentine’s Day cards will be available during intermission and folks also have the option of indulging in a special dinner at Sugar Nymphs Bistro, prior to the show, for which reservations are recommended.

This marks the first year that experienced after school students have formed their own official company. For Saturday’s event they have crafted an original show that incorporates acrobatics, dance and stilts. “It’s amazing to see them learn something that is challenging at first but then once they master it, it gives them such a sense of empowerment and pride in themselves,” says Penasco Theater Director Alessandra Ogren. “Along with strength and flexibility they learn a lot of practical life skills like cooperation and team work.”

Amber Vasquez of Taos Youth Ballet will perform on Saturday as well, along with Ogren who will dance through a whirling aerial hoop.

Dangling from the theater’s 19-foot ceilings on strips of polyester fabric will be aerial fabric dancer Christina Sporrong. Invented in the 1990’s this is one of the newest aerial arts. The beauty of the form is accentuated by the angles, shapes and ruffles created in the fabric as the dancer hoists and releases into various poses and phrases of movement. It is currently gaining popularity in gyms as a creative way to get a workout. “One routine is the equivalent of doing about 25 push ups, “ says Ogren who studied with Fred Deb, a teacher credited as being one of the form’s inventors.

For those itching to break out into some moves of their own, Kombucha Mirimba, will perform a set of Zimbabwean music. “This isn’t music where you sit in your seat and politely clap when it’s over,” says Cathy Underwood who formed the trio with fellow Dixon dwellers Nancy Levit and Marie Coburn two years ago. “It’s kid friendly, dance friendly village music.”

Some of the pieces they’ll play are traditional songs passed down over hundred of years through the mbira, a thumb piano which is one of Africa’s oldest instruments.

The band recently formed a non-profit for the purpose of teaching marimba to the wider community for a very reasonable sliding scale fee. They now have five marimbas available for their weekly classes, which are held Saturdays 10-12 noon for adults and Friday, 3-4 pm for youth. They also teach an elective class in the Dixon elementary school.

For more information on the benefit, call (575) 587-2726. For information on Marimba classes, call Underwood at (505) 579-9631. Sugar Nymphs Bistro 575 587-0311