A World A’Fair slated for May 19-21

What better way to learn about countries around the globe than to attend A World A’Fair, the festive family event that mixes entertainment, costumes, music and food. It’s wonderful to hear so many languages being spoken, to see products and cultural displays from many nations.

The weekend is slated for May 19, 20, 21 at the Dayton Convention Center. This year’s featured performers are the Tamburitzans — a troupe formerly of Duquesne University, but has now expanded to all of the Pittsburgh-area colleges. “They are arguably the best international folk dance performers in the country,” says Wayne Gulden, the treasurer of Dayton International Festival, Inc. which organizes the event.. “They will be on our stages seven times on Saturday only. The Kenyan acrobats and the Burundi drummers are other crowd-pleasers who will return as well.”

“It’s a fun time with, hopefully, some education and appreciation for other cultures added in,” Gulden says.

Advance tickets can be purchased at Kroger, AAA, Siebenthaler’s, La Llama in Yellow Springs or from any member of the 32 participating groups. Cost is $5 for adults, $3 for kids 6-18 and free for those under 6. Tickets at the door are $8 for adults, $5 for seniors, $5 for kids.

For more information: aworldafair.org.

DCDC’s “Sparkle” wins lifetime achievement award

Sheri “Sparkle” Williams, a Dayton Contemporary Dance Company star for the past 43 years, has been named the 2017 recipient of the Ohio Dance Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Advancement of the Dance Art Form.

The award, presented at the 2017 Ohio Dance Festival in Columbus, recognizes choreographers and dance artists dedicated to both the creation of new work and the preservation of dance history. A Dayton native, Williams began dancing at age 9 when she followed her best friend, Thelma, to a ballet class taught by DCDC founder Jeraldyne Blunden. The dance performances that most impacted her were Ulysses Dove’s Vespers , now a modern classic, and Dwight Rhoden’s “Growth,” a solo work that was originally choreographed for a man but has since been performed internationally by Williams.

In 2012, Williams was the subject of the documentary film “Sparkle,” which followed her recovery from an on stage hip injury that nearly ended her dance career. The documentary won the Audience Award at the AFI SilverDocs Film Festival. Throughout her career, Williams has picked up numerous other accolades, including a coveted New York Dance & Performance Award (the Bessie) in 2002 and the Ohio Arts Council’s Individual Artist Award in 2014.

Congratulations, Sheri!

“Carmen” is focus of Mid-Day Arts Cafe

The popular Mid-Day Arts Cafe, hosted by the Victoria Theatre Association, will focus on the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance’s upcoming production of “Carmen.”

The event, slated for Tuesday, May 16, will feature a panel discussion with Dayton Opera artistic director Tom Bankston, Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra conductor Neal Gittleman and stage director Fenlon Lamb. After the discussion, two members of Dayton Opera’s Artist-in-Residence program will perform excerpts from the opera.

The afternoon includes lunch with tickets at $15. You can reserve a seat by ordering online at www.TicketCenterStage.com, or call Ticket Center Stage at (937) 228-3630 or 888-228-3630. Advance ticket sales end at 10:30 a.m. the day of the Cafe.

Note that VTA season ticket holders and Culture Works members get a discount.

WDPR plans gala

The folks at Dayton’s Discover Classical — 88.1 & 89.9FM — are busy planning the station’s annual “Catch a Rising Star Gala” slated for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 20, at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery.

The station’s president and CEO Shaun Yu says WDPR is one of the remaining full-time, non-commercial classical music stations in the country. “Cities much bigger than Dayton including San Diego, Houston, Miami, Philadelphia, and Atlanta have no such station,” Yu says.

For its annual fundraising gala, past winners of the station’s annual Young Talent Search, are invited to perform. This year, the performers are percussionist Jackson Riffle — who recently played at the Dayton Metro Library’s sneak peek gala — and 11-year old piano prodigy, Jonathan Luo, who at the age of 10, became the youngest-ever winner of the Young Talent Search.

The evening will be capped off by a special performance by the Jackson & Benita Leung Piano Duo in their first public performance in eight years. “Jackson Leung, conductor of the Wright State University Orchestra, played with his wife, Benita, as a piano duo for many years,” explains Yu. “Like the legendary pianist Leon Fleisher, Jackson had to stop playing several years ago because of problems with his hands. And just like Leon Fleisher, Jackson has been receiving treatment, and this evening will be a sort of grand return to performing. “

Tickets are $88.10, which includes food, beer and wine. For reservations, call (937) 222-9377 or visit discoverclassical.org

Bombeck play extended

Cincinnati Playhouse has announced that it will be offering more opportunities to enjoy the wit and wisdom of Dayton native and national favorite Erma Bombeck in the one-woman show, “Erma Bombeck: At Wit’s End.”

The play, adapted from Bombeck’s books and columns, was originally scheduled to close June 11 and will now run through June 18 in the Shelterhouse Theatre.

Written by twin sister playwrights Allison Engel and Margaret Engel, the show stars actress Barbara Chisholm who originated the role in the world premiere production in Washington, D.C. Tickets start at $35 at www.cincyplay.com.

Antioch student’s art featured in new exhibit

Kathryn Olson, a fourth-year student at Antioch College majoring in visual arts, will be the featured artist in a new solo exhibit titled “1 in 5.”

Kathryn, who identifies as non-binary — an umbrella term for all who don’t identify as just female or male — has become involved in sex education at Antioch and is now pursuing a career that mixes sex education with the arts through teaching, the creation and viewing of art and new methods for talking about sex and gender in an interdisciplinary way.

Kathryn has worked with a variety of artists at Crown Point Press, Mutual Adoration, The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston as well as working with the Yellow Springs Arts Council and the Herndon Gallery at Antioch College.

Covering the topics of body, sexuality, gender and location, “1 in 5” looks at Kathryn’s experience with sexual assault. Through animation, water color painting and installation art, Kathryn hopes to bring more awareness to the issue.

“The struggle with my mind and body is what I am left with,” Kathryn says. “Displaying a visual representation of my personal experience with rape and sexual assault, ‘1 in 5 ‘reflects and continues the conversations that I have with myself. “

The exhibit will be on display from May 19 through June 11. An opening reception will be held from 6-9 p.m. on Friday, May 19 at the Yellow Springs Arts Council, 111 Corry St., Yellow Springs. The gallery is normally open from 1-4 p.m. Sundays.

K12 Gallery & TEJAS host Holocaust Exhibit

The Max May Art Memorial Holocaust Exhibit is currently on view at K12 Gallery & TEJAS, 341 S. Jefferson St., and will be up through May 22. A reception is slated from 5-7 p.m. Monday, May 15. After the reception, attendees are invited to walk to The Neon, 130 E. 5th St., to view the Jewish Film Festival feature, “Persona Non Grata” at 7:15 p.m. The film focuses on Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese vice-consul who defined his superiors and issued travel visas that saved an estimated 6,000 Jewish lives during the Holocaust.

The contest encourages students to express lessons from the Holocaust in an artistic ways that promote a positive world free of racism, bullying, disrespect and intolerance. This year’s exhibit has 60 works of art from students grades 5-12 attending public, private and parochial schools throughout greater Dayton.


Each week arts writer Meredith Moss shares news about the people and events making arts news in our region. If you have information you’d like to have included, contact Meredith: MMoss@coxohio.com

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