Dancing, fireworks, drums and bugles

Dance

Rooftop Dance: Steven Moses and Jaimi Patterson are producing their first independent evening of dance. They will stage it on the roof of the building that houses In Vivo fitness and wellness, on the north bank of the Milwaukee River, 2060 N. Humboldt Avenue. The choreographers for this evening of solos, duets and a trio include Moses, Luc Vanier, Elizabeth Johnson and Hilary Anderson. You must climb at least one flight of steps to get to the roof, which affords spectacular views of the Milwaukee River.

Patterson and Moses, up on the roof. TCD photo.

Showtimes are 8 and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 6-7 (July 8 rain date, same times). Tickets are $20, $15 Artist/Student. Cash or credit accepted at the door only. Seating is limited to 55 per show; Friday 8 p.m. is sold out. Moses and Patterson are holding standing-room for walk-ups. Guarantee your reservation online.

Emma Draves has just finished up her MFA in dance at UWM. Like most students in that program, Draves is a mature dancer with a career in progress, in her case based in Chicago, where she operates Kalpana/Draves Dance. Draves’ particular interest lies in the integration of South Indian classical dance (bharatanatyam) and Western stage styles.

Emma Draves

Draves and her company will celebrate the MFA with a pair of concerts in Milwaukee this weekend. Kalpana/Draves will dance at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 6- 7, at UWM Kenilworth Black Box Theatre, 1925 Kenilworth Place (at Prospect Avenue), on the fifth floor. Enter via the courtyard lane on Kenilworth Place.  Admission is pay-what-you-can, cash only at the door or reserved online in advance.

The repertoire: In Draupadi Krishnaa, a performance installation, the heroine Draupadi speaks for herself against the men who gambled her freedom in a dice game.   A Rabindrinath Tagore painting inspired The creature who missed being born, a movement piece about  the in-between places of existence. Daughters of the Mountain explores the warrior and woman aspects of feminine energy.

Music

The Madison Scouts, The Bluecoats (Canton, Ohio) and the Cavaliers (Rosemont, Ill.) all finished in the 10 ten in the Drum Corps world in 2011. All three will perform and compete at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 3, at Cedarburg High School, along with the Troopers (Casper, Wyo.),  Pioneer (Milwaukee), Legends (Kalamazoo, Mich.) and Blue Stars (LaCrosse).  Tickets are $20-$40 for this Drum Corps International event.

Latvian Song Festival: After you fold and store the Stars and Stripes, break out your Latvian flag. The 13th Latvian Song Fest begins on the evening of the 4th and runs through Sunday, July 8. The festival comprises 10 events at six Downtown venues. About 3,000 people are expected to participate and attend. In addition to choirs and folk dancing, the festival will offer an evening of new choreography and stage Hotel Paradiso, a musical farce set in a Latvian seaside resort on the Baltic, at the Marcus Center’s Todd Wehr Theater.  Tickets are $35, $30 for youth, except for the new dance program ($30/$20).

Starry Nights at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center:Carey Ott, Chicago-born singer-songwriter, got his big break when his demo was passed on to Dualtone Records. Carey moved to Nashville and got to work on the songs for his first release, Lucid Dream. Around this time,his “Am I Just One” was featured on an episode of the ABC television series Grey’s Anatomy. That launched him from the indie circuit into the mainstream. Free. 6:30- p.m. Friday, July 6.

“Heroes” at American Players Theatre

This adaptation of Gerald Sibleyras’ Le Vent des peupliers tells the story of three World War I veterans fighting the battle of post-war living in a veteran’s home. The show opens on Wednesday July 4th at the Touchstone Theater in Spring Green, Wis and will run through Sept. 27. For tickets and more information, visit The American Players Theatre website.

Special Events

Ka-BOOM! Oooohhhh…. Ka-BANG! Aaahhhh… U.S. Bank Fireworks, starting 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 3, at the Lakefront, shot from barges off Veterans’ Park. And here’s a guide to the neighborhood park shows. Have a fun 4th.

Ongoing

American Players Theater: The Royal Family, through September 29.

Marcus Center: Packer Fans from Outer Space, through July 22.

Angry Young Men, Ltd.: Full-Frontal Puppetry, June 15-16, July 13-14, 19-20 at Soulstice Theatre.

Last Chance
Summerfest: The Big Gig concludes this week!

Don’t miss anything! Bookmark Matthew Reddin’s 2012-13 TCD Guide to the Performing Arts.