SRQ DAILY Nov 19, 2021
Friday Weekend Edition
"I decided that if I'm not uncomfortable, then I'm not growing."
For Natalie Helm, principal cellist of the Sarasota Orchestra, the pandemic proved to contain a fertile combination of angst, uncertainty and, most importantly, free time—ingredients that, historically, have led to some of the most prolific creative periods in art. She took advantage of it to hone her technique, add compositions to her repertoire and conceive of new ideas to excite her. “I’m also very type-A too,” she jokes, “so I’m always looking for something to do,” And out of that fertile period of unrest came her Bach Immersion collaboration with Sarasota Contemporary Dance.
Last weekend, Helm took the stage with SCD’s Leymis Bolaños-Wilmott for a performance that pushed her far outside her comfort zone as she performed Bach’s cello suites Number 5 and Number 3. The unique interdisciplinary performance saw Bolaños-Wilmott arrive at SCD’s studio dressed in full hiking gear—windbreaker, pants, hiking boots, beanie and big camping backpack—as though she had just completed a hike to the top of a mountain. She interacts with guests while in character then heads inside, where the stage is scattered with leaves and a tent is pitched off to the side.
Helm, also dressed in camping attire, roams the stage with binoculars and as the audience streams in, plays her part by wondering aloud where Bolaños-Wilmott is. The two greet each other and make some small talk before Helm grabs her cello and begins performing Suite Number 5. Wilmott dances around the campsite and amongst the audience, all with a backdrop of massive paintings of the Oregon coast by artist Steven Strenk.
For Helm, the unique challenges of the collaboration also proved to be the most fruitful. For one, Helm has no acting background. “Leymis was really supportive of me during rehearsals when it came to the acting,” says Helm, “and she really encouraged me to push my role a little further for the story.” Musically, Helm had to overcome the discomfort of playing without an entire orchestra. “It’s so different when your technique and phrasing is front and center,” says Helm, “and I also got an opportunity to relearn the skill of memorizing music, which is something you don’t always have the time to do during the orchestra season.”
But it all comes back to the pandemic and the space it inadvertently created for artists like Helm, Bolaños-Wilmott and Strenk. “The quarantine period last year definitely gave me the space to push myself,” says Helm, “and I decided that if I’m not uncomfortable, then I’m not growing.”
The third and final performance in the Bach Immersion series is in April of next year. 
Photo by Sorcha Augustine
Imagine you’re offered the opportunity for a mindblowing high endurance hike which begins with a strenuous breathtaking uphill climb, followed by days of flat land, ending with another awe-inspiring mountainous passage.
If you’d be interested, then I highly recommend Ruth Ozeki’s new fictional work The Book of Form and Emptiness. The contemporary plot follows the aforementioned topography with the beginning and ending orchestral in poignancy, yet the middle cuts like a knife as far as struggle and angst.
To save you from spoilers, I’ll only say that tragedy stirs up and propels the unique mental health issues of a mother and son. Much like many of even well adjusted parents and teenagerss, they live together yet lead parallel existences, each in denial and in protective privacy of their weaknesses. Their hiding places of solace include retail therapy and the peace and tranquility found in the stacks of the library.
Ozeki makes this more than your average novel by employing several narrators, third person mother and son, as well as a literal fly on the wall, and the book itself. Ozeki, a former monk, adds in magical realism, Buddhist traditions, and classic jazz to infuse her book with enchantment.
I’d recommend this for a melting pot of groups including: mature young adults, mothers of teenagers, anyone who has known someone with hoarding difficulties and those grief stricken. Which, when you come to think about it, includes us all.
Photo courtesy of Danielle Tait
Bradenton-based band Have Gun, Will Travel (HGWT) has written a song as part of Realize Bradenton's Love This City Bradenton campaign. The new song, "Our Fair City," takes the listener on a journey through Bradenton and what makes it a vibrant place to live, work, and play. Matt Burke of HGWT states, "The song, Our Fair City, was written as a celebration of my hometown. As a lifelong native and resident of Bradenton, I was honored to be asked to participate in this project. And, as a band, we are excited to work with Realize Bradenton, and proud to play even a small part in the revitalization of this area."
The song's chorus encapsulates the essence of the Love This City campaign. "Here's to our fair city. Here's to you and me. We're going to write this city's future history." The goal of the Love This City campaign is to provide the community ways to rediscover and reimagine Downtown Bradenton. The Love This City fun will continue through May 2022. Scavenger hunts, the Love This City Holiday Gift Guide, events, and announcements are available at RealizeBradenton.com/LoveThisCity. For all Love This City updates, follow Realize Bradenton or #LoveThisCityBradenton on Facebook or Instagram. Love This City is made possible thanks to a generous donation from the Knight Donor Advised Fund at the Manatee Community Foundation and event support from the City of Bradenton Community Redevelopment Agency.
The Circus Arts Conservatory, the nation's only nonprofit organization that combines professional circus performances, youth circus training and outreach programming, is preparing for another great season of Circus Sarasota and Sailor Circus Academy performances. Tickets for the upcoming season are now on sale. The shows in the 2021-2022 performance season include: The Sailor Circus Academy's new holiday show, “Let It Snow” runs December 26-30, 2021, Sailor Circus Arena, tickets $20-$35; Circus Sarasota 2022, February 11-March 6, 2022, Ulla Searing Big Top (on the island at Nathan Benderson Park), tickets $20-$60 (thanks to support from WWSB ABC7, the CAC is offering 20% off ticket prices for the first 10 shows), Cirque des Voix®: Circus of the Voices (in partnership with The Key Chorale) March 18-20, 2022, Ulla Searing Big Top (on the island at Nathan Benderson Park), tickets $30-$60. The CAC – one of the original members of the #SafeArtsSarasota initiative – has continued stringent COVID-19 mitigation protocols to keep patrons, artists, students, staff and volunteers safe. Some of the protocols include required masking, proof of a negative COVID-19 test (or proof of vaccination, if patron prefers), temperature checks, reduced available seating to enable social distancing, enhanced cleaning and disinfecting of the facilities (including fogging after each performance), pre-packaged concession stand items, ongoing COVID-19 testing for staff and artists, and more.
Pictured: Sailor Circus Jugglers. Photo by Cliff Roles
St. Armands Circle Association announced the event dates for its upcoming 2021 Holiday Soirée series, where sleigh bells ring with a tropical twist. Holiday Soirée, a joint effort by the St. Armands Circle Association and St. Armands Business Improvement District, invites locals and tourists alike to immerse themselves and enjoy limited-time premier, weekly holiday events happening throughout the month of December for the whole family. Savor holiday shopping experiences on St. Armands circle's assortment of top-tier merchants. The Holiday Soirée will start Saturday, November 27th, and will include six different events such as:
Let’s Go Shop Small - Saturday, Nov. 27, 10:00 am - 9 pm; Holiday Night of Lights on St. Armands - Friday, Dec. 3, 5:30 - 9 pm; Songs on the Circle: Holiday Edition - Thursday, Dec. 9, 6 - 9 pm; Porsches in the Park - Saturday, Dec. 11, 10 am - 4 pm; Ladies Night - Thursday, Dec. 16, 6 - 8:30 pm; and St. Armands Family Day - Sunday, Dec. 19, 11 am - 1 pm.
St. Armands Circle is where memorable holidays begin. For more information about the Holiday Soirée, visit starmandscircleassoc.com/holiday-soiree/.
Photo courtesy of the Association
Join in on the float for the 25th year of the Sarasota Holiday Parade. Local supporters are being invited to come out and represent the LGBTQ+ community as Project PRIDE SRQ rides and walks down Main Street on Saturday, December 4th for the holidays. This year's parade theme is “Silver Bells” to coincide with the 25th “Silver” anniversary year of the Holiday Parade and the Sarasota Centennial - 100 year Anniversary.
If you would like to ride or walk the parade with Project PRIDE, find them on E Main Street (East of 301) between 3:00 – 5:15 pm. If you arrive early you can even help decorate the float. At 5:30 pm, the float decorating must be completed for judging. Parade starts at 6:00 pm sharp.
If you would like to bring a sign to represent your organization you carry it alongside or behind the float (only one sign is allowed on the float). The float riders will disembark at Gulfstream Ave. and Cocoanut Ave.
As the holiday season fast approaches, the Bradenton Kiwanis Club has organized several opportunities for both club members and the public to get involved in the community. This includes the following: Salvation Army Bell Ringing - each year, members of the Bradenton Kiwanis Club help support the Salvation Army by ringing the bell outside the Westgate Plaza Publix on Manatee Avenue. Those who volunteer for this service always have a great time sharing the holiday spirit with one another and with customers patronizing the store. Opportunities to get involved will take place on Friday, December 10, and Saturday, December 11. Both days are broken into four 2-hour shifts; Wreaths Across America - Wreaths Across America seeks to pay honor to those veterans who are no longer with us. The opportunity to lay wreaths at Mansion Memorial Park in Ellenton will take place on Saturday, December 18th; Boys & Girls Club Christmas Tree Sales - Assisting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee with its Christmas tree sales has been a Bradenton Kiwanis Club tradition for many years. The lot is located on Manatee Avenue between Westgate Shopping Center and Jessie P. Miller Elementary School. Volunteer opportunities are available on Saturday, November 27th. Community members who are interested in volunteering or who would like to learn more about the club are invited to contact Sharon Barhorst at sharonb.bradentonkiwanis@gmail.com.
This November, Art Uptown Gallery will feature the work of local photographer Frank Bibbins in an exhibit entitled ”Cortez, The Fishing Village” with art that captures the beauty, energy and determination of the historic village and its people. The exhibit runs from Sat., Oct. 30 through Fri., Nov. 26. The public is also invited to a public reception on November 12 from 6pm-9pm. Art Uptown Gallery welcomes you to the 1367 Main Street gallery, where the diverse art works of 29 local artists are shown Monday-Friday 11am-5pm (except First Friday when open until 9pm), Saturday 10am-3pm and Sunday 12pm-5pm. Telephone: 941-955-5409 for further information. www.artuptown.com.
The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is pleased to welcome Hard Bodies: Contemporary Japanese Lacquer Sculpture. The exhibition will run Oct. 31, 2021 – Jan. 23, 2022, in the museum’s Searing Wing. Since Neolithic times, craftspeople across East Asia have used the sap of the lacquer tree (Toxicodendron vernicifluum) to coat and bond together wood, bamboo, textiles, and ceramics to make articles for daily and ritual use. The natural polymer refined from the sap forms a durable, waterproof surface that protects and beautifies. Lacquerware was — and continues to be — prized for its luster, which artists learned to accentuate over the centuries with inlaid gold, silver, mother-of-pearl and other precious materials. However, lacquer is not an easy material to work with. Years of technical training are necessary to master the medium. Nonetheless, lacquer continues to attract young artists who are undeterred by these rigors and continue to expand its’ possibilities. Hard Bodies: Contemporary Japanese Lacquer Sculpture will present over 30 works by 16 artists. Hard Bodies is the first — and to date, only — survey exhibition of contemporary Japanese lacquer sculpture in the United States.
Moonlight & Melodies Dinner Series is a new dining experience for opera lovers. This year Sarasota Opera welcomes our community into the Donna Wolf Steigerwaldt Courtyard for an immersive themed dinner series that highlights composers from the season. As we come together to share our awe for the exquisite art these composers created, enjoy curated cocktails and food prepared by the best of Sarasota’s chefs in a setting that will transport you to a different location each evening. Make your reservations now so you won’t miss out on this exciting and new event. Moonlight & Melodies Dinner #1 will take place on Monday, November 1 at 6pm and Moonlight & Melodies Dinner #2 will take place on Monday, February 21 at 6pm.
WAR PAINT: Profiles of Courage was created as a tribute to the bravery of veterans who have served and those currently serving our country. Ringling College of Art and Design students, faculty, and local artists will create portrait profiles of veterans in variety of mediums. The images tell stories from WW ll, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and current enlisted troops that will enrich the Ringling College community for years to come. This exhibition will be held from November 1 to December 10, 2021 at Ringling College’s newest gallery, Project Space 340, located in the Arcos Building at 340 Central Ave., in the heart of Sarasota’s historic Rosemary District. The exhibition, War Paint: Profiles of Courage, was organized by the Galleries of Ringling College and Matthew Troyer, president of the Ringling College Veteran’s Club. Matthew is a combat veteran, former combat photographer, and is currently majoring in Photography and Imaging. Admission is free and open to the public, Monday - Friday 10am-3pm.
Hair is the rock musical that started it all. This joyous rebellion proudly reclaims love as the heart of what it means to be American. Packed with music that is beautiful, irreverent, and deeply evocative, the quirky, all-inclusive vibe doesn’t shy away from poignant social commentary. This iconic musical and Grammy Award-winning score get an exuberant and resonant retelling in the hands of Broadway and Asolo Rep favorite Josh Rhodes. Unforgettable numbers like “The Flesh Failures (Let the Sunshine In),” “Aquarius,” “Good Morning Starshine,” and “Hair” will bring audiences to their feet. Contains mature themes, language, and brief nudity. Recommended for age 16+. Hair will show November 17, 2021–January 1, 2022.
Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast welcomes nature photographer and writer, Mary Lundeberg, and her exhibit, Share the Shore. Lundeberg’s exhibit highlights the variety of threatened coastal wildlife species that nest on our beaches, including least terns, black skimmers, snowy plovers, American oystercatchers, and sea turtles. The opening artist’s reception is November 17 from 5pm to 7pm in the foundation’s Burrows-Matson House headquarters at Bay Preserve, 400 Palmetto Avenue in Osprey. Limited edition photography printed on infused aluminum will highlight beach-nesting wildlife and their habitat. A portion of the proceeds from these limited-edition prints will benefit Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast. In addition to the artist’s reception, Lundeberg will host a virtual presentation on Thursday, November 16 at 10am, entitled Beach-Nesting Wildlife and the Challenges They Face. The one-hour presentation will feature her images of threatened beach-nesting birds, as well as coastal sea turtles. Registration for both the artist’s reception and virtual program is required. To learn more and RSVP, please visit conservationfoundation.com/events or call 941-918-2100. The exhibit will be on display through December 2021 and may be viewed Monday-Friday from 9am to 4pm.
KATHLEEN MADIGAN brings her "Do You Have Any Ranch?" Tour to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall on Friday, November 19, 2021 at 7:30pm. Comedian KATHLEEN MADIGAN's 32-year comedy career is showing no signs of slowing down. Madigan has been touring 250 nights a year on the road and has risen from performing in comedy clubs to performing in marquee theaters with sold out shows. She's squeezed in over 40 appearances on late night talk shows and multiple comedy specials airing on Netflix, Comedy Central and HBO. She also recently joined Jerry Seinfeld on his Netflix show "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee" and made the most of the pandemic by launching a podcast, "Madigan's Pubcast," on all streaming outlets. Her most recent special "Bothering Jesus" is her fifth hour long standup special and will be her third special to be available on NETFLIX.
Program 2 – Day & Night, at the Sarasota Opera House, features an energetic duo of ballets – Sir Peter Wright’s Summertide and Twyla Tharp’s Nine Sinatra Songs. An abstract expression of Felix Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No. 2, Wright’s Summertide distills the magnificence of a radiant day into a one-act ballet. Choreographed in 1976 for the Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet with the principal role created on Margaret Barbieri, Summertide found an all too fitting home in Sarasota with a 2015 revival. Combining sunshine with swing, Tharp’s Nine Sinatra Songs follows with a series of legendary crooner Frank Sinatra’s tunes brought to life through dance. Each dance sequence expresses through movement the intrinsic human experiences of love and heartbreak so integral to Ol’ Blue Eyes’ oeuvre. Day & Night will take place on November 19 2021 at 7:30pm and November 2o 2021 at 2pm and 7:30pm at Sarasota Opera House, 61 North Pineapple Ave.
The comedy team of Compton and Bennett are off their walkers again in this hysterical sequel to the runaway hit about the nursing home and beyond. Christmas, Hanukkah, and retirement will never be the same. Assisted Living the Musical® THE HOME...for the Holidays with Music, Lyrics & Book by Rick Compton and Betsy Bennett will show from November 19 to December 19 at the Venice Theatre.
Within just two years, Anthony Rodia’s ability to intimately depict life in all of its absurdity has attracted a rabid audience comprised of over 700,000 social media followers with 22million-plus YouTube views. Selling out shows left and right nationwide. Anthony Rodia will perform for this special event from November 19 to 20 at 6:30pm and 8:50pm in The Green Room.
Do you remember the first time you heard the Christmas sounds of Mannheim Steamroller? You can celebrate the holiday magic once more on Saturday, November 20, 2021 at 8pm when Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis returns to the Van Wezel with their annual holiday tour – a perfect outing for the whole family! Tickets go on sale Friday, December 4, 2020 at 10am. The 2021 show will feature fan-favorite original classic Christmas hits from the first Mannheim Steamroller Christmas album, along with multimedia effects in an intimate setting. Chip Davis will direct and co-produce Tour performances with MagicSpace Entertainment.
Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 North Tamiami Trail
Atlantic City Boys Occurs on Saturday November 20 2021 at 8pm at Stone Hall, 502 Third Avenue West, Bradenton. Approximate running time: 2 hours. The Atlantic City boys have wowed audiences from Las Vegas, New York, Cruise Ships, and of course, Atlantic City. They are four dynamic lead singers who lend their world-class vocals to the harmonies of the 60’s singing the hits of The Drifters, The Beach Boys, and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Inspired by the hit musical, Jersey Boys, the Atlantic City boys combine smooth dance moves, fun audience participation, and show-stopping numbers to get audiences on their feet show after show.
Come join THE JAZZ CLUB OF SARASOTA aboard LeBarge, a Sarasota landmark for over 30 years, on Sunday, November 21, 2021 from 2pm-4pm at LeBarge Tropical Cruises, 2 Marina Plaza. The casual laid-back atmosphere is enhanced by the tropical décor and yes, the palm trees are real. Let the mermaids lead the way through the tranquil waters of Sarasota Bay while you listen to the exciting music of "Just The Two Of Us" with Annie Addington and Jamil Ghattas. The cruise features cash bar service only. Guests may bring light snacks and finger food, but not beverages of any kind. Arrive at the departure dock at Marina Jack Plaza no later than 1:30pm. The boat departs promptly at 2pm. No Reserved Seating.
The Bazaar on Apricot & Lime's Small Business Saturday will take place on Saturday, November 27 from 10am to 3pm. This event will feature deals throughout the Bazaar plus outdoor theatre workshop and live music.
During December join us for a special holiday trolley or van tour complete with cocoa, carols & Christmas stories about Sarasota. Step onboard our Holly Jolly Trolley or Van with guide Jenny Jingle for our special daytime holiday tour with cocoa, carols & Christmas stories of Sarasota. Visit city spots with Christmas story connections, hear about our Sarasota traditions during the holidays & sing along to your favorite Christmas songs. Includes FREE cocoa at the Trolley Cottage before the tour. We award prizes for best Ugly Sweater on our Holly Jolly Trolley Tours during December so dress in your holiday best. Tour ticket includes FREE Parking.
Inspired by one location and three random notes on the keyboard, the cast of FST Improv’s Treble in Paradise creates a fully-improvised musical right before your very eyes. With no scripts, no musical score, and absolutely no idea what will happen next, our ensemble of improvisers delivers full-blown musical numbers, drama, and spontaneous choreography in this all-new musical improv show. Treble in Paradise will show every Saturday from December 4 to 18 in FST’s Bowne’s Lab.
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