Arts & Entertainment
Three styles of dance converge in PRISM
By Jim naima
Staff Reporter_
The intensely personal nature of
any art form often precludes the suc
cessful integration of differing ideas.
Collaboration in art often is doomed
by too many egos.
“PRISM: 3 Points in Motion”
hopes to buck this artistic curse when
it is staged this weekend in the Temple
Building’s Studio Theatre.
Described as a modern dance
concert, “PRISM” is a collection of
works by three University of Ncbraska
Lincoln dance majors and choreogra
phers, Tracy Houser, Mark jareckc
and Donna Schicffcr.
Houser and Schicffcr are produc
ing and staging “PRISM” as senior
projects toward a Bachelor of Fine
Arts degree in dance. Jareckc, a schol
arship sophomore, is using the con
cert as an independent study project.
“3 Points in Motion” is a refer
ence to each of the three choreogra
phers, all of whom arc pleased with
their final product considering the
drastic differences in each of their
dance philosophies.
“1 was very surprised,” Schieffer
said. ‘ ‘ Normally when you have three
people without a single artistic direc
tor, it’s hard to coordinate ideas.”
The coordination of their differing
ideas has resulted in a variegated
concert of 10 separate dance pieces.
Each choreographer created their
pieces independently and then placed
them together into a single, hour-long
dance concert.
“Meditation,” the first piece in
the concert, was choreographed by
Jarccke and demons ales his own
unique dance philosophy.
It has a lot to do with how people
are treated by society in negative ways
and how people react to that,” he
said.
The development of *4Meditation”
as we 11 as Jarccke ’ s other pieces, often
was very abstract and experimental.
‘41 start with an emotional idea and
as I develop it, I figure out what I’m
talking about,” Jarccke said. “That’s
how I work.”
The more concrete working style
of Houser is evident in the next piece
of the program, “Girl at the Party.”
The piece evolved from a monologue
she had used in theater classes.
“The ‘Girl at the Party’ was one
that I had done, and initially I created
it for Melissa (Mapes-Raasch, who
dances the piece), but it was a theater
monologue I had used for about three
years just as a monologue, and I al
ways wanted to set movement to it,”
Houser said.
The result is a piece that combines
elements of theater and dance, a goal
that Houser often strives for.
“Most of my work, not all of it,
but some of it, is trying to integrate
theater and dance,’ ’ she said.
Immediately following Houser’s
piece in the program is Schieffer’s
“Sweaters” which presents another
contrast in working styles.
“I use a lot of props and with
‘Sweaters,’ I just took a prop and said
‘what can I do with it?”’ Schieffcr
said. “The dancers learned all the
movement first so there’s no music
until later. It drives them nuts.”
i
Working without music in the early
stages of development is a technique
Schieffer said allows her to explore
her own ideas independently.
“I hate being a slave to music
because I like dance that’s organic
and pure,” she said. “For my own
style to come out, I can’t have music
to depend on.’’
This musicless approach demon
strates Schieffcr’s personal style and
contrasts with Houser’s, who finds
such an approach to be foreign.
“I can’t believe that. I would never,
never in a million years work to get
all the movement and then add mu
sic.” Houser said.
It is this variety in dance philoso
phies that the choreographers hope
ultimately will add to the concert’s
success as well as to their own growth
as artists.
“It (Schieffcr’s style) is not the
manner I prefer to work in but it
broadens me as a chorcgraphcr be
cause it gives me something else I can
draw from,” Houser said.
Beyond integrating three distinct
choreography styles, the concert inte
grates a variety of art forms
“It is a synthesis of music, theatre
and dance. It’s not just dance,” Houser
said.
Houser, Jarcckc and Schiefler dance
in one another’s pieces as well as in
some of their own. The rest of the
dance company is just as varied as the
dance styles. Many are first-time
dancers and are majors in such di
verse fields as art, architecture, jour
nalism, theater, dance and elemen
tary education, Houser said.
The company of dancers includes:
Lynne Fischer, Melissa Mapes-Raasch,
Wendi Sue Kroll, Stephany Kudma,
Julie Stickel, Jean Duerr, Heather J.
Hetrick, Iliya Azaroff, Shelley K.
Brackhan, Todd James and James
Matthew Benson.
“PRISM: 3 Points in Motion” runs
at 8 p.m. tonight, Saturday and Sun
day in the Studio Theater, third floor
of the Temple Building. Tickets may
be purchased at the door for $2.
The concert is produced in asso
ciation with Theatrix.
I
uuitanst Vaughan brings
notorious show to Omaha
By John Payne
Senior Reporter
The undisputed king of Texas blues
guitar will bring his notorious live
show to Omaha on Sunday night.
Sicvic Ray Vaughan, backed by his
CQQfi&EfcZ
long-time band Double Trouble, is
scheduled to play at Omaha’s inti
mate Music Hall in support of their
Grammy-winning album “In Step.”
Vaughan’s marathon concerts are
legendary, as is his tendency to bring
special guests, like older brother
Jimmie, on stage with him. Jimmie
Vaughan began gaining recognition
in the early ’70s, headlining with
several of Texas’s more renowned
bands, often with younger brother
and disciple Stevie on bass.
Stevie is the first to admit that his
big brother was in fact his mentor.'4 It
started to rub off,’ ’ he said in a press
release. “For a while he taught me,
then I guess he just got tired of me
asking so many questions.”
In 1983, Stevie Ray Vaughan
stepped out of hie brother’s shadow
and into the limelight of American
music with his first release “Texas
Flood.” That album took the industry
by storm, causing many to compare
his rocket-fire licks to immortals like
B.B. King, Johnny Winter and most
See STEVIE on 10
Kr MO:
1. Robert Plant - “Manic Nir
vana”
2. Heart — “Brigade”
3. Fleetwood Mac -- “Behind the
Mask *1
4. Midnight Oil -- “Blue Sky
Mining”
5. Damn Yankees -- “Damn Yan
kees”
6. Faster Pussycat -- “Wake Me
When It’s Over”
7. “Pretty Woman” Soundtrack
8. Erie Johnson -- “Ah Via Musi
com”
9. Smithereens - “Smithereens 11”
10. Little Feat -- “Representing
the Mambo”
KRNU:
1. Peter Murphy - “Deep”
2. Midnight Oil -- “Blue Sky
Mining”
3. They Might Be Giants - “Flood”
4. The Church - “Gold Afternoon
Fix”
5. The Cramps -- “Slay Sick”
6. Mission U.K. -- “Deliverance”
7. Plan B - “Discontentment”
8. Oingo Boingo -- “Dark at the
End of the Tunnel”
9. The Wedding Present - “Bi
zarre”
10. The Beloved -- “Happiness”
TWISTERS
1. Public Enemy -- “Fear of a
Black Planet”
2. Sinead O’Connor — “I Do Not
Want What I Haven’t Got”
3. Dcpcche Mode - “Violator”
4. Robert Plant -- “Manic Nir
vana”
5. M.C. Hammer - “Please Ham
mer, Don’t Hurt ’Em”
5. Midnight Oil -- “Blue Sky
Mining’’
6. Lisa Stansficld -- “Lisa”
7. Tcchnoironic — “Pump up the
Jam”
8. Faster Pussycat - “Wake Me
When It’s Over”
9. Slaughter -- “Slick it to Ya”
10. “Pretty Woman” Soundtrack
PROJECT IMPORT:
1. Ride - “Play”
2. Godbullics -- “Dog Show”
3. Cows - “Effette and Impudent
Slobs”
4. Mind Over Four -- The God
dess’ ’
5. Grunting Plowman -- “I Play
Jupiter”
6. Tad -- “Salt Lick”
7. Pale Saints -- “Comforts of
Madness”
8. Lush - “Mad Love”
9. Screaming Trees -- “Changes
Come”
10. Loop -- “A Gilded Eternity”
Weekly acts range trom bluesy to bizarre
By Mick Dyer
Senior Editor
This week, look for Trip
Shakespeare, Tad and Lucky Peter
son, as well as some outstanding local
bands.
Alternative:
Tonight, Trip Akimbo and Trip
Shakespeare will play at Duffy’s, 1412
OSt.
Trip Akimbo is a power-pop, col
lege rock outfit out of Omaha.
frip Shakespeare is a fun-loving
band irom Minneapolis that plays
rousing let’s-play-Twisier-music ala
rakish angle from the mainstream.
Saturday, the C Street Gypsies,
Such Sweet Thunder, the Acorns and
Brian Gerkcnsmeycr will give an Larth
L>a> concert at the Union Plaza.
Sunday, Sawhorse and Tad will
play at Duffy’s.
Sawhorse is an unruly, irreverent
and often brilliant musical aberra
lion.
Tad is an anal expulsive, musical
behemoth. This guy is big and he
plays big-people music. At the end ol
the night when you sec him standing
on stage in his underwear with a weird
red light shining on his enormous
body, you will know that you have
glimpsed humanity at its lowest
common denominator and that you
probably won’t sleep for days.
Wednesday, Victim Nation and the
Morphines will play at Duffy’s.
Victim Nation is a local industrial/
rock band that relics heavily or
samples, electronic and acoustic drums
gnarly guitars and a dense bass line tc
get its apocalyptic message across.
The Morphines are a fast-paced,
good-lime rock V roll mainline from
Philadelphia
Country:
Tonight and Saturday, the Cheat
ing Snakes will play at the Moun
tains, 311 S. 11th Si.
Jazz/Blues:
Tonight and Saturday, Mahogany
will play at Bourbon Street, 200 N.
70th St.
Tonight and Saturday, Lucky Pe
terson will play at the Zoo Bar, 136 N.
14th St.
Lucky Peterson is one of the most
entertaining young musicians on the
blues circuit. A thin, energetic man
with a great big smile, Lucky Pctci
son is an outstanding performer. Wear
dancing shoes.
Monday, Mothers Big Band will
play big band brass jazz at Bourbon
Street.
Monday, The Tablerockcrs, fea
turing Annette Murrell, will play at
the Zoo Bar.
Tuesday, Night Heat will play ’60s
stylc Motown soul and R&B at the
Zoo Bar.
Wednesday, the C Street Gypsies
will play at Bourbon Street. The C
Street Gypsies recently added a key
board player and a saxophone player
to round out its sound.
Wednesday, B and the Hot Notes
will play at the Zoo Bar.
B and the Hot Notes play a smooth
blend of rock, R&B, rockabilly and
big band -- featuring clear clean gui
tars and dynamite two-and three-part
vocal harmonies that blows audiences
off of their chairs. Good stuff.
Thursday, Fusion Force will play
jazz fusion at Julio’s, 132 S. 13th St.
Thursday, Charlie Burton and the
Hiccups, arguably the greatest rock
‘n’ roll band in Nebraska, will play at
the Zoo Bar.
Rock:
Tonight, Project S will play at
Chesterfield’s, Lower Level 245 N.
13th St.
Tonight, Finest Hour will play at
Oscars 800 O St.
Tonight and Saturday, Pretty Boy
will play at the Royal Grove, 340 W.
Cornhuskcr Hwy.
Tonight and Saturday, the Rockin ’
Fossils w ill play at Sweep Left, 815 O
St.
Tonight through Sunday, Sinus will
play at the Prospector, 640 W. Van
Dorn St.
Wednesday, Chapter Two will play
at M.R. Ducks, and Thursday and
Friday, at Chesterfield’s.
fast-food flunky uses personal interests tor act
By Robert Richardson
Staff Reporter
Louis Johnson wasn’t laughing
when he lost both of his fast- food jobs
ln the space of a week. But when he
walked into a Denver comedy club to
time one night, things got a lot
•unnier and a lot more profitable.
I saw a guy on stage playing his
stomach. He had his shirt over his
head and he was just wacking himself
^h the stomach and he was playing
W Country ’Tis of Thee,’” he cx
Pkons. When 1 saw the guy doing
that, I figured, I always wanted to try
this. It wasn’t that I thought I could do
it belter than he did, ’cause 1 wasn’t
about to play my stomach.”
After two weeks of writing com
edy. he came back and did five min
utes on stage. Three months aftci
that, Johnson was a paid regular in
clubs, and now is a nationally known
comic.
Johnson will be the leatured head
liner at the Funny Bone Comedy C’lub,
808 P St., tonight through Sunday.
“In the space of six to nine months,
I was on the road. I really took to it,
and I just knew I liked doing it. Bui it
took me two years to realize that it
was a business.”
Johnson uses whatever interests
him or his general life experiences as
jokes for his act. He said that nobody
told him he was funny; it’s just a
matter of opinion.
“I wouldn’t do jokes about rock
climbing because I’m not interested
in it. My opinion is that nobody’s
funny; it’s just a matter of opinion.
There arc people that 1 find funny that
other people don’t,” he said.
Johnson said he didn’t feel loo
much pressure after winning
Showlirne’s Funniest Person in
America Contest. In 1986 he was
declared the winner after a nation
wide phone-in vote.
“Having the title of the funniest
person was a little intimidating at
first, but you just say to yourself, ‘I
know I’m not the funniest person in
America,”’ Johnson said.
“Basically it was the thing that
helped to boost my career because I
was just starting to headline back
then. That helped me to get spots in
the bigger and better clubs. And \ got
a Showtime special out of it,” he
said
Johnson said most sland-up com
ics don’t strive solely to be the funni
est person in America.
“More so these days, what most
comics are striving for is just to gel to
know the art form a lot better, and get
to know themselves,” he said.
Johnson said he felt that comedy
clubs were becoming more serious
and that the audience wanted a little
more than “crotch humor.”
See COMIC on 10