ARTS0ENTERTAINMENT
Hubbard Street dancers energize Lied
Chicago company
impresses with
its flexible style
danpp
--^TRKVIKW I
By Stacey McKenzie
Senior Reporter ______
Watching the fluid lines and limbs
of a dancer can be awesome enough to
a society that relishes reclining —
popcorn bowl in hand — in front of
the television.
Hubbard Street Dance Company,
known as Chicago’s premiere dance
company, did more than awe the
people who filled the Lied Center for
Performing Arts on Friday.
It impressed them — again and
again and again.
• The show provided almost 1 1/2
hours of dancing.
• Jhc dancing stretched, as the
dancers’ bodies did, across many
styles, including classical ballet, the
atrical jazz and modern dance.
• And the musical choices were
superb and spanned a good portion of
the 20th century, from Fats Waller to
Author's 8th novel delves
into curious juxtaposition
of vacuum cleaner, man
Royer MacBride Allen
“The Modular Man"
Bantam Spectra Books
By Sam Kepfield
Staff Reporter
Roger MacBride Allen has been
on the science fiction scene for roughly
a decade now, and his career is show
ing signs of taking off.
His 1988 novel, “Orphan of Cre
ation," garnered much critical praise,
and he began his “Hunted Earth” sc
ries last year.
“The Modular Man,” his eighth
novel, isan impressive piece of work.
It docs what good science fiction
should do — ask heavy questions and
give mind-bending answers and illus
trations.
Allen takes one simple, basic ques
tion as the premise of this book: What
is it to be a human being? Is it merely
the carbon-based flesh and blood na
ture of our bodies? Or is it something
more intangible, something in the
brain or soul?
Noted scientist David Bailey, a
quadriplegic from a rcccntaircar crash
who faces imminent death, resolves
to cheat the Grim Reaper.
With all the mid-21st century tech
nology available to him, he loads the
contents of his minif into a modified
vacuum cleaner named Herbert.
The novel then proceeds to discuss
and resolve whether the vacuum
cleaner is human.
Allen uses not only a cybernetic
sciences hardware-oriented perspec
tive, but also lakes the ease into a
courtroom (and docs a credible job
recreating a trial atmosphere).
Bailey’s wife, Susanne Jantillc,
who uses a “remote personality” (sort
of a radio-controlled body) due to
injuries sustained in the same acci
dent, defends Hcrberl/Bailcy from
murder charges.
Sounds bizarre? At first blush,
probably so. But Allen docs such a
believable job in characterization and
presenting the issue, that the reader
might think this kind of legal prece
dent is just around the corner.
A final note—“The Modular Man”
is the fourth in Bantam Spcclra’s“Ncxt'
Wave” line of books. The formal is to
take a cutting-edge issue, get a hard
science-oriented talc from an estab
lished author, and present a non-fic
tion essay by a noted scientist at the
end.
It works fairly well. “The Modular
Man”essay is by the late Isaac Asimov
— which could make a reader think
it’s a shame there wasn’t a way for
him to beat the inevitable.
Irish group can satisfy
ears with sedate sound
Atlantic Records
Listeners who are into head
banging, hip-hop or dance music
should give this one a miss.
If, however, they find their tastes
run to something more sedate,
something not commonly found on
the Top40, then Clannad’s“Anam”
is a must-buy.
Clannad, hailing from Ireland,
has become the premier Irish diva
group of today, combining lyrics in
Gaelic with those in English.
“Anam” makes generous use of
sometimes ethereal-sounding
strings, a few saxophone riffs and
lush, swelling background vocals.
It’s moody but not New Age.
Two songs pop out immediately
from the album after only one lis
ten.
“In a Lifetime” is a medium
tempo duct with U2\s Bono, remi
nisccniof the Stevie N icks and Don
Henley “Leather and Lace” duct,
and it’s twice as fetching.
“Harry’s Game,” from the mo
tion picture “Patriot Games," is a
Gregorian chant-like piece, done a
capclla that sends a shiver up the
spine. -
Most of the other pieces on the
release arc down-tempo, with
plenty of strings, echoing vocals
and chorale-style backing vocals.
“Ri Na Cruinne” and “Uirchill
An Chreagain” arc, as the titles
suggest, sung in Gaelic, heighten
ing the wistful quality of the music.
Other tracks include the folk
style “The Poison Glen,” and the
slower, slightly more conventional
love tunes “You’re the One” and
“Love and Affection.”
String instrumentals end each
side — “Wilderness” and
“Dobhar.”
It is sure to please those devo
tees of Clannad, and her sister
groups, such as Enya, and a surpris
ing introduction for the uninitiated.
— Sam Kepfield
Willie Nelson.
But the real sparkle of this more
than 20-member dance company
comes from its presentation. They put
great gusto into each movement. Their
style isdownright Midwestern: tough,
stylistic and with lots of muscle.
Watching these dancers is like
glimpsing at the defiance of normal
body flexibility, speed and energy.
The company opened up with “Line
Drive,” choreographed by Lou Conte
and Claire Bataillc. The music was by
Pipo and Mingo Lewis.
Then, Laura Elena Haney and Ron
Dc Jesus performed “Georgia” to
Willie Nelson’s “Georgia on My
Mind.”
Haney was exquisite. Her move
ments were sharp, fluid and sensual.
The third dance, “Super Straight is
coming down,” was performed by
five dancers.
It was the breakthrough dance of
the night with its contemporary ap
pearance and statement-making cho
reography.
As the lights came up, the audience
saw the dancers encased in human
garment bags. The lighting made the
dancers look as though they were
frozen in crystal blocks, like some
thing from Superman.
The dancers were dressed in busi
ness attire and as the clanking, steam
engine-like music began, each one
slid the rectangular garment bag oil
and began to dance.
Jerky and sometimes writhing
movements characterized this dance.
The last two numbers, the longest
of the five, were upbeat and a pleasure
to watch.
“Sue’s Leg” featured the music of
Fats Waller. It had a vaudeville flavor
and was comic in some parts.
Finally, “Nine Sinatra Songs” fea
tured 14 dancers pairing off to waltz
about to Frank’s finest.
The costuming and dancing were
glamorous.
* ■ Courtesy of Interscope Records
Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch are, from left, Scottie Gee, Marky Mark, D.J.T. and Hector.
The band's latest album, “You Gotta Believe ” was produced by Donnie Wahlburg.
Marky Mark’s hip-hop flop sports
overabundance of ‘ good vibrations ’
“You Gotta Believe”
Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch
Inter.scope Records
Whal can you do when you’re the
brother, of someone famous? Marky
Mark showed that he could get a pair
of Top Ten gold singles and lour
MTV music video award nomina
tions.
Of course, Marky Mark is Donnie
Wahlbcrg’s brother (from New Kids
On The Block). In rap circles, a de
bate goes on about which one is a
bigger sucker. Many believe that
Marky Mark is just living off his
brother’s juice.
Is it because Donnie produced and
arranged Marky’s albums? Or is it
because Donnie wrote 11 of the 14
tracks on the new album “You Gotta
Believe?”
For the lack of respect Marky Mark
gets from the hip-hop community, he
makes up for it in the pop music
community.
“You Gotta Believe” is the first
release from the new album of the
same name, and it’s the “Good Vibra
tions” type of song that will probably
end up a Top Ten single.
“Gonna Have a Good Time” is
another track in this same line. These
songs have a woman wailing out the
chorus, telling the listener what to do,
the same formula that has succeeded
for other dance-oriented pop cross
overs such as C+C Music Factory,
Snap! and countless others.
On “Don T Ya Sleep,” Marky Mark
tells the listeners, “Don’t judge me by
my shade.” This takes on the issue of
reverse racism in rap. But that’s not
the problem. It’s songs like “I Want
You,” a love ballad geared down to
teeny bopper mode.
The Donnie D/Marky Mark learn
shift into “Wildside” mode for “The
American Dream.” This slow rap tells
stories about fallen dreams and is
backed by an acoustic guitar.
“Super Cool Mack Daddy” (an
overused title in rap) has the best
drums on the album, and the track has
potential. However,as soon as Marky
Mark declares that he’s the “baddesi
while boy in Boston,” it’s all over for
hip-hop realists.
“1 Run Rhymes (featuring the
Funkiest Band K*nown to Man)” is
lunky. The rhymes arc even decent.
Marky Mark actually wrote this one
himself, and the scratching and
samples are the best on the album.
Marky Mark won't make you be
lieve that he can do it in the hip-hop
nation, but pop music lovers will like
this follow up to “Music for the
People.” II Marky Mark and Donnie
D want to be the baddesi white boys,
they better not leave Boston.
— Greg Schick
PBS features show about native Nebraskan
rrom sian Heports
A Nebraska ETV production, “Julie
Wilson’s Songbook,” will have its
nationwide premiere today on the
Public Broadcasting Service.
The University of Ncbraska-Lin
coInTelcvision’sCultural Affairs unit
produced the program that features
native Nebraskan Julie Wilson.
Wilson, now a resident of New
York City, has been a successful caba
ret singer for nearly five decades.
The program includes a variety of
songs from many composers, but
Wilson oftentimes devotes her per
formances to the worksof singlccom
posers such as Irving Berlin or Cole
Porter.
Viewers can expect to hear tunes
such as “I’m Still Here,”“Unlucky at
Gamblin’” and a medley from “50
Million Frenchmen.”
“Julie Wilson’s Songbook” will be
broadcast at 9 p.m.