Arts ©Entertainment
Tuesday, October 18,1994 Page 9
Dancers savor
rare opportunity
By Paula Lavlgno
Senior Reporter
When Hollywood movie pro
ducers arrived in Loma for the
filming of “To Wong Foo, Thanks
for Everything, Julie Ncwmar,”
they were looking for extra danc
ers.
Three UNL dance students lit
erally leaped at the opportunity and
used their fancy footwork to wedge
a “foot in the door.”
Tami Wilburn, Jennifer Clyne
and Angela Robidoux agreed the
movie was “the opportunity of a
lifetime.”
They danced with choreogra
pher Kenny Ortega (Dirty Danc
ing) and actors Patrick Swayze.
Wesley Snipes and John
Leguizamo. The students said the
filming was a fun and valuable
experience.
Clyne and Robidoux said the
movie would look good on their
r&sum&s. and the contacts they es
tablished could help them land fu
ture dancing jobs.
“Kenny (Ortega) gave us his
card and address and said if we
ever come out to L.A., he’d set us
up,” Clyne said. “He’s choreo
graphing the Olympics and said he
■'-iJ might give us a calk’’ !
Casting directors were always
looking for a new star, Robidoux
said.
“I had a casting director ask me
what kind of toothpaste I use be
cause he was looking for someone
for a toothpaste commercial,” she
said.
Robidoux, who is also a dance
teacher at Shari Shell-True Dance
Academy, said working one-on
one with Ortega highlighted her
experience.
“He gave me some Latin steps.
He did everything, and he was a
lot of fun to work with,” she said.
Ortegas dancing awed
Wilburn.
“He’s wonderful,” she said,
sighing. “I just loved to sit there
and watch him dance. He moves
so smooth.”
Wilburn, a UNL senior broad
casting major and dance minor,
said the experience would help her
in a different way.
“For me. as a broadcasting ma
jor, it was a chance to sec how they
shot film as opposed to news sto
ries,” she said.
Wilburn said the trio also dis
covered how actors acted in real
life.
“They were fun to work with. It
wasn’t like they were up on a ped
estal or anything,” she said. “They
talked and joked.”
In the movie, Swayze, Snipes
and Lcguizamo, arc drag queens
making a cross-country trip to New
Damon Laa/DN
Jennifer Clyne, right, and Angela Robldoux are two of three UNL student dancers who
performed In the movie “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar." The third
student Is Taml Wilburn.
York when their car breaks down
in the Midwest.
Wilburn danced with Snipes on
top of a table during one scene.
“He was like, ‘Girlfriend! Come
on you girls!,’ and he was all
dressed in drag and acting like a
drag queen,” she said.
Robidoux said Snipes was “re
ally neat and friendly and very pro
fessional.”
“(Snipes) asked us what we
were doing, and he had a lot of
knowledge about dance He knew
r
a lot about dance interests and
asked us some questions we didn't
even know,” Robidoux said.
Snipes started his career in
dance-musical theater, and Swayze
danced with the Joflrey Ballet be
fore going into acting, which gave
her hope, she said.
Robidoux said all the actors and
cast members treated them well.
“They really liked us. We knew
what was going on in Lincoln and
what was exciting in Lincoln and
after they found out, they had fun,”
she said. “They never said we were
hicks from Nebraska.”
The dancers got to spend a lot
of time with the film crews. For
four days, they were rehearsing
from 7 a m. to as late as 11 p.m.
Their schedules were mixed up
for awhile, but each of them said
her professors were cooperative.
Clyne said her professors in the
dance department told her about
the movie and encouraged students
to audition.
“They understood this was a
chance of a lifetime.”
Courtesy of Castle Rock Entertainment
Morgan Frooman, loft, and Tim Robbins star as Rod and Andy In “Tho Shawshank
Redemption,” a movlo basod on a Stophon King novolla.
Prison film is triumph of hope
By Jo#l •trauch
Senior Reporter
‘The Shawshank Redemption"
is a compelling drama, a master
work of stupendous acting and cin
ematography and is also based on
a novella by Stephen King.
Yes, that’s right. The best-sell
ing author whose books are repro
duced as cheesy “B” movies.
(However, once in a while a
gem like “Misery” makes it
through OK.)
This time King's creative ge
nius is transferred to the film by
writer/director Frank Darabont.
Darabont, in his first directing
effort for the big screen, presents
a majestic story about the inde
structible nature of the human
spirit.
Mild-mannered banker Andy
Dufresnc (Tim Robbins, “The
Player”) is dubiously imprisoned
for the brutal murders of his wife
and her lover. He is given two
back-to-back life sentences in
Shawshank State Prison, Mainc s
toughest maximum-security peni
tentiary.
Ignored by most of the inmates
(except the “sisters” of the prison)
because of his quiet nature, Andy
eventually befriends a fellow life
termer, Red (Morgan Freeman,
“Unforgiven”).
Red is the Yellow Pages of the
pen. For a few bucks or a few ciga
rettes. he can get other inmates
whatever they .need. Andy uses
Red's connections to keep some
semblance of his outside life go
ing.
Andy 's profound banking skills
allow him to better his position. He
aids the sadistic Captain Hadley
(Clancy Brown. “Highlander”) and
later Warden Norton (Bob Gunton.
See SHAWSHANK on 10
Bread and Book Fair
offers sumptuous spread
By Paula Livlgiw _
Senior Reporter
Nebraska literary and art asso
ciations will offer Lincoln resi
dents a chance to “feed their
minds" today during the Bread and
Book Fair at the Sheldon Memo
rial Art Gallery.
The event sponsored by the Ne
braska Art Association. Nebraska
Literary Association and Friends
of the Libraries-UNL. combines
the value of books, bread and art.
From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.. breads
and gourmet edibles will be on sale
in the gallery, along with new and
used books and specialty books on
food and art.
Nebraska poets and authors will
give free readings in the gallery's
board room throughout the day.
Ted Kooser, Hilda Raz. Marly
Swick and John Janovy arc some
of the featured artists.
Kathy Paper. NAA executive
director, said the event was also an
opportunity to attract new patrons
for the Sheldon Memorial Art Gal
lery.
“Sometimes people think the
gallery is a little daunting,” she
said, “so if we can get them in with
other things they enjoy, such as
bread and books — the things that
feed us — then we can get them to
See FAIR on 10
New Freddy film should
be put out of its misery
By ftfry Mti
Staff Reporter
“Wes Craven’s New Night
mare" has a great premise, but the
execution is way off
Even compared to the crappy,
three-dimensional sixth “Elm
Street” flick, this one is the bot
tom of the proverbial barrel. If hor
ror films were food, this would be
roadkill.
However, “New Nightmare”
shouldn’t be considered to be one
of the typical “Elm Street” films
because it goes past the premise of
those films.
In “New Nightmare,” Freddy is
now attempting to come into the
real world but has to get past
Heather Langcnkamp (playing
herself, supposedly) to do it.
Wes Craven (himself) is work
ing on a script for a new "Night
mare” film in which Freddy is try
ing to get into the real world, and
Heather finds out that everything
that is happening in the script is
happening to her.
Get it? The movie is her life,
which is a movie. Pay attention!
There will be a quiz later.
See NIGHTMARE on 10
