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UNL dance department still kicking
By Liza Holtmeier
Staff writer
A little more than a year ago. University of
Nebraska-Lincoln dance majors faced rumors
involving the possible dissolution of their pro
gram.
Now, after a year of speculation and changes,
the program's faculty members and students feel
rney are on more
solid ground.
With the intro
duction of two new
faculty members to
the program, dance
majors say they feel
a new energy and
vitality.
“We have two
ladies working for
us who are really
strong-willed and
ready to take
cnarge, sam oranuy ivmici. a semoi uancc majoi.
"I see a lot of potential in the program right now.”
The two new faculty members, Kelly
Holcombe and Julie Kane, were hired to replace
visiting Professor .Ann Shea and former Dance
Director Charlotte Adams. Shea returned to her
home state of Tennessee this summer, while
Adams took a job as assistant professor of dance
at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.
While students have missed Adams and Shea,
most have responded positively to the new
instructors.
Lisa Fusillo, a UNL dance professor, said the‘
ii two women have challenged the students with
Please see DANCE on 10
i _
I U
“Right now,
everything
is starting
to click”
Kelly Holcombe
dance instructor
Sandy Summers/DN
MONYA DEBOER, left, Sarah Harris and Kevin Gibbs pose with their legs in attitude during barre exercises for Ballet IV class in the Johnny
Carson Theatre on Monday morning.
j Pianist Lorie Line, orchestra
i
| to take stage at Lied on Sunday
By Patrick Miner
Staff writer
i When some people hear the word piano, they
think of one other word: recital.
But for Lone Line, from Minneapolis, the word
I isn’t even in her vocabulary.
Her assortment of colorful costumes and eclectic
sounds will return to Lincoln as Line, along'with her
14-piece Pop Chamber Orchestra, appears at the Lied
i iui i ci icu. iiiiiiti rvi ij,
301 N. 12th St, Sunday for an
annual holiday performance.
The Lied Center perfor
mance will be only the second
on a 40-day tour that Line
expects to be simply “magi
cal.”
A gifted pianist and enter
tainer, Line and her accompa
nying orchestra incorporate
widely diverse instrumenta
tion such as a fiddle, harmoni
ca, mandolin and saxophone.
Even a gospel vocalist gets
thrown into the mix, which is
entirely arranged solely by
Line.
“The music is like spices
when cooking,” Line said. “If
you know how much to put in
the dish, it’s fabulous and
becomes a gourmet meal.”
If playing a veritable buffet
of instruments on stage
weren’t enough, the crowd
always gets a chance to offer
its own talents - or at least their
voices.
The tour’s theme-0 f “Be
There With Bells On!” is
Of course. Line still steals the show. She spent all
year planning costumes, with each garment worn by a
performer acting as a reminder of the instrument’s
time of origin, and each costume fitting the show’s
color scheme of cobalt blue, turquoise and silver.
Line's accomplished recording career spans 15
albums, including her latest effort, “The Heritage
Collection II,” which debuted on the Billboard New
Age album chart at No. 7.
The album is a collection of personal interpreta
tions of peaceful, traditional tracks that she finds
especially suited for a
November concert.
“Those songs have a good
tiding, mankind and universal
feeling,” Line said. “I don’t
want to be too Chnstmasy too
early.”
Directly contrasting “The
Heritage Collection II” is the
more upbeat “Sharing the
Season III,” which features
holiday favorites such as
“Carol of the Bells,” “The
Little Drummer Boy” and
“Frosty the Snowman.” They
are all part of the newly
released three-album gift set,
“The Lorie Line Holiday
Collection.”
In addition to the sched
uled music from her albums,
Line’s show always includes a
few spontaneous songs sug
gested by the crowd. Since last
year’s Pershing Auditorium
show, the pianist has even
learned to play “There Is No
Place Like Nebraska.”
Line plans for the show to
last just over two hours.
Courtesy Photo
MUSICIAN LORIE LINE will bring some
Christmas cheer and her usual good spir
its to the Lied Center on Sunday.
. Line s way 01 nouiymg aucnuccs ui uicu uuiy on live i icKets ror tne /: ju p.m. penormance are j»zo
of the songs to be played. According to Line, the audi- and S22 and are half-price for students. Call the Lied
ence should be ready from the get-go: The second Center box office for more information at (402) 472
song of the set demands crowd participation. 4747.
Beck
“Mutations”
DGC
Grade: B+
Having established “Where It’s At,” Beck
is back from another musical journey to
places no other musician could ever find:
islands with Latin beach parties on one end
and sleepy campfire get-togethers at the
other. This new musical venture is as fresh
and relaxing as a resort stay in the Caribbean.
Considering the overwhelming success
of his 1996 release, “Odelay,” and the numer
ous artist-of-the-year awards he accumulat
ed, it’s no wonder Beck made an album like
“Mutations.”
It marks a break from the hip-hop crazi
ness and over-the-top, vocals of “Odelay”
hits like “Where it’s At,” “Devil’s Haircut”
and “New Pollution.”
As a whole, “Mutations” is a collective
good morning and good night all wrapped up
in 11 tracks. The prevailing mood throughout
the album is as comforting as a cup of coffee
in the morning and as therapeutic as being
tucked in after a long night.
For probably the first time in Beck’s
career, his record keeps the same initial feel
from beginning to end. It is predominately
mellow, soft and soothing with a few sparks
of honky-tonk kookiness here and there.
The songs sound familiar after hearing
them just once, and the mixture of country
acoustic basics with echoed and spacey
string arrangements creates a tranquilizing.
half-drunk and glazed-over feel that tastes as
sweet as a Shirley Temple.
“Cold Brains,” the album's opener and a
definite standout, is a slow and surreal
lament that combines Beck’s signature
monotone vocals over basic acoustic guitar
strumming. The washed over wah-wah notes
keep the song moving, and a steady snare
beat and harmonica tune give the song a gen
uine bluesy feel.
The album was made in two weeks fol
lowing Beck’s extremely successful
“Odelay” tour, a time frame Beck usually
doesn’t work in. The entire album was played
by Beck’s touring band and that, coupled
with the short time in which it was recorded,
helps in the album’s progressing vibe.
To the press. Beck said the idea behind
the album was to show the more delicate side
of music, which he feels is highly ignored
and underrated.
Songs like “We Live Again,” a sleepy
ballad with a waltz beat and phased-out gui
tar picking, reinforce Beck’s focus on musi
cal intricacies. So does “Sing It Again,” a
weary old drinking song with a country feel
and a polka beat mixed in with a reverberat
ing slide guitar sound.
The album’s strongest remnant of
“Odelay” comes in the form of an unnamed,
hidden song found a few minutes after
“Static,” the album’s last tune. This mystery
song combines the ’60s garage surf-style
guitar, drum and bass remnants of “New
Pollution” with feedback and laser sounds
for a pretty groovin’ rock tune.
“Mutations” as a whole sounds consider
ably less low-fi than Beck’s previous works,
and producer Nigel Godrich’s (Radiohead)
influence is very present and pleasant. The
songs sound smoother and more synthetic
than both “Mellow Gold” and “Odelay,” and
Beck’s vocals are much more prevalent.
Despite the fact that “Mutations” is con
siderably less exciting than “Odelay,” it’s still
enjoyable in its own right. While “Odelay”
serves to get the party started, “Mutations”
helps with the cleanup and inevitable recu
peration.
It is definitely worth checking out for any
Beck fan, and it adds a lot to Beck’s already
impressive repertoire.
- Jason Hardy
