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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 15, 1999)
.* The following is a brief list of weekend events. Please call the venue for more information. CONCERTS: Duffy’s, 1412 0 St. Sunday: The Frantic Flattops, The Mezcal Brothers Duggan s Pub, 440 S. 11th St. Friday and Saturday: Bossphilly Knickerbockers, 901 O St. Friday: Trizomy, George Zip Experience Saturday: Strange Pleasures, The Grateful Dudes The Royal Grove, 340 W. Cornhusker Highway Friday: Burning Spear Saturday: Shithook Zoo Bar, 136 N. 14th St. Friday and Saturday: LiF Ed and the Blues Imperials THEATER: Lincoln Community Playhouse, 2500 S. 56th St. All weekend: “The Reluctant Dragon” Mary Riepma Ross Film Theater, 12th and R streets All weekend: “Run Lola Run” Mueller Planetarium, Morrill Hall, 15th and U streets Friday: The Doors Saturday: Laser Fun Sunday: Enya Star City Dinner Theater, 8th and Q streets All weekend: “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” GALLERIES: The Burkholder Project, 719 P St. All weekend: works by Carol Gallion, Sammy Lynn, Patsy Smith and mixed works by Prairie 7 Gallery 9, 124 S. Ninth St. All weekend: “Masks,” an all member theme show Great Plains Art Collection, 215 Love Library All weekend: photographs by Laura Gilpin Hay don Gallery, 335 N. Eighth St. All weekend: works by Judith Ernst Cherry Lentz Center, Morrill Hall, 14th and U streets All weekend: paintings by Shi Hu Noyes Gallery, 119 S. Ninth St. All weekend: “Roaring ’20s,” works by Sandy Meyers, LeRoy Van Gian, Ray Anderson, Max Cox and Ralph Spangler Rotunda Gallery, Nebraska~ Student Union All weekend: Art League Student Exhibition ^The Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, 12th and R streets AH weekend: “Black Image and Identity,” “Modem Masters,” Charles Rain’s “Magic Realism,” “Robert Colescott: Recent Paintings” ■ Dance Liberation Front members take a break from professional careers to do what they love. By Jason Hardy Senior staff writer One of the 20-something defini tions of the term “front” is as follows: “A broad movement in which differ ent groups are united for the achieve ment of certain common political or social aims.” As with most definitions, it’s a little stuffy. But in the context of Lincoln’s Dance Liberation Front, the message is clear (political and social aims aside): These people want to dance and they mean business. The Dance Liberation Front is a group of five or so friends. Most of them have graduated from college, work reg ular 9-to-5 jobs and have an insatiable urge to dance. So they do. The group consists of Maribel Cruz, Sandra Halpem, Elizabeth Maud#, Gail Ogden and Cat Steinweis. What makes than different from anyone who goes to a nightclub is the fact that these women have the collective dance experience to back up what they do. Take Maude for example. She has a bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of Oklahoma, spent two years in New York City and then went to law school. She now works as a trial lawyer for Vincent and Powers and Associates during the day and rehearses with the Dance Liberation Front at night and on the weekends. For her, it’s just something that makes sense. v “I started dancing when I was 5, and there was never a time in my life that I took a break,” Maude said. “I’ve just never not done it. I’ve been doing it for 30 years, and I can’t imagine not having that as part of my existence.” Cruz’s story is very similar. She started dancing when she was 3 and grew up immersed in different forms of dance, focusing on modem throughout her teens and college years. She has a Liz Meacham/DN SANDRA HALPERN, RIGHT, Guillermo Orti, middle, Cat Steinweis, left, and Elizabeth Maude, back, practice their dance, titled “Three to Tango” and choreographed by Halpern, on Saturday morning. They will be performing at the Lied Center for Performing Arts in Omaha at the end of October. doctorate in psychology and works as a consultant and executive coach for the Gallup Organization. But as with Maude, dancing is almost as important as food, clothing and shelter to Cruz. “It’s my alternate life,” Cruz said. “It engages another part of my brain, frankly. I’m cool and calm all day long, and then I get to go play with my friends a little while.” For each of the women in the Dance Liberation Front, the desire was never a question. They wanted to perform, but there simply weren’t any workable out lets for their creativity. So, a little more than two years ago, they formed the Dance Liberation Front, a dance com pany ... sort of. The Dance Liberation Front is basi cally a name given to this group of friends who rehearse and choreograph with each other. They are not an incor porated group, nor do they have legal status as a company. They usually don’t even make any money, but what they lack in corporate support, they make up for with talent and determination. “We’d been to one too many perfor mances by outsiders where we thought, ‘We’re better than that. Why don’t we get it together?’” Cruz said. “We just kind of realized that we were our own support system.” Please see DANCE on 13 Reggae legend to play at Grove ■ Burning Spear says he will deliver an energetic live show tonight. By Shelley Mika Staff writer Fall break may not be long enough to take a trip to the Caribbean, but the sounds of Jamaica are coming to Lincoln. Winston “Burning Spear” Rodney will be bringing a 30-year history of reggae to the Royal Grove tonight. His historical roots sprouted in 1969 when he met reggae legend Bob Marley in St. Ann’s Parish, Jamaica - Rodney’s hometown. Marley ’s belief in the young musi cian led him to refer Rodney to Sir Coxson Dodd of Studio One Records in Kingston. Dodd then helped Rodney record several tracks between 1969 and 1973. International acclaim found Rodney in 1975 with the Island Records release of “Marcus Garvey.” The title refers to Jamaican Marcus Garvey, who encouraged Jamaicans to take pride in their history. Cecil Blake, associate professor of communications studies and ethnic studies, said that through his music, Rodney is “recognizing the importance of what Marcus Garvey tried to com municate.” With his international success, Rodney has been able to spread Garvey’s teachings to a wider audience. In reference to Rodney’s influence in Jamaica, Blake said, “I look at his work as an attempt at African redefini tion for a society who has largely lost its African ethos.” Even Rodney’s name has historical significance. It comes from Jomo Kenyatta, the first president in post colonial Kenya from 1963 to 1978, who was called “The Burning Spear.” If Kenyatta’s moniker symbolizes shedding light on the political path, then the same is true for Burning Spear and his music. The aim of Rodney’s music is to educate the mind and the soul. “I deliver some strong music. Music to really uplift the mind and the thought of people. Music wherein (I can) help people, comfort people, calm people down,” he said. That’s not to say that the show will make eyelids droop across the crowd. Rather, Rodney has been known to play a high energy show generally lasting more than two hours. “People walk out at the end of the night feeling good, strong,” he said. Rodney’s fame has led him to seven Grammy nominations. Even though he has never won, he isn’t disappointed. “I’ve been nominated seven times, never ended up a winner. But of course, I’ve been winning since the first time I got started in the business,” he said. Rodney’s success has allowed him to release 27 albums, a rarity for even famed recording artists. His most recent album is “Calling Rastafari.” Remarkably, Rodney has some times released two albums in a year, Please see SPEAR on 13 Courtesy Photo REGGAE LEGEND WINSTON “Burning Spear” Rodney has beeiwnominated for seven Grammys. He performs tonight at the Royal Grove.