Released: January 26, 2012
Lincoln, Neb. - The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts is thrilled to announce the launch of its 2012 Interdisciplinary Arts Symposium (IAS). Now in its third year, IAS 2012 focuses on "Immigration, Migration, and Transplantation in Performance." The symposium is composed of several key events, including lectures, performances, workshops and a movie screening. IAS 2012 is supported by the Cooper Foundation.
This season explores the theme of transforming, transferring, or hybridizing cultural identity, and its expression in drama, music, and dance. IAS 2012 looks particularly at how immigrants use performance to tell their stories. Nebraskans interested in learning more about multicultural issues and their intersection with the arts are encouraged to attend.
To start off the season, IAS presents a screening of the movie-musical "West Side Story" on January 26 at the Ross Media Arts Center on UNL's City Campus. The 1961 movie is currently celebrating its 50th Anniversary and is based on the Award-winning stage musical by Leonard Bernstein with words by a young Stephen Sondheim. The movie is an introduction to the very poignant theme of IAS 2012. Tickets are free for UNL students with a valid ID and are only $5 for the public.
IAS 2012 features three major performance events. On February 10 at 8pm, New York City trombonist Chris Washburne and his jazz group SYOTOS perform live at downtown Lincoln's Rococo Theatre at 7:30 p.m. The performance is preceded by an audience talk with Chris Washburne at 5:30 p.m. and a 6:30 p.m. dinner. Tickets are available through the Rococo Theatre Box Office and online at rococotheatre.com. Prices are $12 for the performance only or $27 to also attend the lecture and dinner.
Chris Washburne is an internationally known musician, composer and scholar who currently serves as Associate Professor of Music and Founding Director of the Louis Armstrong Jazz Performance Program at Columbia University in New York. He has published numerous articles on jazz, Latin jazz, and salsa. He is author of the book "Sounding Salsa: Performing Latin Music in New York" (2008) and editor of the book "Bad Music" (2004).
On March 2 and 3, IAS co-presents performances of the hit Broadway musical "In the Heights" at the Lied Center for Performing Arts. The musical won four Tony Awards in 2008, including "Best Musical," and at its core deals with the conflict between first generation immigrants to the United States and their first and second generation U.S. citizen children - lifestyles, hopes, dreams and realities. Tickets are free for UNL students through the "Arts for All" program (marketplace.unl.edu/liedcenter/). Tickets are available to the public at various prices at liedcenter.org. In addition to the performance, students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will take part in a special post-show conversation on March 2 with the show's artists and will participate in music and dance workshops on March 3.
IAS is proud to present the stage production "This is Tango Now: Identidad" on April 14, also at the Lied Center for Performing Arts. "This is Tango Now" explores the issues of identity and willpower in a breathtaking performance told as a story, with powerful dancing, live music, lights and pure spectacle. Tickets are available at the Lied Center Ticket Office and online at liedcenter.org. Prices are $18 for adults and $9 for students/youth.
Lectures being offered as a part of IAS include the aforementioned talk by Chris Washburne entitled "Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington Do the Rhumba: The Rebirth of Latin Jazz" (February 10 at the Rococo) and "Immigrants and Cities: Old and New Destinations" (February 16 at UNL's Jackie Gaughan Center) given by Dr. Caroline Bettrell, University Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at Southern Methodist University. On April 5, C. Daniel Dawson, an artist, photographer, New York University faculty member, will give a lecture entitled "WIDI MAMBO - Listen to the Important Matter" at UNL's Van Brunt Visitor's Center. All lectures are free and open to the public.
More information on all IAS 2012 events can be found at unl.edu/ias.
The Interdisciplinary Arts Symposium at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is sponsored by the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, presented, in part, by the Lied Center for Performing Arts, and funded, in part, by the Hixson-Lied Endowment. IAS 2012 is supported by the Cooper Foundation.