Connecticut Arts Connections to Make This Week

Happenings at The Kate, Wesleyan, Westport Playhouse, More

Photo: Courtesy of The Kate

Mystic Ballet unravels a story of love, betrayal and sacrifice through the lives of two brothers; one fighting for his place in life and the other for the throne as they present “Swan Lake”  7 pm Saturday, Feb. 9 at The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, Old Saybrook.

Returning from its NYC debut and prior to its Japan tour, the Mystic Ballet launches its Dynamic Directions Series featuring Sergei Vanaev’s adaptation of "Swan Lake." The show underscores the deep commitment to a wide-ranging spectrum of classical and contemporary repertoire which has been central to Mystic Ballet’s mission from its inception. Combining his Bolshoi background with his own unique ingenuity, Sergei Vanaev creates a contemporary version of Swan Lake’s Act II to the dramatic score of Tchaikovsky.

Also at the Kate: Eilen Jewell 8 pm Friday, Feb. 15. Jewell is the Queen of the Minor Key. Sad songs are her wealth and finery. For more information and tickets: http://www.thekate.org ; 860-388-3286.

The 13th annual Breaking Ground Dance Series presented by Wesleyan University’s Center for the Arts and Dance Department continues with the New England premiere of “Mama Call” (2011), a contemporary tale of border-crossing, and “Pupil Suite” (2010), set to the contagious music of Israeli band Balkan Beat Box, performed by Gallim Dance and choreographed by Artistic Director Andrea Miller (the 2011 recipient of Wesleyan’s Mariam McGlone Emerging Choreographer Award) 8pm Friday, Feb. 8 and Saturday, Feb. 9 in the CFA Theater, 271 Washington Terrace on the Wesleyan campus in Middletown.

• The 13th annual Outside the Box Theater Series presented by Wesleyan University’s Center for the Arts and Theater Department continues with the first Connecticut performance of the Mabou Mines masterclass workshop production “Glass Guignol: The Brother and Sister Play,” conceived and adapted by Lee Breuer and Maude Mitchell, on Saturday, February 16, 2013 at 8pm in the CFA Theater, located at 271 Washington Terrace on the Wesleyan campus in Middletown.
• Dance/USA, the national service organization for professional dance, has announced that Wesleyan's Center for the Arts is one of 20 member organizations across the country to receive $948,000 in funding in Round Two of Engaging Dance Audiences, the first national funding program for audience engagement practices focused specifically on the art form of dance. Wesleyan will receive $42,660 to increase audience engagement through two new programs that will launch later this year: the DanceLink Fellowship Program, in which Wesleyan students will intern with three professional dance companies during the summer, and then serve as ambassadors for the companies when they are presented on campus during the 2013–2014 Breaking Ground Dance Series; and Dine/Dance/Discover, a new event to take place before and after Breaking Ground Dance Series performances, incorporating dance workshops featuring movements from those performances, dinners facilitated by the DanceLink Fellows and Wesleyan faculty members, and post-show discussions. 

Westport Country Playhouse’s next Script in Hand playreading will be the award-winning play Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage 7 pm Monday, Feb. 11. All tickets are $15. The cast includes Geneva Carr, Lynda Gravátt, Donnetta Lavinia Grays, Billy Eugene Jones, Paul Anthony Stewart, and Susan Kelechi Watson. Director is Anne Keefe, Playhouse artistic advisor. Infor and tickets: 203-227-4177, 1-888-927-7529,  www.westportplayhouse.org.

Coming up at the the Bijou Theater in Bridgeport:

• Jammin' with James Jackson Jr., Singer. Songwriter. Actor. Renaissance Man Friday, Feb. 16 at 8 pm;  2/16 8:00pm; Folk. Pop. Jazz. Gospel
• He's shared the stage with Jimmy Buffett, Linda Ronstadt, and Jethro Tull. And he's got a brother named James: legendary Livingston Taylor and his guitar are touring the nation and his single stop in Connecticut is The Bijou Theatre 8 pm Saturday, March 2.
• Also, check out a schedule for the Oscar nominated short films for live action, animation and documentary.