Did You Know? The Story of Leadership & Wisdom of the Wolf

This Wednesday, October 21, hear the traditional Navajo winter story of Mai Tso (wolf) told by gifted storyteller and folklorist Sunny Dooley. The Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project is hosting the event to cast a different light on wolves and share a traditional story of this endangered species from a southwest cultural perspective. The non-profit organization works to build an educated and supportive community to welcome the return of wolves to their historic home range. The evening will begin with Animal Land, a stunning visual art installation by artists Lauren Strohacker and Kendra Sollars.

Here are some critical facts you might not know about the very intelligent and beautiful wolf:

1.    Wolves are family oriented, social animals. They live in extended families called packs. Each member of a pack helps, from hunting to caring for pups.

2.    Mexican wolves are native to the American Southwest and Mexico, but most were wiped out early in the 20th century by a government extermination campaign.

3.    There are currently 110 Mexican wolves in the wild. The reintroduced population of Mexican wolves lives in the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area of eastern Arizona and western New Mexico.

4.    All Mexican wolves alive today are descendants of just 7 individual wolves that remained by the early 1980s when a captive breeding program began to save the species from extinction.

5.    They are considered one of the most endangered mammals in North American and the most endangered subspecies of wolf in the world.    

6.    The Grand Canyon region is one of the last best places for the recovery of wolves in the United States and research says it could sustain at least 250 wolves.

“I want to hear a poem”-Steve Coleman

The annual Spoken World Series is here! Join us for an evening of poetic reality and hear Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Terisa Siagatonu along with Tomas Stanton, speak their minds and give us an insight to what spoken word is as well as what it can be. This is guaranteed to be a night filled with words of passion and verses of truth. Using a microphone as their paint brush these powerful artists will paint pictures and tell stories that will surely echo in the hearts and minds of the audience. This unforgettable night falls on Friday, October 16, at 8:00 p.m. See you there!

By Rodney Meyer

Classical Music Inside Out: A sneak peek with Artistic Director Zuill Bailey

The first performance of the Classical Music Inside Out season is right around the corner. What better way to kick it off than with the joyful, bouncy, familiar sounds of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Dig into the music in a concert experience that endeavors to tell the story behind the music, as we start the season with Dimitri Sitkovetsky’s ground-breaking arrangement of the work. Zuill Bailey, Scott Rawls and Dimitri Sitkovetsky can’t wait to perform for you and turn the music inside out! 

Direct From Beijing: National Circus & Acrobats of The People’s Republic of China tonight at Mesa Arts Center

Direct from Beijing is bound to head directly to your heart. The National Circus and Acrobats of the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1953, and since then have been dedicated to astounding innovation and excellence in the circus acrobatic arts. Tonight you can watch them perform their highly praised “Peking Dreams” which was even shown in the Bejing Olympics Games in 2008. Not only that, but they have performed for over 400,000 people in China and completed more than 600 shows! Their performance at Mesa Arts Center will feature a plethora of circus extravaganza and fun enhanced with traditional Chinese music. Including but not limited to hats’ juggling, ring diving, bike stunts, feet juggling WITH umbrellas, unicycles, solo trapeze, rope tricks, and some martial arts. Holy cow! After that gasp for air, saying there’s a lot to be excited for is quite an understatement. The flawless performances combined with colorful costumes and vibrant make-up is sure to butter you up for a visual treat.  See you tonight at the show!

 

By Colette Zaborniak

Celebrating 10 Years with 10 Musicians in 10 Schools in ONE DAY!

When you’re a kid, everyone tells you, “You can be anything you want when you grow up.” And we believe it, right? Everyone wants to be a “princess” or a “pirate-ninja,” and all things seem possible. While those early dreams don’t always come true, for the musicians of Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, their dreams of being a professional musician did. These musicians, at the top of their game, are headed out to schools throughout the Valley today to restore hope for holding on to dreams when you leave the nest. They’ll spend the day sharing their passion for music through workshops and clinics in school classrooms.

 

This is all part of Mesa Arts Center’s celebration of 10 years at One East Main – where we’re all for doing what you love and following your dreams. Mesa Arts Center’s deep partnership with Jazz at Lincoln Center continues to grow, building on a foundation laid over the last eight years through the Jazz from A to Z program. This multi-layered engagement enlivens the study of American History through jazz history and music, and is bringing jazz experiences to classrooms, broadening perspectives, inspiring, and engaging youth!

 This motivating program is just the icing on the cake for Mesa Arts Center’s 10^th year celebration. You’ll also be able to see these musicians perform this Friday and Saturday. Join us September 25^th with Jazz at Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis, and then the Arizona Premiere of “Swing Symphony” with special guest, The Phoenix Symphony on September 26^th.

Here’s where those amazing musicians will be headed today:

·         Rhodes Jr. High

·         Mesa High School

·         Desert Mountain High School

·         Liberty High School

·         Brophy College Preparatory

·         Heritage Academy

·         Chandler High School

·         Arizona State University

·         Mesquite Jr. High

·         Taylor Jr. High

 

By Colette Zaborniak