Quote of the Day: Find your authentic voice, become vulnerable, and then put yourself out there. Meridith Brooks
While I was away on the tropical Hawaiian Islands, the fabulous and generous Jill Schafer from the Cherry and Spoon theatre review blog, organized awards from the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers, which I am proud to be a part of. I am part of a group of about 10 bloggers who write reviews for theatres in the metro area of Minnesota. (I also include local shows in the lakes area.) We nominated our favorites, put it to a vote, and selected some of the most outstanding performers and performances that we saw in 2015. We decided to stick with the calendar year vs. the season. If you’d like to see the winners, visit our Facebook page (link above). Anyone who is willing to be vulnerable, work on their art, and put themselves out there, deserves accolades. I feel so fortunate to be able to support the performing arts through my blog posts, my teaching, and my own experiences.
The new year is off and running with many wonderful performing arts offerings. I took a quick peek at Jill’s page and noticed that she’s already attended seven performances, plus the Raw Stages readings of new plays at the History theatre, and wrote a review of Musical Mondays, a monthly event at Hell’s Kitchen. If I lived in the metro, I’d be at many of these events, but distance and my own family/student load fill much of my time. So, I get to the metro whenever I can. I’ll be viewing and reviewing Pericles, a lesser known Shakespearean comedy, at the Guthrie Theater this coming weekend.
The only performance I’ve attended in the new year was at a luau on the island of Kauai, the Kalamaku Luau. I know, it’s a really touristy thing to do, but then again, we were tourists! And, “when in Rome.” It was fun. The food was good (I think “luau” is Hawaiian for “pig out.”). The drinks (even alcoholic) were included, and I thought the performance part of it was great. The story line was interesting, about the islands and the people. The dancing was amazing, and yes, they had the traditional man juggling the fire sticks. (I had flashbacks to the Brady Bunch episode when they took a family trip to Hawaii, and there was some kind of curse, a cave, and of course, a luau!) The main male singer’s voice was beautiful. We were mesmerized by the song he sang towards the end about the beauty of the islands, your dreams, and the people you love.
The Biker Chef, talkin’ tats with a local.
The Biker Chef and me, ready to pig out and watch the show!
Our lovely travel companions.
Hula dancers at the Kalamaku Luau
Kalamaku Luau dancers, their movements tell the story.
I’m sure I’ll write more about our dream trip to the Hawaiian Islands. It was a tropical paradise, for sure. And, yet, it is always good to come back home (even with the 100 degree difference in temperature!) to be with the people you love, and continue to build your life right where you live.
Wishing you all warm days, glorious sunshine, and a new year filled with stories, and delicious food!
Go. Create. Inspire!
Journaling Prompt: What stories are starting out your new year?
Luau Kalamaku
Awesome you got to go to Hawaii! Seeing that performance trumps anything you would’ve seen at home.
Thanks, Alex. It was a unique experience.