University Daily Kansan / Friday, November 17, 1989 Arts/Entertainment 11 Troupe celebrates Kansas with dance By Jennifer Reynolds Kenson staff writer Kansan staff writer When choreographer David Gordon and his dance troupe, the Pick Up Company, first sought information about the Midwest and the state of Kansas, all they wanted to know about was Truman Capote and Bob Berdella. They wanted the information for a project titled "United States." The project celebrates the diversity of people in various geographic areas of the country. Gordon and the Pick Up Company will perform "United States" at 8 p.m. Sunday in the Crafton-Preyer Theatre in Murphy Hall. Sonia Baker, membership coordinator for the University of Kansas Concert Series, set the record straight for the dancers. "I was incensed that that all they felt was worthwhile from the state of Kansas," she said. "Kansas symbolizes freedom. If it is skies, prairies, mountains and the ocean, that people on the East Coast have forgotten existed." Andrew Foclas David Gordon and the Pick Up Company will perform Sunday night in Crafton-Preyer Theatre. Baker, who was asked to be in charge of research for the Kansas part of the project, compiled information that she thought represented the state and sent it to the dancers. The material included folklore, music, poetry, art and history. The result was a new vision of Kansas that Gordon and his troupe have incorporated in a section of their "United States" project. Gordon has been developing the work-in-progress during the past 2% years. It has been co-commissioned by 27 performing arts presenters nationwide, including the KU concert series. Jacqueline Davis, director of the concert series, said the University got involved when she spoke with the manager of the "United States" project. "She mentioned the project and how they wanted to involve people in the Midwest as co-commissioners," she said. "The result was not a 'this is Kansas dance,' but a work about different regions of the nation." "I've been in a lot of dance companies," he said. "Things people would normally not enjoy they will enjoy in this performance." A Kansas City, Kan., native, Hadel is looking forward to his first performance in Kansas. He left the state 10 years ago when he was 20. "My family is going to be the majority of the audience," he said. "Some of them have never even seen me dance." rene entire "United States" project is a two-evening production, but the troupe will only perform half of the production. The KU show is divided into two pieces about the region: "Weather," in which Hadel dances, and "Birds in Trees and the Birthday of Congress." The main section of the performance comes from Kansas folklore about shooting blackbirds, Baker said. "I really tried to cover as wide and big a scope as I could get," she said. "I wanted to give them a much bigger picture of what Kansans can do." "It is an amalgamation of different things," Hadel said. "The two sections blend together, so it's not two Gordon, a pioneer in modern dance since the early 1960s, created the Pick Up Performance Company Inc. in 1978. His goal was to provide a stable yet flexible environment through which he could continue to create and present his work in live performances and in the media, Davis said. At its creation, the Pick Up Company did not have a fixed number of dancers, but today the core of the troupe is made up of 11 dancers including Hadel, Gordon and Gordon's wife. Baker, who has watched video tapes of the performance, said Gordon had an incredible sense of humor. "If you're into what the show is about, beside the talent of the performers, you realize a funny man he is," she said. "How he communicates with the audience is wonderful." KU theater auditions to take place at Murphy By a Kansan reporter Open auditions for three spring University Theatre productions will be Sunday through Tuesday in Swarthout Recital Hall in Murphy Hall. Projections to be cast during the auditions are "Winnie the Pooh," for the KU Theatre for Young People, "Fygmalion," in the University Theatre Series, and "Pot-Pourl Productions," a series of five student-directed shows in the Inge Theatre Series. The auditions, open to all KU students who are enrolled in at least six hours, will be from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Participants should sign up for a specific audition time Friday afternoon in the Green Room of Murphy Hall. Callback auditions will begin at 7 p.m. Sunday and continue at 7 p.m. Monday, and Tuesday. Callback sites will be listed on callback sheets which will be posted in the Green Room. The third round of auditions will be Jan. 29 through Feb. 2, 1990, to make final castings. For more information about the auditions, call the University Theatre office at 864-3381. Script, not actors, fails 'Dad' in moving drama gone awry By Marc Parillo Kansan movie reviewer I was completely prepared to cry my eyes out at this movie. The short two-minute preview preceding the film's national release was touching enough by itself. was too much to ignore. But if I were to have cried at the end of "Dad," it surely wouldn't have been because the story was touching. Most likely, it would have been out of sheer joy that this two-hour movie was over. tional punch where it needed it to merit any sympathy for its characters. movie was over. "Dad" simply didn't pack enough emo- These words of disapproval are voiced with all due respect to the two-time Oscar winner Jack Lemmon and similarly awarded Olympia Dukakis. Their portrayal of an elderly married couple dealing with the emotional and physical problems of old age couldn't have been more meticulously crafted by any other duo in Hollywood. But in this case, it was the story, not the characters, that needed repeated trips to the hospital. Dukakis and Lemmon play Betty and Jake Tremont. They live happy, yet predictable lives in their Los Angeles home. But their daily routine is interrupted without warning when Bettie suffers a mild heart attack John Tremont, played by Ted Danson, is called upon to hold down the fort for his mother and take care of his dependant, passive father. John, whose busy work schedule has created a sizable gap in their relationship, is finally given the opportunity to make up for lost time. While the director, Gary David Goldberg, who also directed the television series "Family Ties," shows us the friendship between John and Jake, he fails to convince us of the love they share. All Goldberg gives us is a short game of catch in the backyard and a night of bingo at the community center. Jake's character undergoes his only significant change upon his second return from the hospital. It's a far-fetched change at that. While Betty wants to keep their former lifestyle, she is forced to deal with her husband's second wind and his enormous attitude change. While the Tremonts cope with everything from heart attacks to cancer to mild strokes and even slight schizophrenia, the bedside drama and back-and-forth trips to the hospital are a definite test of the audience's patience. After a couple of scenes of comedy with Jack Lemmon as a reborn man, the film dives into a final serious scene, then falls apart in a disappointing conclusion. > Marc Parrilo is a Lenaxe sophomore majoring in film studies and English. TRY DILLON'S AUTHENTIC CHINESE KITCHEN! HOT CHINESE FOOD TO GO Located in our Dillons Store at 1015 W.23rd in Lawrence. 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