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Show ChRONicU Paqe TtesdAy, FcbfttMy fkjn 2, QM ACCENT Dane fs flmid opporturiKy .off, stag student enjoys U. jazz for its versatility Bv Deanie Wimmer Chronicle staff writer Dancers who perform only on the theatre stage are a thing of the past. As music videos and dance movies captivate large audiences, many performers are leaping from concert halls to production studios, modeling ramps and cruise ships in order to make a living. Kelly Beebe, a University of Utah ballet sophomore, said opportunities for jazz dancers have expanded into TV shows like the Academy Awards, music videos and "industrials," a growing trend that involves dancers' modeling clothing to capture buyers' attention. Beebe has danced for industrials at the Hotel Utah and the S. L. Marriott hotel. Some of the clothing is not well-suitfor dance moves, she said. Leisure outfits allow for movement, but dancing in fur coats can be most difficult. Beebe has the lithe limbs and long neck of a ballet dancer. Since age 6 she has taken classical ballet classes, but her heart belongs to jazz. "I love ballet and I always will love it. I admire people who dance ballet, but I would rather do jazz," she said. "Ballet restricts me; jazz is more fun. In jazz you can let go." She said her lack of "turn-out- ," the ability to rotate the, feet to the side, would hamper her progression in ballet. She decided to pursue jazz dancing, hoping she would have more opportunities to perform. While a career in jazz may offer more diverse experiences, it also necessitates dancers who are versatile, she added. Beebe is brushing up on her tap, and will begin singing lessons to become a performer. "You have to be able to do everything, because there's always someone who can," she said. see "jazz" on page nine , r i "Vffssf . ' J JO r m I ed well-round- ed . Chronicle pholo by Steven Although University of Utah sophomore 2 U. groups bring mix of movies to campus By Amber McKee Chronicle staff writer By Kelly Hindley PL Chronicle staff writer Alternative film does not necessarily mean better film. What alternative film consistently offers, however, is a choice. Entertainment sections in newspapers daily advertise a dozen or more movies, most of them featuring big-nadirector and the seal of a stars, a big-namotion major picture company. These are mainstream movies films, given nationwide release and backed by aggressive and expensive promotion campaigns. y 0L7?f CUffltf 1 me Alternative films offer just that an alternative to mainstream movies. Alternative films are foreign films, or independent films, or art films or films that will never spawn a television advertisement. Alternative films don't make the list of the top'lO grossing films of the week, and their titles rarely interrupt the neatly bordered squares of mainstream movie advertising. Yet Salt Lake City boasts a number of theaters and organizations dedicated to the goal of bringing alternative film to the city's cinema fans. At least three Salt Lake theaters feature alternative films. The Blue Mouse, 260 E. 100 South, is the city's patriarch of alternative film theaters. Every week, Wednesday through Sunday, groups of film fans climb down the Blue Mouse's front stairs and file into its narrow, shabby theater. The Utah Theatre, 146 S. Main St., also shows a selection of independent and foreign films. When Cinema In Your Face opened in May 1987, it became the third Salt Lake theater to provide a steady program of alternative films. The purpose of Cinema In Your Face, said and Jon Bray, is to co-foun- co-ow- offer unusual alternatives. "These movies don't appeal to a mass audience they're not like Police Academy 9," Bray said. The schedule includes cult and theater's off-beat experimental movies, films not designed to appeal to the widest possible audience, he explained. Cinema In Your Face so named because the founders "tried to think of Wilson Utah Opera Co. is finding out how to appeal to all ears Si. theaters offer alternatives me C Kelly Beebe has been studying classical ballet since age 6, her heart diverse experiences, but demands more versatility. more offers to jazz dancing. Jazz belongs Opera is the art form for snobs and aristocrats, and a sure way to spend a boring, expensive evening right? Wrong. Through the years, opera has been much maligned by folks who have never seen one, but somehow think they know all about it. Glade Peterson is trying to change that uninformed attitude and his plan includes the Utah Opera Company. When the company was organized 10 years ago La Boheme, its first performance, opened Jan. 25, 1978), it was somewhat dubiously received by its patrons and beneficiaries. People thought a local opera company was a idea in great theory, but in practice, financially infeasible. "Artistically speaking, Utah Opera Company is several years ahead of its age. From the beginning we " If 1F r fa If V V : WWSW Chronicle photo by Steven C. Wilson When it opened in May 1987, Cinema in Your Face became the third Salt Lake theater to provide a steady program of alternative films. something sufficiently obnoxious" is located at 45 W. 300 South. But several non-proorganizations also offer alternative films, and two of them are based at the University of Utah. Every Friday, for only $1, U. students can see the latest selection in the ASUU Film Series. The series, which began autumn quarter and will run through the end of the school year, offers students the chance to see films unavailable even in the commercial alternative film theaters, and at a lower price than the theaters charge, said ASUU Activities Board see "alternative" on page ten fit have tried to maintain high artistic standards. " Ten successful years and Peterson as general director have proved them wrong. Last year UOC operated in the black, and it has hopes for the same this year. Unfortunately, it is very expensive to produce an opera. A typical budget runs around $160,000, which makes operating in the black a tough job at best. "Even with sold-ohouses for every performance, we can only hope to make up 50 percent of our cost," Peterson said. "Any performing arts company can only hope to recover 50 percent. We're not in the opera business to make money. We do it because we are opera nuts, and we want to try and raise the quality of life." In order to break even, the company relies on donations from individuals and corporations, as well as sell-o- ut performances. They have been able to count on sold-ohouses the last few years. Peterson credits that to supertitles Supertitles are something like subtitles on a foreign movie they allow the listener to understand the story and to enjoy the performance in its original language and form. La Boheme (the most recent production) is the eighth see "Peterson" on ten ut ut page |
