Note: after the publication of this edition of “Arts Briefs,” the following show was canceled: Jazz concert from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, June 11, with Bruce Phares and jazz vibraphonist Susan Pascal, in VCA’s free “Jazz in the Atrium” series.
Jazz on the rock
At 7 p.m. Friday, June 10, renowned jazz guitarist John Stowell will duet with island bass phenom Bruce Phares at Snapdragon Bakery & Café. And at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 11, the compositions of jazz guitarist Michael Whitmore will be heard when his “‘Some’tet” ensemble plays at Vashon Brewing Community Pub. The group is comprised of Barry Cooper on trumpet, and acoustic bassist Patrick Christie, along with Whitmore.
”Labyrinths” podcast live at VCA
A popular podcast, “Labyrinths: Getting Lost with Amanda Knox,” hosted by islanders Amanda Knox and Christopher Robinson, will be presented live at 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 10, at Vashon Center for the Arts.
The podcast, which delves into stories of getting lost and finding oneself again, has in past episodes featured guests including Andrew Yang, Malcolm Gladwell, John Ronson, Yasmine Mohammed, Dave Navarro, LeVar Burton and Michael Pollen.
The live podcast will feature an all-Vashon lineup of guests, including Elizabeth Shepherd, Amy Carey, Craig Beles and Truman O’Brien, telling their own stories of being lost and found.
Amanda Knox knows first-hand about finding her way out of a labyrinth of lies, emerging vindicated and free.
Knox was famously and unjustly jailed for four years in Italy on murder allegations of roommate Meredith Kercher while studying abroad in 2007.
Unfairly vilified in the tabloids and legal system, Knox was finally fully exonerated by Italy’s highest court in 2015. Returning to Washington, Knox settled down on Vashon where she and Robinson, a noted novelist and poet, are raising their child, Eureka Muse, writing and creating their hit podcast together.
Find out more about “Labyrinths,” and support it at knoxrobinson.com/labyrinths. Get tickets, $15 to $23, to the live show at vashoncenterforthearts.org.
Alchemy Tap Project to perform
Alchemy Tap Project, a Seattle-based performance company for tap dancers 16 and older, is set to perform at Vashon Center for the Arts at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 11.
Since its inception in 2012, Alchemy Tap Project has become a regular on stages around the Pacific Northwest. During the performance on Vashon, the group will celebrate the beginning of its history with swing, jazz, and Latin American music, culminating with a forward-looking suite of stylized choreography set to a mix of modern music.
Tickets, $20 to $25, are available at vashoncenterforthearts.org.
An animated film classic, with live score
Acclaimed Seattle duo, Miles and Karina, will perform a live, original score – featuring viola, banjo, guitars, accordian, glockenspiel and more – to accompany the 1926 silent film classic “Prince Achmed” at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 16, at Vashon Center or the Arts.
The oldest existing full-length animated film, “Prince Achmed” tells a story inspired by tales of “The Arabian Nights.” The film is entirely made from exquisite silhouette cut-out animation, crafted by pioneering German filmmaker, Lotte Reiniger.
Tickets, $15 to $23, are available at vashoncenterforthearts.org.
Drama Dock Swing Dance Party
Drama Dock will hold a fundraising event featuring high-octane music and swing dancing starting at 7 p.m. Sunday, June 19, at Vashon Center for the Arts. The night will include performances by noted swing and jazz musicians from the Pacific Northwest, with performers including the Zimberg Mardis Big Band.
Tickets, $20 to $25, are available at vashoncenterforthearts.org.
‘Peter Pan’ is set to fly
Next weekend, Dance! Vashon will present “Peter Pan,” featuring Vashon Dance Academy dancers from pre-schoolers to “dance dads,” to almost-graduates and even Academy alums who will take guest-starring turns on the stage.
More than 100 Vashon Dance Academy (VDA) performers fill the cast, with seniors Lisee Crayton, Lila Perez, Isa Sanson-Frey, and Amelia Spence anchoring the show. Sanson-Frey will dance the lead roles of both Peter Pan and Tink, which she will share with Lorien Buffington and Isabella Peani. Spence will dance the lead of Hook, along with Gerritt van Roekel. Crayton will share the role of Wendy with Marina Gill, and Perez will dance Tiger Lily, along with Kate Spranger.
Other Academy dancers will fill roles as varied as baby crocodiles, young teddy bears, and a tropical forest that has come to life. Artistic Director Cheryl Krown said that this group of dancers is particularly suited to such a “giant adventure, as it covers so many styles of dance and music along the way.”
She also said that she and assistant artistic director Julie Gibson have filled the production with “sword fights, pirates, battles and near-escapes, sure to enthrall all those supportive brothers and cousins and neighbors sitting in the audience.”
As audiences have come to expect from VDA performances, a group of dancing dads is currently hard at work learning choreography that never fails to elicit big laughs, Krown said. Many more parent volunteers have contributed to the production’s set design, costumes and lighting.
The show will have its opening bow at 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 17, at Vashon High School. Additional shows take place at 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 18, and 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 19. Tickets are available in the Vashon Dance Academy lobby as well as at the Burton Coffee Stand.
