La Vida Grande

I realized last night that I should probably get a prize for "the person who's been to the most events at the Grand this week." It just turned out that way. I was particularly interested in the difference in crowd types at the three events, as well as the quality of entertainment itself. In reverse order" Brian McCurdy (Kingston Cultural Director/Grand Theatre boss...) said last night at Afro Cuban All Stars "Now, I think that's about as 'get down' as Kingston gets!!" (Even he was wearing jeans!) I've seen people going crazy with applause there for events like Ailey 2 Dance last year, but here people were actually standing and dancing in the aisles, in front of their seats...in front of the stage. And I was SOOOOOO glad for those past (and mostly forgotten) Latin dance classes with Ebon Gage and Josef Riha!

They say you look around and try and figure out if you "fit with the crowd" as a way of deciding if you're going enjoy what you see---no matter what is on stage.For those of us with multiple personalities (or multiple partners) I suppose we have a few more options, but I felt pretty at home with both the All Stars crowd and the largely cool and smart ( but slightly more sedate/older) bunch at Garth Fagan Dance (where you actually got to chat with the gorgeous dancers in the house afterwards). Feeling at home with The Kingston Symphony is a little more of a stretch for me, since so many of those people seem to have been going for years, have friends on stage, etc- and are probably more familiar with classical music in general. I was lucky at La Diva et le Maestro, since she sang every song I was trained to sing when I was young...but there is also something incredibly soothing about music that has "endured." And now that I'm getting old enough to talk to anyone around me...I never really feel like a stranger!

This brings me to the Alvin Lucier talk at the Agnes Etherington Arts Centre this morning, which was a tad more "arts esoteric" in feel. (As Matt Rogalsky joked, "it feels sort of like a church service, at 11 on a Sunday." )In many ways the audience for this Tone Deaf Festivalevent seemed like a "usual suspects list" for 'avantarts'....but I loved listening to this legendary 78 year-old pioneer of electronic music (who is a visiting artist at Queen's this year) and his 1969 piece I Am Sitting in a Room. For this classic, Lucier had recorded himself talking, then recorded the recording being played back in the same room, then recorded that recording being played back in the same room, etc... for up to 16 versions (and more.) Now, if I were to hear someone describe that...I'd say possibly say "that's sort of indulgent" isn't it? But it wasn't. It fascinated, mesmerized, and opened the mind to a world of possibilities. It was also a tangible and quite musical transformation.

I don't have the formal education in arts to toss about critical theory to describe it - but for me, it's what I like about the arts in general: sharing/investigating the processes and magic of a human mind - one that has been shaped by specific education and unique influences - and yet has a life of its own. Lucier was trained as a classical musician, but was inspired to 'push the envelope' by people such as John Cage. It was noteworthy to me that he eschewed the idea of "high falutin'" stuff more than once - although that's exactly what many people might call this sort of event, without actually hearing it.

Skill is one thing, but nothing can beat the "questing mind."