Want to let the many people who read the festival program book every year know about someone special to you who loved Wheatland that passed away since last year’s Festival?  For “Goodbyes,” we would like to know the person’s name, when he or she passed on, how many Festivals he or she attended, and what the person liked best about Wheatland.

If you have a black and white or high contrast color photo of your loved one to share we might be able to include it in the program book.

Send info for “Hellos and Goodbyes” to WMO, P.O. Box 22 Remus, MI or e-mail us at wmo.office@wheatlandmusic.org.  The deadline for this information is July 15, 2013.

Just $5 will give you an evening of performances and dancing. Check out the evening schedule and come enjoy yourself!

Ticket Prices (Available at the gate):

Adult Weekend – $75

Adult Daily – $40

Child Weekend – $20 (ages 11-15) and $5 (ages 5-10)

Child Daily – $12 (ages 11-15) and $5 (ages 5-10)

Under 5 – No charge

Evening performance/dance – $5

Artistic Director Sharon Leahy of Rhythm In Shoes has been commissioned by Wheatland Music Organization to create a sixty minute production, rooted in traditional dance that will hit Wheatland’s main stage Saturday night at the 40th Anniversary Festival, in September. As part of this Project, Sharon is mentoring choreographer and Michigan native, Becky Hill in the creation of a new dance piece that will be performed by an all-star team of professionals from around the country, as well as providing dance instruction to four generations of Michigan dancers-in-training across the state who will also be part of the performance. Leading up to the September 7th performance, this epic undertaking further includes several weeks of workshops and residencies, including Traditional Arts Weekend in May.

“LIKE” their facebook page!  Carry it on…

There are three ways for you to take part:

First:  Two open clogging dance classes are being offered at the Gladys Wernette Building on the Wheatland grounds.  Preregister by calling 989-967-8879, no fee will be charged.  See more details below.

Mon., March 25 – open class at Wheatland Classroom Building with Sharon, 6-8 pm, Beginning Clogging     7251 50th Ave.,  Remus

Join Sharon Leahy and Nic Gareiss, accompanied by Rick Good, for a class in Southern Appalachian clogging. Four basic steps will be taught. Learning these steps will offer the opportunity to be included in Carry it on…, the dance celebration of Wheatland’s 40th Anniversary to be performed at the festival September 6-8, 2013. All levels encouraged to participate.

Mon., April 1 - open class at Wheatland Classroom Building with Sharon, 6-8 pm, Intermediate Clogging   7251 50^th Ave., Remus

Join Sharon Leahy and Nic Gareiss, accompanied by Rick Good, for a class in Southern Appalachian clogging. An intermediate step combination will be taught. Learning these steps will offer the opportunity to be included in Carry it on…, the dance celebration of Wheatland’s 40th Anniversary to be performed at the festival September 6-8, 2013. Basic skill level in any form of percussive dance will be helpful in participation. 

Second:  Residencies are now scheduled in southeast, central and northern Michigan with youth and adult dance ensembles who will be woven into the Carry it on… production.  Some of these residency rehearsals are open to the public to come and observe.

Tues., March 26 – Alma adult tappers, 6:30-9 pm,
Academy of Performing Arts, 319 N. State St., Alma

Wed., March 27 – Mt. Pleasant adult tappers, 7:30-9 pm,
Off-Broadway Studio, 118 S. Washington St., Mt. Pleasant

March 28-30 – Rehearsals will take place in northern Michigan, times and location TBA.

Tues., April 2 – Alma adult tappers, 6:30-9 pm
Academy of Performing Arts, 319 N. State St., Alma

Wed., April 3 – Mt. Pleasant adult tappers, 7:30-9 pm
Off-Broadway Studio, 118 S. Washington St., Mt. Pleasant

Thurs., April 4 – rehearsal at Randazzo Dance, 6-9 pm
4569 Washtenaw Ave. Ann Arbor

Fri., April 5 - rehearsal at Randazzo Dance, Ann Arbor, 10-12:30 pm, 6-9 pm
4569 Washtenaw Ave., Ann Arbor

Sat., April 6 - rehearsal at Randazzo Dance, 10-4 pm
4569 Washtenaw Ave Ann Arbor

Tues., April 9 – Alma adult tappers, 6:30-9 pm,
Academy of Performing Arts, 319 N. State St., Alma

Wed., April 10 – Mt. Pleasant adult tappers, 7:30-9 pm,
Off-Broadway Studio, 118 S. Washington St., Mt. Pleasant

Fri., April 12 - rehearsal at Classroom Building, 7-10 pm
Wheatland Music Org. site, 7251 50^th Ave., Remus

Sat., April 13 - rehearsal at Classroom Building, 12 noon – 7 pm
Wheatland Music Org. site, 7251 50^th Ave., Remus

Sun., April 14 - rehearsal at Classroom Building, 10 am – 1:30 pm
Wheatland Music Org. site, 7251 50^th Ave., Remus

Third:  Select workshops at the 25th annual Traditional Arts Weekend (TAW) will provide the opportunity for you to take part in the Carry it on… (CIO) production. Mark your calendars for May 24 – 26, 2013.  Look at the TAW schedule for workshops marked CIO.

To express interest or ask questions, call (989) 967-8879.

Anyone hoping to be included in the memory book Passages II as a 40^th Anniversary sponsor

are asked to send their contributions, photos/logo, and messages by the end of March to Wheatland Music Organization, Box 22, Remus, MI 49340.

The sponsor options are:

$1000 Pledge – One full page with up to 4 photos and up to 50 words/message and, 10 free books!

$500 Pledge – Half page with up to two photos and up to 30 words/message and, 5 free books!

$250 Pledge – Quarter page with one photo and up to 20 words/message, and, 3 free books!

$100 Pledge – Up to a 20 word message, listing of donor name, and 1 free book.

Less than $100 – Name Listing only

The proceeds will support a number of 40^th Anniversary projects!  Questions:  development@wheatlandmusic.org.

Click HERE for more information

In June, an award valued at $1,000 from Arts Midwest was awarded to support attendance at the 2012 Midwest Arts Conference that took place in Grans Rapids, Michigan, September 12th -15 of 2012.  Two representatives from Wheatland Music attended.  For more information see www.artsmidwest.org.

In October, the Outreach Fund of the Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS) of Easthampton, Massachusetts awarded $500 to help support contra dance instruction, training for beginning contra dance callers, and a rapper sword workshop at the 25^th annual Traditional Arts Weekend scheduled for May 24-26, 2013.  CDSS is a national leader in promoting participatory dance, music and song that have roots in English and North American culture. For more information see  www.cdss.org

In November, Wheatland Music Organization was pleased to be awarded a $2,000 Mecosta County Community Foundation grant toward a project called “Saving Lives.”  It includes the purchase and installation of a new automatic external defibrillator (AED) unit in the Gladys Wernette Building where activities occur throughout the year.  Wheatland is grateful for their assistance in being proactive and prepared for cardiac incidents – as every minute counts!  For more information see www.mecostagives.com.

In December, Wheatland was named a recipient of a Program for Operational and Project Support or POPS grant toward a project called CARRY IT ON!  This nine month 2013 activity is supported in part by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts.  The $15,000 grant will be used to help support training and workshops, a new choreographed work, four generations of Michigan dancers in training as well as professional dancers and musicians from across the country, and culminating in a multi-disciplinary production to be premiered at the 2013 40^th anniversary Wheatland festival.  For more information see www.michiganadvantage.org/Arts.

In December, Wheatland was named a recipient of a Professional and Organizational Development $1,500 grant designed to help arts organizations acquire services or skills to strengthen the administrative infrastructure.  The grant will be used to secure a web consultant to conduct an analysis, propose an action plan to build aesthetics,  efficiencies, more user friendly ways of accessing information while building the skills of the staff and volunteers charged with publicity.  The grant was administered by LowellArts! as Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs’  Region 8 representative.   For more information see www.lowellartsmi.org.

The North American Rhythmaculture is alive and well. It has been part of our artistic landscape since the Native Americans ran the show, and even through colonization (definitely dipped there) and the slave trade, to the blues and jazz. Rock and roll, hip hop and whatever it is that my daughter listens to now are all forms of drum and dance – the messenger (and message) might be transforming, but the beat has always been there. I mean, really – the banjo is a drum. The “blue notes”  are totally West African. And here we are, a nearly 40 year tradition of music and dance in the great state of Michigan. Our people are funky…..some of us dig the fiddle, and some of us dig the drum. A lot of us dig it all.

As unveiled in the 2012 Festival Program, the WMO is working to build a drum, dance, and general acoustic performance venue on its grounds in the near future.  Much progress has been made on this effort  and plans are moving forward to make this venue a reality. Over the past year, I have been working with board member Paul Sachs to explore the festival’s needs in this area, and we have designed and proposed a venue. Recently, a steering committee has been formed to shepherd the movement forward; a certified architect has been hired to develop the design and provide build-plans and a budget for the project; and we are at the launch of a fundraising campaign to make this a reality.

The site will serve as an alternative venue for main stage performers to offer an intimate acoustic performance in the forest, as well as a venue for drum classes. Combining a workshop space with a stage for music and dance performance allows WMO to greatly expand its lineup of facilities in one gesture. As well, the proposed venue will be an official place to support and foster a positive environment for drum classes and open drum jams. WMO feels that an official venue for the purpose of drumming will nurture and encourage a healthy Wheatland drum milieu. This mixed-use space will be a pleasant counterpoint in the forest to the festival’s other stages, and give the Rhythmaculture in Michigan a flagship home.

If you are interested in more information and / or contributing funds contact the WMO Office at 989-967-8879

The design is the creative work of Ryan Edwards whom is working collaboratively with his colleagues at PhenomenArts Inc. of Boston and WMO Board Member, Paul Sachs.

]]> http://www.wheatlandmusic.org/acoustic-venue/feed/ 0 http://www.wheatlandmusic.org/40th-anniversary-carry-it-on-project/ http://www.wheatlandmusic.org/40th-anniversary-carry-it-on-project/#comments Wed, 10 Oct 2012 13:59:34 +0000 rebecca http://www.wheatlandmusic.org/?p=1518 40^th Anniversary – Join Us in Carrying It On!

Because 2013 is the 40^th anniversary of the Wheatland Music festival and the 25^th year of Traditional Arts Weekend, multiple ways to commemorate the year are being planned.  A new production called CARRY IT ON! involving more than 50 Michigan youth and adults as well as many artists from past years, and, a new 40 year anniversary book Passages II are under development.

In celebration of the 40^th Anniversary, Wheatland Music Organization has commissioned Sharon Leahy and Rick Good, former directors of Rhythm In Shoes, to create CARRY IT ON! - a new, sixty minute production rooted in the traditional arts to be premiered at the September 2013 Festival.  This unprecedented effort will engage four generations of artists—from Michigan dancers-in-training to professional dancers and musicians from across the country—to take part in a multidisciplinary dance, music and film project. The project includes residency training, mentorship of a young choreographer in creating a new work, workshops at Traditional Arts Weekend and rehearsals open to the public. We also hope to document the project on film for future streaming.  Persons attending dance workshops at Traditional Arts Weekend may be incorporated into the 2013 production.

Click HERE for more information and to find out how you can be involved!

Performers to include
Lafayette Rhythm Devils ~ The Freight Hoppers
Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band ~ Ray Bonneville
The Laws ~ Grey Larsen & Cindy Kallet
Rhythmic Circus ~ Willie ‘Big Eyes’ Smith
Abigail Washburn & the Village ~   Wayne ‘The Train’ Hancock
Black Jake and The Carnies ~ Los TesManiacs
Craver, Hicks, Watson & Newberry ~ Starlight Six
Michigan Songwriters ~ Kirby, Susan Harrison, Karisa Wilson, J.Oscar Bittinger
Nic Gareiss & Jessie Nieves ~ Old Foresters ~ Rick Thum and Friends
The Red Sea Pedestrians ~ An Dro ~ Blue Water Ramblers
Jive At Five ~ The Rhythm Billies