I’ll truly miss Culture Front gatherings this winter, and was glad to see such a full room at last week’s final event for the season.

In case you couldn’t make it, the evening featured dancers from Hole Dance Films, a Dancers’ Workshop  partner. Hole Dance makes dance films–the action is dance. October 25th’s demonstration shined a light on how dancers are directed and prompted for the purposes of film. Participating dancers were given a series of exercises and improvisational opportunities, which they in turn performed for the audience. Just as folks were wondering when the talk might begin, the “talk” suddenly came lyrically into being: dancers came to life, moving through the crowd and around the space.

A fabulous development in our arts community is the increasing breaking down of barriers between various art forms. Rather than going somewhere to see  art on a wall, art installations, videos, photography, theatrical performances, dance, or music—even wildlife art!—we are now often treated to combinations of any or all at a single event.

I found myself more conscious of dancers’ facial expressions than I am when watching a full performance. A function of direction vs improv?  So interesting!  At times, I wasn’t certain if we or the dancers were being directed; it WAS the dancers, but I recall responding to direction given by Kate Kosharek, then suddenly realizing she was not talkin’ to ME!  Once, I changed my seat because I felt I was blocking prime dancing space…..only to again feel wrongly seated, as the dancers were directed to work around the large plate glass window next to my table. It certainly made me more conscious of  the breaking down of the fourth wall. I attempted to shrink from view, slide under the table,  just vanish. And that out-of-time-and-place feeling was exciting!

Hole Dance is at work on a dance film about life on artist Kathryn Turner’s ranch; the best footage split the screen between dancers and a painting Turner, out in the valley, Tetons as backdrop. Watching those frames, the story felt real, and symbolic of the eternal beat between spirits and man. Watch some Hole Dance films here.

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Laurie Thal’s Glass Studio invites you to change up your holiday routine. November 10 – January 6, 2013, come out to Thal’s Wilson, Wyoming glass blowing studio to create your own holiday ornaments.

Cost is $30 per person, and $20 for each additional ornament. That shakes out to one ornament per person, but Thal’s offer is as much about the experience and fun of blowing glass as it is about the final product!  The final product is lovely, personal, hand-made, and one-of-a-kind.

To reserve for your group, call Thal (Laurie’s last name is so much fun to rhyme) at 307-733-5096, or email thalglass@bresnan.net. Website (by Swift):  www.thalglass.com/

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Press Release from Center for the Arts: Veteran concert promoter Shannon McCormick is the Center’s new programming director. In his new position, McCormick will be responsible for booking talent and coordinating production of the Center’s year-round programming. Shannon brings with him more than two decades of experience in talent buying and production coordination.