Break out the Glitz and Glam for Sun Valley Ballet School
The Sun Valley Ballet School will host its second annual gala event, Glitz and Glam, on Friday, Feb. 28, at 6:30 p.m. at the nexStage Theatre in Ketchum.
This evening for adults will begin with drinks, hors d’oeuvres by Sayvour, and a silent auction. The night will continue with a cabaret-style performance by guest dancers, Dirty Feet Dance Co., along with the talented Sun Valley Ballet Senior Co.
The ballet school is bringing back two special guest artists to the valley. The first is Jermaine Rembert, who most recently starred as a member, and the Dance Captain, in Broadway’s “Memphis.” Rembert began his training at the Freed School of Dance in Sumpter, S.C., before he moved on to the Columbia City Ballet, where he partnered with Sun Valley Ballet’s artistic director, Sherry Horton. His career then moved to Florida to dance for Walt Disney World before his talent began to be seen on Broadway. He has performed in “Swing!” “Oklahoma!” and “La Cage aux Folles.”
Also coming back is Phyllis Rothwell Afrunti, principal dancer for Ballet Idaho. She began her dance career training at Chapel Hill Ballet School in North Carolina and followed at the Academy of the Maryland Youth Ballet. She was one of 20 dancers from across the U.S. to study at the Chautauqua Institute with Jean Piere Bonnefoux, Patricia McBride and Violette Verdy. Her most recognized roles have included Cinderella, Juliet, Titania and Sleeping Beauty’s Aurora. Audiences might recognize her from her role as the Sugar Plum Fairy in the ballet’s production of “Nutcracker” in 2012.
Proceeds from the gala event will go to Sun Valley Ballet’s scholarship fund. Each year, the school provides about 30 percent of its students with scholarship funding.
Tickets can be purchased at sunvalleyballet.com or by contacting their event line at 806-1145.
Paul Tillotson brings another friend to play in Sun Valley
Jake Stigers, who plays guitar, piano, drums, writes original songs and sings everything from jazz standards to Prince, will join pianist Paul Tillotson for three nights this weekend.
Stigers and Tillotson will perform Thursday, Feb. 27, Friday, Feb. 28, and Saturday, March 1, from 4:30-8:30 p.m. at Sun Valley Resort’s Duchin Lounge. There is no cover.
“Jake has a robust and very funny personality,” Tillotson said. “He is one of my dearest and closest friends and we make beautiful music together.”
‘Prince Igor’ coming to Hailey live in HD
Join Sun Valley Opera at the Bigwood Theatre in Hailey on Saturday, March 1, for Alexander Borodin’s opera “Prince Igor.” Doors open at 9:15 a.m. Opera aficionado Dick Brown will give a pre-opera lecture beginning at 9:30 a.m. and the opera broadcast from the Metropolitan Theater begins at 10 a.m. It is scheduled to last until 2:30 p.m.
Borodin’s defining Russian epic, famous for its Polovtsian dances, will be played the Met for the first time in nearly 100 years. Dmitri Tcherniakov’s new production is a brilliant psychological journey through the mind of its conflicted hero, with the founding of the Russian nation as the backdrop.
Tickets are available for purchase at any time at the theatre box office. The cost is $24 general admission, $20 seniors and $18 for students. For more information about Sun Valley Opera, go to www.sunvalleyopera.com.
Free tour of The Center’s new exhibit
The Sun Valley Center for the Arts has announced a free evening tour of its exhibition “Creativity at Work,” which opened Feb. 21 and will be on display until May 24. Guests can enjoy a glass of wine as Center staff and trained docents guide them through the gallery on Thursday, Feb. 27, at 5:30 p.m.
“Art is inherently creative. But it’s also hard work, and artists need to make a living,” said Courtney Gilbert, curator of visual arts. “I looked for artists considering the idea of ‘work’ from various perspectives: the places work is done, the collaborative nature of creative work, the skill and craft involved in making objects and the economics of work.”
Evening exhibition tours are free of charge and offered on select Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.sunvalleycenter.org.
Acclaimed food writer and author to speak
Mark Bittman, New York Times food writer and best-selling author, will be the final presenter of Sun Valley Center for the Arts 2013-14 Lecture Series. Bittman will speak on Thursday, March 6, at 6:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian Church of the Big Wood in Ketchum.
“Bittman has been writing about food and cooking and changing the way Americans eat since 1980,” said Katelyn Ziegler, director of education and humanities. “With his best-selling books, such as ‘VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00’ and ‘How to Cook Everything,’ he’s influenced popular food movements in the United States.”
Tickets for Bittman’s lecture are $25 for Center members and $35 for non-members. They are available at sunvalleycenter.org or by calling 726-9491.
Foundation to hold education forum
The Wood River Women’s Charitable Foundation, an organization of more than 197 women dedicated to philanthropy in Blaine County, will host its annual Winter Education Forum from 4:30-6 p.m. today, Feb. 26, at the Community School auditorium in Sun Valley.
The speaker will be Elizabeth Dunn, a rising star in the field of behavioral science. She wrote the book “HAPPY MONEY: The Science of Smarter Spending,” which discusses why spending money differently can have a dramatic impact on happiness.
Registration is at 4:30 p.m.; the program is from 5-6 p.m. Books will be available for purchase.
Pre-registration is required. Contact Lucia at WRWCF@gmail.com to reserve a spot.
