Dogwood

The Braunschweiger Blues Band is back!  Playing a little country and good old classic rock and roll with a few surprises thrown in, this band creates a fun and entertaining experience for the audience.  
This popular local group has a great sound, gets everyone up and dancing, and having fun!  Join us for a great night!
Band members include:  John Chandonnet on drums and vocals; Todd Juengel on guitar, keyboard and vocals; Wade Perkins on horns, keyboard and vocals; Randy Seabolt on bass and vocals; Doug Harmon on guitar and vocals; and Cousin Richie on vocals and sound technician.
Tickets $10.  Black Box.  7:30 p.m.
The Dogwood Center Box Office is open Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and one hour prior to an event.  For information, phone 231.924.8885. 

Newaygo County Community Choir presents their spring concert, Handel’s Messiah:  Lenten and Resurrection portions with “Hallelujah Chorus”.  The choir is under the direction of Joseph Jennings.
Social reception for the community following the performance.
Main Stage.  Free will offering.  3:00 p.m.

Led by guitarist/vocalist Vincent Hayes, and packing one of the tightest rhythm sections in Michigan, The Vincent Hayes Project is a high energy, experimental blues band on the rise.  These guys are a favorite at the Dogwood Center and will be performing pieces from their new CD “Reclamation”, which was released in late March! 
What makes this group unique is their raw power coupled with subtle dynamics and versatility.  The Vincent Hayes Project is founded on the Blues, but still manages to find the blues within other musical genres, drawing inspiration from a wide array of backgrounds in funk, reggae, soul, jazz, gospel, rock, Motown, and American folk, as allof these genres essentially trace their lineage to the Blues.
The Vincent Hayes Project includes:
Vincent Hayes – guitar and lead vocals.  As a 20 year veteran, Hayes has established himself as one of Michigan’s most respected blues guitarists.  With a fiery voice and lively stage presence, he delivers the blues with honesty and passion, fusing traditional blues with his own inspirations and modern influences.
David Alves – bass guitar and vocals.  A Detroit native, Alves grew up in the shadow of Motown, with music on virtually every street corner as well as studying classical music and attending Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp as a teenager.  Half Jamaican, he was also raised with Reggae music, and become one of Detroit’s most notable working bass players during the 80’s and 90’s. 
Donny Hugley – percussion.  Donny is truly one of the most versatile and creative drummers in West Michigan.  He is an imaginative improvisationalist, while being the driving raw power of the rhythm section.
Christian VanAntwerpen – keyboards.  The newest member of the Vincent Hayes Project, Christian has honed his chops with a long list of Michigan artists.  He also recently wrote a full-length feature article for the March 2010 issue of Keyboard Magazine sharing his impeccable knowledge of using freeware to help keyboardists achieve great live sound.
Black Box.  Tickets $10.  7:30 p.m.
The Dogwood Center Box Office is open Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and one hour prior to an event.  For information, phone 231.924.8885.

Eisenhower Dance Ensemble (EDE), Michigan’s premier contemporary dance company, will perform Motown in Motion.  Audience members will experience the best of contemporary dance in a tribute to the music of Motown. 
This visual salute to the tunes that rocked the Motor City and made Motown Records famous includes dance vignettes performed by EDE to recordings from top Motown artists, such as the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight, Martha and the Vendellas, and the Supremes, among others.
Playful and humorous, Motown in Motion is designed to appeal to a diverse audience of all ages, Motown fans and dance aficionados alike.  It gives an entertaining as well as historical look at Motown, a distinctly American artistic and cultural legacy.
The Eisenhower Dance Ensemble dancers will be conducting workshops and master classes for area dancers.  Dancers from the Louanne Courtright Dance Studio have been invited to perform with EDE in the dance “I Heard it Through the Grapevine”. 
Also on the program will be various selections from EDE’s awe-inspiring repertory.   A professional contemporary dance company, EDE is known for its versatile and virtuosic dancers, as well as its entertaining and athletic choreography.  Since it’s founding in 1991, EDE has achieved the distinction of being Michigan’s premiere professional dance ensemble.  The Company maintains an active touring schedule, which has taken it as far as St. Petersburg, Russia, as well as throughout the United States.
This performance is funded in part by the Michigan Humanities Council.
Visit www.ede-dance.org.
Main Stage. Tickets $15 adults, $5 children 18 and under.
The Dogwood Center Box Office is open Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and one hour prior to an event.  For information, phone 231.924.8885.

Come enjoy St. Patrick’s Day with The Wren Boys!  If you enjoy the sounds of Celtic music loud and fast, come and check these guys out!
The band was a WYCE 2008 Jammie Award “world beat”winner and is favorite of many in West Michigan.  Band members include Terry Lancaster, Jesse MacIntosh, Jeremy Hill and Dave Smith.
The instrumentation by the band is amazing.  Check out several samples of their music at:   http://www.myspace.com/thewrenboys
We hope you and your friends come enjoy the music of The Wren Boys and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at the Dogwood!
7:30 p.m.  Black Box.  Tickets $10.  Beer and wine will be available for purchase.
The Dogwood Center Box Office is open Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and one hour prior to an event.  For information, phone 231.924.8885.

John Berry is bringing his incredible Christmas Tour Concert back to the Dogwood in 2010!  Country singer Berry will perform at the Dogwood Center on December 3 at 7:30 p.m. !  Tonight’s concert is sold out!
His angelic voice will excite your soul and remind you what the season is really about:  family, friends, and faith.  This will be an unforgettable night with a country music legend!
Berry is most known for his stand-out hits Your Love Amazes Me, Kiss Me in the Car, and Standing on the Edge of Goodbye, but it was Berry’s stunning performance of the title track of the 1995 CD O Holy Night that led to his most enduring legacy – the Country Christmas Tour.
The show is filled with traditional Christmas songs, childhood stories told only the way John can tell them, and his country hits.
The Georgia tenor has been recognized by the Grammy Association, the Academy of Country Music, and the Country Music Association as a nominee in the Best Male Vocalist category and is no stranger to the top single charts.
7:30 p.m. Main Stage.  Sold out.
The Dogwood Center Box Office is open Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and one hour prior to an event.  For information, phone 231.924.8885.

Folk singer/songwriter Cheryl Wheeler is performing a fundraising/benefit concert for Bellwether Harbor – Animal Shelter at the Dogwood Center!
You may not be familiar with Cheryl, but you have probably heard her music.  She is a gifted and respected songwriter with her songs being covered by artists as diverse as Dan Seals, Peter Paul and Mary, Garth Brooks, Suzy Bogus, Bette Midler, Kathy Mattea, and Holly Near.  In 2009, Kenny Loggins recorded her song “Ghandi/Buddha” for his recent Disney project called All Join In.
Main Stage.  Tickets $15 in advance, $20 day of show. Performance at 7:30 p.m.  Tickets available beginning January 11.
The Dogwood Center Box Office is open Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and one hour prior to an event.  For information, phone 231.924.8885.

Michael Cooper is a Poet of the Stage – an eye-popping visual artist and a virtuoso mime whose exquisite performances of humor and poignancy, nimble speech and eloquent gestures have dazzled audiences of all ages for almost thirty years. 
Combining the mythical and the autobiographical, Michael’s one-man extrvaganza features his breathtaking handcrafted masks, original stories of courage and wonder, outlandish stiltdancing (yes…stiltdancing!), and a physical repertoire that ranges from the madcap to the sublime.  The result is “moving sculpture”.  Some of the masks he uses in the performance have taken him over 300 hours to create.
Cooper spins tales and weaves stories using an unusual and colorful cast of characters.  Creating a world where dogs wear hats, wild stallions are tamed, giant noses sneeze and fish bait candy to catch children in a pond, Masked Marvels &Wondertales is an unforgettable experience.  Cooper captivates his audiences with tales of thrilling adventure, silly antics and outlandish possibilities.  A show for all ages, Masked Marvels & Wondertales is sure to capture hearts and stimulate imaginations.
Michael recieved his B.A. in Peace Studies from Goddard College.  He then went on to complete six years of theater training with Tony Montanaro in Maine and Etienne Decroux in Paris.  For almost thirty years, he has spent time crisscrossing the world, performing over 8,000 times for audiences of every age.  A portion of his credits include the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Hong Kong International Children’s Festival, The Comedy Story in Los Angeles, the Dublin Theater Festival, Great Woods, The Eugene O’Neill Theater, Bass Performance Hall and the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.
Main Stage. 7:30 p.m.  Tickets: $15 for adults, $5 for children 18 and under.

As of 10:30 a.m. February 5, the NCCA West Michigan Luthier Concert is Sold Out!!  Thank you!
This year the NCCA – Artsplace West Michigan Luthier Concert includes performers Ralston Bowles, Bill Degenarro, Robert Sayers, The 13th Hour, Dan Yother, Isaac Smith, and Donald Benson.  Instrument luthiers include Degennaro, Sayers, Mark Swanson, Elon Howe, Yother, Lew Fowler, and Benson. 
WGVU radio host Shelly Irwin conducted an interview with Ralston Bowles, Mark Swanson, and Faune Benson, concert coordinator and exhibit photographer.   Go to  WGVU radio 95.3 FM website to listen to an archive of the interview or click http://www.wgvu.org/wgvunews/index.cfm?id=tmsarc&list=yes
NCCA is also proud to welcome Steve Albert, the host of Michigan Saturday Night on Blue Lake Public Radio, as the emcee for the concert!
During Feburary the photography exhibit “West Michigan Luthiers” by Faune Benson will be on display in the Dogwood Lobby Gallery.  The beautiful photographs are of handmade instruments that were made by local luthiers, the talented craftsmen who make and repair stringed instruments.  The photographs include ukuleles, cello, bouzouki (octave mandolin), violins, and electric bass, electric guitars and acoustic guitars.
Black Box. 7:30 p.m.  Sold Out!

Fremont High School Theater invites you to join them for “The Distaff Side” written by John Van Druten.  “The Distaff Side” is an engaging story that will offer some light hearted moments as well as those that will challenge the audience to consider their views of marriage and happiness.
Three generations of women confront the issues that come with life and living while attempting to find personal satisfaction in 1933 England.  The cast is a seasoned crew led by seniors Emily Zahrt and Tonya Pell as Mrs. Venables and Eve;  senior Sarah Smith as Venables’ devoted companion Mrs. Spicer, and senior Cassondra Murphy as Nellie. 
Juniors Connor Caplis and Beth Wilcox play Alex and Liz while seniors Matt Cummings and Trevor Bacon portray Alex’s director boyfreind Toby Chegwidden and her brother Roland while Zach Francis makes a cameo turn as Liz’s ex, gillie.
Six additional actors round out the cast under the stage management of junior Kaylah Berndt.  Tim Bitson and Briana Jones offer technical support and the production is managed by senior Anna Deur.
7:30 p.m. Main Stage.  Tickets available from the Dogwood Box Office beginning Monday, January 25.  Adults $10 in advance, $12 evening of performance; students $5.