GV Dance Troupe performs for heartfelt cause

For the first time in two years, Grand Valley State University’s Dance Troupe (GVDT) hosted an in-person recital.

On Friday, Nov. 19 and Saturday, Nov. 20, GVDT put on their show, “Dance Among the Stars” at the Allendale High School auditorium.

To read more of Allison Rafferty’s coverage of the GVDT’s Dance Among the Stars recital, click here. 

GV highlights Donna Ferrato’s activism photography

The second event of Grand Valley State University’s “On The Wall Artist Talk Series” featured award-winning photojournalist and activist, Donna Ferrato.

On Oct. 5 from 12:00-1:00 p.m. Ferrato spoke with students via Zoom about her creative process, how her work is influenced, and her anti-violence advocacy efforts.

This specific talk was supported in part by the Center for Women and Gender Equity at GVSU as one of many events being held during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

To read more of Allison Rafferty’s coverage of the Donna Ferrato artist talk, visit this link. 

Circle Theatre returns to their main stage with Cabaret

Circle Theatre in Grand Rapids welcomed back its first indoor show since March 2020 earlier this July with a performance of “Cabaret“. The shows took place on the theater’s main stage from July 15-31.

A 12-time Tony winner, “Cabaret“ is set in 1931 Germany on the eve of Nazi control. The show focuses on the nightlife at the seedy Kit Kat Klub and American writer Cliff Bradshaw’s relationship with cabaret performer Sally Bowles.

The stylish musical numbers and historical portrait of a city about to be overrun with evil made the production an exciting addition to Circle Theatre’s Main Stage catalog.

To dive deeper into Ayron Rutan’s deep dive into the Circle Theater’s Cabaret, click here. 

GV faces off against MSU in a comedy showdown

In collaboration with Spartan Stand Up of Michigan State University, Grand Valley State University Stand Up hosted “MSU vs. GVSU,” a free comedy show that took place at GVSU’s Cook-Dewitt Center.

The show featured a stacked line-up of comics from both GVSU and MSU, including Faizan Malik, Sam Batali, Ritwik Verma, Yasmeen Guzman, Damian Gonzalez, Ryan Fitzgerald and Kyle Maclean.

GV Stand Up describes themselves as a walk-on based comedy troupe that performs stand-up comedy monthly on campus and at comedy clubs all around Grand Rapids. The troupe is open to any GVSU students who want to join and have a love for stand-up comedy.

To hear more about the MSU vs. GVSU comedy show from Ayron Rutman, click here. 

Skelletones returns: An all ages venue for a new generation

After a successful run from 2000-2009, the live music venue Skelletones in Grand Rapids went on hiatus when owners Mark and Annette Leech wanted to settle down and start a family.

Three children and twelve years later, Skelletones has returned for a grand re-opening, and it’s back and better than ever.

On Sept. 10 at 7:00 p.m. the doors to Skelletones were opened once more, and people flooded into the all-ages venue for a night of live heavy metal and punk rock performances. Mark was excited to see the doors reopen.

To read more of Arts Editor Mary Dupuis’ coverage of the re-opening of Skelletones, go here. 

The Diatribe, GRPM hold panel to discuss “The Why”

The Diatribe, a Grand Rapids group that uses the performing arts to encourage younger generations to inspire change in their communities, recently partnered with the Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) to host a panel discussing The 49507 Project.

The panel was called, “The Why” and was held on Nov. 17 at the Center for Community Transformation in Grand Rapids.

G Foster is a co-founder, teaching artist, and donor experience manager at The Diatribe, and said The 49507 Project was born in response to the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.

When artists in the Grand Rapids community were invited to paint boarded-up windows of businesses during the Black Lives Matter protests, Foster said there were restrictions on what could, and could not, be painted.

The goal of The 49507 Project, he said, was to open the door to creating artwork without specific guidelines.

“We’re tired of being policed,” Foster said. “We just wanted to do an unapologetic art project.”

To further explore the 49507 project, read more of Mary Dupuis’ coverage here. 

ArtPrize 2021 features a strong Laker presence

Grand Rapids’ ArtPrize has returned with a range of artists from all over the world after a two-year hiatus.

There is a strong Laker presence at ArtPrize this year. Three faculty members, one current student and numerous alumni are participating in the competition are among the hundreds of artists who are competing in this year’s ArtPrize.

Since 2009, ArtPrize has offered an opportunity for the Grand Rapids community to engage with art of all mediums. Art is made accessible to the public in various venues throughout the city from Sept. 16 to Oct. 3.

To read more of Associate Editor Mary Racette’s ArtPrize 2021 coverage, click here. 

Color guard welcomes a powerhouse freshman class

The transition from high school to college can be intimidating as many start with a blank slate and have to make new friends. For the eight freshmen in this year’s Laker Marching Band Color Guard, a second family welcomed them with open arms when they began practice in the summer.

“Color guard is just a family and we are there for each other and we help each other out as needed,” said Grand Valley State University freshman Anthony Gilchrist.

Each year, the color guard holds competitive two-day auditions. Having the ability to quickly memorize drills is a focal point of the auditions. Students are required to show that they are capable and quick learners.

Interested in learning more about the color guard’s freshman class from Mary Racette? Click here to read the entire article.