Page Series kicks off its 22nd season this October

By Maria Sullivan
Arts and Entertainment Editor

This October, the Page Series kicked off its 22nd season with the colorful dance show Compania Flamenco Jose Porcel on Oct. 8 and will follow it with The Song and Dance Ensemble of West Africa on Oct. 28.
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According to Page Series’ season schedule, Compania Flamenco Jose Porcel is a dance that has fiery footwork, brilliant costumes and evocative choreography. Page Theatre General Manager Patrick Grace said, “It’s very colorful, very sensual, and very emotional. So, there will be live music, there will be singing, there will be solo and ensemble performances, and it’s sold out.” The show is believed to be a good opener to the season.

Jose Porcel was born in Seville, Spain, and has been a dancer since he was a young man. When he was 13 he started learning Andalucian folkloric dances and flamenco. At the age of 16, Porcel began studying dance with master Martin Vargas. Since then, Porcel’s dancing career has excelled greatly.

The Song & Dance Ensemble of West Africa is also a highly anticipated show for the Page Series. Grace said, “It should be an exciting show as well, and that’s almost sold out, so we are very excited about that. ” The show is directed by Bamaba Dembele, who is a member of the Super Rail Band of Bamako and a percussionist in the Super Djata band Karkar.

This show consists of singers, dancers and musicians from various cultures in West Africa. The Ensemble was formed in 1970 in West Africa to revive folkloric music forms. The Ensemble has performed all over the world in places such as France, the Netherlands and Belgium. The Ensemble is considered to be extremely unique, and it combines traditional rhythms, instruments, folklore and a mythology of nations.

“The purpose of the Page Series is to provide a world view of the arts for our students as well as the Winona area, and I think Jose Porcel and many other things this season reflects that,” said Grace.

If you are interested in buying tickets to attend Page Series or Saint Mary’s University events, there is a new opportunity for students this year. Page Theatre began what is called Student Rush Tickets. These tickets are available to students for free when there are seats available for a show and when they show up 20 minutes before the show begins.

Student Rush Tickets are only available for SMU events. Keep in mind that Student Rush Tickets are not an option for Page Series shows. Students can purchase a ticket to Page Series events at a student price that varies depending on the show. “We didn’t want the lack of money to be the impediment for our students to see their colleagues, friends and faculty to perform,” Grace said.

Anybody who is interested can view show dates and times and purchase tickets on the Page Theatre website at http://www.pagetheatre.org/.