Street Beat Triumphs

Street Beat was a triumph! You never truly know when you bring a group in how the community will react. In some ways this was a real risk. It was a much bigger theatrical production than our usual concerts and a departure from our regular programming as well. We wanted to attract a younger audience; we wanted to find a replacement for East Village Opera Company with the same appeal for our season ticket holders. In some ways it didn’t seem like such a risk. STOMP! had often been requested by those filling out our surveys and Street Beat was in very much the same tradition, although fresher and more raw we thought.

They arrived Thursday night, and even after traveling all day and rehearsing round the clock before arriving, there was energy in the air that you couldn’t miss – even late at night. They were bursting with it. They proved to be a joy to work with. Easy going but focused, well organized and disciplined.

Friday morning they were up and ready to go. They did a workshop for 80 Lathrop High School music students. You could see the impact by the focus of the kids attending.

After lunch at the Chowder House, they scoped out the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum and caught an hour’s rest before dinner at Azucar (where owner and awesome conguero Freddie Anthony and Street Beat’s own awesome conguero Robertito Melendez hit it off in an impromptu jam session).

From there, it was on to Dancing with the Cars, where they put on a preview performance for the UAF Chancellor’s celebration of university and community.

Saturday, they were at Hering from 10 AM until after the show. They lingered in the lobby, talking to their many new fans. Diane Christiansen from Dance Theatre Fairbanks brought a large group and dancer Sarah Moser took some time to work with them right there.  Then they raced to their reception after which some headed to the airport and home to L.A. while others went back to Hering to load out, pack up their freight for shipment and catch an hour’s nap before going to the airport themselves.

It was a thrilling performance. You could hear the young people in the back half of the auditorium and balcony. They were right there every minute, responding with joy and enthusiasm. 

How, I wondered, would the older crowd respond?

I worried, but needn’t have. At least half a dozen people made a point of telling me they had seen STOMP! in New York but Street Beat was superior. Barry McWayne, former FCA board member and president told me it was the timbre of their instruments. Marvilla Davis, current chair of the artist selection committee thought their non-verbal approach was genius. The whole evening was well thought out, had tremendous variety and humor and apparently, was well received by all.

Sometimes you take a risk and it’s worth it. I suppose, in a sense, everything we do is a risk, because we never know how you will respond. But one thing we know for sure, in order for you to take a risk, we have to take it first! Thanks for coming to Street Beat, Fairbanks!

You can see Street Beat’s Fairbanks odyssey on our Flickr Photostream, from which you can share them in your blog or Facebook feeds.