Music Beyond Borders brings the Caribbean, Bali, South America and Gypsy/Balkan cultures to the Green, 12:30-1:30pm

You don’t have to wait in an airport, pack suitcases or endure a long flight to enjoy music and dance from around the world. It is all coming to the Morristown Green! Initiated in 2010, this series of free outdoor lunchtime world music/dance performances reflects an ongoing collaboration between Morris Arts and Mayo Performing Arts Center (with the rainsite graciously provided by Morristown United Methodist Church – 50 Park Place on the Green). Now in its ninth season, Music Beyond Borders not only reflects the diversity of our community but also taps into the cultural riches from multiple continents.

All performances are from 12:30-1:30pm. This year’s offerings include the following:

June 26, 2018: Random Test Reggae: Caribbean reggae
Drawing members from throughout the Caribbean, the band has been rocking the NJ Shore with authentic reggae and calypso for more than a decade. Paying tribute to pioneers in reggae and soca music, Random Test graced stages at The State Theatre (New Brunswick), the Patriot Theatre (at the Trenton War Memorial), the Stone Pony, First Night Morris and beyond. So, channel Bob Marley and  get ready to dance in the Green to the lilting, joyous music of this fab Caribbean band. Website: www.randomtestreggae.com; Video: https://goo.gl/ABTHq4

The  weather was perfect – mid seventies, no humidity and a light breeze – with sunshine filtering through the grand trees of the Morristown Green. So, of course, the excitement was palpable among the nearly 400 members of the public who could not help but dance along to the infectiously joyful music provided by Random Test band members Danny Love (lead vocals), Bill Henry (keyboards), Keith Banger (drums) and founder/bassist Alan McIntyre.  What better way to launch this year’s Music Beyond Borders series?!

 

Here are some PHOTOS from the performance:

Be sure to check out the coverage on MorristownGreen.com.

And enjoy  some VIDEOS .

See some of the youngest dancers HERE and HERE  along with an elegant 92 year old (in pink) also stepping out  HERE.  A couple just walking through the Green but then stopped to dance  and others just moved to move!  HERE the band performs Love, Sweet Love. 

 

July 10, 2018: BALAM Dance Theatre: Balinese dance
Enjoy the elegant and exotic dances (and costumes) from Indonesia’s island of Bali with NYC-based BALAM Dance Theatre, an electrifying dance troupe critically acclaimed in the NY Times and Village Voice and featured in performances at Lincoln Center, DUMBO Dance Festival, Jacob’s Pillow and  multiple First Nights .  Embodying a fusion of contemporary dance with diverse cultural styles and movement, BALAM’s repertoire presents an opulent dance theatre integrating traditional, historic and contemporary choreography with striking masks, music, imaginative props and vibrant costumes to create a performance that appeals to (and engages) audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

BALAM’s performance at Music Beyond Borders will present its unique rendition of the Ramayana: Abduction of Sita, the legendary Asian/Indonesian epic depicting the battle between good vs. evil portrayed through archetypal characters. Spoiler alert: Good triumphs and restores the balance of order between cosmic forces of creation and destruction. 

“This new rendition of BALAM Dance Theatre’s signature work of the story ballet inspired by the Hindu epic, Ramayana: Abduction of Sita, reveals with greater clarity one of its deeper themes, a call for unity and peace.  Presenting work that express a message of inclusion and forgiveness is particularly poignant,” said Carlos Fittante, Artistic Director, BALAM Dance Theatre.

Online: http://balamdancetheatre.blogspot.com/    
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/balamdancetheatre/   
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pisVQ5GJGOU; www.youtube.com/user/BalamDance

Despite brutally hot weather, the highly professional and exquisite dancers of BALAM Dance Theatre enraptured an audience of 261 who sat spellbound by BALAM’s unique performance of the  great Hindu epic, Ramayana, the Abduction of Sita.  Artistic Director and lead dancer, Carlos Fittante provided background of the epic story, which depicts the battle between Good and Evil…and also shed light on the intricate gestures and movements unique to Balinese dance. An added  bonus was the opportunity to see the richly elegant, colorful and intricately detailed costumes  (and headdresses)  and to hear the unique sounds of Indonesian gamelan music which accompanied the performance. 

BALAM’s program, Balinese Dance and Myth, included the following pieces:
Legong Kraton, Condong, a traditional Balinese dance
Ramayana: Abduction of Sita, a fusion
and
a Dance Lesson for the audience. 

Check out VIDEO and  here are PHOTOS of the performance posted  HERE on  MorristownGreen.com by photographer Bill Lescohier and editor Kevin Coughlin. Here are some of those photos:

 

July 24, 2018: Eco Del Sur: Ancient and Contemporary South American Music
Eco Del Sur (“Echoes of the South”) shares the vibrant rhythms and memorable melodies of both ancient and contemporary music from multiple Latin American regions. Reflecting Pre-Columbian and Spanish cultures (the huayňo, sanjuanito, carnaval, chacarera, joropo, zamba, and cueca) as well as a blend of African with Pacific  and Atlantic Coasts and the Caribbean (the cumbia, porros, guajira, lando, festejo, etc.), Eco De Sur showcases indigenous and modern instruments and has performed at numerous folk festivals, universities and multicultural events throughout the United States.

Website: http://www.ecodelsur.nethttpindex.html

Video: https://goo.gl/1Iqe9W ; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFC1kQ02XKE

 

 

Well, it was bound to happen once in 10 years and today was the day when the uncertain, mercurial weather made us move inside. Our thanks to the Morristown United Methodist Church for being such a wonderful rainsite…spacious, with excellent acoustics and comfy, air conditioned quarters for the audience and the band.  Despite the gloomy forecast and torrential on and off rains, 98 hardy souls brought their enthusiastic appreciation to the concert. Eco Del Sur featured a wide music from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru,  and other South American countries – coupled with a fascinating array of instruments….including goats’ hoof rattles and a flute made from a llama bone! Bandleader Jorge Gomez offered fascinating histories and explanations of the music and instruments during the program.

Be sure to check out the article, photos and videos captured  HERE by Morristowngreen.com’s Bill Lescohier  and click HERE to see the livestream video on the Mayo Performing Arts Center’s  Facebook page.

and some VIDEOS from their performance:

Click HERE to hear the bamboo flute (quena) duet  played by Jorge Gomez and Fabricio Hernandez here…along with singing, charanga (small guitar) music … and click HERE to sample this lovely panflute (zamponas) piece…with bonbon (drum), charanga and guitar. 

Here the  famous Cuban classic,  Guantanamera, as Fabricio Hernandez plays the guiro  and  click HERE  to here Fabricio play a beautiful solo on the charanga…with cajon (box percussion) and other accompaniment. 

August 7, 2018: Tavche Gravche: Gypsy/neo-Balkan Trio
Thrill to the fiery and fascinating blend of Balkan-Gypsy-Flamenco-Jazz fusion featuring traditional Balkan and Eastern European music – from this award-winning NYC-based ensemble. Merging haunting Macedonian and Mediterranean melodies with dynamic improvisational elements, the trio maintains the explosive dance-able rhythms and energy of Balkan music. 

Macedonian-born and Juilliard graduate clarinetist Vasko Dukovski is a concert performer dedicated to breathing new life into the music of his roots. Steeped in both jazz and flamenco, Israeli-born guitarist Dan Nadel provides the fiery textural and harmonic palette for the band’s music. Jazz bassist Daniel Ori, also from Israel, is the trio’s founder, and his prominent sound is its foundation. Together, the trio pushes the boundaries of this unique blend of cultures, rhythms and colors to become an all-encompassing adventure for listeners.

This trio of virtuosi  has performed at The City Winery, Caramoor, on the main stage of NYC’s fabled Balkan “Golden Festival,” Zlatne Uste and its first CD won distinction as the “best world music album of 2014.”
website: https://www.tavchegravche.com/

 youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLYCdMe1G00 and

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fy6r64rWtO0

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tavchegravche/

Sheltered by the majestic trees on the Green and entranced by the wonderful music of Tavche Gravche, the 240 or so music lovers who flocked to the Green, paid little mind to the humid, hot weather.  Traditional and intriguing Macedonian melodies, unusual harmonic twists, original works, ornamented and intricate melodic lines and some unique percussive techniques on clarinet kept the audience riveted on this talented trio whose performance concluded this year’s Music Beyond Borders series.

Visit MorristownGreen.com for PHOTOS and VIDEOS of their performance and  click HERE, to see the live streaming of the  entire performance on the Mayo Performing Arts Center’s Facebook page. 

Here are some PHOTOS from the performance:

 

 

 

 

So, travel the world on your lunch hour – no plane ticket needed!