Kids Around the Bay

Mark MacNamara on August 9, 2012
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The Rhythm to Love Music

The Rhythm Sisters

Not to be confused with Mandi and Debbi Laek — the Rhythm Sisters from Leeds who sing like The Kinks, and look like Susan Hayward at the end of I Want To Live — our Rhythm Sisters are four members of a chamber music quartet: Candace Guirao on violin, Emily Onderdonk on viola, Vanessa Ruotolo on cello, and Dawn Harms on violin...and just now on the phone about performing this weekend at Music in the Vineyards, and what it was like to grow up in Paradise, and to be invited at the age of 13 by the local orchestra in Chico to go on tour to Berlin.

The invitation arrived just at a point when Harms wanted to quit playing the violin and join the basketball team. Practicing had become onerous, lessons were a bore, she was the only one in her school to play an instrument, and then when it came to playing with the local symphony there was this off-putting moment: When the musicians began tuning their instruments, there was always this odd noise ... she later found out it was the sound of hearing aids going off.

It all seemed like a dead end. And then came the invitation to Berlin. “I was the youngest one to go, the media was there, it was a huge deal, and that turned my life around.”

Harms, whose mother was a music teacher, has collected honor upon honor since then, including fellow at the American Academy of Conducting at the Aspen Music Festival. She also co-founded the Kirkwood chamber music festival and teaches music at Stanford.

But we reached her the other day to talk about her work with children and the whole idea of interaction, which has become such a buzzword among many musicians and conductors, particularly among those connected to academe.

“There have been studies with infants and babies,” notes Harms, “to show that there is a real difference in behavior between someone exposed to classical music at a young age and someone who without that exposure. Often, those who haven’t have a tougher time in life, if only because they can’t focus. I have a dear friend who lived in an inner city, her father left when she was 9, and she is sure she would have been in jail but for the influence of classical music.”

Harms is devoted to a tradition that actually began with Mozart, continued with Leonard Bernstein, and now rests with Michael Tilson Thomas, among many others. That tradition is reaching out to create an audience and to work with children.

“What we do is very hands-on. The kids get to come up on stage and they can play an instrument. We have instruments on hand. And we have dancing, too. And we always make it fun. We play everything from The Pink Panther to Mission Impossible to Pop Goes the Weasel. Even some Beethoven. Our message is that classical music isn’t out of reach, but the key is to be exposed to it.”

To that end, Dawn is trying everything to find relevance.

“Think of Arthur Fiedler playing Pops. That’s what I’m trying to do. I think we still come across as stogy and so for children what I do is to make them want to hear more. I offer a little bit at a time. Like broccoli.

“And so we’re always trying new things. I would love it if we could dress more casually, for example. So it’s like jazz. As it is we wear different colored sneakers and tops. I have a basketball I bounce to show rhythm. But all of this only works if we’re interested. You have to be interested, because it’s real work and there’s no ready payoff. The truth is conductors have to get off their high horses and grasp the opportunity here to change the conversation.”

Harms is drawn to several corners at once in her career and much as she would like, has been unable to devote more time to this.  She is looking for TV opportunities where she could take her show on a much wider road.

“I’d like to be Mr. Rogers for music. I’d like to follow in the footsteps of Leonard Bernstein. The thing is, I know this approach works. I know there’s a hunger for this music. And it’s clear everybody wants a voice. The trick is to get participation, through whatever medium.”

The Rhythm Sisters will perform a family concert at Music in the Vineyards on Aug. 12; a family-friendly afternoon with cake and juice on the lawn after the concert.

Carolina and Carole's Ballet Flamenco

Carolina and Carole’s Ballet Flamenco

This is a mother and daughter team who are spectacular. If you enjoy flamenco and Spanish dance this is must.

And how do you tell the great practitioners?

“I look for fluidity,” Carolina told us. “And also the dancer’s expressions, whether they’re dancing from the heart. Is the woman just doing footwork? What’s going on above the waist? Is her femininity clear? Otherwise, these are just exhibitionists, which you see a lot in California quite honestly. They’re not dancing from their soul; they’re not connecting to the audience. In flamenco, you have the happy rhythms and then the more profound and sadder rhythms and unless you can convey these to the audience you have not succeeded. As in all dancing, you tell the story through your body, your arms, your feet — and your face — so that the audience can feel the song. Most Americans don’t understand the language so it’s all the more important to connect and to show the story.

“When I’m dancing I’m listening to the music, to what’s being sung, and when I connect to the audience, and see the effect, that’s when the magic happens. If I don’t feel like I’ve done that, I haven’t performed well.” Don't miss Carolina and Carole's Ballet Flamenco on Aug. 11 at Peña Pachamama. You'll see their high energy and passion for their art where the venues well-worn hardwood floors will resonate with the pulsating sounds of footwork, song, castanets, syncopated hand clapping, and guitar.

Contact Carolina Lugo for additional information about classes, workshops, and bookings, call 925-939-7850, email [email protected], or visit www.carolinalugo.com.

ODC Dance Family Day

ODC Family Day
ODC Family Day

This is one reason you live in San Francisco. Or one reason you might wish to visit San Francisco. In the Mission District, between 17th St. and 18th St., between South Van Ness and Folsom. That's where you can find everything dance, for every age, and now on Aug. 26 ODC Family Day offers the opportunity to experience it first hand. There will be free family dance classes, placement classes, free Pilates mat classes, and a chance to talk to faculty and returning parents. From 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., as in open houses before, children and adults are invited to learn about the ODC School Youth and Teen Program.

Here’s the premise:

The ODC School Youth & Teen Program is dedicated to high quality technical training within a non-competitive environment and offers access to many forms of dance. Our curriculum caters to each student’s strengths and is designed to encourage creative expression and a positive body image. The program exposes and connects students to ODC/Dance, a world-class modern dance company, ODC Theater, a presenter of cutting-edge dance, theater and music, and the Rhythm & Motion Dance Program, which offers myriad multicultural dance opportunities. It is a nurturing, exciting and dynamic setting for students who seek either sheer enjoyment or a career in dance.

And here’s a tip to parents: If you have an interest in dance as exercise, try Nancy Rubin’s 8:30 a.m. Saturday class.