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Entertainment
The Battalion
Page 5A • Thursday, April 8, 2004
‘Czeching’ it out
Czechoslovakian dance troupe Mimi Fortunae to perform at Fallout Theater
By Will Knous
THE BATTALION
be wr.l
Musicals
wmal
Pro Te-
s pr
Ml around the Bryan-College Station area
can see the influence and evidence of the
re intOihech heritage. From the Kolache Festival
li M y ear in Caldwell to the Czechoslovak
iety of Arts and Sciences, the Czech lega-
e cy m the Brazos Valley are undeniable. On
17, Aggies can add one more event to
list with the arrival of The Mimi Fortunae
ce Theatre.
lint Machann, Texas A&M English pro-
orsaid Mimi Fortunae’s performances is
ix of culture and beauty.
Founded in 1985, Mimi Fortunae pres-
a fanciful program that combines mime
historical court, folk and modern dance
MM ..s and techniques in a theatrical narrative
stye,” Machann said.
'S, sayirwtudents may be wondering what exactly
tot pect when a popular Czech dance troupe _
peiforms modern and classic traditional folk
)rl P 6 da ces at the Robert Wenck Fallout Theater in the Blocker building.
Ob ,'oi Fortunae’s) two-hour ‘Mirror of Ages’ evokes the mys-
1 TteB, 0 f ancient times as it seeks to educate as well as to entertain,”
® n 9 c Mxhann said.
I The 10-member troupe will start its Texas tour in Denton and
will be accompanied by an instrumental ensemble composed of
Uiiversity of North Texas music students, Machann said.
■9 North Texas Professor Tom Sovik said that though the event
might sound like a stuffy perfonnance for Czech history majors, it
is in fact, stirring.
“We wanted to bring something around that would be interesting
lotregular) people,” Sovik said. “I mean, I get bored listening to a
|ing quartet, and this is really exciting. We wanted something that
i-music people could get into.”
Sovik said Mimi Fortunae’s performances are based on every-
|ng from the street theater of the middle ages and the puns and
ingsof that time, to old-time class wars and pub brawls. But that
snot mean the performances are out of style.
“(The troupe) is not boring,” Sovik said. “Part of their show is
type of bar room dancing — where people are dancing and beat
ing one another with sticks and jumping around all over the place —
tips really exciting.”
ibr/Tsaid the group is one of the most popular in the Czech
public for 13 years. Sovik has been taking student groups, about
bfthem, from UNT to the Czech Republic. The groups see Mimi
rtunae perfonn on each trip and they end up spending the evening
ansanili™
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of Government & Public Service
Texas A&M University
The George Bush School of Government & Public Service
is accepting applications for the
CERTIFICATE IN ADVANCED INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS PROGRAM
Photo Courtesy of • THE MIMI FORTUNAE DANCE THEATRE
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The Mimi Fortunae Dance Theatre (above), a several-act Czechoslovakian dance troupe, will perform next Saturday at the Robert Wenck Fallout Theater.
The performance is co-sponsored by the Department of Performance Studies at Texas A&M.
with them afterwards.
“They formed around 20 years ago as a contemporary dance
group — lately they have changed to a historical dance group,”
Sovik said. “They basically dress in costume and perfonn music and
dances from the medieval times and the Renaissance.”
Sovik said that though the group speaks only Czech and is new
to American turf, the members are interested in American culture
in Texas.
“None of the group are professional dancers - they all hold out
side jobs,” Sovik said. “This is their first time in the U.S. They all
want to see the Alamo and NASA and the ocean. They all want to
see some Native American (culture) — so we are going to some
Native American Museums.”
Junior communication major Lani Jurena was raised in Caldwell
and is third-generation Czech. Jurena said she understands the
importance of the group to perform at A&M.
“My grandparents came over here through Galveston, and (they)
still speak Czech,” Jurena said. “1 think them coming is really cool,
because around this area in places like Caldwell and West there is
such a huge Czech influence. A lot of Czechs attend these festivals
where they have traditional dancing and food.”
Jurena said the performance will benefit members of the Aggie
community who have Czech in their heritage.
“Nowadays you don’t hear too much representation from the
Czechs, and it’s good to keep this culture alive,” Jurena said.
The performance is being brought to A&M by the Czech
Educational Foundation of Texas (CEFT), of which Professor
Machann is the chair.
“They are being sponsored primarily by the CEFT,” Machann
said. “We’re planning something called the Residency in Czech
Music and Culture — and this tour is helping us to fund that proj
ect. It is the 50th anniversary of CEFT though we have only been
here at A&M since 2000.”
Machann said the purpose and message of this performance and
the CEFT is education — musically and otherwise. Machann hopes
this visit by Mimi Fortunae will be indicative of things to come for
A&M as well as the success of the CEFT.
“Our purpose is to educate people about the musical heritage of
the Czech lands,” Machann said. “From classical music, all the way
to popular and folk music, because you know almost everyone has
heard Czech polkas but there are very important classical Czech
composers that are (overlooked).”
Select from a menu of graduate seminars each semester to earn a 12 credit-hour
ertificate and a permanent addition to your Texas A&M transcript. Enhance your
owledge and your career prospects.
For more information on this program visit our web site: http://bush.tamu.edu or
ontact Laura Posada at (979) 862-8841 or e-mail lposada@bushschool.tamu.edu.
he application deadline for summer enrollment is April 16.
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