On February 8th, Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) unveiled “Too Darn Hot,” a video featuring performances by 104 fourth grade students who took part in SPAC’s public-school dance residency.
The popular in-school dance residency has continued this school year despite the pandemic with safe but immersive dance training for students at the Charlton Heights Elementary School and online fourth graders in the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake school district.
Charlton Heights Elementary School students practicing “Too Darn Hot”
Led by SPAC Teaching artists Cristiane Santos, J. Michael Zygo, and Brian Melick as well as Dennis Moench, former Broadway star and Senior Director of Education at SPAC, a total of 104 students (both in person and virtual learners) took part in SPAC’s Dance Residency in October-November 2020.
The students participated in two in-person or virtual classes and continued with a series of video lessons on the SPAC Learning Library to learn Broadway-style choreography to the show tune “Too Darn Hot” from the musical Kiss Me, Kate.
The students then performed their dance by filming individual videos for the SPAC team to combine into the virtual performance that premieres today to celebrate the students’ achievements and share their work with their families, peers, and the community.
This program is a reimagined dance residency – a program that SPAC offers to elementary schools every year. As of last year, there were already eight local schools receiving the 5-10 week in-school dance program with SPAC teaching artists. This spring, SPAC plans to provide this virtual programming to other schools who participated last year to keep dance alive in their classrooms.
“We were concerned that we might see a decline in student engagement in comparison to previous years with this new, primarily virtual format,” says Moench. “But we were pleasantly surprised when we saw all of the students fully commit to the program and give 100% of their energy immediately on day one!”
“The arts are such an important part of the educational process, and it has been such a pleasure to work with the amazing and talented professionals from SPAC to bring dance to our fourth graders at Charlton Heights,” says Tim Sinnenberg, principal at Charlton Heights Elementary. “Our students have loved their experience, and practiced with all of their hearts for the recording of their moves.”
Fourth grader Kadynce Dahl summed up the experience this way, “I have a lot of energy and I like horsing around so the dance residency was so awesome because I got to use my energy!”
SPAC education partner Stewart’s Shops will be showing the video in its stores throughout Saratoga County from February 8-22.
In the fifty-seven years since Bob Dylan released his career-altering folksong, “The Times They Are A-Changin’,” the times he sang of did seem to change.
But now, in another period of national unrest, a President refusing to concede defeat or peacefully transfer power, and a renewed fire for justice in the long-fought battle for civil rights, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has a new version of Dylan’s classic sounds more poignant and insistent than ever before.
Amidst the compounding, pleading verses of Scottish ballad by way of Greenwich Village, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, with distinguished musical guests—Jason Isbell, Rosanne Cash, The War And Treaty, and Steve Earle—each step to the microphone to contribute a verse, with Isbell also adding slide guitar.
They carry the same tone and energy in their voices as the song’s writer did almost six decades ago; an unfortunate but earnest reaction to the all too evident parallels between now and then.
“It moved me deeply then and that hasn’t changed,” Nitty Gritty Dirt Band founding member and lead singer Jeff Hanna notes. “The lyrics are as relevant today as they were when Dylan wrote it. Maybe even more so.”
The track features NGDB members Jeff Hanna (lead vocals and acoustic guitar), Jimmie Fadden (drums), Bob Carpenter (accordion), Jim Photoglo (electric bass), Jaime Hanna (electric guitar), and Ross Holmes (fiddle and mandolin)—as well as Fred Eltringham (Sheryl Crow, The Wallflowers) on additional drums, and Nashville songwriting legend Matraca Berg on harmonica and harmony vocals.
“The Time’s They Are A-Changin’” was produced by Ray Kennedy and collectively recorded up and down the east coast.
John Leventhal recorded his wife, Rosanne Cash’s vocals in their New York City home studio and Steve Earle contributed his verse via the world famous Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village. In Nashville, NGDB and guests joined Kennedy in his Room & Board Studio.
“The Times They Are A-Changin’” is available for “name your price” purchase on NGDB’s Bandcamp page with proceeds going to Feeding America.
Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Janani Shankar is set to release her new single, “I Wanna Know.”
In this track, Shankar speaks about deeply emotional issues such as abandonment, and pays tribute to her late grandmother Viji Shankar who she never met, and her late great grandmother Lakshmi Shankar.
Janani’s “I Wanna Know” touches on personal issues she has faced in her life. Shankar attributes these issues, such as loss and estrangement from close family members, to greed, jealousy, and death.
“I Wanna Know” is written from the perspective of a little girl longing for her family, asking why they left. By the end, the track speaks to a less empathic, more emotional feeling, driven by the accelerated drumbeat.
A singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, Shankar started learning classical Indian vocals and violin at the age of three. Later on she picked up guitar, bass, and keys.
She began gigging in New York at the age of sixteen and went on to play in London, Los Angeles, and other cities around the world. Her style combines the nineties with folk, jazz, and indie influences.
Janani’s songs “Wanderer,” “Forgettable,” and “Get Up” have been played on BBC Radio: The Asian Network. Her most recent single, “The World is on Fire,” has been featured on radio stations and music blogs worldwide.
The track features Gingger Shankar on the double violin, Patrick Adams on trumpet, Mike Frazier (Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, Escarioka) on drums, Nataliya Zaytseva on keys, Trevor Brown on bass, and Michael “Bull” LoBue on electric guitar.
Janani Shankar released “I Wanna Know” on February 9th, the day her grandmother Viji passed away, in her honor. Visit her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
“Autumn,” the new single from T@NE, is a pop song of sensual proportions conveying the feeling of fresh kisses on your lips, romantic nights, and ecstasy. Autumn is sure to highlight what love is and can be.
Composed by T@NE and Be Steadwell and produced solely by T@NE, Autumn went through many musical stages. From the time T@NE and Be sat down at the piano and laid out its foundations, to the point of its completion where it became an epic pop song, one thing that stayed consistent throughout the writing process was the feeling and the vibe of the composition.
Album design by Fishman Art 89
“Autumn” is a step in a new direction for T@NE. The track exemplifies the diversity of T@NE’s sound, incorporating different pop elements to create the sensual vibe the song brings. While the sound of “Autumn” may stray away from the intricate jazz and rock heavy tones of T@NE’s debut single, “Rock Joint,” the quality of the track shows T@NE’s progression as an artist and producer.
T@NE – a musician, saxophonist, composer, producer, rapper, and vocalist – hails from Brooklyn. Growing up in a musical environment influenced T@NE’s deep love and passion for what he does. T@NE, along with his bandmates Taber Gable on keyboard, Andrew Renfroe on guitar, Dan Pappalardo on bass, and Peter Manheim on drums, are making music for the future. Incorporating elements from all genres of music and fostering a real sense of unity and teamwork allows T@NE’s music to be enjoyable, inspiring, and energizing to listen to.
The Weeknd announced his After Hours World Tour, a 104-date global tour beginning at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on January 14th, 2022.
He will be playing in New York on February 11th and 12th in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center, and will be back in early April on the 4th and 5th at Madison Square Garden. He will then be playing at the new UBS Arena in Belmont on April 7th.
The worldwide tour announcement comes just days ahead of the multi-platinum singer’s headlining Super Bowl performance, and also includes a handful of rescheduled dates shifting from 2021 to be a part of the After Hours World Tour in 2022.
With the addition of 39 new tour dates, The Weeknd will also release The Highlights on Friday, February 5th. The Highlights is a way to present some of The Weeknd’s most notable works in one place. While this isn’t a “Greatest Hits” album it does provide a new listener a rich foray into some of the iconic artist’s best and favorite work. Fans can pre-save and pre-order the album on theweeknd.co/thehighlights.
Tickets for the tour will be available following The Weeknd’s Super Bowl performance starting Monday, February 8th at 10 A.M. local time on TheWeeknd.com/Tour.
AFTER HOURS WORLD TOUR 2022 DATES: * New Show Jan 14 – Vancouver, BC – Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena Jan 15 – Vancouver, BC – Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena Jan 17 – Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place Jan 19 – Winnipeg, MB – Bell MTS Place Jan 21 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center Jan 23 – Chicago, IL – United Center Jan 24 – Chicago, IL – United Center* Jan 26 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum* Jan 27 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena Jan 29 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena Jan 30 – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse Feb 01 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena Feb 02 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena Feb 03 – Montreal, QC – Centre Bell Feb 05 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center Feb 06 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Feb 08 – Boston, MA – TD Garden Feb 09 – Boston, MA – TD Garden* Feb 11 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center Feb 12 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center* Feb 13 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena Feb 15 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center Feb 16 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena Feb 19 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center* Feb 20 – Tulsa, OK – BOK Center Feb 22 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center* Feb 24 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center Feb 25 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center Feb 27 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena Mar 01 – Salt Lake City, UT – Vivint Smart Home Arena Mar 03 – Portland, OR – Moda Center Mar 04 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena* Mar 06 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center Mar 08 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena Mar 09 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center Mar 11 – Los Angeles, CA – The Forum* Mar 13 – San Diego, CA – Pechanga Arena Mar 15 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center Mar 16 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center* Mar 18 – Los Angeles, CA – Staples Center Mar 19 – Los Angeles, CA – Staples Center Mar 20 – Los Angeles, CA – Staples Center Mar 22 – Glendale, AZ – Gila River Arena Mar 25 – Ft. Worth, TX – Dickies Arena Mar 28 – Orlando, FL – Amway Center Mar 29 – Miami, FL – AmericanAirlines Arena Mar 30 – Miami, FL – AmericanAirlines Arena Apr 01 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena Apr 03 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center* Apr 04 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden Apr 05 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden* Apr 07 – Elmont, NY – UBS Arena* Apr 08 – Buffalo, NY – KeyBank Center Apr 10 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena Apr 11 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena* Apr 14 – St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center Apr 16 – Omaha, NE – CHI Health Center Omaha Apr 18 – Austin, TX – Moody Center* Apr 19 – San Antonio, TX – AT&T Center Apr 23 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena* Apr 24 – Phoenix, AZ – Phoenix Suns Arena* Apr 27 – Fresno, CA – Save Mart Center* Apr 30 – Spokane, WA – Spokane Arena* May 01 – Tacoma, WA – Tacoma Dome Sept 10 – Helsinki, Finland – Hartwall Arena* Sep 13 – Stockholm, Sweden – Ericsson Globe Sep 15 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Royal Arena Sep 16 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Royal Arena* Sep 18 – Oslo, Norway – Telenor Arena Sep 20 – Hamburg, Germany – Barclaycard Arena Sep 21 – Cologne, Germany – Lanxess Arena Sep 23 – Munich, Germany – Olympiahalle Sep 24 – Berlin, Germany – Mercedes-Benz Arena Sep 26 – Vienna, Austria – Stadthalle* Sep 28 – Antwerp, Belgium – Sportpaleis Sep 29 – Antwerp, Belgium – Sportpaleis* Oct 01 – Cologne, Germany – Lanxess Arena* Oct 03 – Amsterdam, Holland – Ziggo Dome Oct 04 – Amsterdam, Holland – Ziggo Dome* Oct 06 – London, UK – The O2 Oct 07 – London, UK – The O2 Oct 08 – London, UK – The O2 Oct 10 – Manchester, UK – Manchester Arena Oct 11 – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena Oct 13 – Belfast, UK – SSE Arena* Oct 15 – Newcastle, UK – Utilita Arena Oct 16 – London, UK – The O2 Oct 18 – Paris, France – Accor Arena Oct 19 – Paris, France – Accor Arena Oct 20 – Paris, France – Accor Arena Oct 22 – Bordeaux, France – Arkea Arena* Oct 24 – Madrid, Spain – Wizink Center* Oct 25 – Lisbon, Portugal – Altice Arena* Oct 28 – Barcelona, Spain – Palau Sant Jordi* Oct 29 – Montpellier, France – Sud de France Arena* Nov 01 – Milan, Italy – Mediolanum Forum* Nov 02 – Zurich, Switzerland – Hallenstadion* Nov 04 – Budapest, Hungary – Budapest Arena* Nov 05 – Prague, Czech Republic – O2 Arena Nov 07 – Krakow, Poland – Tauron Arena* Nov 10 – Mannheim, Germany – SAP Arena* Nov 12 – Lyon, France – Halle Tony Garnier* Nov 13 – Paris, France – Accor Arena* Nov 15 – Glasgow, Scotland – The SSE Hyrdro* Nov 16 – London, UK – The O2*
