SHEN YUN COMES TO KANSAS CITY
Shen Yun will perform for the first time ever at the Kansas City Music Hall, March 13 and 14. The event is a celebration of the traditional Chinese New Year. Yun’s performance brings to life classical Chinese dance that rediscovers and revives China’s treasured past. Drawing inspiration from ancient legends, it recalls the values that epitomized the Chinese civilization through the dynasties. The performance features a cast of superb dancers, singers and musicians, masterful choreography and graceful vignettes that light up the stage. Critically acclaimed as “the best,” “breathtaking” and “brilliant,” the show has delighted audiences of all ages, backgrounds and ethnicities worldwide. In 2009, the show traveled to more than 100 cities on five continents and reached more than 800,000 audience members. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.shenyunperformingarts.org.
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME!
After just one year of involvement in the Northeastern Johnson County Chamber, American Companion Care (ACC) was recognized for its simple business philosophy, integrity and customer service and honored with the 2009 Small Business of the Year award. Founded in 2003, American Companion Care is Kansas City’s most responsive in-home care agency. Dedicated to helping families who want loved ones to age safely yet comfortably, ACC is committed to eldercare. With a mission to give the elderly the opportunity to remain as long as possible in their own homes with warm-hearted, caring companions, owners Natalie Schneider and Sheril Herman believe the element that sets their business apart is customer service when working with both their clients and caregivers.
BLUE VALLEY SENIOR NAMED SEMIFINALIST IN INTEL SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH
Blue Valley High senior Monica Roy Chowdhury has been selected as a semifinalist in the Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a prestigious national science competition. Alumni of STS have made extraordinary contributions to science and hold more than 100 of the world’s most coveted science and math honors, including seven Nobel Prizes and three National Medals of Science.
Pulling from approximately 1,700 applicants who compete for $1.25 million in awards, The Intel STS recognizes 300 students and their schools as semifinalists each year. From that select pool, 40 student finalists are then invited to Washington, D.C. in March to participate in final judging, display their work to the public, meet with notable scientists and compete for the top award of $100,000.
ALL-STAR PORGY AND BESS CAST TAKES THE STAGE AT CARLSEN CENER
George Gershwin’s masterpiece Porgy and Bess celebrates its 75th anniversary this year with a new production featuring an all-star cast of 30 and a live orchestra at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26 and Saturday, Feb. 27 in Yardley Hall of the Carlsen Center at Johnson County Community College.
Artists Insights by Bill Everett, a musicologist from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Paul Laird, a musicologist at the University of Kansas, begins at 7 p.m.
Black History Month is an appropriate time to attend this carefully researched production of Porgy and Bess. At the show’s 70th anniversary, National Public Radio said Gershwin’s landmark opera remains “a controversial mirror of America’s evolving attitudes about race, culture and class.”
At its 75th anniversary, the opera’s genius continues, underscored by the emotion of its music, historical context and eternal optimism.
Tickets for Porgy and Bess are $40 to $50 and are available by calling the Performing Arts Series box office at (913) 469-4445 or online at www.jccc.edu/TheSeries.
COMPETITION FOR A CAUSE
Canstruction® brings together architects, engineers and students mentored by professionals to put a unique spin on a food charity. Teams are given only 12 hours to design and build giant structures made entirely from canned and boxed food. Once the structures are complete, they are then put on display in an exhibition open to the public. The Kansas City chapter, which donated roughly 40,000 cans of food to Harvesters last year, held its Preview Party for their display on Thursday, Jan. 14 at Union Station. At the close of the exhibition, all of the food used in the structures was donated to local food banks.
Getting its start with just three chapters in 1992, Canstruction® now has more than 130 competitions scheduled to take place in 2009 and 2010. Gaining popularity, the charity has managed to donate 10 million pounds of food and continues to recruit as many as it can to join in the fight against hunger.
HELPING HAITI
The distress caused by the devastating earthquake that took place in Haiti on Tuesday, Jan. 12, is generating a desire to help in people all over the country. Dr. Rachel Stevens and her husband, Philip, of Girard, Kan., started raising funds almost immediately after the earthquake. Stevens’ parents, Dr. Jim and Sandy Wilkins have been missionaries in Haiti for the past 11 years and run a clinic for Haiti Health Ministries just a few miles from the epicenter of the earthquake. With so many people in need of help and so few supplies available, Haiti Health Ministries is accepting donations to buy necessary supplies and help the Haitian people. For more information on how you can contribute, visit www.haitihealthministies.org.