Schultz is probably best known for hits such as “Remember Me,” “He’s My Son” and “Letters From War.” He hinted that concert-goers will hear a wide variety of his music.

“This is a special date,” said Schultz. “ I just had a ‘Best of’ record that came out, I will be doing a lot of songs from that. But there is an opportunity, a chance, that I may do some of the songs we are doing on the ‘Letters From War’ Tour. There is also an instrumental record (Renaissance) I just came out with and we may do one or two of those songs in the show. We may share some of the footage from the ‘Letters From War’ tour, so that would be fun.”

Whatever he includes in the sets, the songs will strike a chord. “I write songs based on real life, songs that resonate with people,” said Schultz. “People can listen to them and think, that sounds like me or something I’ve done or someone I know.”

Many people familiar with Schultz’s music will agree. His songs always seem familiar and have a lot of meaning. They are easy to listen and relate to. His latest album, an instrumental, is a departure from his usual style.

“I had never done an instrumental record before,” explained Schultz. “My wife and I went to Europe, I did some concerts over there. I had just finished writing the book, ‘Letters From War’ and we were standing on the beaches of Normandy, and saw where my grandfather had served in World War II. It was a real honor to be there and as we were standing on the beach I started to get these melodies and I thought, ‘gosh, I think I’ve got an instrumental record in me.”

Welcome House is not the first organization to benefit from a Mark Schultz concert. He has a history of doing concerts for causes.

Schultz was adopted when he was two weeks old, and a few summers ago pedaled from California to Maine to raise money for the James Fund that aids widows and orphans. Along the way he would do concerts as fundraisers and raised over a quarter of a million dollars. “It’s always good for me to help organizations that are trying to help other people,” said Schultz. “It just feels right to me.”

Welcome House has seen an increase in people needing their services due to a variety of reasons, including the oil boom and flooding. They recently opened a shelter in Mandan, which is already turning people away.

Purchase concert tickets at Dan’s Supermarkets and the Rainbow Shop.
For more information on Welcome House visit welcome-house.net.

Mackintosh, currently the director of Northern Plains Dance, is from Deansboro, a small town in upstate New York where, according to her, there are more cows than people. Her parents soon found Delia Foley who had spent time in London attending the Royal Academy of Dance, the school of the Royal Ballet. Foley had returned to the states to dance professionally, but an injury prevented her from pursuing a performing career. She then became certified as an instructor through the Royal Academy of Dance. Foley’s parents converted an old roller skating rink into a dance studio for her in the early 70’s.

“I was the only kid my age from my high school that attended Delia’s school,” said Mackintosh. “I grew up with a really close group of ballet friends that came from high schools around the area. There were eight of us that graduated the same year, and five of us are still working in the arts.”

The dance studio was located 15 miles from Deansboro. “I was really lucky to grow up with a dad that worked 100 feet from the house. He was available to drive me to ballet class every day.”

Her dad is an independent woodworker who makes fine furniture in an old barn he converted into a studio and her mom is a college vice president. She credits her parents for making sure she had balance in her busy life. “My parents made sure I knew I couldn’t spend all of my time in ballet class and fail all my tests,” said Mackintosh. “They were very supportive and helped me to balance two different worlds.”

Mackintosh did manage a very diverse and hectic high school schedule. She was Student Council president, active in the music and theatre departments, and maintained her ballet classes. Sometimes she would hang out with her ballet friends over coffee and, other times, she would cheer on the football team with high school buddies.

Part of the discipline that helped her accomplish all of this was learned in ballet classes. “Delia was like my second mom,” explained Mackintosh. “She ruled with a firm hand. She definitely saw ballet as a tradition that was meant to be honored.”

Once Mackintosh reached a certain level in her training, she was asked to also join the Mohawk Valley Ballet, where Foley was the artistic director. “There is a lot of the Mohawk Valley Ballet reflected in the structure of Northern Plains Dance,” said Mackintosh. “We [NPD] have the tradition of doing Nutcracker every year, like they did, and hiring a top notch Nutcracker Prince from out of state. Depending on the level of students available, we might bring in a Sugar Plum Fairy or a Snow Queen, too.”

In her senior year of high school, Mackintosh did a couple of auditions for professional companies but felt she wasn’t quite ready. A professional company employs dancers, typically on an annual contract. The companies do their shows throughout the year and then let the dancers know whether or not they will be asked to return the next season. Dancers are then free to audition for other companies, if they desire.

“My parents told me I should look for a really good dance college, try it for a year and see if I felt better prepared to audition for companies,” said Mackintosh. “The one thing I wasn’t allowed to do was stay home.”

She decided on Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, one of the top dance colleges in the country. She absolutely fell in love with college and ended up getting two degrees. “I decided as long as I was going to be there, I was going to work as hard as I could,” said Mackintosh. “One of the big lessons I learned while I was there is it is all well and good to work toward a professional dance career, it is a valid and lofty goal, but you have to keep in mind it doesn’t last forever, bodies give out and you need to have a plan B.”

She received a BFA in Dance Performance and a degree in Arts Administration. “I never thought I would like the business side of it, but found it really fascinating,” she said. “I loved my time at Butler.”

One of Mackintosh’s students, Breanna Manley, is showing interest in auditioning for Butler. This is wonderful news to Mackintosh, who wants her students to know there is more outside of Bismarck. “I try to expose them to the bigger world,” she said. “Last summer two of my students got into the Colorado Ballet summer program and this summer Breanna got into the Boston Ballet, which is even more competitive.”

Mackintosh joined the Louisville Ballet for three years after college, and she also spent time with Cincinnati Ballet and Augusta Ballet. It was during her time in Augusta that her path turned towards Bismarck.

“One day our director came in and told us the Board of Directors had shut the company down,” she said. “I really enjoyed it there. It was a smaller company and we were doing really impressive work. Luckily, one of the guys had danced (at Northern Plains) in Bismarck previously. He called the artistic director and told him he had some dancers looking for work and four of us moved here completely sight unseen.”
Moving to Bismarck

“At that time (in 2006), Northern Plains Dance was a professional ballet company,” said Mackintosh. “I had my U-Haul, my parents, my brother and my cat. My parents decided to make the move our first family vacation since I started going away to ballet summer programs when I was ten. I didn’t even have an apartment.”

Mackintosh spent the season performing lead roles with Northern Plains Dance. At the close of the 2006-2007 season, the Board of Directors decided to change the direction of the organization. They dissolved the professional company and took the steps to focus energies back on the school, building a professional quality training center in Bismarck.
Mackintosh decided to stay with the organization and help with the new direction. “I had injured myself during the year and it was the type of injury where I had a choice. I could keep dancing or I could walk,” she said. “I picked walking. It was a really difficult decision but I was tired of moving around the country and thought it was time to try out my other degree, see if being an administrator was as interesting as it looked in the classroom.”

Initially hired as the school director, Mackintosh quickly found that she enjoyed the artistic side of administration as well. “I initially approached it as kind of an academic challenge, I figured if I could make some progress in a year, then I might be on to something,” she said. “But I discovered the kids. I had never thought I would make teaching a big part of my career, but I absolutely love it and the students inspire me daily. It had never occurred to me that my second career could involve being both an administrator and a teacher.”

She has focused on developing her students’ dancing skills and is inspired by the results. “When it comes to restructuring the company to be based on students rather than professionals, you have to know there will be a difference in levels. I set the bar high, and I keep telling them they are shooting themselves in the foot because they keep meeting my expectations and forcing me to raise the bar further. The level of our performances keeps going up. I am really proud.”

Northern Plains Dance has also made an effort to develop relationships with professional dancers who participate in the Nutcracker production. These dancers are asked back for a summer intensive that draws students from a tri-state area. “This helps expose students in the region to the bigger world,” explained Mackintosh. “We, both the staff and the students, have developed some really fantastic relationships with professional dancers that come back regularly.”

Mackintosh does all of the grant writing, some of the teaching and the costuming at Northern Plains Dance. She shares choreographic duties with Carly Schaub, the education coordinator. “I found a really fantastic artistic partner,” said Mackintosh. “She deserves a lot of credit for where we are as an organization and where I am personally. She inspires me!”

Northern Plains Dance takes several steps to make sure their students are continually challenged. The Choreographers’ Showcase is a repertoire show of dances that stand on their own. “Last year we were honored to present a world premiere of a wonderful piece done by David Gensheimer, who has been our Nutcracker prince for the past few years,” said Mackintosh. “He went to Haiti to help after the earthquake and his experience inspired him to create a piece that was really emotionally driven and challenging.”

The students also work with live musicians, which helps them to communicate with other artists. “It has been important for us as an organization to be an active part of the arts community,” said Mackintosh. “The arts are not an us versus them situation. Art should be a collaboration where you feed off of each other’s energy. I think it’s important for Northern Plains Dance to be a leader in making sure the arts have a bigger presence in Bismarck. It’s vital that children have the opportunity to experience the arts while they are growing up and it’s vital that communities have thriving arts in order for them to grow.”

Like most arts organizations, Northern Plains Dance is a non-profit. This ensures dance is available to anyone who wants to participate and that scholarship and outreach programs are available. “Dance is something we do because we love it and think it is important,” said Mackintosh. “It’s important because the kids need to learn self-confidence and dedication. All kids need an outlet and if they find an artistic outlet, I think they are lucky. We aren’t just teaching a three-year-old to point their toes, we are teaching them to listen to music. We are teaching them to be creative thinkers and better community members. Corporations are going after people with fine arts majors, because they end up with people who think outside of the box. I want to make sure these kids could be professional dancers, in any genre, if they wanted to. But, I also want to make sure if they decide to be a doctor, they are the most creative doctor that’s ever come along.”

Mackintosh has certainly made a difference in her students’ lives. “She has shaped my dancing,” said Manley. “She taught me what ballet is. She made me realize what an art form it is and how you can express yourself through your dancing. She always wants us to be the best.”

Northern Plains Dance will likely have the leadership of Mackintosh for quite some time. “It’s a wonderful community,” she said. “I’ve been really honored to meet many great people that make Bismarck feel like home.”

One of those great people is her fiancé Chris Heid, co-owner of HeidCo Construction. “We met over paintbrushes. Staff members had recruited friends to repaint the sets for the Nutcracker a few years ago. I’m a really bad painter and Chris was there to fix the mess I had made,” she laughed. “Poor guy, he didn’t realize then that Nutcracker was going to be around for the rest of his life.”

And, she loves her students. “I’m kind of sappy about my kids,” she said. “People ask me all the time if I have kids and my standard response has become, ‘Yeah, about 120 of them!’ and I mean it. They are a big part of why I’m here.”

For more information on Northern Plains Dance, visit northernplainsdance.org or call 530.0986.

The Nutcracker
December 9th, 2011
7:30pm
December 10th, 2011
2:30pm & 7:30pm
December 11th, 2011
2:30pm

Choreographers’ Showcase: 
Going for Baroque
In collaboration with the 
Missouri Valley Chamber Orchestra
February 24th, 2012
7:30pm
February 25th, 2012
2:30pm & 7:30pm

Cinderella
May 19th, 2012
2:30pm & 7:30pm
May 20th, 2012
2:30pm

What is the difference between an artist and a crafter? A debate lies therein. Some might say that an artist creates what you put on your walls to decorate your home or workplace whereas a crafter creates functional art, something handmade that you can wear like a skirt or a handbag.

Genevieve Fisher, who owns Diva Dimensions and will vend for her fourth season at Urban Harvest this summer, believes that we are all artists. We just need the confidence to find and do our art.

About vending at Urban Harvest, Fisher says, “Everyone is afraid that their stuff isn’t good enough or thinks their stuff won’t sell. Don’t give up. Just jump in and do it.”

An open-air street market in downtown Bismarck, Urban Harvest is held six consecutive Thursdays beginning July 14. The market features the work of local artists, crafters, food vendors and service providers and is currently accepting vendor applications.

The goods
While many Urban Harvest vendors are continuing traditions passed down over several generations, others are entrepreneurial HGTV junkies. What they have in common is you won’t find any idle hands among them.

Andrea Ficek has been vending at Urban Harvest since its inception in 2005. She describes her style as “hip granny” and for good reason. Her grandma, who lived on a farm near New England, N.D., taught her how to sew. A quilter, she would set Ficek up with small sewing projects like working on a quilt square, embroidering a dishtowel or doing cross-stitch.

“After I learned how to sew, I wanted to put my own spin on it. I started making A-line skirts and handbags. I make pouches, jewelry, hats and headbands.”

Ficek continues, “I also like to create functional things like bags or things to keep you warm. My signature things are probably hats. I’m getting more familiar with knitting and lettering which is fun because you can make it more personalized.”

In the same vein, Fisher says she attended her first arts and craft show with her parents, who were tending their booth, when she was one month old. Over the years, Fisher’s mother taught her various handiworks such as sewing and embroidery and her father taught her how to paint.

Integral to Fisher’s art is upcycling, a national trend that gives new life to otherwise discarded items. One of her signature items is a project bag, a trendy duffle bag with lots of pockets for carting scrapbooking supplies, knitting projects or craft items from site to site. For one bag, she used an old necktie, an outdated sweater and several fabric remnants inherited from her grandmother to complete the project.

Another of Fisher’s signature items is a one-size-fits-all wrap skirt that can be worn as a dress or a skirt. Primarily using silk saris brought back from India and given to her by a craft show friend, each wrap skirt is a one of a kind.

Pam Berge owns P.S. Retro, a furniture upcycling business. A self-described HGTV and garage sale junkie, ideas are not the problem, it’s time! Berge is also co-owner of Nightlife Music with her husband Rick, works at the Waterford retirement community and DJs on the weekend. A grandmother to boot, this woman does not like sitting still. Vending at Urban Harvest is a great fit for her.

“My hobbies got me into [upcyling furniture]. I love rummage sales. I found this cute little side table. I painted it light blue and put a new knob on it. I used a little wallpaper. It turned out so cute!”

Berge retrofits weathered benches and can turn a forgotten end table into a dog bed. She’ll dress up a chair with a fresh coat of paint and use a funky fabric as a seat cushion. One of her specialties is transforming old coffee tables into ottomans.

“It’s so easy!” says Berge. “The key to my stuff is that people could do it on their own, but they don’t have time and they don’t want to. It’s like baking. I don’t like to bake. That’s why you have bakeries!”

The experience
Working on Medcenter One’s oncology floor is Fisher’s full-time job, doing alterations on the side brings in extra income, and Urban Harvest she says, “is just fun.” Even better, Fisher makes good money at it. “It’s lucrative for me,” she says.

Ficek looks forward to the Urban Harvest feeling. “I really like being downtown,” she says. “It just feels special. You just get to sit in the middle of the street all day. I usually bring a little project to work on while I’m there. The music and the people…the feeling of community is really nice.”

“It’s a really great community experience,” concurs Alice Ospovat, a tie-dyed clothing vendor at Urban Harvest since 2007 and co-owner of Parallax Computer and Games in Bismarck. “I am kind of a shy person and I wasn’t sure I’d be good at selling. It’s been really good for me.”

Berge got a consignment deal with One World Boutique on her first day vending at the market. The owner, Monte Schmidt, who has stores in Bismarck, Fargo and St. Paul, came up to her and said, “I want, that, that, that and that. And the rest of it, when you’re done, I want you to bring down to my store.”

“’What store?!’ was my response and ‘who is this guy?!’” she laughs. With consignment items in Schmidt’s Bismarck and Fargo stores with plans to get into his St. Paul store, vending at Urban Harvest provided Berge with a valuable connection. “Unless you have your own store, how else do you get this out to the public?” she adds.

Furthermore, despite drawing smaller crowds than the Downtowner’s annual street fair or Mandan’s Art in the Park, Berge says that Urban Harvest is just as lucrative for her.

“I did better [at Urban Harvest]. I gave out so many business cards. I had such a good response from the people who came to look. I got so many calls. Everyone was so positive.”

How to prepare
Getting ready for the market is about finding time to create. Berge produces slowly during the winter one piece at a time in her basement and then mass-produces when she can work barefoot in her yard not having to worry about paint fumes. Ospovat finds time in the evening after her kids are in bed or on weekends when they can help.

Ficek says she tries to build up a stock beginning at least a few months before hand. “One summer I actually just vended at Urban Harvest and was able to live on that.”

According to Ospovat, “Urban Harvest is how we got the tie-dye business started in the first place. Urban Harvest is the main thing I do every year.”

Even though Ospovat sells a lot, she is still learning the business. For example, she’s learned not to buy too much inventory because fashions change. She says, “The things I think are going to sell don’t necessarily sell. I’ve also learned that I always sell out of 4T dresses.”

About getting ready for market, Ospovat shares, “One of the advantages of tie-dye is you can do it in a short time. In one evening, three to four hours of work, I can make 20 to 30 items. In five to 10 evenings, I’m ready.”

Berge says she brings about 30 pieces to each market because that is how much she can fit under her tent. She explains she notices patterns from week to week and prepares for each market accordingly. “The things that sold, I’d run with that. Oranges and purples – the retro colors – were big sellers.”

Ficek, who was 20 when she started vending at Urban Harvest, is committed for her seventh season. A loyal participant, she says, “As long as I live in Bismarck, I will vend at Urban Harvest. An all-local market is such a good idea. I just want to see it continue.”

Amanda Mack is a local writer who perpetually buys 4T tie-dye dresses at Urban Harvest each summer.

by Marcia Dorrheim

One can almost picture a Norman Rockwell painting this time of year. One side of the painting depicts the dark, cold, winter snow and wind blowing outside. And then, as your eye travels across the painting, you see the warm glow of the fireplace with a little old grandma sitting in her rocking chair with her knitting or spinning wheel.

These days, however, that painting would need some editing. A small group of young 20, 30, or 40 year olds would replace the grandma and instead of being in front of a fireplace, they would likely be in either a cozy yarn store, a coffee shop, or the local library.

Traditional Craft Boom
Over the last decade or so, traditional crafts such as knitting and spinning have been experiencing an increase in popularity. According to the www.about.com website, there tends to be a resurgence in traditional crafts when the country is at war or when there is an economic downturn. For example, during Word War II, knitting was a way for those at home to help with the war effort by knitting warm socks and sweaters for the soldiers.

“I really think there was an increase after 9/11 and then with the economy, well, there are just more people knitting,” said Cheryl Weiss of the ceDesigns knitting group.

“When we look at the cost of the hobby, it’s not really that expensive,” Beth Campbell of the Bismarck Public Library (BPL) knitting group said. “You have 60-70 hours of entertainment and when you’re done, you have the pride of having made it yourself.”

Shayne Bjorndahl, who spins monthly with a group at Impact! in downtown Bismarck, believes a lot of the popularity is due to the increased availability of fiber as well as the different types of spinning wheels now on the market.

“For instance, the manufacturer of my wheel used to produce spinning wheels and then changed to skateboards and now makes wheels again,” added Becky Schnabel. “And there are just so many different fibers to spin like silk, mohair, llama, alpaca, camel . . . ”

Linda Wolf of the BPL knitting group agrees. “I really think the popularity has increased as the development of yarns has increased. Twenty years ago all you had for choices were Red Heart acrylic, wool, and cotton and that was it!”

Back when our grandmothers and great-grandmothers were knitting though, it was usually out of necessity and not because there were beautiful yarns and it was the hip and popular thing to do. Thus it makes sense that the trend of “going green” and being conscious of one’s carbon footprint is another reason for the resurgence of these crafts.

“I’m a permaculturalist and it’s very important for me to say that I can take a sheep and make you dinner and a coat,” said Schnabel. “All of this stuff, normal people used to be able to do before commercialization.”

Show-n-tell and Share-n-tell
One thing that may be attracting people to knitting and spinning is the social aspect. What once was a solitary activity done at home has become a gathering of friends doing their craft in public places. It’s easy to just throw your needles and yarn or drop spindle and wool in a bag and you’re set to go. The newer spinning wheels even fold up neatly to fit in the trunk of your car.

“There were knitters at home that didn’t know others were knitting,” said Cheri Esper, owner of ceDesigns, downtown Bismarck’s only yarn shop. “I’ve been having “knit-ins” on Sunday afternoons for the last couple of years and we’ve had anywhere from five people up to 19 people.”

There isn’t an official proceeding to the groups’ gatherings and they’re open to anyone at any skill level at anytime. Many of the women in the groups learned their craft from a grandmother, but some learned from a friend while others took a class or taught themselves. These varied learning experiences prove to be very beneficial when a question arises.

With a variety of projects, an important part of the gathering whether spinning or knitting is “show-n-tell” in which the women ooh and aah over each other’s work, the various fibers they’re using and the techniques they’re implementing.

“This time includes much sharing, learning, and admiring as many of the women will wear something they have recently completed,” said Esper.

“We go to spinning conferences and conventions but we learn a lot from each other too,” says Bjorndahl. “There is always something to learn.”

Spinners and knitters alike agree that although their inspirations for doing the craft are as varied as the women themselves, their inspiration for coming to the group remains the same.

“This is cheaper than therapy, and a lot more fun!” said Lois Eichhorst of the ceDesigns knitting group. “There’s fellowship, we get things done, but the best part is the laughing.”

“It’s therapy,” said Campbell. “You’re in the office all day with the pressure and the stress and then you come and talk with friends. It’s unwinding time. It’s like Zen.”

But unlike a therapy session, it’s not necessary to keep your appointment.

“There’s no pressure to come,” adds Gwen Jakel of the BPL knitting group. “If you have a conflict with family or work, it’s not a problem. It’s just a good way to get together with friends and it’s an incredible creative outlet.”

www.com
Now although these are considered traditional crafts, it is the 2000s and they too have entered the technology era. Youtube has videos to show you how to cast-on if it has been awhile since you picked up your knitting needles and are in need of a quick refresher course. There are web sites such as Etsy.com that provide a place for crafters to sell their product. And then there is the social network site Ravelry.com, which operates much like Facebook, that can connect you with fiber enthusiasts from all over the world.

However, the world has become so highly technical that for many people having a pair of knitting needles or a drop spindle in their hands, instead of their computer or cell phone, is almost unimaginable. But that too, may be a reason why there’s an increased interest in these time-honored crafts. It’s a respite. It feeds the soul as well as the heart and mind.

“The more ways we have to communicate, the less we’re communicating face to face,” said Weiss. “This (knitting group) gives us the chance to visit, to connect, to communicate without the barriers of technology.”

For more information
ceDesigns.com
for “knit-ins” schedule and a list of classes

Bismarck Public Library Knitters
Meet every Monday from 6:30-8:00 p.m. in the café

The Spinners
Meet monthly at Impact! in downtown Bismarck
check impactgalleryandgifts.com for the next scheduled meeting

2009 Messiah Performance

First, Charles Jennens’ compiled text from the Bible: Isaiah, Psalms, Job, Luke, I Corinthians, and the Book of Revelations. After three weeks of quick diligent writing, these words were set to music, known to us as the famous Oratorio, “Messiah” composed by George Frideric Handel.

This tradition continues in Bismarck, North Dakota joining in with 250 years of known performances in countries worldwide. The oratorio is in three parts. The entire work is two hours in length. The first section is the prophecy of the coming of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Part two chronicles His sufferings and death followed by the third section, which is the Resurrection. Trinity Lutheran Church has been sponsoring the production of “Messiah” for 81 consecutive years.

Vicky R. Boechler is in her seventh season as conductor. Originally an alto soloist, inspired by the poignant arias, Boechler is not only able to choose which portions to perform but handpicks the orchestra and the soloists. It has been tradition in the Bismarck-Mandan community to sing the Christmas portion along with additional choruses from parts two and three. In 1995 the community choir and orchestra performed in December and then again in April to do the full work which was meant to be sung at Easter.

The 2010 performance will highlight young talent, giving them precious exposure. In the last eight years, these works introduced ten young soloists to the community. There are no sets or costumes, unlike opera, the focus is on the text and the music. The soloists communicate through recitative and aria while the choir sends a message to the audience in big, bold sound. During the 80th production, the audience joined the musicians singing the “Hallelujah Chorus” from the seats. This again will be the case.

The community choir membership is open to those who love to sing. In today’s society, while we establish communities online through face book, virtual and augmented reality, and even singing in virtual choirs, these emerging and veteran musicians continue to come together to communicate with each other through music. This connection is something to experience face to face. According to a new study by Chorus America, an estimated 32.5 million adults regularly sing in choruses today.

This year’s “Messiah” will be held on December 5th and features soloists Jennifer Brown (soprano), Claire Hoselton (alto), Jordan Roll (tenor), and Adam Frank (bass). The evening performance begins with a prelude at 7:00 PM by well-known Celtic harpist Debi Rogers.

The “Messiah” performance begins at 7:30 PM. Trinity Lutheran Church is located at Third Street & Avenue A, downtown Bismarck. For more information, contact conductor Vicky R. Boechler at 223-4113 ext. 20 or via e-mail: unavoce@smchs.org or visit our website at www.messiahbismarck.org

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

From Peter Pan production. Photo by DeAnne Billings

Northern Plains Dance has come full circle. Formed as a dance school in 1998, Northern Plains Dance took a leap in 2001 and became a professional company. “In the summer of 2007, the board decided to turn the focus back to the school,” said Hollis Mackintosh, Director. “We have increased the professionalism, and our main focus now is the training, outreach and major stage productions.”

Mackintosh came to Bismarck in 2006 as a part of the professional company. “I really liked it here, so I stayed when they made the switch,” she said.

One of the ways Northern Plains Dance carries out its professional philosophy is in the way it approaches productions. “We don’t do any rehearsing for our productions in class time,” said Mackintosh. “That time is to learn the technique of the style of dance students are studying.”

The students try out for the productions by auditioning and students can choose to be in a production, or not. “Some students may have stage frightnot be feel that they are ready or be in a sport and can’t make the time commitment,” said Mackintosh. “It is also fun to see how the dancers, who may not be in the same classes, or even know each other, work together, too.!”

The Northern Plains Dance season productions areis a mix of full-length andor repertoire shows. They hire professional dancers as guest artists for two of the three performances at the Belle. “The guest artists become almost like faculty members,” said Mackintosh. “Our students will contact them for advice and that is really what I want when I am looking for guest artists.”

The students range in age from three to twenty-something. Northern Plains Dance offers the “standard” classes, such as Tap, Hip Hop, Jazz, Ballet and Modern. “We also offer a large range of ‘social’ dance classes,” explained Mackintosh. “We did a wedding dance workshop in May that was so much fun. We also held a Salsa workshop and hold a lot of adult classes through BSC.”

All of the instructors, with the exception of one who teaches three-year-olds, are adults who have a lot of experience and professional dance experience. Some Mackintosh and Carly Schaub, the Education Coordinator both even havehold dance degrees and oversee the syllabus for all of the classes. There is a very high standard of teaching, adding to their professionalism.

Northern Plains Dance also accommodates all levels of dancers. If a twelve-year-old comes in and wants to learn Hip Hop, they will not be placed in a beginner class with three-year-olds. “We started a new class this year and it has been very successful – Teen Beginning Ballet,” explained Mackintosh. “We had a whole crop of young teens that have taken other classes and wanted to learn ballet. We don’t want to put older kids in with the younger ones. Their bodies are different and we want them to feel comfortable.”

Mackintosh feels very strongly about the importance of art in the community. “I feel pretty lucky that I get to see that at all levels,” she said. “I get to see it at the performance level – seeing the audience coming in all excited, seeing the little girls wearing their crowns to the Nutcracker. Then I get to introduce young kids to the art of dance.”

Northern Plains Dance is a 501c3 funded by tuition, ticket sales, donations and grants. To learn more, visit their website at northernplainsdance.org.

The title for what Ali’s does is called an artist-in-residence. This means that any organization or school can contract with Ali to bring her in as a guest artist to work with students of any age level.

In her classes, Ali teaches a variety of mediums such as painting, drawing, cartooning, bookmaking, sculpture, and mask making. Students learn the basic techniques first then are able to expand the projects in their own personal directions. Her ultimate goal is to challenge students to push the limits of the lessons by experimenting and following their own instincts and ideas while creating their art. “I believe there is no right or wrong way to create art,” Ali says, “As humans I think we have a natural urge to create and express ourselves using our hands and imaginations.”

Though her job as a guest artist takes her all over North Dakota, Ali values the time she spends in her own community. “I feel it’s really important to be able to work in the place I live. This is the first season where all my jobs happen to be right here in Bismarck-Mandan and I am loving it. Working in the community allows me the opportunity to take the work I’m doing a little further”

The summers she spent working at Elks Camp Grassick set the stage for her philosophy of working with people. Working with people of different ability levels showed her what a difference a positive approach with people makes. Ali always tries to carry this attitude into her classes. Her goal is to create an inspiring environment in which people can have fun while making art. “Creating art allows us to step into that timeless space where we can just lose ourselves in the process.” says Ali.

Setting up an inspiring environment has perhaps been one of the things that has made classes like ‘Art of Harry Potter Camp’ and ‘Is the Pirates Life for You?’ so popular.
Bobbie Crane, a junior at Concordia College, took Ali’s Harry Potter art classes during her 7th-12th grade years. When asked what she enjoyed most about Ali’s classes, Bobbie recalled Ali’s unique ability to immerse people in the genre and in the creative world. “There were no limits on what we could do with our projects and I appreciated the freedom.”

Apart from her involvement in Theo Arts and the Sleepy Hollow summer programs, Ali also has her own business called ‘Creative Art Parties’. One can hire Ali LaRock to visit their birthday party or any special occasion and do art and special themed projects. Choose from a variety of projects then Ali shows up with the supplies and offers the lesson wherever your party is being held.

What Ali loves about being a teaching artist that is brings people together and allows them to have a fun and relaxing experience with art. “So many times I hear ‘I can’t draw. I’m no good at art or I don’t have a creative bone in my body’. Everyone has something to express. Art skills are something that can be developed and taught just like anything else. I have students who have been in my classes year after year and it is so exciting to be able watch their artistic abilities and visions grow”

AK Koebele, age 12, has been taking classes from Ali LaRock since she was five. AK’s favorite class has been Ali’s famous Harry Potter camps, where the students participate in a creative Hogwarts school experience like wand making, potion making, and even herbology. Courtney Koebele, AK’s mother, remarks, ” Ali is a great artist and inspiration for the Bismarck community. We are so lucky to have her to teach our kids. ”

If you are interested in having Ali bring art to you, your students or kids check out her website www.alilarock.com to see her class listing, artist in residence, and creative art party information. Her personal artwork can also be found on her website as well as Latitudes Gallery, 107 N. 5th St. Bismarck, and the Hotel Donaldson in Fargo.

For their first ten years of existence, Dakota Stage did not have a place to call home. They hauled costumes and stage sets around to whomever and wherever would take them. They have been in their current location, the old Capitol Theatre on Main in Bismarck, for 21 years.

Marcie Simpson, Executive Director, explains the importance of Dakota Stage to the community. “When I discovered my passion, which is theatre, Dakota Stage was an outlet for me (as an older teen) to start the journey,” she said. “I soaked in as much knowledge as possible went out into the real world and when I came back and had the chance to come back in this position, how could I pass it up? Giving back in any way I can to help this organization move forward is so important. There are other children and adults in the community that need this as their outlet. I know, because it helped me.”

Dakota Stage has an artistic committee that chooses the productions and draws up the seasons’ schedule. “When it comes to picking shows, we want to make people think, maybe watch a relationship on stage and relate it to their own lives,” explained Simpson. “We also try to give a mix, we can’t do just one genre.”

The rest of the 2009-2010 season does offer a wide variety of productions. “The Cemetery Club is more dramatic,” said Simpson. “It’s a very strong story about female relationships. Crimes of the Heart is “dramedy”, so there is drama, but a little more humor. Married Alive is the second musical of the season. It is newer and I have read nothing but good things about it. It’s going to be a hoot!”

Finding people to act in the shows does not seem to be a problem. “I am really impressed with the fact that every show, since I have been here, has had at least one new face,” said Simpson. “That is important, because patrons don’t want to see the same faces on the stage all the time.
We have an incredibly talented pool of people in this area.”

Shade Tree, the children’s division of Dakota Stage, runs most of their productions in the summer. “The interest is growing, which is a great problem to have,” Simpson said. “We have a lot of kids from Mandan, so we’re looking at doing something over there, having a Mandan-based production.”

Shade Tree’s mission is to make sure every child who wants a theatre experience, gets it. “It doesn’t mean they’re going to be the lead, but they will get to be in the production,” explained Simpson. “We have a couple kids who have grown up in Shade Tree. Through that experience they gained self-esteem, friendships and learned they are suited to stage manage. It takes everybody, every part to make a production come together. It’s fun to watch their development.”

Simpson compared Shade Tree to a baseball farm team, cultivating the people that act, do the props, to the people who do the costumes. “They learn communication, organization – great tools that will always be a benefit,” she said. “How many of those kids might end up on our stage, or doing the same thing in another community?

Dakota Stage is funded by grants, corporate funding and of course, ticket sales. “Our bread and butter is season ticket holders and ticket sales,” said Simpson. “They always say ‘get the butts in the seats’ – it’s true! You need those people – the community keeps the community theatre going.”

“I’m always impressed with the patrons that support us,” Simpson said. “It is a testament to what is being produced onstage. It is a unique form of entertainment. There is nothing that compares with live theatre – you never know what’s going to happen.”

For more information on Dakota Stage, to buy tickets or donate, visit dakotastageltd.com or phone 258.4998.