Kiddie Pool 24/04/11

Family fun for whenever

Boogie!

Musical play group is held at the Arlington Street Community Center (36 Arlington St., Nashua) every Friday at 10 a.m., where you can make music with your little one, meet new friends and learn new songs. Attendance is free. Visit nashuacms.org or call 881-7030.

Bounce!

• Fun City Trampoline Park (533 Mast Road, Goffstown) has all the jumping your kids need, with a special toddler time on Fridays from noon to 3 p.m., in their 60,000-square-foot facility, according to their website. There is a 250-pound weight limit. Fun City also offers laser tag and bumper cars. For kids age 6 and under prices range from $14 to $20 for a 90- to 120-minute jump, and for those over the age of 6 prices range from $23 to $32 for a 90- to 120-minute jump. Jump socks are required for those over age 6 and are $3. Fun City Trampoline Park is open Monday through Thursday from 3 to 8 p.m., Friday from noon to 10 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Visit funcitytrampolinepark.com or call 606-8807.

Bend!

• Vibe Yoga & Aerial Moon (85 W. Pearl St., Nashua, 759-8432) will host a four-week family yoga series with Lauren Young on Saturdays, starting June 1, from 10:15 to 11 a.m. You’ll learn yoga poses, breathwork and mindfulness through books, songs and games together as a family, according to their website. The class will end with snuggly relaxation in this series that’s ideal for adults and children between the ages of 3 and 8 but younger and older siblings are welcome, according to the site. The cost is $80 for one adult plus one child and $20 for each additional person up to four people total. The class series is limited to six families. See vibeyoga603.com.

• Slightly older yogis can join Lauren Young for kids’ yoga for children between ages 5 to 12, according to the same website, right after family yoga on the same Saturdays, from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. This is a drop-off program where kids will learn and practice yoga postures, breath work and mindfulness through games, songs and art; once your child is dropped off you can enjoy an hour at the coffee shops and stores in downtown Nashua. Registration is $80 per child. Visit vibeyoga603.com.

Boil and bake!

• The Culinary Playground (16 Manning St., Derry) is offering cooking classes for mini-chefs from 3 to 6 years old, with a Pasta Primavera course on Friday, April 19, and Sunday, April 21, at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., according to their website. These classes are designed for kids to work independently or with their caregiver close by if needed. They will prepare a recipe or two, usually with two servings, and read a book while it cooks, according to the website. Registration is $20 per child. Visit culinary-playground.com or mail [email protected] or call 339-1664 for details or to register.

Be entertained

The Lorax (PG), the 2021 animated movie based on the Dr. Seuss book and featuring the voices of Zac Efron, Danny DeVito, Taylor Swif tand Ed Helms, will screen Chunky’s in Manchester (707 Huse Road), Nashua (151 Coliseum Ave.) and Pelham (150 Bridge St.) on Friday, April 12, at 3:45 p.m. Reserve seats at chunkys.com.

Be artistic

• The Creative Studio at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org) will celebrate Slow Art Day on Saturday, April 13, “ described as “a global event that aims to help more people discover the joy of looking at — and falling in love with — art,” according to a museum newsletter. The day will feature slow-looking activities and more, the newsletter said. As the second Saturday, this Saturday also features free admission to New Hampshire residents. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Treasure Hunt 24/04/11

Dear Donna,

Is this record player a throw-away? Would someone use this still? Thank you for any help.

Amy

Dear Amy,

My No. 1 rule is there is almost always a reason to save things from the past.

Your Webcor Lark record player is from the 1950s. Being a portable one, it does have its charm.

To determine whether there is value, you have to consider its overall condition, whether it is a complete unit, and whether it’s in working condition.

Let’s just say yes is the answer to all. The value would be in the $75 range to a record or player collector. If it’s not in working condition I would say there’s some value for any working parts.

I think for marketing it I would start at a retail store that sells old records, for both selling and more information.

I hope this was helpful, Amy, and that you can find a new home for your player.

On The Job – Chantelle Morin

Jewelry maker and owner of CCMDesigns in Nashua (@ccmdesignsforyou)

What do you wish you had known at the beginning of your career?

How expensive beads are. It’s pretty expensive. When I did my taxes this year I was very surprised at what I’d spent on tools and supplies. It’s expensive.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

I wish people that are creative and have an idea just go for it. I remember one day I had a friend who wanted to make earrings and she goes, ‘What do I do first?’ and I said, ‘You just have to start,’ so I wish people would just start.

What was your first job?

Working for the Telegraph [The Nashua Telegraph] delivering papers.

What is the best piece of work-related advice you’ve ever received?

Probably from my dad, who was in the military, and it was, just be the hardest worker I can be. If it’s slow, you should be doing something. Always be working.

Zachary Lewis

Five favorites
Favorite book: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
Favorite movie: Avengers: Endgame
Favorite music: My favorite band is Paramore
Favorite food: Cheeseburgers
Favorite thing about NH: That it’s so close to Maine where my family lives.

Featured photo: Chantelle Morin. Courtesy Photo.

The Art Roundup 24/04/11

The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities

Frost show rescheduled: Due to the inclement weather on Thursday, April 4, the production of Robert Frost: This Verse Business has been postponed to Sunday, May 12, at 2 p.m. at the Stockbridge Theatre (5 Pinkerton St., Derry; pinkertonacademy.org/stockbridge-theatre). Read an interview with star Gordon Clapp on page 16 of the April 4 issue of the Hippo; find the e-edition at hippopress.com.

Four birthdays and a funeral: See the Majestic Theatre’s production of the comedy Birthday Club, in which “five women get together for their birthdays, each with her own story, to drink, celebrate, commiserate and support each other,” on Friday, April 12, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 13, at 2 and 7 p.m. and Sunday, April 14, at 2 p.m. at the Majestic Theatre (880 Page St. in Manchester; majestictheatre.net). Tickets cost $15 to $20.

SONGS AND STORIES
Singer-songwriter William Florian presents an evening of music and stories that is the final concert of the Concord Community Concert 2023-24 season on Saturday, April 13, at 7:30 p.m. at the the City Auditorium, according to a press release. The show will include the music of The New Christy Minstrels, Peter, Paul & Mary, John Denver, Neil Diamond, The Beatles, Pete Seeger, The Mamas & The Papas, and uplifting originals presented with amusing stories in an intimate performance, according to the press release. In a statement, Florian said “there is a lot of power behind the meanings of these songs. They continue to be relevant today, but they also bring you back to a specific time in your life. They bring up feelings and memories that make you smile.” Tickets are $20 at the door, $23 online, free for those under 18, with tickets at the door available up to 90 minutes before showtime. Visit ccca-audi.org or theaudi.org/events or call 344-4747 for more information.

Cue the “Water Works” The upcoming exhibition at Two Villages Art Society, “Water Works,” showcases work from three artists who explore the subject of water in all its guises, from tides to tears, and opens with a free reception on Saturday, April 13, from noon to 2 p.m. at the gallery at 846 Main St. in the village of Contoocook. It will run until Saturday, May 11, according to a press release. Painter Ann Saunderson and photographers Sher Kamman and John Hoglund worked with curator Rick Lugg to create the show that will include abstract and realistic paintings and artistic photographic compositions, in vibrant colors and subtle tones, according to the same release. Refreshments will be available and music will be provided by Brad Myrick for the opening reception. Two Villages Art Society’s gallery is open, free of charge, Thursday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Visit twovillagesart.org.

Arts cafe: The Londonderry Arts Council announced in a press release the 2024 Arts Café will take place on Saturday, April 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Londonderry Senior Center (535 Mammoth Road, Londonderry). The Arts Café is an annual free family event with local art, music and community spirit where attendees can enjoy complimentary coffee provided by Coffeeberries of Londonderry, hot chocolate and delicious breakfast pastries while they browse the artwork and can engage with the artists, according to the press release. The event will feature live acoustic music performances as well as a 50/50 raffle to be drawn at 3 p.m. with proceeds going to supporting local art events; participants do not need to be present to win, according to the release. Visit londonderryartscouncil.org.

Free family concert: The Nashua Public Library (2 Court St., Nashua) hosts the Nashua Chamber Orchestra on Saturday, April 13, at 2 p.m. with top student soloists in a family-friendly program with pieces from Mendelssohn, Mozart, Tschaikovsky and more. Kids will also be introduced to the instruments of the orchestra, according to their website. Listeners of all ages are invited. Visit nco-music.org.

FOUR ARTISTS
Twiggs Gallery’s (254 King St., Boscawen) first exhibit for the 2024 season, “Pushing Our Boundaries,” showcases the talent of four League of NH Craftsmen artists: woodworker Steven Hayden, textile artist Cheryl Miller, ceramist Lori Rollason, and mixed media artist and calligrapher Adele Sanborn, who collaborate as the 9th State Artisans, according to a press release. This exhibit will run until Sunday, May 19, according to the release. Hours are Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. Visit twiggsgallery.org or call 975-0015.

Four Seasons in April: Catch one or both of the candlelight concerts at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org) on Wednesday, April 17. At 6 p.m. it’s “Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and More” and at 8:30 p.m. the show is “A Tribute to Adele.” Tickets to either show cost $43 to $60. — Zachary Lewis

Body rolls & compass turns

NSquared is home for modern dance

By Zachary Lewis
[email protected]

Dance, artistic movement of the human body, is one of humankind’s oldest forms of expression throughout all cultures. NSquared Dance, a contemporary dance company based in Manchester, believes in the power of dance and advocates for this ancient art form in the Granite State.

Zackery Betty, Artistic Director of NSquared Dance, spoke about how it’s “a company that’s really driven to bring awareness [of] the joy of dance but also the art of dance and be able to share it through empowerment, encouragement for community members, for other dancers and also for audience-goers.”

NSquared Dance is a nonprofit that Zackery Betty and his husband, Nick Neagle, who is the founder and creative director, brought up from New York City. Neagle is a New Hampshire native and both Betty and Neagle are “excited to make [New Hampshire] our home,” Betty said. “You don’t need to go to this giant metropolis in order to fulfill a life for dance. It is viable within the smaller communities and the cities [in New Hampshire] that still have a lot to give.”

Betty and Neagle both graduated from Marymount Manhattan College in New York City, he said, and “[NSquared Dance] was [Neagle’s] senior thesis … to create a company, and he did the business plan … based out of Boston but then he just really transposed it to fit more in the New Hampshire area…. Through trials and tribulations we’ve now come to have a brand new outlook.”

That outlook involves a myriad of dance styles.

“We actually are pretty happy to capitalize on our different types of genres,” Betty said. “We specialize in contemporary dance and modern but we do have a very strong tap background. We also can do jazz, ballet … checkmark [all] the dance genres except for no folk or ballroom dance, that’s not our specialty.”

They do have a specialty in their choreography, which springs from unique starting points.

“Sometimes it starts with a costume. Sometimes it starts with a music inspiration and other times it will start with either a story or an idea,” Betty said.

NSquared’s next performance will be on Saturday, April 13, at the Amato Center for the Performing Arts in Milford for the New England Inspirational Dance Festival run by Saving Grace Dance Ensemble.

“The New England Inspirational Dance Festival is a celebration of dance through inspiration,” Betty said. “Saving Grace Dance has presented several different platforms for dance companies and dance crews to come perform. We’re bringing one of our works that we did in February … it’s just a duet, but it’s a duet that brings light to what possibly could bedance in another realm … a higher realm.”

Betty and Neagle are selective yet open-minded about who becomes an NSquared Dancer.

“We are a very open and encompassing group…,” Betty said. “We look through a lens of joy mixed with technique. We have a very strong technical background underneath for all of the dancers. That doesn’t necessarily mean that all of our dancers have gone to college for dance, but we do have a large group of them that have…. We look for storytelling in relation to being able to use your voice within a room as a creative and as an advocate for the art of dance. We look for someone who can bring both of those aspects into the studio and the stage.”

After the Festival, NSquared will premiere The Lavender Scare in collaboration with dancers through New Hampshire Dance Collaborative at the Rex Theatre in Manchester in June.

As it happens, at NSquared “all of our dancers were born and raised here in New Hampshire except for myself and our rehearsal director,” Betty said. “It’s really nice to have that local group of people…. It’s nice to pride ourselves that we are locally born and raised for dancers.”

NSquared Dance also holds drop-in classes for professionals and college students on Sundays at the New England School of Dance (679 Mast Road in Manchester) for $15.

“We’re excited to invest,” Betty said, “in the best stories that have helped create us and helped create our community … to put that on the stage and not have to use words for it.”

Dance Dance
New England Inspirational Dance Festival
Where: Amato Center for the Performing Arts, 56 Mount Vernon St., Milford
When: Saturday, April 13, 6 p.m.

The Lavender Scare
Where: The Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester
When: Thursday, June 27, 7 p.m.

More: nsquareddance.org

Featured Photo: Courtesy photo.

Art connections

Currier curates a conversation

photograph of tulips in dark vase sitting on table in corner, black and white
Robert Mapplethorpe, Tulips. Courtesy photo.

When Lorenzo Fusi joined the Currier Museum of Art in February 2023 as Chief Curator, one of his first exhibitions was “Distant Conversations.” It looked at the elective affinities between painter Ella Walker and ceramicist Betty Woodman, by displaying their works side by side.

Its success led to this year’s exhibition, which pairs painter Filippo de Pisis with photographer Robert Mappelthorpe. The latter is better known, mainly due to his often controversial photos. In a phone interview with the Hippo, Italy-born Fusi said he included de Pisis “to present and premiere the work of an Italian artist who I think is very influential and important beyond the borders of Italy.” Here’s an edited version of the interview.

Separated by years, Mappelthorpe and de Pisis never met. What do you think connects them artistically?

Mapplethorpe traveled multiple times to Italy, and I think most of these affinities originated by looking at the same work and the same monuments, the same kind of archaeological references which are basically sitting deep in Western art history. I think that most likely is the reason why there are so many uncanny similarities between the two of them.

What are some of the other elements linking them?

Each of them came from some form of prejudice. I would say de Pisis at one moment in time has been considered a bit too delicate … maybe too soft in his representation. By imposition, I think Mapplethorpe was considered too hard, too in your face, too confrontational. I think both of them have been stigmatized for this almost opposite way in which they come into art. And ironically, [via this] completely opposite or antagonist approach, they do produce work which is actually very … similar aesthetically. So I think this is not only an opportunity to discover de Pisis as an artist who has not been shown extensively in the United States, but also an opportunity to revisit Mapplethorpe’s work from a different … perspective.

They were both very purposeful in their approach.

Yes, intentional, and very deliberate in the way they wanted to represent something. If you start entering into that mindset, even the more graphic images of Mapplethorpe, and we have only one image from the more controversial portfolios … Joe Rubberman, the very famous picture of a man wearing a vinyl outfit laying down flat on a bench. It’s a very classical pose [and] although it looks very morbid and very sexual, as a matter of fact, this pose can be seen in hundreds of examples of art historical references, even though it might be very much in your face when you start looking at it…. The idea [is] to create an image that is transtemporal and it stays as an almost art historical testament. You don’t see the sexuality of it anymore. You don’t see the reference to this very murky underworld of gay life in New York in the ’70s and ’80s, you see a very iconic image of a body that could be Etruscan, could be ancient Roman or Greek. That’s where I think he stops being controversial and starts being an artist in a sense.

When did you know you were on the right track and this would be an impactful exhibition?

The Currier Museum of Art has a quite substantial collection of photography, going back to Lotte Jacobi, the first photography curator… I was surprised when I first moved to the Currier that we didn’t have any Mapplethorpe in our collection because undeniably he’s an American master of photography. I was looking at [how] we could incorporate some work by Mapplethorpe into the collection, but also … overcoming the prejudice associated with the more controversial reception of his photography. At the same time … I wanted to do something with de Pisis in the United States because he was an overlooked artist who I think should be represented. The moment of realization [came while] separately looking at the work. In my mind I had this crystallization that some of the images were very, very similar, and the more I delved into that, the more similarities I found. I think the moment for me when I became absolutely sure that it was a good exhibition or a good approach was when I showed it to a colleague of mine in Italy who immediately saw the poetry and the lyricism in this association, and he asked me to continue to do that research. Then I shared it with my team. They all saw how close the elective affinity is between these two artists, which is most surprising considering the time gap and geographical gap between the two of them. So it has not been a single moment of revelation, but multiple moments of affirmation that have happened from people who were not as yet in the project but could see immediately how powerful the association was.

Filippo de Pisis and Robert Mapplethorpe: A Distant Conversation
When: Saturday, April 13, through Sept. 2
Where: Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester
More: currier.org

Featured Photo: Filippo de Pisis, Fiori di Villa di Maggio. Courtesy photo.

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