The International Culture Shock! 2009-2010 Season


Young Professionals are teaming up with the various cultural organizations around Portland to bring you select opportunities to attend cultural events with an international twist!

Event 1: Mikhail Baryshnikov & Ana Laguna Friday, October 2, 2009:

International Culture ShockTo kick off our series we invite you to attend, for a discounted rate, White Bird's openning night of its 2009-2010 season with a special, intimate performance by two legendary dancers, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Ana Laguna. These two have teamed together for a memorable collaboration, highlighting the work of three acclaimed contemporary choreographers: Mats Ek of Stockholm's Cullberg Ballet, Alexei Ratmanksy, the former Artistic Director of the Bolshoi Ballet and now Artists in Residence with American Ballet Theatre, and Benjamin Millepied, principal dancer with New York City Ballet. We will be organizing a get-together for YPs before or after the event, so stay tuned for future announcements.


Event 2: Zimbabwe Artists Project

Executive Director Dick Adams
will have just returned from Zimbabwe with art and stories to share with WAC members. Hear the incredible stories of the ZAP artists, while perusing beautiful pieces from Weya.
ZAP celebrates the artistry and accomplishments of women from rural Weya in eastern Zimbabwe. Through education, sale of their art in the U.S., and special projects, ZAP helps women become economically self-sufficient. Women of Weya are subsistence farmers, mothers, and householders as well as artists. Most women live on their own, providing for families. Sales of their art helps women afford food, clothing, school fees, medicines, transport, seeds and fertilizer. Since the market for Weya art in Zimbabwe is extremely limited, sales in the U.S. are critical. ZAP pays more than twice as much per piece as any other buyer, delivering cash at the time of purchase. ZAP's complementary goal is to communicate with Americans about Zimbabwe's history and culture, as well as about the artists' lives. At Weya art shows in the U.S., we address issues of gender, colonialism, and globalization. Stereotypes of plighted masses give way to images of rural African women as strong, talented, and fully capable human beings.


Event 3: Portland Opera: Orphée
November 6, 2009

Philip Glass-the most renowned and often produced opera composer of our time-carefully follows the script of Jean Cocteau's 1949 film Orphée. Mining such rich mythology, he creates a work of remarkable power that celebrates the potency of love and loyalty.
Fresh, new love may have its distinct passion. But married love adds a depth and breadth to that passion, binding two souls tightly into a single being. Such is the love between Orphée and his beloved Eurydice-one of the deepest, truest loves of all time. The delicacy and simplicity of the music highlight the powerful range of emotions that the characters-and all of us-experience in the course of this "must see" opera. The Portland Opera/West Coast premiere of a production the New York Times called "stunning." Sung in French with English translations projected above the stage.