Arts Council awards announced

This was published on the City Pulse website on Friday December 2, 2011.

Arts Council awards announced

by Nicole LaChance

The Arts Council of Greater Lansing has announced the winners of its two major awards for commitment to local arts. The awards will be presented at the organization’s annual Holiday Glitter event on Tuesday, Dec. 6.

John and Bev O’Malia of Williamston will receive the Applause Award for their commitment to the arts through volunteering, donations and ambassadorship. Since moving to the area in 1975, the O’Malias have supported the Susan Lorenz Art Show, the Lansing Symphony Orchestra and the Arts Council, among others. They have also served as co-chairs of the Williamston Theater’s Signature Society for four years.

Playing a different game

This was published in the November 30, 2011 print and online editions of the City Pulse.

Playing a different game

by Nicole LaChance

In the high-pressure world of college sports, it’s easy for players to become consumed by the game and for a career-stopping injury to seem like the end of the world. This September, Michigan State University senior Delvon Roe chose to end a promising basketball career due to chronic knee pain. But he’s found there is life beyond the court.

After his decision not to play in his senior year, Roe decided to pursue an acting career. The theater major has already been cast in two films, “AWOL,” with Liam Hemsworth, and “Gametime,” with Danny Glover and James Brolin, both set to be released next year.

Freshened-up fairy tales

This was in the November 23, 2011 print and online editions of the City Pulse.

Freshened-up fairy tales

by Nicole LaChance

The Three Little Pigs, Three Billy Goats Gruff and Goldilocks and the Three Bears: We know the stories so well we can recite them by heart. But what if these beloved fairy tales took a different turn? That’s a question Riverwalk Theatre explores in its holiday children’s show, “The Surprising Story of the Three Little Pigs.”

The play is about three trios of disgruntled fairytale characters who’ve grown tired of their stories. The pigs decide they don’t want to be chased by a wolf, the goats are fed up with the troll under the bridge and Papa Bear decides he is sick of Goldilocks breaking and entering into their peaceful cottage. What follows is a humorous look at what happens when fairytale characters unite and try to change their fates.

Playing blues to brighten the holidays

This was in the print and online editions of the City Pulse on Wednesday November 16, 2011.

Playing blues to brighten the holidays

by Nicole LaChance

As Lansing residents prepare to stuff their turkeys and mash their potatoes, local charities will be collecting donations for the area’s poor and hungry. To celebrate the season of giving, two local charities are coming together to bring awareness and raise money for their respective causes.

The eighth annual Breakin’ Bread with the Blues concert and fundraiser takes place Sunday at the Green Door Blues Bar & Grill in Lansing. The concert features performances by Frog and the Malonetones, Big Bill Harwell and the Blues Ambassadors and Zydecrunch and will be bookended by 2011 Blues Brawl winners Andy Wilson & Johnny D  and The Hoopties. Proceeds from the event benefit the Greater Lansing Food Bank and the Capital Area Blues Society.

Penn State scandal

This story was published on the Lansing City Pulse website on November 11, 2011.

Penn State scandal

by Nicole LaChance

Former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno fulfilled his legal obligation in the university’s sex abuse scandal, a local professor of sports law and torts said today.

“He has a lawyer and I think it’s possible that they will be looking for some legal violations,” Cooley Law School professor Ernie Phillips. “But I don’t see that he would have any legal responsibility. I think he is playing it safe.”

A really steamy show

This was published in the online edition of the City Pulse on November 3, 2011.

A really steamy show

by Nicole LaChance

When you think about hot tub stores, local art is probably not what typically comes to mind. But two local artists are looking to change that. Hotwater Works, Inc., a hot tub store on Michigan Ave. in Lansing, will participate in this month’s First Sunday Gallery Walk, what they hope to be one of the first of many art shows at the store.

Owner and artist James McFarland and Michigan artist Julian Van Dyke will display mostly large-scale paintings they created both individually and together. All paintings will be available for purchase. The event will also feature wine, cheese and crackers, and the artists will be on hand to discuss the paintings.

Beyond Transylvania

This was in both the print and online editions of the City Pulse on November 2, 2011.

Beyond Transylvania

by Nicole LaChance

Before Edward Cullen and “True Blood,” there was Dracula, the terrifying blood-sucker from Transylvania. A young Jane Congdon was fascinated by his tale and developed a desire to tour the land of the famous vampire. What followed was a memoir about her 18-day journey and coming to terms with a broken childhood.

Passage to India

This was published in the October 19, 2011 print and online editions of the Lansing City Pulse.

Passage to India

by Nicole LaChance

As we´ve seen in Bollywood movies, India is dedicated to dancing. Local audiences will get a chance to experience this bit of Indian culture Saturday at “Nritya Chitra: Envisioned Gestures.”

The event combines two styles of Indian dance as a celebration of the spirituality and culture they represent, said Shreelina Ghosh, one of the featured dancers. The styles were originally performed in temples as part of religious rituals, she added.

Protesting for peace

This story was on the Lansing City Pulse website on October 7, 2011. I also took the photo.

Protesting for peace

by Nicole LaChance

Quess and Bill Derman were two of about 20 protesters that rallied together this morning opposing the War in Afghanistan.

“Ten years is way too long,” Quess Derman said.

Grin and beer it

This article was published in the print and online editions of the Lansing City Pulse on October 7.

Grin and beer it

By Nicole LaChance

It’s not often one can wear lederhosen in Lansing without eliciting stares from curious passerby.

However, this weekend marks the magical time of year when leather shorts and suspenders are considered perfectly acceptable evening wear: That’s right, Oktoberfest is once again upon us.