By: David de Young
Holidays stopped being fun about the time I started changing from a kid into a miniature grownup. I stopped believing in Santa Claus, and things only got worse as I got older and Christmas was no longer about elves and getting lots of fun stuff, but instead meant the stress of shopping, holiday parties and traveling to see my family. Like many people, I was left wondering why most holidays (New Year's Eve, Easter, Thanksgiving) left me feeling a lot emptier than filled up, no matter how much I ate or drank. Holidays came and went but nothing important or transformational seemed to happen. And it should have, damnit! Shouldn't it?
Then there was Valentine's Day, honored with parties in grade school where little candy hearts and chocolates abounded; and we'd spend the afternoons stuffing cardboard Valentines into shoeboxes decorated with red wrapping paper. Love was just a dream then, not the emotional scar tissue it is now. Unfortunately, most of us know how Valentine's Day can really suck if you're not in love while the rest of the world goes ga-ga, goo-goo about hearts, jewels and flowers. Kari Tauring is doing her part to change that.
This past December marked the fourth year Tauring and company staged their annual Yuletide Celebration, 2002's show taking place at Patrick's Cabaret in Minneapolis. Attending Tauring's shows has returned meaning for me to the holiday some call Yule, part of a season of festivals of light and the strengthening of bonds marked by Christians, Pagans, Jews and Moslems alike. Finding such light in the darkness is something some might call spiritual; but for me it's been more like getting to the real stuff of life rather than simply experiencing the glossy outer coating of seasonal conviviality.
According to Tauring, "Through these shows I have learned so much about where and why these holidays originated. In the process of re-presenting these mostly agricultural rituals based on the astronomical events of Solstices and Equinoxes and the 'cross quarters' or the points in between them, I have found so much meaning for this modern urban existence."
This month at the Bryant Lake Bowl, in two shows (February 7th and February 14th) Kari Tauring applies her writing, singing and directing abilities to Valentine's Day, a holiday which falls on the calendar near other modern and ancient holidays known variously as Imbolc and Groundhog's Day (both February 2nd) and the ancient Roman Feast of Lupercalia (which traditionally started on February 15th.) Each of these holidays (yes, even Groundhog's Day!) is rich in tradition that celebrates the return of light following weeks of long, dark nights that peaked on the Winter Solstice. Tauring's multi-media productions feature her own original music as well as traditional songs and chants, dance, film, and aspects of theatre and spoken word. Her shows educate as well as inspire, addressing issues of the search for meaning in modern life in ways that are neither heavy-handed nor overwrought with new age shtick.
Amidst the music, dance and poetry expect a history lesson or two about the interesting (and contradictory) Saint Valentine's myths, as well as thoughts on the groundhog and his shadow. And if Tauring's past shows are any example, expect some audience interaction and pleasant surprises as well.
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Where? Bryant Lake Bowl
810 West Lake St - Minneapolis
When? Friday, February 7th and Friday February 14th
Doors at 6PM, show at 7 PM. Tickets $12.
For information go to www.bryantlakebowl.com or www.karitauring.com/valentine.html
call the BLB box office (612) 825-8949
Location Info:
Bryant Lake Bowl
Artist Info: Kari Tauring
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