Column: Making it in Missoula

I have a hangover from holiday cheer. I’m exhausted mentally and physically, not just from too much egg nog, but from chatting, traveling, eating, and smiling--usually done all at once.

Between invitations from neighbors, friends, co-workers, family, extended family, and the extended family of all of my neighbors and friends, I estimate that I attended at least 25 parties in the past month. And I bet you all attended plenty, too. In fact, we were probably at many of the same luncheons, happy hours, or non-profit fundriasers in Missoula--but I wouldn’t remember, due to the plethora of holiday wine.

All of December feels a bit like a dream, and now that I’ve woken up, I can’t quite grasp all the details. My brain feels like a fruitcake, full of alcohol-induced holes, and my body feels like a sponge cake, full of canape-induced lethargy.

Note: Read on for the details of the "Making It" contest the sisters are running!

 

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Christmas Spectacular Fundraiser

With dance being vital to Chinese culture, the pomp surrounding the 2008 Beijing Olympics will be quite the spectacle, and dancers from Missoula's Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre will help make sure of it.

The Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre will travel to Beijing in the summer of 2008 for nearly three weeks and perform at several cultural events as well as diplomatic conferences. Charlene Campbell, the artistic director of the Theatre, will escort 12 to 16 young dancers along with technical and production assistants to various provinces. "I think China has a very romantic perception of Montana, and we want to contribute to that," said Campbell.

Sen. Max Baucus made the invitation possible, working with the China Arts and Entertainment Group and its director Wang Hongbo. The group is a government-funded cultural exchange program, which will help fund the Ballet Theatre's stay. Campbell estimates they will still need to raise nearly $150,000 for airfare, production costs, and costume repair and design. Fundraising will include the upcoming fifth annual "Christmas Spectacular" on Nov. 25-26 at the Wilma Theater and Dec. 2 in Anaconda. The group will also perform at The Missoula Symphony's production of "Holiday Pops" at the University Theater on Dec. 9-10. For additional event information visit The Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre's site at www.rmbt.org.  

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Put New West back on your First Friday gallery night circuit. This month, we're hosting photographer Eric Warren and his show, "Water, Moss, Stone & Wood."

Join us for the opening reception, complete with good beer and good chit chat, Friday, Nov. 3 from 5-9 p.m.

Warren says his prints showcase the organic and the inorganic, a blending of entropy and timelessness. His artist statement reads: "Through the lens I see into a world where entropy stops or time flows freely, condensed into a single image of movement. A photograph can show water cutting through solid stone or moss breaking down the structure of a tree. It can also preserve a clear dawn moment where a fishing boat waits to be taken out on the ocean. Each print lets me share the world I see through the viewfinder in its vivid colors, textures and time. "

When: First Friday, November 3, 5-9 p.m.
Where: New West offices, 415 N. Higgins (in the alley behind the Old Post).
Who: Eric Warren's "Water, Moss, Stone & Wood"
What: Good company, good photography, good beer. 

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A band. A building. Band rocks building. Building is burned down. This is the strange formula of the Burn to Shine film series produced by Fugazi's Brendan Canty. For its third installment, the series tried its recipe in Portland, Oregon. The result was twelve bands coming together for one day to rock under the evanescent roof.

The Big Sky Film series will be screening Burn to Shine, Portland, this Friday at the Wilma. The 55-minute documentary will show at 7 and 9pm in Wilma 3.

Canty along with director Christoph Green capture the bands playing in the living room of the condemned building and the subsequent demolition. The doomed structures provide a unique backdrop for showcasing a particular region's music scene. The Decemberists, including front man and Missoula icon Colin Meloy are featured in the documentary. The film also features performances by, The Thermals, Quasi, The Planet, The Wet Confetti, Lifesavas, Tom Heinl, Mirah, The Shins, The Gossip, The Ready, and Sleater-Kinney. 

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Week Without Violence

“I’m marching for violence. Excuse me, ma’am, are you marching for violence?” one of the “Country’s Most Wanted Men”(according to his fraternity T-shirt) asks with a snicker.

I am marching to promote respectful relationships, free of violence, during Take Back the Night, a part of the YWCA’s Week Without Violence. Normally, I wouldn’t be here. My political activity is usually reserved for events with good music or an open bar. But, I decided maybe the world was in need of a good old-fashioned issue awareness when a comment that sounded like it came from a caveman escaped the lips of a friend. 

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Missoula Festival of the Dead

Día de los Muertos, The Day of the Dead, is a national holiday in Mexico that finds itself a centerpiece of Missoula’s Festival of the Dead. How did it come to be here, and where are we taking it? 

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