Trinity Irish Dance Company comes to The Mahaiwe

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Trinity Irish Dance Company comes to The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center
On Saturday, February 16 at 8pm, Trinity Irish Dance Company comes to The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington. Some years ago the world fell in love with Irish dancing, and when you see this group you'll understand why.

This innovative, uniquely Irish-American company is constantly searching for original means of expression while maintaining a high regard for old traditions. Tickets are $42 All Seats/$37 Mahaiwe Members / $20 Side Balcony and Students with valid ID. Phone the Mahaiwe Box Office for tickets: 413-528-0100. Visit us online: www.mahaiwe.org

Trinity was the birthplace of progressive Irish dance. By using Irish dance as an instrument and a metaphor, Trinity crosses both cultural and disciplinary boundaries in important ways. The result is a thoroughly fresh and engaging artistic vision that goes beyond the source without losing touch with its essence.

“For sheer good cheer, there's nothing quite like the Trinity Irish Dance Company.” The New York Times http://www.trinity-dancers.com/

About the Company: A majority of the company’s dancers came through the ranks of the prestigious Trinity Academy of Irish Dance, the Chicago/Milwaukee- based school that has garnered an unprecedented number of team world titles for the United States at the World Championships of Irish Dance. Many of them have danced together since they were children; building an instinctual bond that allows them to take risks no other company would dare attempt. Their years of rigorous training are evident in every perfectly paced spin, leap and click, making them a lethal powerhouse of speed and sound that has electrified audiences around the world.

Not content to be simply the worlds best, however, Founding Artistic Director and Emmy Award-winning choreographer Mark Howard has moved outside the framework of ethnicity, expanding the company’s range and repertoire in a host of imaginative and new directions. Trinity Irish Dance, made up of dancers between the ages of 18 and 28, has performed to great critical and popular acclaim on stages throughout the world, with sold-out tours in Europe and Asia and appearances in such distinguished U.S. venues as Washington’s Kennedy Center, New York’s Joyce and New Victory Theatres, and Los Angeles’s Royce Hall. The company has appeared in feature films by Disney, Dream Works, Touchstone and Universal including “Backdraft” and “The Road to Perdition” and on countless National television programs including “The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson and Jay Leno, "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," "CBS This Morning," “Live with Regis” and "Good Morning America." Trinity has won two Emmy Awards for their appearance on the PBS Television Specials "One Step Beyond” and “World Stage,” and were featured in the ABC special “Dignity of Children," hosted by Oprah Winfrey.

Trinity holds a unique place in the dance world, offering both a highly skilled presentation of traditional Irish step dance and a brilliantly engaging interpretation of contemporary world vision.

Join as a Friend of the Mahaiwe and get discounts on your Trinity Irish Dance Company tickets today! Ask for more details and be a member of The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington. Box Office: 413-528-0100.
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Kennedy Calls BCC Workforce Graduates Inspiring

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

The programs ranged from emergency medical technician to computers to commercial drivers. See more photos here. 
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College Workforce and Community Education graduates were encouraged to be all they can be on Wednesday.
 
Graduates, families, friends, and staff gathered in Boland Theatre to celebrate around 100 graduates who completed a variety of courses.
 
They included community health worker, emergency medical technician, phlebotomy technician, registered behavior technician, AI fundamentals, Commercial Drivers License Class A and B, CompTIA Tech-plus, para educator, and English for Speakers of Other Languages.
 
College President Ellen Kennedy said it was amazing that this might be her last public speaking event before her tenure comes to an end.
 
She acknowledged the diverse reasons for their studies including career advancement and personal growth, commending their vulnerability and dedication. 
 
"Some of you explored AI, some of you improved your English speaking in really important ways, and the reason that each of you is here is because you decided to put your heart and soul to get vulnerable to do something that might have felt a little bit uncomfortable," she said. "And you did it, and we are so incredibly proud of you, and so happy to be here tonight, celebrating you."
 
Keynote speaker Shirley Edgerton, founder of Rites of Passage and Empowerment (ROPE) encouraged the graduates to reflect on their accomplishments and look forward to the future.
 
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