“Suite Earth” is an inventive work that integrates modern and aerial dance directed and choreographed by Therese Keegan, an original music score composed by Lynda Bell and Alan Mason, giant puppets, and spoken word in a moving - and sometimes disturbing - tribute to the fragility and strength of the human spirit.  The work is supported by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency funded by the state of Maryland and the National Endowment for the Arts.  The debut performance will take place this coming February in Baltimore, Maryland. 

The benefit concert on January 30th will not only feature a preview of  “Suite Earth,” but will also include a video, an auction, and live music by blues sensation Pops Walker and rock band Mason, Bell, Helmick, and Lay.  Delicious and healthy food by Veggie Annie, as well as non-alcoholic beverages and beer will be available.  Performing artists’ CDs will be for sale, and community members are invited to bring items to donate for the “yard sale” table or the auction that will be held intermittently throughout the evening. 

Doors will open at 5:00 PM.  The suggested donation is $15/person.  From 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM the aerial dancers of Updraft, musical artists Mason, Bell, Helmick and Lay, and special guests ROTA percussion ensemble will present the preview performance of  “Suite Earth.” 

Afterwards, from 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM, guests can tap their toes to the acoustic blues of Pops Walker, a 2005 WAMA nominee for Best New Blues Album, and dance to the rockin' music of electric jam band Mason, Bell, Helmick, and Lay.

Also, tickets for the debut performance of “Suite  Earth” will be available for purchase.  The debut performance which will take place February 22 and 23, 2005 at 8:00 PM at the Baltimore Theatre Project located at 45 West Preston Street, Baltimore, MD.  Tickets for the debut are $15/person and $12/students.  The awe-inspiring aerial dance in “Suite Earth” is a rare treat and something not to be missed.  The themes presented, which include the coming of life; the effects of disease, militarism, war, and violence upon communities and the human psyche; and “prescription for Earth,” which features live music and giant puppets, are vital.

For more information contact Therese Keegan at 301-834-9291, Lynda Bell at 301-432-7292, or Cheryl Mansley-Ford at 304-876-2690.