WS Arts Magazine, Issue Two

Papermen

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WS ARTS MAGAZINEPAGE 4

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PUBLISHER & EXECUTIVE EDITOREd Hanes

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VP-BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT& ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

David A. [email protected]

ASSOCIATE EDITORSherry Johnson

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STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERWendy Hanes

[email protected]

WS Arts Magazine is published monthly by Monitcello Park Publishing. Any reproduction or duplication of any part thereof must be done with the written permission of the Publisher. All information included herein is correct to the best of our knowledge as of the publication date. Corrections should be forwarded to the Publisher at the address above.

Disclaimer: The paid advertisements contained within WS Arts Magazine are not endorsed or recommended by the Publisher. Therefore, neither party may be held liable for the business practices of these companies.

Contributors:Timothy Matthews

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WSARTSMAG.COM PAGE 5

CONTENTS 6 |8 |

14 |

16 |

20 |

26 |

28 |

29 |

30 |

Publisher’s LetterCover StoryPapermen

UNC School of the ArtsNutcracker Performance Means Scholarship Dollars for Students

Behind the Scenes at CarmenPhotographs by Wendy Hanes

Seeing KudzuThe Beginnings for an Artist in Winston-Salem

Cigars & SpiritsThe Rocky Patel Vintage 1992

Cigars & SpiritsAncient Ancient Age 10 Year Old: The Choice of the People

Arts News87 Dance Productions, SECCA and The Hanesbrands Theatre presents... Movies By Movers Vol. III

Arts NewsSchool of the Arts Chancellor Search Committee Receives Charge From System President

18

PAGE 6 WS ARTS MAGAZINE

When the world is on your shoulderGotta straighten up your act and boogie downIf you can’t hang with the feelingThen there ain’t no room for you, this part of town……

So tonightGotta leave that nine to five upon the shelfAn’ just enjoy yourself………Let the madness in the music get to youLife ain’t so bad at allIf you live it off the wall

-Michael Jackson

T hree years ago as I was speeding to yet another meeting, that iconic Michael Jackson song blared through my speakers. The song, Off the Wall, was released from the self titled album in 1979. I remember one of my playmates on the block had a children’s

juke box that we thought was the real thing. In actuality it was just a heavy cardboard box with a record player on top. When the music played there was a spectacular light show embedded within. We would put that Off the Wall album on (that belonged to my friends older sister) and turn up the little juke box as loud as we could. Then….magic…..iconic r&b rhythms melded seamlessly with familiar pop sounds….and that voice!

We jumped and danced all afternoon. It seemed the music from the album and song was seared into my memory. I was moved by the music and all I could understand that dancing machine of a man saying at the time was : “Life ain’t so bad at all if you live it off the wall.”

I pulled to a stop at the Five Points intersection on Stratford Road. There in the intersection was a man selling newspapers…a smile on his face and a bounce in his gait. It was a crisp day out but still just warm enough to have the windows down. As he walked up the median a smile came across his face. The rhythms from my admittedly stentorian radio had stroked his ears, the ease of a familiar musical breeze bringing two strangers immediately closer. As he handed me a paper he simply said “…life ain’t so bad at all…..live your life off the wall….live it off the wall!”

I pulled off, let my windows up, and turned my radio down to answer a call. Wrong number. As I moved down West First Street the music still played but, for some reason, the lyrics came alive. I caught every word:

Do, what you want to do,There ain’t no rules it’s up to you,It’s time, to come alive…….

I made some decisions that day and I haven’t looked back since.

Forward two years to a lazy Sunday morning. I was met with the face of my friend from Five Points in the Winston-Salem Journal. There he was on a full page advertisement for an upcoming pictorial called, simply, Papermen. By this time I had begun acting on my decisions from two years prior. I happened upon the creator of the Papermen exhibit, Christina Kirouac. We met over coffee to discuss her work, her outlook, and how she came upon the idea for her pictorial.

I asked her about my friend, my paperman. She told me “you’ve got to get to know them like I did….it took time to develop trust.” We share some of that with you in this issue. Mostly, we let the pictures do the talking. Look at the detail of their skin, their eyes, their hair. Find the story…..find your story within those details. I found my story and my future on a Fall day in Five Points three years ago. Michael Jackson was the driver, but it was my paperman who allowed me to hear the message:

Gotta hide your inhibitionsGotta let that fool loose, deep inside your soulBetter do it now before you get too old……Let the madness in the music get to youLife ain’t so bad at allIf you live it off the wall.

Thanks for reading,Ed

Publisher’s Letter

Nut WSARtsAd11132012.indd 1 11/13/12 11:43:08 AM



Papermen


Community. Belong.

What do those words

really mean today?

That’s the question

Christine Kirouac

asked when she

arrived in her newly adopted home of Winston-

Salem. She saw people who resembled her,

people who didn’t…..people who did things

she did and people who didn’t.

Body politic. Commonality. Both are

synonyms for the word community….this

word that can both unite and, ironically, isolate.

Harmonize. Exist. Become. All metonyms of

belong….but who do we belong to? Who do

we face and who do we brush by?

“In 2009 I noticed men selling the Winston-

Salem Journal at city intersections. They were

a curious community, these men who stood

differently, interacted with drivers differently…

they moved with a distinct cadence all their

own.” Community. A unit made up of individual

beings that, somehow, tie the separate

geographies of the city together. That’s

what these men, these Papermen were…a

community.

“I wondered if I could talk with them,”

remembered Kirouac, “would they speak with

me and if they did, what would we talk about?

I wanted to see what could happen.” Over

time she did speak with each of the gentlemen

presented on these pages. Some interactions

were smooth while others were a little more

reserved. They were wary and unsure of this

stranger who wanted to know more about their

community while, possibly, discovering her

own. (Continued on page 12)


Christine Kirouac is a Canadian Prairie born

artist. Over the last twenty years she has held

several residencies and has received diverse grants

from The Canada Council for the Arts, Manitoba Arts

Council, the National Film Board, and the National

Aboriginal Achievement Foundation. She recently

received her first American Regional Artist Project

Grant from the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and

Forsyth County for the feature work of this issue, the

photo-based project Papermen.

Her media installations and videos have exhibited

in both galleries and screenings at film and video

festivals throughout Canada. Her work has been

well received from the Lisbon International Film

Festival in Portugal to the 4th Cairo International

Video Festival in Egypt in 2011. This year her new

video work, Don’t Go Away, was short-listed as a

finalist for New Frontiers at 2012 Sundance Film

Festival.

Don’t Go Away has ultimately been chosen to

have it’s world premiere at Light Assembly; Art Basel

Miami Beach this December during their inaugural

mass-scale showcase of video art and architecture.

The goal of Light Assembly is to combine large-

scale video art projections with the citywide canvas

of Miami Beach and mainland Miami’s modern

architectural marvels and historic landmarks.

Ms. Kirouac has taught as a Visiting Professor in

Studio at Salem College and has been a lecturer in

Art History and Appreciation at Winston-Salem State

University and Greensboro College. She currently

teaches Studio Foundations and Drawing at Wake

Forest University. n

You may see her work featured at:

www.christinekirouac.com and

on facebook at wsartsmag.

Biography: Christine Kirouac


“Each conversation was incomparable. Some were brief while some conversations

lingered. Some of the guys where warm and shy while others where skeptical…wary.

In the end, all were willing.” All were willing…..willing to open their community….willing

to share their experience of belonging to this loyal band of news providers. “The project

turned into an opportunity for my subjects – who are passed everyday by hundreds of

motorists - to share something of themselves that reflect a unique spirit and vulnerability.”

Winston-Salem, like all societies, is made up of boundaries that identify “communities”.

It is the limit of that word “community”, used as much to unite as it is to divide, that

inspired Kirouac to create a project that could reach beyond the strict definitions of

race, class, and economic station. “The presence of our Papermen can remind us that,

sometimes, borders are meant to be crossed.”



Nutcracker PerformaNce meaNs scholarshiP Dollars for stuDeNts

By TimoThy maTThews

Sometimes we take them for granted. A

world class hospital. A steady hand in

the banking industry. A reinvigorated

University level nursing program. An

energetic and committed philanthropic

community. Sometimes the people of

Winston-Salem take our blessings for

granted.

The University of North Carolina School of the Arts is such

an example. Perhaps it’s because they are tucked away in the

valley between Washington Park and what is now a bustling

downtown. Perhaps it’s because we don’t see their students

on ESPN or represented on reality TV every night. “Those

crazy kids,” we might think to ourselves, “what are they up to

now?”

What they are up to is earning their keep in one of the

most rigorous training environments in the country. What they

are up to is providing a foundation upon which the City can

continue to build its place as an arts mainstay. What they are

up to is providing cultural sustenance for a community while

helping their classmates remain enrolled. The Nutcraker is

upon us again. If last year is any indication, UNC-SA students

are in for another scholarship bonanza.

For over forty-six years, their production of The Nutcracker

has been one of the Triad’s most eagerly anticipated events of

the holiday season. Tickets to the professional caliber ballet

at the Stevens Center went on sale October 1 and are already

tracking significantly ahead of last year, in which several

performances sold out and performance capacity averaged

at 92%.

UNC-SA set records with its 2011 performance. The show

grossed in excess of $500,000. That equated to a 34 percent


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increase in overall revenue from their 2010 performance. The

success of the show also meant $200,000 in scholarships to

help support student access to the University.

“The extraordinary success of the Nutcracker is a tribute

to the students, faculty and staff of UNCSA…,” commented

outgoing Chancellor John Mauceri when interviewed by the

UNC-SA media relations team after the record performance

of 2011. “This scholarship money has been raised from the

direct educational outcomes of these students who are, in

effect, taking their final exams when they perform.”

It’s not just the Nutcracker that brings in the dollars for UNC-

SA student success. In 2011, the school saw revenues of $1.5

million from The Nutcracker and the all-school production of

Oklahoma raising in excess of $650,000 toward scholarships

and educational outcomes. As University Producer Katharine

Laidlaw will attest, this is no ordinary feet for a performing

arts school, “$500,000 in revenue from a single, limited-run

production……it’s remarkable”.

Live music is a key element in driving the success of

this production. The UNCSA Nutcracker Orchestra will

once again accompany all performances under the baton

of Charles Barker, Principal Conductor of American Ballet

Theatre. UNCSA’s production is the only Nutcracker in the

Triad to be performed to a live orchestra. Douglas Gawriljuk,

a former faculty member of the UNCSA School of Dance who

now teaches dance in West Palm Beach, Fla., will return to

supervise the 2012 production.

2012 also marks the first production of The Nutcracker

under the leadership of Susan Jaffe, who was named Dean

of the UNCSA School of Dance earlier this year. Jaffe is

widely known and respected as one of the leading ballerinas

in America. For 22 years, Jaffe danced with American Ballet

Theatre (ABT), where, after she retired from the stage, she

joined the faculty of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School.

Producing revenue generating shows that support

the school and students is not an easy task. Even while

surrounded by the world class talent present in the students

and staff at UNC-SA, the pressures are great. As a State

supported University with ever looming threats to the budget,

marketing dollars are tight. After several successful years the

(Continued on page 19)


Behind the Scenes at CarmenPhotography By: Wendy Hanes




the American Ballet Theatre, where he performed as a soloist,

and continued with the New York City Ballet as a principal

dancer. During his career he has performed leading roles

in the full-length ballets “Giselle,” “La Bayadere,” “Sleeping

Beauty,” “Coppelia,” “Swan Lake,” “Romeo and Juliet,”

“Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Jewels” and “Manon.” While

at American Ballet Theatre, he worked with Agnes de Mille

and performed lead roles in “Rodeo,” “Fall River Legend,” and

“The Other.” Askegard has been a guest artist performing

in companies around the world including, The Dutch National

Ballet, Bavarian State Opera, The National Ballet of Canada,

Pacific Northwest Ballet, Philippine Ballet Theatre, and has

been a guest of many dance festivals worldwide. He is also a

co-founder and director of a new ballet company, Ballet Next.

In our tightening economy today’s performances still have

to be better than in past years. The performance schedule has

to be surgically organized to promote efficiency. The audience

has to be broader. It all has to happen in an economic

environment where wallets are thinner and expectations for

excellence in the arts remain high.

To conquer all of the obstacles in record breaking fashion

while raising in excess of $500,000 in student scholarships

is incredible. With attendance eclipsing 15,000 last year, the

UNC-SA team continues to build upon their success in utilizing

multiple outreach methods and creative partnering. When

coupled with previously underutilized merchandising efforts, the

students of UNC-SA are, once again, in a position to benefit.

The full performance schedule for the UNCSA production of

The Nutcracker

is: Saturday, Dec.

8 at 2 p.m. and

7:30 p.m.; Sunday,

Dec. 9 at 2 p.m.;

Thursday and

Friday, Dec. 13 and

Dec. 14 at 7:30

p.m.; Saturday,

Dec. 15 at 2 p.m.

and 7:30 p.m. and

Sunday, Dec. 16 at

2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

n

need for an overhaul became clear.

In 2009, this cherished holiday production was re-imagined

by then UNCSA Dean of Dance and former American Ballet

Theatre Principal Dancer, Ethan Stiefel, who developed new

choreography assisted by several of his UNCSA dance faculty.

Additionally, the production unveiled new lighting designed by

ABT Resident Lighting Designer and UNCSA alumnus Brad

Fields with new set pieces designed by UNCSA Design &

Production faculty member Howard Jones. The reinvigorated

production has received rave reviews, played to packed

houses, and welcomed some of the most renowned guest

artists from the world of dance.

This year, guest artists Veronika Part (Principal, American

Ballet Theatre) and Charles Askegard (Principal, New York City

Ballet) will dance the roles of the Sugar Plum Fairy and her

Cavalier Prince at the performances on December 13 and 14

at 7:30 p.m.

Born in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1978, Veronika Part joined

the Kirov Ballet. She was promoted to soloist in 1998. Part’s

repertoire with the Kirov included Nikiya in “La Bayadère,” the

Queen of the Dryads in “Don Quixote,” Myrta, Moyna and

Zulma in “Giselle,” Raymonda and Henrietta in “Raymonda,”

the Lilac Fairy in “The Sleeping Beauty” and Odette-Odile in

“Swan Lake.” She also danced roles in George Balanchines’

“Apollo” (Terpsichore), “Jewels” (Emeralds and Diamonds),

Symphony in C (second movement) and “Serenade,” and in

John Neumeiers’ “The Sounds of Empty Pages.” Part was

the winner of the

BALTIKA Prize in

1999. She joined

American Ballet

Theatre in New

York as a Soloist in

August 2002 and

became a principal

dancer in 2010.

C h a r l e s

Askegard has had

a distinguished

performing career,

which began with Ethan Stiefel Veronika Part

(Continued from page 15)



Seeing Kudzu: The Beginnings for an Artist in Winston-Salem

F rom sun up to sun

down, Judi Russell is

an abstract artist and

thinker. She is also

a teacher. The art is

what you see but at

the end of the day, she’s a teacher.

Her goal: To inspire others to excavate

and explore their creativity.

She is also part of the historic

business fabric of our city, arriving

in Winston-Salem as a trainee

(stewardess) for Piedmont Airlines in

the 1968. “When I flew into Winston-

Salem for my interview, it was to be the

first of several I’d scheduled with airlines. I fell in love with Winston-Salem from the

air as I looked down and saw the lush vivid green. Coming from Indiana, a state of

beautiful farmlands filled with cornfields, this lush green covering (kudzu) just filled

me with joy. During the interview, I was asked if I wanted to be in the next class

starting in four days. Without any hesitation, I said “Yes”.

That’s when the teaching started and her journey toward the arts actually began.

She recalls one lesson involving a passenger and his tape deck: “….a young man

boarded the plane in Washington and was extremely concerned about the safety

of the new tape deck he’d just purchased. He had just moved to Greensboro

from Georgetown, Massachusetts. It was quite a culture shock! This man, John

Russell, became my husband. We’ve been married almost 44 years.”

“I was one of the first stewardesses allowed to continue working after marriage.

My husband was really excited about the “free travel” until the day I told him I had

resigned in order to sell cosmetics and train consultants for Fashion Twenty Two.

We had quite a few discussions over that decision!” The job allowed Judi to grow

her marketing and creative skills but it didn’t come without a price. “I did everything

from ordering and stocking cosmetics inventory, accounting, marketing, training,

sales meetings, weekly newsletters, advertising and going door-to-door trying to

By Ed HanesPhotography by Judi Russell


book shows. It was a 24/7 job. During this time, we had our

first child and one day I decided to look for a job that would

allow me to spend more time at home.”

She eschewed an offer from the historic Thalhimers

department store. Judi, instead, became a commercial bank

sales training manager for the venerable Winston-Salem

institution, Wachovia Bank and Trust. “My job was to develop

and/or modify sales training programs for tellers, customer

service representatives and corporate bankers. Several of

these programs were sold to correspondent banks.”

She then moved into a Promotion Manager and

Merchandising Manager position for Hanes Hosiery and

Bali. “I accepted this job because it gave me the chance

to be more involved with the creative process and creative

problem solving. It was a wonderful opportunity to work with

a corporate level sales department and with our customers at

the department stores where our goods were actually sold.”

Then came her stint as VP of Advertising for Professional

Diet Control. “My mother, Betty Stokes, and her partner,

Peggy Shelton, had opened several Diet Centers and wanted

to grow the business through franchises. They offered me a

position as VP of Marketing/Advertising.” This proved to be a

great opportunity to create, place and monitor the impact of

the advertising. Once again Judi found herself over extended

and at a crossroad. “I was working 24/7 and now we had two

daughters. Suzi was eight and Keli was one. It seemed like

a good time to start a small advertising agency in our home.

I’d have more time with our daughters and could do a better

job of controlling my work hours.”

True to her “can do spirit”, Judi opened a self-named

advertising firm in 1979, The Russell Agency. Once again,

time was her enemy. “Of course, controlling the amount of

time I worked turned out to be impossible. I knew the agency

had grown too big for our home when freelance artists

were eating dinners with us on a regular basis and helping

with our two daughters.” After her husband purchased an

insurance company, The Argus Group, life became very one

dimensional: “Our lives revolved around our children and our

businesses.”


While she worked with Fortune 500 companies providing

creative marketing solutions on a daily basis, there was

still something missing. In the agency her creativity was

confined to communicating ideas and working with artists,

photographers and writers. There was a visual artist yearning

to be released.

Judi read “The Artist Way” by Julia Cameron and

attended several workshops, including the Landmark Forum

workshops. “I was trying to rediscover myself . . . to expand

beyond sales, management and creating new ventures. As

a result, I discovered that creating art was, and probably

always had been, my passion.” After 25 years she realized

that in order to fully realize her vision she had to live it. She

recreated herself as an artist. She sold the firm, now owned

by Betsy Hamilton, Anne Cullen and Cindy Cash, and hasn’t

looked back.

“My move into creating art has been a wonderful

experience of attending numerous art programs domestically

and abroad (France and Italy). I was trying to “catch up”…..to

learn as much as possible to move my art forward. Learning

has been one of my favorite parts of this journey. I am

constantly amazed at the creativity of individuals. I’ve also

learned that artists, in every category, tend to be individuals

who are willing and generous in sharing their ideas.”

Ever the entrepreneur, Judi opened Art & Artifacts, a

Gallery in Blowing Rock 4 years after leaving the advertising

world. The gallery showcases the work of approximately

20 - 25 artists who, no doubt, benefit from Judi’s natural

teaching instinct. She shares space with Blowing Rock

Gallery of Homes and Land, founded by Lynn Hill. Lynn, also

from Winston-Salem, has always been involved with the art

community. “Lynn and I often laugh that we decided to open

our businesses right as the economy took a nose dive. We

are both really excited to be in business at this time.”

Russell’s work is an optical wonderland. Abstract at

their core, Judi works hard to maintain a sense of realism

that allows her viewer to capture the subject matter of her

paintings. Familiar themes. Dramatic colors. Diversity in

composition and pattern. This is no ordinary afternoon on


the easel. Hill captures Russell’s genius from a different

perspective: “When you see a retrospective of Judi’s

paintings, they don’t necessarily represent a progression or

evolution, but rather a delving into unexplored dimensions of

her mind’s eye. She delights in the freedom found in seeing

where her heart and head lead her next”.

“Many of my works have been inspired by a meditative/art

process that I started using over fourteen years ago,” noted

Russell. “I might write down a question, or questions, then

close my eyes. Using a pencil, with a light touch, I fill a page

with lines, circles, and squiggles. When I open my eyes I

will look for an image. If I see an image I will trace it with a

black ultra fine Sharpie pen. I might add or delete details,

using watercolor pencils and/or crayons to color the image.

Words might come to me and I will just jot them down next

to the image.”

Perhaps the work that she is best known for is a painting

using mixed media, her ode to Winston-Salem, "AWAKENING”.

A 2nd place winner in the Hanes Companies Competition in

2008, the work is currently part of their corporate collection.

“My inspiration came from seven drawings in my journal

along with my desire to communicate, through art, my view

of Winston-Salem as the city of the arts.”

Symbols in the painting include the bridge and the

Teapot in Old Salem and visual nuances from Downtown.

Symbols of music and dance, the Moravian Star, film and

theater, vineyards, and patches to represent the ever present

diversity of Winston-Salem complete the mix. “Some of these

symbols are obvious and some are there as an inspiration for

me. I also included Kudzu - which I saw from the air the first

time I flew into Winston-Salem.”

Ever the teacher, the facilitator and inspiration to others, Judi

is a Juried Member of Associated Artists of Winston-Salem.

She will be working with Associated Artists and Sawtooth as

an Instructor in the later part of 2012 and 2013. She will also

be sharing her creative process through Associated Artists of

Winston-Salem at the Sawtooth building during the “6 Days

in November” event. From airline stewardess to advertising

executive the art (and teacher within) never left her. n


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The Barber of Seville

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March 15, 17, 19, 2013


Cigars & Spirits

T he birth of my first daughter, Madelyn. My

graduation day from law school. The one

year anniversary of my company during the

worst economic downturn of our time. It

never fails: I always end up with a Vintage

1992 line from Rocky Patel on my platter.

This happens for a few reasons: 1) Rocky Patel is an

entrepreneur in an industry people told him he couldn’t

survive in, just like me; 2) He’s a trained attorney with a

love and respect for fine culture and fine art, just like me; 3)

Rocky Patel is one of the very best at what he does and has

proven it beyond all doubt.

The story was not always so smooth. His first line of cigars

was a disastrous failure. It left him with doubts regarding his

The Rocky Patel Vintage 1992By Ed Hanes

foray into this foreign land of cigar artisans and their ingenious

blend of leaves. The Vintage 1992 line is a tribute to his

persistence against the odds. This Torpedo shaped cigar is a

bit over 6 inches with a 52 ring gauge. That equates into a 45

minute stroll through Runnymede on a perfect fall afternoon:

75 degrees….leaves freshly on the ground….life laid out in

front of you….no worries today. Heavenly!

The cigar is perfectly wrapped in a flawless, ten-year-

old Ecuadorian Sumatra leaf. This wrapper gently cradles

a masterful blend of filler leaf that has been gently coaxed

to its most flavorful seven year climax. The binding of this

masterpiece is a true work of art. When stroked with the flame

from my butane torch, the result for cigar lovers is simply spell

binding.


WS Arts Magazine has designed and implemented a ratings system where cigars receive an E.D.S (really...I didn't name the rating system after myself) of 1-5.

Each review explains, in easy to understand terms, why we chose that particular rating for a given cigar. Our ratings system is described as follows:

1 E.D.S - These are cigars of last resort. They are questionable even if only mowing the yard or planting a garden.2 E.D.S - These cigars make tolerable companions while you wash your car. They aren't looking for attention, nor should they!3 E.D.S - These are pretty respectable cigars but may still fall short. We recommend them for the golf course, the back porch with one of your uninitiated friends, or for the after wedding party (for the husband of your best girlfriend who thinks he knows everything about cigars).4 E.D.S - Now we’re talking. Enjoy these fine cigars after a delicious meal or with your favorite cocktail. Again, I prefer Friday's at Single Brothers (or my Cigar Room). Join me!5 E.D.S - Respect your elders! These complex treats are true works of art. They deserve Coltrane, good friends, and your favorite adult tasty treat. Only the best! n

There is no doubt as to the expertise behind the

construction of the Vintage 1992. While firm to the touch,

once appropriately lit the draw is smooth and consistent. I

prefer a punched cigar but this torpedo requires the sure steel

of a well made guillotine cutter. If your slice is quick and true

this masterstroke of the cigar world will maintain its physical

integrity and perform gracefully.

Nuts and hardwood is the flavor of the moment with this

Rocky Patel. Your favorite cup of Joe is what is left on your

palate in the final stages. Consistent in its draw, the emitted

smoke is not as thick as one might imagine from such a well

made stogy. The true character of the cigar is its evolution

over time: like morning to evening, it takes you on a journey

of emotion, memory, and accomplishment. You don’t want

the day to end. You slow your stroll a little. You squeeze your

loved ones hand just a bit tighter for a bit longer. You take it all

in. This cigar deserves your patience.

The Rocky Patel Vintage 1992 is, in a word, flawless.

Coming to your local cigar shop at around $9 per stick, this is

certainly a deal compared to last months review of the Padron

Series 1926. While not cheap, the Vintage 1992 deserves

it’s space on the shelf beside the finest cigars in the world.

For it’s even burn…for thick and robust ash, for it’s beautiful

construction and artful soul, we give this Rocky Patel a rating

of 5 e.d.s n


Cigars & Spirits

In our premiere issue we promised to bring you reviews of the finest bourbon available. After our opening salvo (Booker's 7-Year Old Batch Numbered) we wanted our next choice to enter the stage at a different price point while not sacrificing our commitment to saluting only the

finest artisans of this age old craft. What, then, would be our next indulgence?

The answer was presented in the form of a long forgotten bottle resting peacefully in the back of my bar. “Triple A” is the name, or as the kind folks at the Buffalo Trace Distillery prefer, Ancient Ancient Age 10 Year Old. Some may wonder how a $13 bottle of bourbon can possibly be in the same class as the $60 bottle we reviewed last month. The answer is easy: it’s not…….but, surprisingly, they do live on the same block.

The Triple A has earned it’s place as a value added, premium crafted, nectar of the good earth for those interested in enjoying serious Kentucky bourbon. Ancient Ancient Age originates from the Buffalo Trace Distillery, sitting atop the banks of the Kentucky River. It is the oldest distilling site in the United States, resting on what local lore says was once an age old crossing for American bison. The distillery is named for the revered creature that created paths followed by the earliest Americans.

The broader Ancient Age brand has been around in excess of 60 years and comes in four variations:

• Ancient Age: 36 month old bourbon, bottled at 80 proof

• Ancient Ancient Age 10 Star: aged 6 years and bottled at 90 proof

• Ancient Ancient Age: a 10-year-old whiskey and bottled at 86 proof

• Ancient Age Preferred Blended Whiskey: bottled at 80 proof.

The star of this review is the 10-year-old whiskey, often confused with the “10 Star” as a result of the similarity of their labeling (and, we believe, because it is exceedingly difficult to get the 10 year outside of Kentucky while easy to get the 10 Star at the local ABC store). Ancient Age was originated at the George T. Stagg Distillery. That distillery went on to become the Ancient Age Distillery. The plant is now owned

by the Sazerac Company operating under the name of Buffalo Trace.

Buffalo Trace produces some of the best bourbon anywhere (Eagle Rare, Benchmark and a range of single-barrel bourbons-Blanton1, Rock Hill Farms, Elmer T. Lee and Hancock's Reserve). Their entry level Ancient Age brand is no exception. The 10 year old Ancient Ancient Age is uniquely situated and prepared for the challenge of even the most experienced bourbon drinkers. Unlike more expensive premiums (and we consider the Triple A an entry level premium)

this offering is not aggressive in it’s approach. It is an excellent entry point for novice bourbon drinkers.

While the Booker’s 7 Year “laughed at ice”, this bourbon is not so stout. During our tasting with two ice cubes, the bourbon became quickly watered and lost it’s character. One ice cube is the call of the day (or, as we later discovered, keeping your bottle of Ancient Ancient 10 Year chilled in the freezer may be the best way to capture the flavor of this unique bourbon).

The nose on the Ancient Ancient Age is excellent: a gentle breeze of oak, a whisper of flint fragrance….beautiful. The palate is slightly sweet in a raisin, dates, vanilla kind of way. No Southern Comfort lollipop style with this Bourbon. Natural sweetness rounded off with a kiss of cinnamon spice and a lingering yet satiny rye bite finish separate this offering from some of its less cultured cousins on the bottom shelf.

The Triple A’s smooth style is both it’s strength and it’s weakness: It has the blood lines of a prized stallion but, for practical purposes, merely trots through the bluegrass satisfied that it has fulfilled its calling. For a bourbon tipping

the scale at a mere 86 proof, the flavor palate is to be admired for it’s balance: not too sweet….

not too bold….just a nice stroll in Hanes Park.This is an excellent sipping bourbon that doesn’t require,

or deserve, a lot of fuss. Yes, it has great color. Yes, it has a fine aroma. Yes, it’s aged 10 years in the artesian manner that all Kentucky Bourbons must be produced. Unlike more expensive offerings in the Buffalo Trace stable, however, this one has a clear calling: Saturday afternoon on the porch….cigar at the ready…..your favorite man or lady at your side…..kids playing under the magnolias in your backyard. That’s Winston-Salem living. n

Ancient Ancient Age 10 Year Old: The Choice of the People

By Timothy Matthews


Arts News

87 Dance Productions, SECCA and

The Hanesbrands Theatre presents

Movies By Movers Vol. III, a film festival

that both celebrates and challenges

the boundaries of live human motion

through the art and magic of film and

digital media December 7th-9th 2012 in Winston Salem. The

Festival, now in its third season has grown exponentially since

its inception to include not only dance, as originally intended

by the festival’s founder, choreographer and dance filmmaker

Cara Hagan, but also skating, parkour, martial arts, mime and

more. For the first time, Movies By Movers will present feature

films in addition to its

short film program.

Bones Brigade:

An Autobiography,

is a documentary

directed by legendary

skateboarder and

filmmaker Stacy Peralta that illustrates the creation of The

Bones Brigade, a group of six teenage boys that grew to

become some of the world’s most influential athletes in the

field of skateboarding. People in Motion is a documentary

directed by Cedric Dahl that invites viewers into the world of

parkour, a sport that fosters daring self-expression through

acrobatic interaction with urban landscapes. The shorts

program features a diverse collection of films from across the

United States and abroad and includes many dance films, as

well as films that feature martial arts, mime and various forms

of performance art.

“As the festival has continued to grow, I have wanted to give

people from different movement communities an opportunity

to come together for an event that celebrates all sorts of

movement and share our collective passion and experience

with each other and those members of our community that

may not think they are movers.” Says Hagan. “The thing I love

most about presenting these films is that they demonstrate

that movement and a passion for living is something that is

accessible to anyone.”

The fest kicks off at The Hanesbrands Theatre on December

7th, with a showing of Bones Brigade: An Autobiography at

8pm and the Shorts Program 1 at 10pm. December 8th’s

events will take

place at SECCA,

with Bones Brigade:

An Autobiography

at 2pm, the Shorts

Program 2 at 7pm

and People in Motion

at 8pm. December 9th will take place at a/perture Cinemas

with a presentation of the final shorts program at 7:30pm.

Full schedule and ticket information can be found at www.

moviesbymovers.org. For questions, e-mail MBM directly

at [email protected] or call The Hanesbrands

Theatre, through which tickets will be sold, 336-747-1414.

The Hanesbrands Theatre – 209 N. Spruce Street,

Winston Salem, NC

SECCA – 750 Marguerite Drive, Winston Salem, NC

a/perture Cinemas – 311 W. Fourth Street, Winston Salem,

NC n

87 Dance ProDuctions, secca anD the hanesbranDs theatre

Presents... Movies by Movers vol. iii


T he Chancellor Search Committee of the

University of North Carolina School of the Arts

held its first meeting in late October. University

of North Carolina President Tom Ross gave the

committee its charge.

“I will tell you that … running an institution of

higher education, particularly a public

institution, is a difficult position to be

in, and it is increasingly difficult,” Ross

said as a preface to naming “certain

core characteristics” for which he is

looking.

“This is a special place and it will

require a special leader,” President

Ross said. First, he said, “You must

have a person with integrity. And you

must have a person with courage”

because that person is responsible for

managing in a very difficult environment,

increasingly so, with a great deal of public

scrutiny, in a challenging world … . The kind of

leader that can do that successfully is one that has

integrity and one that is courageous enough to make the right

decision.”

Ross continued: “I think it is going to be important

moving forward … to have an individual who can manage an

organization, who understands the nuances of both the law

and accounting requirements and principles but who also is

attentive to personnel and understands morale….”

He would look for “someone who will care deeply about the

faculty and the staff and will do everything possible to create

an environment for them to use their talents,” because they

are the people who work with the students. “If you don’t love

students, you won’t like the job,” he added.

“At this institution, if the person who is leading it does

not have a passion for the arts, they won’t be successful,”

Ross said, adding that the ideal candidate doesn’t have to

be a performer or someone who has run an arts institution.

But they must have a passion for “the concept of a public

conservatory,” he continued.

Ross said he would look for “someone who can manage in a

tough fiscal environment” but who has the ability to see beyond

financial constraints to articulate and

“sell” a vision “because that’s part of

what it takes to raise money.” Ross

said the candidate must be prepared

to “invest significant time and energy

in raising private resources.”

Other characteristics he cited

include:

• “The ability to understand and

manage a high school at the

same time you’re trying to

operate a university.”

• “Has to both be willing to engage with

the community but has to be able to

be successful at that.”

• “Highly value academics.”

• “People skills and communications skills.”

The committee has established a dedicated web page

for the search: www.uncsa.edu/chancellorsearch/, and the

actual audio of President Ross’ remarks are available there.

Chancellor Search Committee Chair Rob King also

announced the addition of another member on the Search

Committee: School of Dance alumnus Mark Land, representing

the alumni. Land joins two other alumni on the committee,

John Williams, who is representing the Board of Trustees, and

Jamie Call Blankinship, who is representing the faculty.

King said that based on conversations he had with some

alumni, he thought the addition of a person to specifically

represent the alumni “would add value to a well-rounded

team.” n

Arts News

school of the arts chancellor search coMMittee receives charge

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