Letterpress Fest trophies.

I’m so excited about the prints I collected at last week’s Letterpress Fest, presented by AIGA Charlotte. And though I love the “You’re Just My Typo” print that I made with my own two hands (and fits us to a T – typo mentions AND it uses our brand colors!), I’ve decided my top prize is this print from Kyle Durrie’s moving typeshop, aka Moveable Type.

"This is Not a Taco Truck" by Kyle Durrie

My favorite quotes from the event came from Jim Sherraden of Hatch Show Print: “We as human beings are hardwired for process.” So true, Jim, so true. But even better was his approach to working with clients: “I’m always seeking to put meat on the bones of our clients’ history.” Those wise words speak to a practice founded on (but not bound by) a working knowledge of precedent. Jim’s got some lucky clients indeed.

NCDT's Anna Gerberich & Pete Walker in Last Lost Chance. Photographer Peter Zay.

Last Saturday, the North Carolina Dance Theater’s young professionals group, Opening Night Insiders, presented the 5^th Annual Runway for the Ballet. A nod to New York Fashion Week (which ends today), the event featured spring fashions styled by Neiman Marcus and modeled by the NCDT dancers, whose dynamic, lithe bodies were a welcome site after watching hours of more angular muses on the NYFW catwalks.

Of course, the best part of Runway for the Ballet – besides the fashion and the opportunity to hang out with your favorite dancers – is, well yes, the dancing. I can’t say it enough, our NCDT dancers are amazing. Period. Saturday’s event treated us to three excerpts from the season, showcasing the dancers’ versatility and the company’s range of repertoire.

David Ingram in Bolero. Photographer Peter Zay.

First came Dwight Rhoden’s athletic Alleged Dances, dominated by Sarah Hayes Watson’s precision and verve. The sultry and powerful choreography of Bolero was made all the steamier by David Ingram’s solid, machismo-flecked performance. Last Lost Chance, choreographed by seasoned NCDT dancer Sasha Janes and featuring Anna Gerberich and Pete Walker, spoke to the process of art-making  and the uncertain moments that ensue.

I must mention, as the piece he danced suggests, Mr. Walker is  developing into a true artist. On Saturday, he danced with a new confidence and quality of movement that I hadn’t seen in him previously – a very welcome sight as some of the company’s veteran male leads inevitably move off-stage in coming seasons.

If you missed it, we gave away two tickets to Opera Carolina’s Madama Butterfly today! We’ll be at the performance tomorrow, too, and cannot wait! The show received rave reviews for its opening on Saturday night. I personally can’t wait to see the set, costumes, and video work by Japanese artist Jun Kaneko.

I’ll report back, but in the meantime, congratulations to Ms. Nikki Mueller, the one-woman assembly line behind Not Made in China, who won today’s tickets. If you don’t own one of her buttons, magnets, or bags yet, you better get on it. She’s blowing up, y’all.

You may be wondering, how did she win those tickets? Here’s how: by correctly answering “La Scala” for our architecture meets opera question, “In what theater did Madama Butterfly originally premiere in 1904?” La Scala is one of the most beautifully done renovation projects of the new millennium. That renovation was done by none other than Mario Botta who also designed Charlotte’s own Bechtler Museum. I simply couldn’t resist the lovely, connected web.

Photos from Opera Carolina’s press page.