Kitka, May, Arts and the Economy (Episode #707H)

* For 30 years, the all-female vocal group Kitka has performed music rooted in Eastern European musical traditions. In a recent trip to rural Ukraine, they studied Slavic folk songs that previously only existed in the memories of the old women who live there. Spark joins Kitka as they rehearse and perform a new performance based on the songs and stories that were passed down to them.
* Next, the mixed-media work of Santa Cruz artist Victoria May is inspired by the intricate process of custom dress-making. A former seamstress by trade, May now makes sculptural textile pieces that blend traditional hand sewing techniques with evocative and unexpected materials.
* Then, in a special collaboration with PBS' The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, we investigate how the current economy is affecting artists in the Bay Area. How are they coping with the economic downturn? Some scholars and activists think hope lies in government support. What can we learn from the historic WPA programs that provided employment for 8.5 Million Americans during the 1930's?

Repeated on:
Sun, Nov 15, 2009 -- 5:30 PM on KQED Life
Sat, Nov 14, 2009 -- 2:00 PM on KQED Life
Sat, Nov 14, 2009 -- 5:30 AM on KQED 9HD
Fri, Nov 13, 2009 -- 11:30 PM on KQED 9HD
Thu, Nov 12, 2009 -- 1:30 AM on KQED 9HD

Frontiers of Dance (Episode #205)

Spark explores the frontiers of the dance world with some of the Bay Area's most innovative choreographers and performers.
* Butoh artist Ledoh - The Bay Area has become a flourishing center for butoh, a modern dance of darkness that originated in post-war Japan. Spark goes into rehearsals with veteran butoh dancer Ledoh, as he uses this contemporary Japanese form to explore the ancient, agrarian roots of his Ka-Ren ancestry in Burma.
* AXIS Dance Company's Dust - AXIS Dance Company has a long history of delivering performances that stun and delight, combining the work of dancers with and without physical disabilities. This season marks the world premiere of a new work by well-known choreographer Victoria Marks called Dust, a provocative choreo-portrait of AXIS that challenges the viewer's assumptions about each of the performers. Spark is backstage throughout the process, from first tentative improvisation to opening night.
* The Art of Poi - At the Crucible, an industrial arts center in Oakland, dance teacher Belva Stone instructs her students in the art of poi, an ancient fire dance first practiced by the Maori people of New Zealand. Swinging fiery balls on cords, students struggle to overcome their fears and spin fire.

FYCO, McCormick, and Guerrero (Episode #706H)

* San Jose's Firebird Youth Chinese Orchestra offers Chinese-American kids a chance to learn to play the traditional instruments from their ancestral homeland. This spring, the100 member orchestra will accompany the famed Shaolin Monks with a new composition.
* Next, follow environmental artist Daniel McCormick as he creates and installs a new site-specific, temporary sculpture in the wilds of West Marin. McCormick's biodegradable woven forms are helping to rehabilitate threatened watersheds and prevent creek bed erosion.
* Then, artist Jaime Guerrero translates imagery from his Mexican heritage into blown glass.

Repeated on:
Sun, Nov 8, 2009 -- 5:30 PM on KQED Life
Sat, Nov 7, 2009 -- 2:00 PM on KQED Life
Sat, Nov 7, 2009 -- 5:30 AM on KQED 9HD
Fri, Nov 6, 2009 -- 11:30 PM on KQED 9HD
Thu, Nov 5, 2009 -- 1:30 AM on KQED 9HD

Elevating The Everyday (Episode #306)

* Furniture maker Garry Knox Bennett - Bennett crafts outlandish and often humorous furniture designs. For more than thirty years, he has pushed the boundaries of furniture with his unconventional tables, desks, chairs, and lamps. Rebelling against the purists of the woodworking field, Garry was one of the first furniture makers to use formica, plastic and aluminum in his pieces. Spark visits Bennett's Oakland workshop to watch him produce the last in a series of 50 chairs for an upcoming exhibit.
* Ceramic Artist Richard Shaw - the internationally recognized ceramic artist is known for his pioneering technical virtuosity and his witty investigation of everyday objects. Spark joins him as he finishes teaching a semester at UC Berkeley and begins to work feverishly on a new set of work destined for unveiling at the Braunstein/Quay Gallery in San Francisco.
* Mosaic artist Laurel True - True transforms the humblest of surfaces with her brilliantly colored designs. She has been creating mosaics for twelve years, and her works can now be found on buildings and installations throughout the US. Among her 50 architectural projects she counts commission for major corporations and municipalities, as well as community art projects that include residents and school children in design and execution. Spark follows her process as Laurel transforms one small corner of her West Oakland neighborhood.

Repeated on:
Sat, Nov 21, 2009 -- 5:30 AM on KQED 9HD
Fri, Nov 20, 2009 -- 11:30 PM on KQED 9HD
Thu, Nov 19, 2009 -- 1:30 AM on KQED 9HD