STREB: Forces

Streb: Forces is a show with a little bit of everything.  Dancing, stunts, and acrobatics are just some of the performances included in this massive show.   Elizabeth Streb's choreography is called "Pop Action" as it combines circus arts with dance and stunt work.  This provides the audience with an amazing show that everyone should see at least once.

Elizabeth Streb is a mad scientist. 

How else would you describe a woman who devises diabolically dangerous-looking scenarios for her group of "action heroes" (a.k.a. "action engineers"), who dodge swinging cinder blocks, fall flat to the ground from multiple-story heights and run for their lives inside a monster-sized hamster wheel — all in the name of entertainment? 

In truth, Streb is an award-winning choreographer who has developed a unique movement form she calls "Pop Action." It combines science and human daring with elements of dance, the circus arts and Hollywood stuntwork. 

After a long absence, Streb and her self-named New York-based company return to Pittsburgh and the Byham Theater Sept. 28 and 29. Their latest "Action" spectacular, STREB: Forces, is the season-opener for the Pittsburgh Dance Council. 

The company is fresh off a stint at London's Cultural Olympiad, part of the festivities surrounding the London Olympics. There, STREB performed action events at seven London landmarks, including the Millennium Bridge and Trafalgar Square. Now, STREB brings to Pittsburgh perhaps its most theatrical multimedia production to date. 

For the all-ages STREB: Forces, the company is trucking in 15 tons of equipment, including machines designed to create artificial gravity and the illusion of flight for the performers.
Jam-packed with thrilling works and action events with names like "Crush," "Fall," "Invisible Forces" and "Roboto," STREB: Forces marries the scientific principles of motion with the adrenaline rush of a super coaster ride. 

Some elements of the show may be similar to past productions. For instance, there's "Spatial Rifts," a revamped version of Streb's popular vertical-wall piece "Run Up Walls," in which performers crash into, climb onto and throw themselves against a transparent wall. This time around, Streb says, the performers will be attached to one another in pairs to create a counterweight system: When one goes down, the other goes up. And much of show is new, including an action event that simulates moonwalking using a 30-feet-by-30-feet frictionless floor. 

 "These things burst into reality from playing around with new pieces of equipment at our Action Lab," says Streb by the phone from New York City, where the Lab is located. "They are the mad trajectories of what brings joy and action to people's lives."

For more information see The City Paper.

The Pittsburgh Great Race

The Pittsburgh Great Race is just around the corner and events will kick off this Sunday.  1000 kids will participate in the Dollar Bank Junior Great Race.  There will be face painting, activities, and a variety of races for the kids to participate in with their families.

With fall just around the corner, runners around the area are gearing up for the Great Race.

To kick off “Great Race Week” roughly 1,000 kids will participate in the 17th running of the Dollar Bank Junior Great Race on Sunday, Sept. 23.

“The Dollar Bank Junior Great Race is undeniably one of the most entertaining, non-competitive races for Pittsburgh’s kids,” Great Race Director Mike Radley said in a statement. “It’s a perfect family activity that combines health, fitness and fun.”

Events of the day are as follows:

10:30 a.m. – Packet pick up. Face painting and other activities will be available for the kids as well.
Noon – One-Mile Family Fun Run at Point State Park, 50-Yard Tot Trot & Diaper Dash

Registration for the Junior Great Race is $8 if done in advance and $10 on the day of the event.
Applications are online at www.RunGreatRace.com and you can also call Dollar Bank at (412)-255-2493.

A goodie bag containing a Junior Great Race and medal will be handed out to all registered kids.

For more information see CBS Local.

New Baby Rhino at the Zoo

 There is a new baby at the Pittsbugh Zoo, but at 70lbs it is not a very tiny baby.  Azizi the Rhino gave birth to a new baby last week at the Zoo.  It was her first baby in 45 years.  This baby will be a small step in the re-population of rhinos, as there are only a little less than 5000 left in the world.


Weighing in at nearly 70 pounds, the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium's newest addition is sure to be the city's biggest baby of the year.

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  At nearly 70 pounds, Azizi's new calf is sure to be Pittsburgh's biggest baby of the year.
  

Channel 4 Action News visited the zoo Thursday to get a look at the female calf that was born to Azizi.




“We are so excited to welcome a big, beautiful, bouncing, female rhino,” zoo president and CEO Dr. Barbara Baker said in a news release.

Zoo officials said keepers noticed Azizi pacing and appearing uncomfortable last week before she gave birth to the first baby rhino in the city in more than 45 years.

Keepers are continually feeding Azizi and making sure she keeps her strength up, because the yet-unnamed baby nurses every hour.

Visitors can check the zoo's website for information about when the baby will be introduced to the public.

Only 4,800 black rhinoceroses remain in the wild, dropping by 96 percent between 1970 and 1992, according to a news release from the zoo.

“The birth of a black rhino is significant because they are critically endangered and Azizi’s calf will introduce new blood lines into the zoo population,” said Baker.

Read more at WTAE.

Pittsburgh Irish Festival

 Celebrate your Irish heritage this weekend at the Pittsburgh Irish Festival.  This is the festival's 21st year, and it expected to be bigger than ever.   Food, drinks, music, and dancing all await at the festival that opens tomorrow at the Waterfront.

The Pittsburgh Irish Festival is back, and proudly celebrating its 21st year! Thanks to the rich Irish heritage that is an integral part of our city, this festival enjoys enormous popularity, and this year the entertainment promises to satisfy the crowds of ‘Burghers who have made it a family tradition. The organizers, the Irish Partnership, dedicate themselves to “preserving and presenting Irish culture and heritage in the area”, and the festival is the yearly feather in their tweed cap. It can boast being the largest Irish festival in the state, and is the only Irish festival in Pittsburgh and the surrounding region. The PA tourism office designated the event a “Pennsylvania Preferred Festival.”

Children can enjoy special performances and activities, including sing-a-longs and storytelling. One of our favorite attractions is the Irish Dog tent, where you can encounter the regal (and gigantic) Irish Wolfhound. A special Gaelic Mass will also be held on Sunday, September 11th at 10am.

Of course, the centerpiece every year is the music, and the lineup that is planned is sure to not disappoint. National artists including Makem and Spain Brothers and Gaelic Storm will be sharing the stages with local Pittsburgh favorites like Corned Beef and Curry and Red Hand Paddy. Irish dance is always a popular attraction at the festival, and this year performing companies include Bell School of Irish Dance, Shovlin Academy of Irish Dance and the Ballet Academy of Pittsburgh. There is enough entertainment to send you reeling. To keep everything straight, check out the schedule here.

Tickets are $10 in advance for adults and $12 at the gate. Senior and students (with ID) are $8. Active and Retired Military Officers, and Public Safety Officers (with ID) are $5. Children under 12 are free. You can purchase tickets in advance by visiting the website.

Insider Tip: Special admission prices are featured on Friday from 4-6pm, when those 13 and over are admitted for $3. Also on Friday from 6-8pm, students (with ID) receive discounted admission of $5.

For more information see CBS Pittsburgh.