Bridgman/Packer Dance

Bridgman/Packer Dance, the creation of Art Bridgman and Myrna Packer, are renowned for their innovative multimedia dance works. Not only do the company perform with impressive theatrics and physicality, they incorporate videos and other surprising elements in the dances, at some points even projecting the videos off the dancers themselves. The Boston Globe’s Karen Campbell called Bridgman/Packer Dance’s performance “flat-out exhilarating.”

According to the Jacob’s Pillow Web site, the program of three pieces—Seductive Reasoning, Under the Skin, and Memory Bank—will feature three composers performing live, including cellist-vocalist Robert Een, saxophonist Ken Field, and Grammy Award-winning percussionist Glen Velez.

Bridgman/Packer Dance will perform at Jacob’s Pillow, 358 George Carter Road, Becket, Mass., beginning tonight (Thursday, Aug. 16) through Sunday, Aug. 19. Shows on Thursday through Saturday will be held at 8:15 PM; on Saturday there will be an additional show at 2:15 PM; and Sunday’s show will be at 5 PM. Tickets are $28. For more information or to buy tickets, call (413) 243-9919 or visit jacobspillow.org.

Hot Celtic Nights!

The city of Albany’s special-events departments knows its audience pretty damn well. This week, there will be both a city-sponsored and a state-sponsored Celtic music event downtown. We Albanians tend to come out in droves to see Celtic music, so these concerts seem the appropriate finish for two popular downtown summer music series.

Tonight, the Alive at Five theme is Celtic Rock Night, and it will feature Greenwich Meantime and Rathkeltair, with Loudonville-based Celtic-American folk band Flynn 529 opening the show. Canadian Celtic rock quintet Greenwich Meantime are on tour in support of their new album, Proof, out last spring; Rathkeltair, who describe themselves as Celtic-rock-jam-fusion, will co-headline the show.

The Celtic fun continues on Wednesday, when Irish rock band the Saw Doctors (pictured) headline a show at the plaza (Empire State, that is) that will also feature performances by the Glengarry Bhoys and the Prodigals.

Greenwich Meantime, Rathkeltair and Flynn 529 will perform at Alive at Five (Albany Riverfront Park, Corning Preserve, Albany) tonight (Thursday, Aug. 16) at 5 PM. For more information, call 434-2032 or visit albanyevents.org. The Saw Doctors, Glengarry Bhoys and the Prodigals will play the Empire State Plaza on Wednesday, Aug. 22, from 5 to 10 PM. For more information, call 473-0559 or visit ogs.state.ny.us. Both of these events are free and open to the public.

Troy Chowderfest ’07

Yum, yum! We here at Metroland love us some chowder. If you feel the same way, why not mosey on over to River Street in Troy on Saturday for the First Annual Chowderfest. There will be food. There will be music. There will be chowder.

Almost 30 Troy restaurants are participating. The chowder tastings are only $1, and there will be a chowder contest judged by “local celebrities.” It’s family friendly fun in a funky downtown atmosphere.

Troy Chowderfest ’07 will be held on River Street (Troy) on Saturday (Aug. 18) from 11 AM to 3 PM. For more info, call 266-9161.