Historical September 1983 report or notice. Original dates, prices and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
“River Faces: A Celebration of Water,” a city-wide series of arts events scheduled for Sept. 7-10, was announced by Nicholas Van Hevelingen, executive director of the St. Louis Arts and Humanities Commission.
With the St. Louis Ambassadors, the Commission is sponsoring these events, which include free workshops for community residents Sept. 7-9, a riverfront parade on Sept. 10. followed immediately by a performance of “Circle of Water Circus” by the In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre of Minneapolis.
The group, made up of 23 artistperformers, 150 large-scale puppets and masked characters, five children, and one dog, will arrive at the St. Louis riverfront on Tuesday, Sept. 6, by boat.
The company began their Mississippi River tour July 1 in Brainerd, Minnesota.
Before they arrive in New Orleans in late October, they will have presented their “Circle of Water Circus,” a- water-theme revue that combines the fun of a circus and the majesty of a pageant, in twenty-four cities and towns all along the Mississippi River corridor.
The “Circle of Water Circus” will be • presented in St. Louis on Saturday. Sept. 10, at 11 a.m. on the grounds of the Gateway Arch. Three-day workshops, led by members of In the Heart of the Beast and by St. Louis artists, are scheduled for Sept. 7-9, Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Workshops will be presented simultaneously in four St. Louis locations: CASA Midtown, 3207 Washington; Friedens Hall, 19th and Newhouse in Hyde Park: Craft Alliance, 6640 Delmar: and Cherokee Recreation Center, 3200 South Jefferson.
They are free and open to all area residents. Participants in the workshops will – create large-scale puppets and masks related to the overall theme of water.
They will also learn parade planning and performance techniques.
Registration for the workshops is required: call 622-3645 to register.
On Saturday, Sept. 10, the puppets, masks, and costumes made in the workshops will be donned by their makers for the Parade of River Faces, which begins at 10 a.m. in Laclede’s Landing. Members of neighborhood arts councils, youth organizations, and St. Louisans of all ages clad in their parade finery will march alongside acrobats and musicmakers, stilt walkers, and mimes. Runners who have just completed the Laclede’s Landing 3rd Annual Fall Run will also be welcomed to the parade.
When the parade reaches the South Pond under the Arch, the “Circle of Water Circus” begins. Conceived as a salute to the United Nations-declared Decade of Water, the spectacular outdoor show focuses on the heritage and the uncertain future of the Mississippi River.
The puppet creatures and masked characters seen in the parade tell the epic tale of this mighty river.
These four days of free community events are sponsored by the St. Louis Arts and Humanities Commission, an agency of the City of St. Louis established in 1979 to encourage and promote the arts and humanities for the benefit of all area residents.
The St. Louis Ambassadors is a major cosponsor of River Faces. Additional sponsors include Downtown St. Louis, Inc., the Missouri Arts Council, the LaSalle Park Arts Council, Vess Soda, Schnucks Markets, The Riverfront Times, and Laclede’s Landing Merchants Association.
Originally published in The Paper, September 1983.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1983_09.pdf, printed page(s) 6; PDF page(s) 6.
