By: centraljersey.com
Temple dance
The West Windsor Arts Council kicks off its inaugural Season of the Arts with scintillating temple dance from India performed by principal dancer and choreographer Ramya Ramnarayan and her students of the Nrithyanjali Dance Institute. The performance will take place at 8 p.m. in the newly opened West Windsor Arts Center.
Bharatnatyam dancing has an unbroken tradition going back more than 5,000 years. Originating in the ancient temples of South India, it involves graceful movements, stylized gestures and facial expressions, sculpture-like poses and complex rhythmic patterns to convey various themes and stories.
Tickets are $20 online at www.westwindsorartscenter.org or by calling 609-716-1931. Free parking is available at the Wallace Road Permit Lot, Princeton Junction Station.
A royal occasion
Princeton Pro Musica will open its 32nd season in royal style with Handel’s unspeakably magnificent Coronation Anthems and W. A. Mozart’s Mass in C Major, known as the "Coronation Mass." Music Director Frances Fowler Slade will conduct the concert at 8 p.m. in the Princeton University Chapel.
Handel’s four Coronation Anthems were written for the coronation of George II as king of England on Oct. 11, 1727, in Westminster Abbey. The composition of ceremonial music usually was done by the Composer of the Chapel Royal, but King George specifically requested Handel, who had become a British subject. The texts are Biblical, and their use in royal coronations stretches back to the Middle Ages.
Soloists for the Mozart Mass include Jennifer Lam, soprano; Lisa Wildman, alto; Eric Johnson, tenor; and Michael Fuchs, bass. Eric Plutz, Princeton Pro Musica accompanist and Princeton University organist, will play continuo for both works.
Single tickets range from $25 to $55, 609-683-5122 or www.princetonpromusica.org.
Sunday, Oct. 24
‘Death Notice’
Todd Ritter of Montgomery will be signing copies of his debut mystery, "Death Notice," at 2 p.m. at Borders Books & Music, 601 Nassau Park Blvd., West Windsor. Mr. Ritter, a member of The Star-Ledger’s editorial staff, has been hailed as "a fresh new voice in fiction," and the novel – homicidal maniac afflicts Pennsy hamlet – has been praised for "well-drawn characters and spare, unflinching prose."
Admission is free.
– Michael Redmond

