Weekend Arts Roundup: Aquatic Arts

MPR News Arts Reporter Marianne Combs joins Jade (in for Jill Riley) and Sean McPherson to talk about

Mississippi River Boat Ballet — Fifty boats on the Mississippi River will perform a choreographed dance on the water; There will be boats of different shapes and sizes — and the boats themselves are the dancers. Patrick Scully, who created this boats-as-ballet concept, is bringing this idea to Minnesota on Friday, July 31, at 7 p.m., on the Mississippi River near Ole Olson Park just north of Broadway Avenue in Minneapolis.

The Floating Library — A much more intimate boat-on-the-water experience involves the Floating Library on Silver Lake in Silverwood Park in St. Anthony, Minn.; this Saturday at 8 p.m., the Floating Library presents Moonlight Paddle and Poetry, during which you can paddle the lake and while listening to poetry as the moon comes up. Canoes are available for free rental through the Three Rivers Parks District on a first come, first served basis.

The Boat Maker — The Minnesota Fringe Festival opens tonight, and Marianne has picked out The Boat Maker as one play to see. The story centers on Jack, a man who is shipwrecked on a lonely peninsula with a strange wizard and his assistant, and who dreams of building a better, unsinkable boat. This dramatic play is showing at the Theatre in the Round in Minneapolis, with shows tonight, over the weekend and into next week.

Marianne Combs joins The Current's Morning Show for the Weekend Arts Roundup every Thursday at 8:30 a.m. Read all the latest arts news from MPR News.

Related Stories

• Minnesota Fringe Festival 2015: Five musicals not to miss This year's Minnesota Fringe Festival opens on July 30, and as always, there are many musicals in the mix. From Gilbert & Sullivan to an all-female opera, here are five great picks.
• Paddle out to The Floating Library You won't need a library card to visit this one-of-a-kind spot, but you will need a boat.