15 minute read
CORNERS OF CREATION
Advertisement
by Colleen Hanke
Everyone needs a creative outlet. Some people knit, some people paint, Kate Starks dances with flaming hula hoops.
Kate founded Corners of Creation in 2016 in the hopes of inspiring others the way she was inspired to learn fire dancing. She saw a fire dancer perform and was enraptured with the art. Then, she was determined to learn how to do it.
“I remember watching a group of people do it for the first time and I was just so incredibly inspired by the joy on their face, and just the act of being so fully involved in what they were doing, that I was like, ‘I need to learn how to do that!’” Kate says.
After a few years of training and learning about performing, Kate decided to bring together performers she had met and Corners of Creation was born.
“I thought, you know, there’s a lot of us here that have all the goofy, fun skills, and we just have something that we can contribute to make people happy and inspire them,” Kate says. together.
“Corners of Creation came from the idea that there can be inspiration found even in the smallest places, even if you don’t really notice it,” Kate says. “There’s inspiration everywhere, whether it be from nature, from your friends, from a movie that you watched. I mean, everything comes together for you to be able to create. It’s just limitless.”
Kate’s favorite trick to perform is a multi-hoop balancing act. She goes from standing to lying down and back again while balancing a hoop on her head and twirling more hoops on her arms.
“I just really like trying to push my limits and boundaries to create the wow factor for events,” Kate says.
Kate does performances with her hoops, but she also does a few different kinds of fire dance.
“I also do fire dance, which comes in many forms — juggling, movement with fans, staffs, even poi. Poi is pretty common in a lot of movies… people in the background doing some fire dancing, some Polynesian-style dance. I’ll do a lot of that. The thing that’s great about fire performing is that there are so many different props that can be wicked and set on fire!” Kate says. “I’ve seen the absolutely silliest things. From a giant fork with a wick on it to something like torches or rings or things like that. It’s really creative what people can engineer.”
Safety comes first for Corners of Creation. There is always a fire department official on site when fire acts are being performed. Kate highlights the importance of safe handling of fire props and proper costuming.
“When we spin fire and perform with fire, we are very cautious about the clothing, the material that we wear. It would always be natural fibers. Our performance costuming would consist of anywhere from cotton, wool, silk, things like that, as opposed to synthetic fibers, possibly rayon… or polyester, that’s another one that’s a no-no for us,” Kate says. “The reason being, if you should accidentally catch on something that’s natural fiber, it’s something that you can just pat out and the material itself would ash if it were to continue to burn. But it’s something that you can catch really fast if it should happen.” variety of events, from music festivals to birthday parties to corporate events. The performers will dress up in costumes to match whatever aesthetic that the client requests.
“We essentially will do any theme that a client is looking for. So we can even do things like princess parties if somebody was interested in that,” Kate says. “And also even for like corporate events, if somebody was interested in having character actors to greet guests at their event or serve champagne and things like that. Kind of engage in shenanigans with people and make them laugh and add to the experience of the event.”
If you’re looking to add a little fire and fun to your next event, Corners of Creation will be ready to make your party a success.
Learn more about Corners of Creation at cornersofcreationarts.com.
// Colleen Hanke is a senior at The University of Akron.
This month the Akron Pizza Task Force did it a little differently, quarantinestyle, at Luca’s New York Style Pizza.
If you are looking for that classic, thincrust, greasy large slice of New York-style pizza, Luca’s is your place. Luca’s is one of the only places in Akron that serves handtossed New York style pizza. That includes homemade dough and sauce that is made fresh daily. Luca’s also offers calzones, stromboli, cheese steaks and subs.
Although I was unable to get the full experience of a sit-down meal at Luca’s due to COVID-19 regulations, we were still able to pick our meal to go, and Luca’s also offers delivery options.
Pizza Breakdown
Crust: Luca’s offers only New York-style thin crust. I was pleasantly surprised by their crust. Typically, I am the person who leaves their crust on the plate, but the garlicky fl avor and airy texture kept me happy enough to fi nish the whole piece.
Sauce: Although Luca’s offers specialty pizzas such as Buffalo Wing, Chicken Bacon Ranch, and White Pizza, we stuck with tasting the traditional pizza. This included a wonderfully seasoned red sauce that had different tones of herbs without being overpowering.
Toppings: Because we were stuck inside, we were craving comfort. We stuck with the traditional cheese pizza with pepperoni. The pepperoni we had seemed fresh and of the right proportion. Luca’s offers all varieties of toppings as well as specifi c specialty pizzas.
Leftovers: Get ready, because it is likely you will have some. I heated mine up in the oven. The taste and texture of course were slightly soggy, but I still enjoyed the fl avor!
$$$: Pizza at Luca’s is on the pricier side, but the portion size of the pizza is not disappointing. The smallest cheese pizza is 14” at $10.49, a 16” medium is $12.49, an 18” large is $14, and a 25” extra-large is $25. Extra cheese and additional toppings cost extra.
Atmosphere: Luca’s offers both dine-in and carry-out options. However, due to the circumstances, we were not allowed to dine in. The one complaint I had was how small the parking lot was. We ordered on a Friday night, a busy pizza night, and there were only 3 available spaces to park your car for the workers to come bring it out to the customer.
Pizza: I would defi nitely order from Luca’s again. I am a fan of the thin New York style. The sauce was incredible with a favorable crust. The pizza is a little on the greasy side, but that’s just one of the qualities of that style of pizza!
Rating: Out of 10 slices, the Akron Pizza Task Force rates this pizza joint 7 slices.
Luca’s New York Style Pizza 3451 Darrow Rd, Stow 330-688-9595
Monday-Wednesday 4-10 pm Thursday-Saturday 11 am-10 pm Sunday 1-9 pm
// The Akron Pizza Task Force is made up of students from the Taylor Institute for Direct Marketing at the University of Akron.
Pizzazio’s
words and photos by Jacob Farrar Akron Pizza Task Force
If it wasn’t for Gov. Mike DeWine’s mandate to limit restaurants to take-out and delivery only, and my family’s desire to support some of our local restaurants, I am not sure I would have taken the chance to try Pizzazio’s in Wadsworth. While I appreciate a good pizza and want to support small business, I have a house of very picky eaters and semi-pro pizza snobs — just in the wrong way. And what I mean is, if it’s not pizza from a specifi c pizza chain (which will go nameless), they won’t eat it. Weird kids.
Since I live in Wadsworth, I decided to order from the top-rated pizza place in town — a decision I did not regret.
Crust: The fi rst thing to notice is that Pizzazio’s is not for thin crust fanatics. The crust is nice and “bready.” In fact, I would almost classify it as a thick-crust pizza. The bread-like texture was a great foundation for the pizza we ordered, the Pepperoni Melt. With multiple layers of pepperoni and cheese, a thin-crust pizza would cower under the weight of the tasty goodness on top. You defi nitely need a thick crust for this pizza.
Sauce: The sauce on the Pepperoni Melt pizza did exactly what pizza sauce is supposed to do — not be the star of the show and not detract from the other elements of the pie. If the sauce isn’t tasty, it ruins the pizza. But if it overpowers the crust and the toppings, that is no good either. The sauce was just there to be the sauce — an equal member of the holy trinity of pizza (dough, cheese and sauce). Pizzazio’s touts that the quality of the sauce is rooted in the quality of the fresh tomatoes they get from California.
Toppings: One thing you will notice when ordering Pizzazio’s is the mix of traditional pizza fl avors with some not-so traditional, like Taco and Texan (barbecue chicken). We went with the Pepperoni Melt. While my favorite pizza is barbecue chicken, I needed to appease the entire household with a more traditional fl avor. The Pepperoni Melt features multiple layers of pepperoni and a mixture of both mozzarella and provolone cheese, also with multiple layers. While the amount of cheese was exactly what I expected, I thought there could have been more pepperoni on the pizza.
The Final Slice
Cheese Pull: As I mentioned earlier, the cheese on the pizza we ordered defi nitely delivered. And with both mozzarella and provolone — you won’t be disappointed.
$$$: The pizza selection at Pizzazio’s is reasonably priced. I feel we paid a fair price for what we got. Our small Pepperoni Melt pizza was just under $10, and the specialty pizzas will run you a little more. The small pizza was a 10” that had six slices, perfect for two kids and me.
Takeout/Delivery: If you don’t live in Wadsworth, takeout is the only way you are getting this pizza. The delivery area is basically the town of Wadsworth and there is a $2 delivery charge. Since we live on the outskirts and I needed to leave my house after fi ve straight days indoors, I opted for the pickup.
The pizza was ready when I got there, and I was surprised by how busy they looked. I had this notion in mind that our order would be the only one they had received that day. Not true. They looked very busy, and a delivery person was just getting back as I was leaving. When I got home, the pizza and the other menu items we ordered were correct and traveled home well. Takeout was not an issue with this place. We may have to try delivery next time.
Pizza: And yes, there will be a next time. And we will be sure to order even more items off the large and tasty looking menu. In addition to pizzas, Pizzazio’s also offers burgers, pasta dishes, subs and their “famous” foldover pizzas. The foldover is akin to calzone, just without the sealed edges. All of the same fl avors from the specialty pizzas, plus more, are available as foldovers.
Since this was our fi rst experience with Pizzazio’s, I wanted a variety of items. We ordered a couple of subs, a foldover, the small Pepperoni Melt pizza, and my wife insisted on jojos — we are in Akron, after all! Plenty of food for six eaters, and there was some left over for lunch the next day. And with a large menu with awesome variety, there’s plenty of stuff to choose from so you don’t get bored during the Stay-At-Home order from our governor.
Rating: Out of 10 slices, the Akron Pizza Task Force rates this pizzeria a solid 8.5.
Pizzazio’s 157 Broad, Wadsworth 330-336-1600
Sunday-Thursday 10:30 am-9 pm Friday-Saturday 10:30 am-10:30 pm
Left: Visitors use a track chair to explore the backcountry at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan. (Photo: Used with permission from Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes.) Right: Colleen Unsworth demonstrates a device to study animal movement in the University of Akron’s biomechanics lab. The surface lights up when touched. (Photo: NPS/Arrye Rosser.)
scientific research toward innovation. I’m a really hands-on person who likes to build and design . . . (and) I have an intense desire to help people,” Colleen says.
Crooked River Reflections
IMPROVING ACCESS TO NATURE
by Arrye Rosser Cuyahoga Valley National Park
About an hour into my conversation with Colleen Unsworth, it dawned on me that we are approaching the same challenge using an entirely different set of skills. Our common interest is in helping people with disabilities experience nature as independently as possible. We both have science backgrounds but have gravitated toward an interdisciplinary field with opportunities for creativity and practical problem-solving.
Beyond that, our points of view diverge. I’m a communicator. When COVID-19 does not have Ohio homebound, my office is in a small historic building that looks out on floodplain forest and the tracks of a scenic railroad. My duties at Cuyahoga Valley National Park include serving as the accessibility coordinator. I’ve been wrestling with how to ensure that the most important park experiences and stories are available to all visitors, regardless of ability. Recently this work has included editing an audio description script, developing tactile exhibits, inspecting assistive listening devices, setting up a dual-screen communication device at a new visitor center, supervising interns in gathering trail accessibility data, distributing a new Braille brochure, and writing alt text for website images. about. She is a Ph.D. student researching biomechanics and biomimicry with bioinspired robotics expert Dr. Henry Astley. Colleen is particularly interested in how “elongate” (that is, worm-shaped) animals move over uneven surfaces and “how animal feet support load under dynamic conditions.” This research is informing new designs for all-terrain mobility aids. (My imagination quickly goes to seniors slithering through boulder fields in superhero-like snake suits. No.)
During the next two years, Colleen’s team plans to prototype a chair, a walker and a cane that can handle the obstacles of everyday life. This includes curbs, ramps, narrow spaces and surfaces such as sand and dirt. Along a trail, this could be rocks and tree roots as tall as about 8 inches.
This passion stems from Colleen’s experiences as a counselor and caretaker at a camp for adults and children with disabilities. Both of her parents have disabilities. “I want to help people in need, specifically people who have limited access to resources and opportunities that many of us take for granted each day,” she says.
Colleen patiently explains that biomechanics is essentially the physics of biological systems, a topic I’ve never considered. The biomimicry part is about applying design solutions found in nature to address human problems. To help explain her prototype, Colleen shows me a close-up video of a large, spotted snake and chunky brown millipede moving through a research chamber. The legless reptile and “thousand-footed” invertebrate are on distant branches of the family tree, but they have similar shapes.
One of the appeals of biomimicry is that evolution favors stripped-down, efficient solutions. Traditional engineering tends to add bells and whistles. In a mobility aid, that can mean extra weight, bulk, rigidity and cost. Most only work well on firm, even surfaces. Colleen, on the other hand, plans to create sleek devices that are cheaper and more sustainable because they use fewer materials and are more energy-efficient. She is looking for the right balance between rigidity for support and shock absorbance for comfort.
But she cannot tell me too much — or name her study animal — until copyright protections are in place. In the fall, Colleen’s start-up was registered as an Ohio limited liability company. It is called Natraverse, combining “nature” and “traverse.” Natraverse is on track to file its first provisional patent and is looking for funding and partners to fabricate its prototypes. (It is at this point that I must add that the National Park Service does not endorse particular products or businesses.)
There are alternatives already on the market. A park volunteer recently suggested that I look into an accessibility device provided by a sister park in Michigan. At Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, people with limited mobility can reserve a track chair to climb the unpaved Bay View Trail to a scenic overlook. This heavy-duty chair has caterpillar treads and is operated by a joystick. A volunteer host explains the controls and hikes along as a safety precaution.
Jeanne Esch and Kathy Tuckerman, who manage the program for the park friends’ group, served more than 70 children and adults in their first season. Because of the demand, they just announced the purchase of a second track chair. This equipment requires a locked trailer and electricity at the trailhead to recharge its batteries between uses. A one-chair setup costs about $18,000 to $20,000, plus staff time.
The National Park Service cannot charge a fee for any accessibility aids that we provide, so we typically write grants to support this type of service.
Not all mobility aids are allowed in national parks, however. For example, you cannot use a Segway because they are considered motorized vehicles. In September, Cuyahoga Valley hosted the Department of Interior’s announcement of a policy change: E-bikes, which require pedaling, are not considered motorized vehicles. Park superintendents can approve the use of Class I and II models on trails that allow traditional bicycles. At Cuyahoga Valley, you can e-bike on the Towpath and the Bike & Hike trails, but not on mountain bike trails (per Ohio law).
At heart, accessibility is a civil rights issue. In the big picture, these collective efforts result in more personal choice, more independence, and more equity. This impacts many individuals and their loved ones. Exploring the boundaries—and the future—of this field is an adventure in itself.
Are you or a loved one unsure about visiting Cuyahoga Valley National Park because of a mental or physical condition? Ranger Arrye Rosser, the park’s accessibility coordinator, can help you plan a great trip. Contact her at arrye_rosser@nps.gov for advice tailored to your interests.
