MONMOUTH – Western Oregon University’s Smith Fine Arts Series will launch a string of outstanding performances of music, dance and theatre on Oct. 7 for the 2005-06 season.

Pink Martini, a Portland-based 12-piece orchestra, will perform on Friday, Oct. 7 at Rice Auditorium. The orchestra is somewhere between a 1930s Cuban dance orchestra, a classical chamber music ensemble, a Brazilian marching street band and Japanese film noir. Harvard graduate and classically trained pianist, Thomas M. Lauderdale, created the group in 1994. Pink Martini has performed with symphonies around the United States and made its European debut at the Cannes Film Festival.

On Wednesday, Dec. 7 the series will feature Do Jump!, a combination of dance and acrobatics commonly referred to as theater-in-motion. This ensemble of multi-talented “actorbats,” accompanied by a bevy of musicians, designers and technicians, began in 1977. They perform astonishing gravity-defying feats, using an assortment of stage props ranging from swings to stilts to tables and chairs that hang high up on the walls.

The Emerson String Quartet will grace the series on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2006. For over 25 years, the quartet has been a pacesetter in the areas of classical and contemporary repertoire, including theatrical presentations. Their ensemble playing is legendary and their accomplishments are heralded worldwide. When the Avery Fisher Artist Program celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2004, it awarded the prize for outstanding achievement and excellence in music to the Emerson String Quartet, which was the first chamber ensemble ever to receive the prize.

On Monday, April 17, 2006, the Mark Morris Dance Group will perform. Mark Morris, legendary dancer and choreographer, has created over 100 works for his company, Mark Morris Dance Group. Founded in 1980, the company began performing in New York City and now tours throughout the United States and Europe. In 1988, it was invited to become the national dance company of Belgium.

A special event associated with the Smith Fine Arts Series will take place on Saturday, Nov. 5. The Rainbow Dance Theatre, housed at WOU, will perform a benefit concert at the Historic Elsinore Theatre in Salem, Ore. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. The Rainbow Dance Theatre will amaze the audience with its high-impact, rapid-fire style of modern dance. This company of 10 athletically trained dancers performs dance styles from around the globe. Proceeds from this concert benefit the Rainbow Dance Theatre and the Smith Fine Arts Series.

All performances for the Smith Fine Arts Series will take place at Rice Auditorium on the WOU campus. Each event will feature pre-performance lectures at 6:30 p.m. and the concert will immediately follow at 7:30 p.m.