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Prince: His life and music
Marianne Combs

Art Hounds: Photos of Prince before he was famous

Photograph of Prince taken by Robert Whitman
This iconic Prince photograph by Robert Whitman is just one of many, both seen and previously unseen, on display at a show opening Thursday.
Robert Whitman

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This week, the Art Hounds recommend "Prince Pre-Fame," a dance concert and a local music festival in St. Cloud.

Art event curator and promoter LaDonna Redmond has loved Prince since she was a teenager. While she's still sad he's gone, she's thrilled to be headed to the MPLS Photo Center to check out photos from the time before he was a household name. The photos were taken by Robert Whitman for Prince's agent just on the cusp of his big break. Some of the photos are iconic; some have never been shown publicly. Redmond says they capture Prince's angelic nature while also hinting at the superstar to be. "Prince Pre-Fame" opens Thursday night and runs through Sept. 16.

Music lover Abby Faulkner says she is blown away by how the Central Minnesota Common Roots Festival is shaping up to be a major musical event. Inspired by a summer of massive street construction that has taken over St. Cloud's historic 5th Avenue, more than 200 musicians are volunteering their talent for a three-day festival meant to bolster the cash registers of local venues. Faulkner says the only rule is that the musicians must be local, and they must perform their own original work. The festival runs Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 11 different venues.

Zorongo Flamenco founder and artistic director Susana di Palma goes to the "Rhythmically Speaking" concert series every year, and she says she always comes away dancing. The concert is a celebration of jazz and vernacular dance — that's everything from line dancing to street dancing — and features both local and national choreographers. Performances are Aug. 17-19 at the Illusion Theater in Minneapolis.