Review: Quirky master-photog Bert Stern captured in doc 1
It doesn’t matter that “Bert Stern: Original Madman” falls short in depicting the hectic life and work of the go-go photographer of the sixties. The documentary, a first major effort by Shannah Laumeister, is unevenly told, biased toward the actress-turned-director’s own personal relationship with Stern, and values cheap story elements over artful ones. Yet the ...
Trisha Brown’s “Roof Piece” (1971) to be staged @ Getty
Trisha Brown’s “Roof Piece,” an historic dance work, the mother of all site-specific dances, to be restaged in Los Angeles on April 6, 2013, at the Getty Museum. The rich roster of events and performances has been organized by the Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA. CHOREOGRAPHY: Trisha Brownmusic: Ambientset design: Trisha Browncostume: ...
Word up … at Rutberg’s
Mar
29
2013
Jack Rutberg Fine Arts in Los Angeles has a beautiful, locally driven, museum-quality show on at its LaBrea Avenue gallery, an expansive exhibition titled “Letters from Los Angeles: Part II – Identity & Self Identity Through Text in Art.” The rich exhibit curated by Rutberg includes more than 70 works by 40 contemporary L.A.-based artists ...
Koplowitz driven underground with “Red Line Time” 1
Mar
27
2013
We received an intriguing note from our friend Stephan Koplowitz, the Bessie-bearing, Guggenheim-garnering, Alpert-awarded choreographer, who is also Dean of Dance of the Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance at CalArts. Despite all of Steve’s awards and accolades he’s apparently being driven underground. And he seems to like it! Writes Steve: I’m proud to say ...
Book review: ‘Hermes Pan, The Man Who Danced with Fred Astaire’ 3
A book review first published by Dance Magazine [December 2012] Growing up in Memphis as the son of Greek immigrants, Hermes Pan (1909–1990) copped dance steps from the family’s African-American household help. Fast-forward to the Depression, when the self-taught Hollywood choreographer’s black-and-white dance fantasies for Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers offered Americans escape. The versatile ...
Kyle Abraham sings Brel’s “Ne Me Quitte Pas” with body
Mar
24
2013
A wonderful solo performed by one of the great dancers of our day. Like this? Read more: Kyle works his stuff on BodyTraffic Kyle Abraham, BESSIE awardee Kyle makes it or breaks it at Jacob’s Pillow Kyle Abraham’s The Radio Show at REDCAT (Los Angeles Times)
Shulamit Gallery wishes us Happy Nowruz
Mar
20
2013
Circulating around Shulamit Gallery’s quietly beautiful new exhibit that features artists Doni Silver Simons and Pouya Afshar, a single work caught my eye. [This new-ish art gallery, steps away from Venice Beach, has as its mission the support and promotion of Israeli and Iranian artists.] “Nowruz,” the photo-realist work, above, decorates an alcove of the ...
Ornette Coleman via Shirley Clarke via Ross Lipman
arts·meme friend Ross Lipman, a primo art-film restorationist, clues us into a very cool screening of a documentary directed by the feminist filmmaker Shirley Clarke (Lipman is an expert and advocate of her work) next weekend at the Billy Wilder Theater. It’s “Ornette: Made in America,” to be screened in the mid-stream days of UCLA ...
Edward Villella: The prodigal son returns to New York
Mar
12
2013
arts·meme features guest writer Sarah Morton’s report on a special event that took place in New York last night. ♦ ♦ ♦ Edward Villella says he’s thrilled to be back in New York City, and if the audience at the Paley Center for Media Monday night is any indication, New York is just as thrilled ...