As the clock ticks, time well spent on ‘The Day’

Dance · Music
Who can resist the alluring image, above, from a new theatrical production, THE DAY, presented at CAP UCLA and featuring two strong women of the performing arts, former New York City Ballet dancer Wendy Whelan (she is now associate director of the company) and cellist Maya Beiser, described as “a force of nature” by The ...

Baritone Rod Gilfry, soon soloist in David Lang ‘the loser’

Music
by 
gilfry as ‘the narrator‘ in david lang’s ‘the loser’ soon at l.a. opera Ed. note: An interview with L.A. Opera guest singer Rod Gilfrey by Gary Murphy first published in the “Bravo” newsletter of the Opera League of Los Angeles.♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ After reprising his role as Mr. Potter in Jake Heggie’s opera adaptation ...

Millepied’s disjunctive ‘I fall…’ exposes choreographer’s weakness

Dance · Reviews
L.A. Dance Project, disjunctive, disconnected, photo by l.a. dance project A harrowing drive across dark, slick, and unmarked Washington Boulevard in pelting rain went unrewarded by enduring Benjamin Millepied’s “I Fall, I Flow, I Melt,” a 75-minute, intermission-less dance performance by L.A. Dance Project performed in the round at the company’s newish headquarters named for ...

Blowing in the wind with Jacaranda

Music
Nine bagpipes keening on the nearby ocean bluff, and twelve strings in a darkening sanctuary will unleash your imagination and cast a lasting spell of intangible magnitude. So promises Jacaranda in promoting two Los Angeles premieres slated to grace the contemporary classical music society’s 2015-16 season-opening concert. First up, in a free outdoor performance sure ...

L.A. Dance Project reinvigorates United Artists movie palace 2

Architecture & Design · Dance · Reviews
Just “yes” to Benjamin Millepied‘s wonderful, calm and engaging “Reflections,” the opening work of L.A. Dance Project‘s “3 Exceptional Performances” program on view in downtown Los Angeles throughout the weekend. More a linked chain of body-conversations than a highly kinetic dance work, “Reflections” (more unmemorable dance-titling from Millepied, the prior, “Moving Parts”), with its strong ...