Sugar Plums for the ages, in ABT’s ‘The Nutcracker’ at Segerstrom Center
Nov
26
2024
Her name is Antonietta Dell’Era (1861-1945), and, as legend goes, in 1892 she was the first to dance to Tchaikovsky’s magical foray on the celesta as the Sugar Plum Fairy. That music the brilliant composer concocted to give aural evocation of “drops of water shooting from a fountain.” Ms. Dell’Era’s first performance received good reviews, ...
Westside Ballet of Santa Monica stages vibrant ‘Nutcracker’ starring Tiler Peck, Roman Mejia 1
Nov
23
2024
An invitation to attend a holiday production of “The Nutcracker” — that of Westside Ballet of Santa Monica, with live music from the Santa Monica College Symphony Orchestra, and starring New York City Ballet principal dancers Tiler Peck & Roman Mejia — is an offer a ballet fan finds hard to refuse. Peck is at ...
Don’t freak out! Unless you’re at ZAPPADAN!
Nov
20
2024
Our Los Angeles rock-and-roll-and revolution tour-guide, Dominic Priore, author of “Riot on Sunset Strip: Rock ‘n’ Roll’s Last Stand in Hollywood.”, shares with us news of his impending illustrated lecture, “Freak Out Hot Spots!,” a symposium filled with photos and super-rare footage of all the locations on Frank Zappa’s 1966 map of Sunset Strip hangouts. ...
‘Fifth Beatle’ Billy Preston in impressive, heartfelt documentary 2
There are many documentaries and docudramas about performing artists lately. So much so that people are joking that everyone is getting one. Soon to open will be Maria, starring Angelina Jolie playing the Italian coloratura/diva. But a gripping new documentary, That’s the Way God Planned It: Billy Preston, about the great, nearly gone-missing, Los Angeles-born ...
Death of a dancer: Vladimir Shklyarov
Nov
18
2024
Thanks to the Internet, balletomania is a global phenomenon. YouTube viewing of classical dance from such far-flung spots as St. Petersburg is a boon to fans across the universe — equally, it aids dance critics and scholars. So when word spread that Vladimir Shklyarov, 39, had tumbled from a balcony five floors to his death ...
Joy of Jewishness in Hanukah double bill
Nov
15
2024
What can we do about world events this holiday season? What about this: let it go for a night and experience joy through music. A two-for-one sale of klezmer rock, otherwise known as “Ashkenazi Jewish Roots Music” is on tap at the Carpenter Center in Long Beach. For nearly 40 years, the Grammy Award-winning “Jewish ...
Down in the dumps about democracy? Try an evening of French animated shorts at The Kabbaz
Nov
14
2024
Feeling deflated, depleted, depressed, and disappointed? Somewhat disoriented, downhearted, down in the dumps, or demoralized? Get thee to the cozy Theatre Raymond Kabbaz on Pico Boulevard for a singular foray through fantasy, futurism and fun. It’s the Kabbaz’s annual French Animation Festival, and, attending last year, we came out smiling from ear to ear. But, ...
Portrait of an Artist – the many roles of Medhi Walerski
Nov
12
2024
ed. note: This story written in advance of a November 23 performance by Ballet BC in Los Angeles was commissioned and first published by The Soraya on November 8 2024. It is reprinted with permission. Soft-spoken but emphatic, Medhi Walerski, at 45, is a ballet prince with piercing eyes, a crown of clipped curls, and ...