Toni Basil ‘does the Pony, does the James Brown’ on CBS

Dance · Film
We loved seeing Toni Basil, 76, doing the pony and the James Brown on CBS Sunday morning on Oscar Day 2020.

An Oscar cookie for the New York dance world

Dance · Ideas & Opinion
Strike a dance pose! cried the photographer, and the critics complied. Contrary to popular belief, when artsmeme is not excavating the coal mines of library archives for factoids to tickle your fancy, or cajoling you to attend the latest cool performance, she has a social life! This gathering on Oscar Sunday in New York included ...

Bravo, Angie Dickinson!

Film
When Howard Hawks’ 1959 action romp, Rio Bravo, was released, it wasn’t really taken seriously. But the film is now regarded as an American classic. John Wayne led the cast, but the director also cast veterans Walter Brennan and Ward Bond, singer Dean Martin, pop singer Ricky Nelson, and Angie Dickinson in a vivid, star-making turn. ...

On sacred ground: Step Afrika! @ The Soraya

Dance
Ed. note: This article was commissioned and first published by The Soraya. It is republished on artsmeme with permission. In a return visit to The Soraya on Sunday, February 23, Step Afrika!, the distinguished Washington, D.C.-based performance troupe, will bring its latest creative project to Los Angeles. Drumfolk, a special Black History Month presentation, lends ...

Before ‘Redhead’: ‘Gentlemen Chase Redheads’

Dance · Theater
gwen verdon, richard kiley, stars of ‘redhead‘ She starred, in a peak moment of her Broadway fame, in the Tony Award-winning musical, Redhead, which opened at the 46th Street Theater on February 5, 1959. Her director/choreographer was Mr. Fosse. courtesy of verdon-fosse legacy The show, a murder mystery in the vein of KNIVES OUT but ...

Forward-looking, at Rogue Machine

Reviews · Theater
by 
anna khaja, taylor shurte, james liebman, jeff lorch On our planet’s frightening social and political seismographic scale, and by any theatrical measure, “Earthquakes in London” is definitely a shaker, especially if climate change and the human condition concern you. Now playing at the Electric Lodge in Venice, weekends through March 1, the ambitious, edgy Rogue ...

The Cirque*us is in town!

Reviews · Theater
by 
Wow, and wow again! The action-packed Cirque du Soleil production “Volta” just opened under its big top in the Dodger Stadium lot, and it’s worth a multitude of wows. There’s even an act where signs are held up, the word “Wow” on them, in case you miss your cue!  As with all Cirque productions (I’ve ...

Schoenberg, Schoenberg & Mehta at Disney Hall

Music
Not a new law firm, although the gent on the left, E. Randol Schoenberg, is an attorney. And he is a friend of artsmeme. This charming backstage-at-Disney-Hall portrait taken January 10, 2020 features Zubin Mehta, Conductor Emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, following a pithy program at the L.A. Phil of music by Wagner and ...

Modern-dance greats recognized with Martha Hill awards

Dance
carolyn adams, stuart hodes, nov 29, 2019 As the Hollywood award season advances, the dance world, too, honors its luminaries, last November 29 granting Martha Hill Lifetime Achievement Awards to a trio of greats, each a member of the second and third generation of American modern dance. These leading lights include: Carolyn Adams, the sparkling, ...

Action-packed ‘Hotel’ from Cirque Éloize

Theater
making their entry: artists of cirque eloize Ed. note: This article was commissioned and first published by The Soraya. It is republished on artsmeme with permission. They hurtle, tumble, and spin. They climb, juggle, and balance. Often, in practice, they fall. They’re the riveting performers of the Montreal-based contemporary-circus troupe Cirque Éloize (“ell-waz”). Their tireless ...