David Hockney, choreographer of the canvas
Confronted by the astonishingly energetic recent output of artist David Hockney in “Painting and Photography,” on view at L.A. Louver Gallery, I was struck by how dancerly were the images, framed though they were in rectangles. The artist’s distinct consideration of bodies – and objects – arranged in space evoke avant-garde dance. In particular: a ...
Dance across the Pacific Isles with ‘Cinerama South Seas Adventure’
A cruise ship wending it way across the South Pacific, with visits to Hawaii, Tahiti, Tonga and Fiji, includes a film crew shooting footage of native culture. Camera-captured in 1958 in “Cinerama South Sea Adventure,” it sounds pretty colorful, doesn’t it? Now a legendary travelogue, “South Sea,” one of the great exercises in wide-screen projection ...
Behave! or Isaac de Los Reyes will burn a hole in your soul
Jul
15
2015
We love ‘Forever Flamenco’ — whether in its grandstand production at the (now under renovation) John Anson Ford Theatre, or in its cozy Hollywood home, the 80-seat summer sweat-box of sensual Spanish stagecraft, aka the Fountain Theatre. This weekend, ‘Forever,’ produced by Deborah Lawlor and James Bennett, presents Isaac De Los Reyes — a special ...
Review: Under pink clouds, Music Center’s “Moves After Dark”
Dance critic Gillian Anne Renault contributes this review to arts·meme: As grey clouds turned pink Monday evening and a cool breeze dimpled the Mark Taper Forum pool, a powerful alto voice quieted the crowd for Moves After Dark, The Music Center’s inaugural, site-specific, mainly outdoor dance concert. The ambitious evening, well executed, proved a worthy ...
Donna Sternberg’s 30 years of probing dance discovery
It’s an honor to celebrate with choreographer Donna Sternberg, this weekend, thirty years of steady dance making in Los Angeles — her keen and inquisitive nature knitting dance to the real world in unusual ways. Sternberg founded her company in 1985, after working and touring with Donald Byrd, Mary Jane Eisenberg, Yen Lu Wong and ...
National Choreographer’s Initiative off to the races, for 12th year 2
Jul
7
2015
The National Choreographers Initiative (NCI), since 2004 pursuing its proclaimed mission “to support and nurture the process of developing new choreography” is kicking off another summer session from its base at the University of California, Irvine campus in Orange County. Molly Lynch, Associate Professor of Dance in the Claire Trevor School of the Arts at ...
Spectral ballet studios by Ruth Weisberg
Ruth Weisberg L’ANCIENNE, 1978 Ink Drawing on Lithographic Wash 28 3/4 x 40 1/2 inches JRFA #0935 Ruth Weisberg GILLES ET L’ANCIENNE, 1978 Original Lithograph 29 5/8 x 41 3/4 inches JRFA #0936 The deeply evocative body of work entitled “Reflections Through Time,” a career retrospective of artist Ruth Weisberg now on at Jack Rutberg ...
She’s our Yankee Doodle Dandy: Misty Copeland
Jul
1
2015
As we approach the Fourth of July weekend, 2015, we salute the lady in red, white and blue. It’s Misty Copeland, recently named as a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre and one of only four American ballerinas to hold that prestigious title in our national ballet company. In addition to Misty, who was raised ...
‘PillowNote’ for BODYTRAFFIC @ Jacob’s Pillow
Excerpt courtesy of Jacob’s Pillow: Of the companies vying for the attention of Los Angeles’s newly fervored dance audience, BODYTRAFFIC, making its second appearance at Jacob’s Pillow, naturally aspired to top prominence. Lately, however, co-artistic directors Lillian Barbeito and Tina Berkett have adjusted that goal. “When people thought of Los Angeles, we wanted to BODYTRAFFIC ...
Hold onto your hats ~ here comes VPAC’s new season!
A new season at a performing arts center arrives as a list, perhaps just like any list. But if you pause to peruse the rich offerings on tap at Valley Performing Arts Center in the coming season, 2015-16, you’ll feel the fun. Arts energy that is fun, youthful, excellent and diverse will emanate from Cal ...