Freedom Jazz Movement @ Henan Province’s SIAS University
A slight nip in an otherwise balmy late-spring Chinese evening gave an edge to the polished set the Los Angeles-based jazz quartet, Freedom Jazz Movement, laid down at SIAS University in Henan Province tonight. The show took place at the privately owned university’s Roman-style outdoor amphitheater. Four exceptional musicians, delivering a suite of band leader ...
Train to Zhengzhou for Lula Washington Dance Theatre 1
May
26
2011
The only booties that were not shaking after Lula Washington Dance Theatre’s visit to Xian (she-yan) were those of the 3,000-year-old terracotta warriors. The lively, Los Angeles-based, African-American dance troupe performed in Xi’an twice, both times to about 1,000 people. Everybody got all shook up. But the stony warriors proved impervious to modern dance. Here ...
Lula Washington Dance Theatre rocks Xi’an
May
24
2011
[slideshow id=17 w=500] Lula Washington with her indefatigable stage manager Terri James. Lula with Erwin Washington, husband/business manager Dancers Dwayne Brown, Micah Moch, Ramon Thielen stretch. Four-piece jazz combo accompanying the tour, plus a fifth wheel. Band tunes up on local instruments. Audience includes a brigade of security guys. Young dance fans peek thru a ...
In China, with Lula 1
May
23
2011
At right, the irrepressible dancers of Lula Washington Dance Theatre, who open a 25-day tour of China, noodle around the Air China terminal at Beijing Airport prior to flying to Xi’an, the capital city of Sha’anxi province. The tour’s sponsors include the U.S. Department of State and SAIS University of Henan Province. The troupe and ...
arts•meme to China 4
May
16
2011
Soon to board a slow boat to China — modern version, a big silver bird at LAX, Friday morning. Destination: first Beijing, and then to Xi’an, Zhengzhou, Hangzhou, Kaifeng, Ningpo, Shanghai among other cities. A month long tour accompanying Lula Washington Dance Theatre — a tremendous honor and opportunity. Our delegation of 25 will be ...
If it’s August, it’s NYCB Nutcracker time in Los Angeles 2
May
14
2011
This fascinating poster — click on it for detail — dating near to 1954 when Balanchine first staged the Nutcracker [Maria Tallchief as Sugar Plum Fairy, Tanaquil LeClercq as Dewdrop] — comes from the collection of Edith Brozak McMann, a former New York City Ballet dancer. It may interest Los Angeles dance fans of a ...
L.A. dance programmers add to U.S. trade deficit with tempting imports 1
May
13
2011
We’ve always imported major dance companies in Los Angeles. In the old days, that meant New York City Ballet romping at the Greek Theater in Griffith Park. But now we go global. And this is worsening the nation’s nettlesome trade deficit. We buy more of their stuff and they don’t buy enough of ours. Our ...
‘Footwork’ explodes out of Chicago — on the radio
Hey Wills Glasspiegel of National Public Radio, thank you for hipping us to Chicago ‘footwork’ on the airwaves, All Things Considered, today. Great story: Listen here. Read it here. The best dancing is in the last four minutes of the video. Thank you Luke Hartley for your very kool foto.
Yo Martha, Martha Graham! Yvonne Rainer wants to teach you something. 1
May
11
2011
Graham was featured as a Google “Doodle” on her birthday today Happy Birthday Martha Graham born in Pittsburgh on May 11, 1894, 117 years ago
NYT’s Larry Rohter writes on guitarist Gary Lucas
May
10
2011
So very very cool to see a New York Times piece on guitarist Gary Lucas written by film guy Larry Rohter: “The music business has never quite known what to make of Gary Lucas. Go to a site for streaming or downloading songs, and you may find his music consigned to a vague category called ...