post sponsored by Pepperdine Arts
Pilobolus at Pepperdine: Dance’s Favorite Fungus Turns Fifty
Dec
27
2022
Fifteen times performing at Pepperdine University in Malibu! Pilobolus approaches that benchmark, bringing a show on January 25 entitled “Big Five Oh,” in celebration of the beloved acrobatic dance troupe’s fiftieth birthday. With seven diverse works presented on stage, it should be a party. Musing on this occasion, I found myself wondering about the company’s ...
The people’s Peabo, at Pepperdine
Oct
3
2022
He’s right up there — one of the big seventies crooners– along with Al Green, Barry White, Teddy Pendergrass, and Luther Vandross. These heartthrob-inducing balladeers sent soulful glissandos down our spines in densely produced R&B recordings of the 1970s. So I am delighted that Peabo Bryson (“Feel The Fire, “I’m So Into You”) will appear ...
Diva in concert: Darlene Love at Pepperdine
A recent hot theater ticket in San Diego was the trial run of the historic rock musical, “House of Dreams,” that told the story of Hollywood’s fabled Gold Star Studio. Over a hundred hit songs were recorded there in the 1960s — from “Rockin’ Robin” to “Good Vibrations” to “Cherry Bomb.” Owner/engineer and sound innovator ...
post sponsored by Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts
Last call: Jessica Lang Dance @ Pepperdine
Apr
29
2019
Yes, it’s sad. It’s a sad moment. The closure of a boutique dance company, a precious organism, is depressing especially if it is for just one reason: it’s too hard to keep it going. That is the difficult decision choreographer Jessica Lang reached after seven years running her well-respected Jessica Lang Dance (JDL). jessica lang, ...
John Sebastian’s Greenwich Village memories 4
John Sebastian’s songs for the Lovin’ Spoonful placed him firmly in the elite 1960s songwriting fraternity that helped turn rock from entertainment to an art form. Like Paul Simon, John Phillips of the Mamas and Papas and Roger McGuinn of the Byrds, Sebastian was one of the prime architects of folk-rock. That crop of folk ...
Jimmy Webb, in Pepperdine season opener, to honor Glen Campbell
Sep
11
2018
Legendary Grammy-winning songwriter Jimmy Webb (with hits including “Wichita Lineman,” “MacArthur Park,” “Up, Up, and Away,” and “Highwayman”) will perform in a prestigious season opening night at the intimate Smothers Theatre, one of our favorite places to attend concerts and performance. In a touching tribute to Webb’s close friend and artistic partner, the late Glen ...
Pilobolus at Pepperdine — to the max
Jan
18
2018
It’s a ‘best-of’ show — to the max. For 45 years, the clowns, tumblers, acrobats and very good dancers of Pilobolus have tested the limits of human physicality to explore the beauty and the power of connected bodies. Pilobolus also connects with key influencers, thinkers, and creators of our world. A current tour show soon ...
Danny Ezralow opens hearts, minds through dance around the world
Choreographer Daniel Ezralow is a global citizen. The Los Angeles native speaks fluent Italian, and a smattering of Russian and Japanese, having directed and choreographed projects in all three countries — the massive 2015 Sochi Olympics Opening Ceremony and Japanese Men’s Rhythmic Gymnastics among them. He’s currently a judge on a new Italian TV talent ...
Killing us softly: Roberta Flack in concert @ Pepperdine
Jan
17
2015
Songstress Roberta Flack, who forged such a striking presence in seventies pop music as a songwriter/performer, will grace the cozy Smothers Theatre stage at Pepperdine University next month in an evening of concert music. She is the first artist to win Grammy Awards in two consecutive years, for “The First Time Ever I Saw Your ...
Rhoden’s RISE revisited
Just loved getting another look at Complexions Contemporary Ballet romping through Dwight Rhoden’s exemplary “RISE,” set to a sound score by ’80s rock band, U2, last night at the Smothers Theatre of Pepperdine University’s Center for the Arts. The work, a kind of dance corollary to the ecstasy of a rock concert-on-fire, stands up well. ...