Strut your stuff at Amateur DanceSport Championships
Everyone from 7 to 87 who loves to dance will want to strut over to
the Southern California Amateur DanceSport Championships from 11:30
a.m. to midnight today at the Glendale Civic Auditorium.
Ballroom dance competition will be interspersed with public
dancing throughout the event sponsored by the United States Amateur
Ballroom Dancers Assn.
“We’ve been doing it for the last seven years,” organizer Patricia
Maier, said. “You’ll see everything from ballroom and Latin American
dancing to swing and salsa.”
The three top awards will be for International Style -- Latin,
International Style -- Standard and American Style -- ballroom.
“Once you begin to dance,” Maier said, “somehow it gets in your
blood. You just can’t not do it. It becomes a compulsion.”
Dancing gives people a real emotional and physical high, she said.
“You are exhilarated,” she said. “It keeps you young, flexible,
sociable. And how many sports keep you active and keep you
interactive socially?”
Some of the kids start as young as 7.
“They are unbelievable. It is fun!” she said.
Admission is $15 at the door. For more information, call (310)
538-3667 or check the Web site at www.socalchampion- ships.com.
SPECIAL EVENTS
ANIMAL KINGDOM CELEBRATED IN MUSIC
“Carnival of the Animals” is the title of the second segment of
the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s Family Concert Series on Sunday
at The Alex Theatre in Glendale.
Pre-concert activities begin at 1 p.m. and feature the “Instrument
Petting Zoo” where youngsters can try out real instruments and an
interactive workshop given by the Los Angeles Zoo, highlighting the
animal kingdom.
Jeffrey Kahane will be conductor and pianist for the 2 p.m.
concert that highlights Camille Saint-Saens’ zoological fantasy for
duo piano and orchestra. He will be joined by pianist Cynthia Gong,
who is a student of the Colburn School for the Performing Arts. The
text was written and will be narrated by third-graders of The
Accelerated School.
Tickets are $7.50 and $12.50 and can be purchased at the door.
The Alex Theatre is at 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale. For
information, call 243-2539.
FILM ON WILLIAM SAROYAN HAS FREE SCREENING
Ayekah, a nonprofit organization for the arts, will present a free
screening of the film “William Saroyan, The Man, The Writer” at 6
p.m. Sunday at the Glendale Civic Auditorium.
This is Ayekah’s debut event since its establishment in the fall
of 2002.
The film began touring 1991 and, since then, has premiered in 58
cities and 22 countries. This will be the first time in 11 years the
film will be shown in Los Angeles.
“The Man and the Writer” portrays Saroyan’s youth, from his days
as a fatherless child, a young and hungry journalist in his hometown
of Fresno, to his overnight success as a writer. The film recounts
his relationship with his children and family as well as his love and
passion for the country of his roots, Armenia. Narrator Mike Connors
discusses the many works of Saroyan, along with rare footage of
Saroyan’s own ideas and opinions on his works.
The film has won six International Film Festival Awards, five of
which were for directing and one for musical composition. The film
also received a Gold Award for the Best Documentary Film from the
Philadelphia International Film Festival.
The civic auditorium is at 1401 N. Verdugo Road, Glendale. For
more information, call Ani Asatryan at 618-1299.
JEWEL CITY KIWANIS CAR SHOW SUNDAY
After their car show was rained out Sunday, Jewel City Kiwanis
have rescheduled the 10th annual event from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Sunday at Verdugo Park, 1621 Canada Blvd. in Glendale.
New this year is a silent auction, and one of the top items is
three months worth of lunches donated by Tam O’Shanter Inn, member
Rich Jessup said.
More than 300 classic and collectible cars and trucks will be
displayed along with a few motorcycles. Trophies will go to the top
vehicles in their classes. Those displaying cars can register from 7
to 9:30 a.m.
Throughout the day, there will be drawings for prizes and
car-related vendor stands available for shopping. Local high school
jazz bands will perform in the afternoon.
The Jewel City Kiwanis will set up their barbecue catering trailer
for grilling Verdugo Burgers, chicken sandwiches or hot dogs with an
order of Kiwanis Fries.
All proceeds support the local children’s charities such as Boy
Scouts, YMCA, American Red Cross and several local elementary
schools. Collectors can purchase souvenir hats and T-shirts.
The show is open to the public with free admission and free
parking. To enter a vehicle or for more information, call Jessup at
949-4603.
FREE DANCE PERFORMANCE AND WORKSHOP PLANNED
The Brand Library Associates will present the second part of its
free dance series with a performance by Mandala Danceworks at 3 p.m.
Sunday at the Brand Library Galleries, 1601 W. Mountain St.
Mandala Danceworks will present “Garden of Pomegranates,”
choreographed by Karin Lynge Jensen. It is a modern dance work,
deriving its name form Israel Regardie’s interpretations of the
Qabalah’s ancient, mystical writings. It began as a musical
composition by Rich Atkinson, Jonas Laster and Clifford Novey, using
the Qabalah and its esoteric associations as the basis for musical
improvisation.
The dance’s 10 sections were inspired by choreographer Karin
Jensen’s meditation on the enigmatic connection between these
“branches” on the “Tree of Life” and their cultural, historic and
spiritual representation.
Members of Mandala Danceworks will not only dance this piece, but
will also discuss how the music and dance evolved in a collaborative
process.
For more information, call 353-5734.
RESIDENT SIGNS BOOK TODAY ON WWII PILOT
Longtime Glendale resident Jane R. Edwards will give a book
signing from 4 to 6 p.m. today at Penelope’s Cafe Books and Gallery,
1029 Foothill Blvd., La Canada Flintridge.
Her new book, “So Long Guys, Goodbye is Forever,” is a memoir of
her friend, the late Albert La Chasse, a World War II Army Air Force
lieutenant, who was among the first to fly the B-17 Flying Fortress.
La Chasse recalls his group, the Mighty Eighth, the first into the
skies over Europe, his subsequent captivity by the Germans and his
crew that forever remained his heroes.
GAY MEN’S CHORUS GIVES BENEFIT CONCERT
The Los Angeles Gay Men’s Chorus, a resident company of The Alex
Theatre in Glendale, will perform in a benefit concert for the AIDS
Service Center from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday at All Saints Church, 132
N. Euclid Ave., Pasadena.
Titled “Red, White & Blue, the Music of America,” the concert will
include American musical styles, both classical and popular. Tickets
are $25 and can be purchased by calling Keri Aulita at (626) 441-8495
ext. 244 or e-mail ka@aiddsc.org.
ON STAGE
A NOISE WITHIN PRODUCING ‘O PIONEERS’
“O Pioneers,” produced by A Noise Within, opens this weekend at
the former Masonic Temple in Glendale.
Artistic co-directors and husband and wife, Geoff Elliott and
Julia Rodriguez Elliott, will direct this stage adaptation of Willa
Cather’s novel. Heroine Alexandra Bergson leads her family into the
1880s Midwest to carve out a living from a forbidding land.
It runs in repertory through May 15 with Shakespeare’s “Measure
for Measure,” which continues through May 10.
As part of his plan to arrest the moral decay plaguing his beloved
city, the Duke of Vienna abdicates power to his trusted subordinate
Angelo in order to travel incognito throughout his realm. Angelo, a
man of unblemished reputation, sentences Claudio, an unwitting
citizen, to death for “sinful indiscretions” as an example to all who
would err.
Claudio’s tenacious and pure-hearted sister, Isabella, rushes to
her brother’s aid, unleashing a deadly passion in Angelo. Thus begins
the age-old confrontation between compassion and intolerance, public
morality and private lechery, in Shakespeare’s tale of the measure of
mercy.
The former Masonic temple building is at 234 S. Brand Blvd.,
Glendale. Tickets range from $18 to $38 and can be reserved by
calling 240-0910.
‘CAMELOT’ CONTINUES AT CENTRE THEATRE
Hail back to the glorious reign of King Arthur in Lerner and
Loewe’s “Camelot” produced by Glendale Centre Theatre.
Merlin and the knights of the Round Table are all here as well as
the musical triumphs “The Lusty Month of May” and “If Ever I Would
Leave You.”
The play continues through April 12. Tickets range from $14 to
$17. For reservations, call 244-8481. Glendale Centre Theatre is at
324 N. Orange St., Glendale.
The children’s musical “Cinderella” runs at 11 a.m. Saturdays through June 18.
‘CINDERELLA!’ REOPENS AT FALCON THEATRE
Producers at the Falcon Theatre have reopened the family musical
“Cinderella!” written by Dimitri Toscas.
Adapted from composer Gioacchino Antonio Rossini’s classic opera,
“La Cenerentola,” this production combines music, song and audience
participation in telling the tale.
Cast members are Roberta Wall, who portrayed Mrs. Potts in the
first national tour of “Beauty and the Beast,” and Eric Meyersfeld,
who recently starred as The Boy in the record-breaking Off-Broadway
production of “The Fantasticks.” Rounding out the cast are Kimberly
Kurtenbach, Peter Allen Vogt and Karen Schnurr.
Performances are at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Saturdays and 1 p.m. Sundays
through March 30. Tickets are $10.
The Falcon Theatre is at 4252 Riverside Drive, in Burbank.
For reservations, call 955-8101.
‘2ND WIND THE MUSICAL’ IS BACK ON STAGE
The revival performance of the rock opera, “2nd Wind the Musical
2002,” has returned with two new songs. Show time is 8 tonight at
the Gene Bua Acting For Life Theatre in Burbank.
The story is about an acting coach, Teacher, who rallies together
three celebrity volunteers to help him with a new program at
Strawberry Fields Residential Treatment Center. They attempt to teach
three street kids how to turn their rage, fear and shame into
positive energy through acting.
Tickets are $25 with discounts available for seniors, groups and
teens. Proceeds benefit the nonprofit Here’s To Life Foundation,
reaching at-risk youth through art and entertainment. For
reservations, call (310) 680-9109. The play continues through May 3.
The playhouse is at 3435 W. Magnolia Blvd. in Burbank.
ART EXHIBITS
ARTIST HAS 33RD EXHIBIT AT DESCANSO GARDENS
Ruth Basler Burr has returned to Descanso Gardens for her 33rd
annual one-woman art exhibit “Reflections.” The former La Canada
Flintridge resident, whose watercolors and prints are in collections
worldwide, will bring familiar scenes this year to Descanso’s Boddy
House Gallery.
The exhibit includes a new group of paintings of the gardens as
she remembers them during the many years she walked its pathways with
her friends. The show continues until April 10.
Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily and admission is free
with paid gardens fee. Descanso Gardens is at 1418 Descanso Drive, La
Canada Flintridge. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. Parking is
free. Admission fees are $5 for adults; $3 for seniors and students;
$1 for children 5 to 12, and free for members and children 5 and
younger. For information, call 949-4200 or visit
www.DescansoGardens.org.
FAMOUS BATTLE SCENES EXHIBITED AT LOCAL MUSEUM
Paintings of battle scenes by Toluca Lake resident John Pomeroy,
ranging from 9 by 12 feet to wall size, are on exhibit at the Forest
Lawn Museum in Glendale.
A supervising animator with Walt Disney Feature Animation, Pomeroy
has captured in oil such famous scenes as Alexander the Great at the
Battle of Granicus in this exhibit “Windows of War: Historical
Paintings by John Pomeroy.”
The exhibit continues through April 26. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5
p.m. daily. The museum is at Forest Lawn, Glendale, 1712 S. Glendale Ave., Glendale. Admission and parking are free. For more information,
call 204-3131, ext. 4545.
ARTIST SHOWING AT OCEANVIEW BAR AND GRILL
Alyce Cox-Smith of La Crescenta is displaying her artwork, mainly
landscapes in oil, throughout March at Oceanview Bar and Grill in
Montrose.
The Montrose hairstylist began her second career as an artist
taking painting classes through the parks and recreation department
in the late 1980s. After a two-year hiatus, she started taking
classes with local artist Margot Lennartz.
For her piece of Cannery Row in Monterey, Cox-Smith received a
second-place honor in the landscape category in a juried show
sponsored by the San Gabriel Fine Arts Assn.
Oceanview Bar and Grill is at 3826 Ocean View Blvd. in Montrose.
For information, call 248-2722.
NATIONAL COLLAGE EXHIBIT AT BRAND LIBRARY
A representation of some of the finest contemporary collage works
by artists from throughout the United States are included in the
“Open ‘03,” a show sponsored by the Collage Artists of America at
Brand Library Art Galleries in Glendale.
Seventy original works were selected for the show by juror Suzanne
Muchnic, art writer for the Los Angeles Times and Los Angeles
correspondent for ARTnews magazine.
The opening reception is from 5 to 7 p.m. today. Exhibit Chairman
John Selleck, will give a talk about the show at 4 p.m. Admission
and parking are free. The show continues through April 18. Gallery
hours are 1 to 9 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 1 to 6 p.m. Wednes- day
and 1 to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Brand galleries are at 1601 W.
Mountain St., Glendale. For more information, call 548-2051.
FINE ARTS FEDERATION SPONSORS ANNUAL SHOW
Winners have been announced in the Burbank Fine Arts Federation’s
annual membership show at the Creative Arts Center Gallery tucked
inside George Izay Park.
Leo Monahan received the Brand Library Award of Excellence for his
paper entry “Autumn Breeze.” Veli Saame was presented the Robert
Sandmeyer Memorial Award for his resin “Apparition.”
Also honored were Florence Dommes for her watercolor “Ports
O’Call,” Sandra Goldman for her watercolor “It’s About Time,” Susan
Levin for her watercolor of “Diagonal Flowers,” and Martin Mondrus
for his oil “Conversation.”
Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9
a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. The center is at
1100 W. Clark Ave., Burbank. For more information, call 238-5397.
* If you have press releases for the 48 Hours column, please
call JOYCE RUDOLPH at 637-3241 or e-mail joyce.rudolph@latimes.com or
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