Final ‘Split’ dance segment blends all that jazz
Four female choreographers from different backgrounds -- Midwestern,
Western, Japanese and African-American -- explore jazz/modern dance
styles in the final segment of “Split: Dance In and Out of L.A.”
tonight at The Alex Theatre.
Eisenhower Dance Ensemble from Rochester, Mich., is the visiting
company. Directed by Laurie Eisenhower, the group will perform
“Stop,” featuring aggressive and innovative partnering, and
“Trilogy,” inspired by different biblical references.
Pat Taylor’s JazzAntiqua Dance & Music Ensemble will perform
excerpts from “A Love Supreme,” (“Acknowledgement” and “Resolution”),
set to music of the same name by the legendary John Coltrane.
Rei Aoo’s Dance Planet’s repertoire is inspired by American jazz
dance. The group’s leader is an accomplished Japanese performer who
emigrated to L.A. to immerse herself in the study of dance. She
brings to her choreography her ballet and theater training from her
native country. Dance Planet will perform “Horsemen in Wilderness,” a
blend of different movements, and “Hypocrites,” a study of
inhibitions and rebellion.
Brockus Project Dance Company, led by Deborah Brockus, will
perform “Clouds,” inspired by the desert of the Southwest, and a
playful, jazzy piece set to original music by Chamber Blues, a
Chicago group that mixes chamber music with American blues.
Presented by Brockus Project Dance Company and The Alex Theatre,
this is the final segment of the four-concert series. The show begins
at 8 tonight. Tickets range from $15 to $25 and can be purchased at
243-2539, at the box office or online at www.alextheatre.org. The
Alex Theatre is at 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale.
SPECIAL EVENTS
‘POLISH EXPRESSIONS’ AT FOREST LAWN MUSEUM
“The Art of a People -- Polish Expressions,” featuring works of
three renowned artists of Polish descent, opens today at the Forest
Lawn Museum in Glendale.
Contemporary artists Danuta Rothschild and Jerzy Skolimowski will
show large paintings and will be featured in a video about their life
and work. Jan Styka is known for painting the “Crucifixion” at the
Hall of the Crucifixion-Resurrection at Forest Lawn. The exhibit will
have artifacts and a 5-foot-high by 20-foot-long version of the
Crucifixion painting shown in the half-round as it was originally
intended when it was created.
The exhibit is free. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Forest Lawn Glendale is at 1712 S. Glendale Ave., Glendale. For more
information, call (800) 204-3131.
ART SHOW MIXES ANIMALS AND ANIMATION
Animation and animals combine in the exhibit opening today at
White’s Gallery in Montrose.
“Animalia” is the title for the show featuring works of three
artists, James Worthy, Jean Paul Orpinas and Romy Muirhead.
Worthy, who draws for Nickelodeon, shows his animal character
pencil illustrations. Orpinas, who works for Disney Studios, exhibits
sketches of animals from the Los Angeles Zoo. Muirhead brings her
paintings of giraffes.
An artists’ reception is from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday. Gallery hours
are 1 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays,
9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. The exhibit
continues through Sept. 13. The gallery is at 2414 Honolulu Ave.,
Montrose. For more information, call 957-4071.
NATURE DEPICTED IN ART AT DESCANSO
Descanso Gardens’ Boddy House Gallery is featuring depictions of
nature from four artists in an exhibit opening this weekend.
Trish Kertes returns to the gallery with “Flowers and Fields,
Mountains and Streams -- The Painted Landscape,” a collection of
landscapes and still lifes in oil. She is an award-winning plein-air
painter whose works recall Impressionist painters and the world of
early California artists. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
daily and admission is free with gardens admission. This exhibit
continues through Sept. 25.
Descanso Gardens is at 1418 Descanso Drive, La Canada Flintridge.
The gardens are open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. Parking is free.
Admission fees are $6 for adults; $4 for seniors and students; $1.50
for children 5 to 12, and free for members and children 4 and
younger. Class and special event fees include gardens admission. For
more information, call 949-4200 or visit www.DescansoGardens.org.
* 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 fax
them to 241-1975.