Arts Radar: When it rains, it pours

It’s tough not to complain when appealing events fall on the same night. Multiple theater, music and dance events force us to color code, scratch out, and draw messy arrows on calendars.

Brendon Stimson and Hayley Podshun, stars of In Your Arms. Image: Buck Lewis.

Matt Carney presented “Creating Collaborative Communities” at the White Box last weekend. San Diego Dance Theater, Malashock Dance, San Diego Ballet, UC-SD, SDSU, City College of San Diego, and San Diego Dance Connect joined forces to present their 2015-2016 Season Announcement. Each group presented a short preview performance. This was a rare chance to see the top local dance institutions together in a collaborative community event. Carney and San Diego Dance Connect hosted a mingle and networking mixer before the performance.
The music and arts fest KAABOO in Del Mar required scientific planning. (UT’s George Varga says it appeals to an older audience than Coachella).
Darcy Naganuma’s sub(merge) at 98 Bottles on Kettner Blvd. and The PGK Dance Project drew dance fans downtown.
A string of firsts ran through The First Time, The PGK Dance Project’s ambitious production with 12 different choreographers, starting with the venue, pace, and more…” Check out my full review.

 
Phones and computers started blinking early Monday morning. Theater and dance communities quickly learned that Arthur Wagner had died at the age of 92. Jeff Smith of the Reader composed a tribute.  Many Sandiegostory.com readers are UC San Diego alums. If you have an Arthur story, feel free to post it here.

While the centennial celebration of Balboa Park has been called “pathetic” and worse, (Kinsee Morlan explains in her Culture Report for Voice of San Diego), there is happier news.
Two exceptional shows in the park tell stories through dance this weekend and next.

 
The world premiere dance-musical In Your Arms leaps and glides across eras and styles at The Old Globe. Directed and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli, the evening “tells stories through the universal language of dance from classical ballet to swing to tap to ballroom to jazz to flamenco and more…” Watch for my review at Sandiegostory.com. I’ll decide if In Your Arms is “as intoxicating as a sunset cocktail.”

John Diaz and Zaquia Mahler Salinas in Trolley Dances. Image: Manuel Rotenberg

Trolley Dances rolls into Balboa Park this weekend and next, Sept. 26-27, Oct. 3-4. Hear from choreographer Stephan Koplowitz in my tiny piece about Trolley Dances for Dance Teacher Magazine. They cut out his best quotes about choreographic choices for site-specific works, but here’s what’s left of Dancing Along the Tracks.

Along with Trolley’s creator Jean Isaacs and guest artist Koplowitz, choreographers include Seattle’s Mark Haim, recently in San Diego with This Land is Your Land. Enjoy my review of his unforgettable show with San Diego dancers.
Trolley Dances has inspired spinoffs. I’ll be riding the Muni at San Francisco Trolley Dances Oct. 17 and 18. No surprise, Trolley SF directed by Kim Epifano has a different vibe. Catch my ride review from 2013.
When it rains, it pours, and remember that it’s good to have choices. Having more choices makes San Diego feel like a big city rather than a small town.
Get out your Sharpie and draw arrows and hearts on that messed up calendar. Dress up and stay up late. Go see a ton of live performances.
La Cage Aux Folles runs at the Spreckels Sept. 25-Oct. 11. www.SDMT.org. San Diego Musical Theatre presents the musical that inspired the movie The Birdcage starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane. David Dixon reviews the show for Sandiegostory.com.

 
You’ll need to study the website and camp in the woods at UC San Diego to catch everything at WoW, the Without Walls Festival presented by La Jolla Playhouse, Oct. 9-11. For starters, I’m headed to Healing Wars, a mixed-media dance theater piece from renowned choreographer Liz Lerman.
Keep on rockin in the free world. Neil Young and his new band Promise of the Real stops at UC San Diego’s RIMAC Arena Oct. 13. You’ll hear me singing along with Neil and two of Willie Nelson’s sons, Lukas and Micah. Try to sit still while watching this clip.

ArtPower presents HUANG YI & KUKA Oct. 14. Taiwanese dancer, choreographer, inventor, and videographer Huang Yi’s pioneering work is steeped in his fascination with the partnership between humans and robots.

L-R: Hu Chien and Lin Jou-Wen in HUANG YI & KUKA. Image: Mingzhe Wang

MOMIX returns with Alchemia for the second time this year, to the California Center for the Arts, Escondido Oct. 24. I interviewed choreographer Moses Pendelton when La Jolla Music Society presented his show in March this year. He says expect the unexpected and describes how Alchemia manipulates earth, air, fire and water. Maybe he can make it rain for us.

/This just in:  La Jolla Music Society names Kristin Lancino as new President and Artistic Director. Effective Oct. 15, 2015./

Foto di Max Pucciariello. Courtesy Momix

Kris Eitland is a freelance writer and co-founder of sandiegostory.com, and president of the San Diego Press Club. http://sdpressclub.org/ Contact her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter: @kriseitland