![[Neon Tommy] Israeli Musician David Broza Brings ‘East Jerusalem / West Jerusalem’ To L.A.](https://dainabeth.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/davidbroza-s-curverecords.jpg?w=290&h=290&crop=1 "[Neon Tommy] Israeli Musician David Broza Brings ‘East Jerusalem / West Jerusalem’ To L.A.")
Israeli musician David Broza hopes that bridging cultures through music can be one small step toward peaceful coexistence. Continue reading
![[Blog] Colburn School Dance Recital May 24: Danish “Flower Festival” to Cuban “Manteca” (+ Video)](https://dainabeth.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/manteca.jpg?w=290&h=290&crop=1 "[Blog] Colburn School Dance Recital May 24: Danish “Flower Festival” to Cuban “Manteca” (+ Video)")
My 15-year-long ballet “career” has introduced me to astounding music, from Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade for Strings in C major” (from George Balanchine’s “Serenade”) to Danny Elfman’s “Beetlejuice” score (from a funky piece by my amazing Westside Ballet teacher Veronica Apodaca). Now, I’m again adding to the list. In a recital this Friday at The Colburn School’s Zipper Hall, I’ll perform two pieces with Colburn’s adult ballet class – and our music ranges from 19th century classical to 20th century Latin jazz. Continue reading
![[LA Weekly] Melissa Barak: The Rebel Ballerina](https://dainabeth.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/melissa_barak-kevinscanlon.jpg?w=290&h=290&crop=1 "[LA Weekly] Melissa Barak: The Rebel Ballerina")
Melissa Barak, ballet dancer and choreographer, sees dance as L.A.’s “next artistic frontier.” Continue reading
![[Blog] ‘Chess’ at East West Players in Little Tokyo](https://dainabeth.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/ensemble-of-chess-photo-by-michael-lamont-crop.jpg?w=290&h=290&crop=1 "[Blog] ‘Chess’ at East West Players in Little Tokyo")
I saw my first musical when I was five. It was Chess: A story of Cold War hostility set during an international chess competition — U.S. versus U.S.S.R., of course — and the lovers’ lives who get tangled up and mangled up amid the scheming….The musical, which premiered in 1986 with music by ABBA songwriters Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson and lyrics by Tim Rice, runs at East West Players in Little Tokyo until June 23…. Continue reading
![[Blog] “Music as Urbanism” at the Armory Center: Rural Music, Christopher Dorner Corridos, + L.A. Songlines](https://dainabeth.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/bpluscolombia-musicos.jpg?w=290&h=290&crop=1 "[Blog] “Music as Urbanism” at the Armory Center: Rural Music, Christopher Dorner Corridos, + L.A. Songlines")
Last week, creative thinkers Brian Cross, Eamon Ore-Giron, Josh Kun and Susannah Tantemsapya met up at Pasadena’s Armory Center for the Arts to discuss “Music as Urbanism.” Their presentations took us from the American southwest to Cali, Colombia, and home to Los Angeles. We heard (literally) about Peruvian processionals, Colombia’s “música pacífica,” and Mexican migrant music. And we contemplated the sonic landscapes of both our cities and our minds. Here are a few ideas that buzzed most loudly in my head. Continue reading
![[Blog] Jean-Michel Basquiat Dumpster: Art is Everywhere!](https://dainabeth.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/dumpster-cropped.jpg?w=290&h=290&crop=1 "[Blog] Jean-Michel Basquiat Dumpster: Art is Everywhere!")
He’s at it again. The artist known as Wild Life is bringing our attention to the mundane, and calling it “art.” He the claims the art has been created by some of our most esteemed contemporary artists. And he’s giving it the seal of approval of the City of Los Angeles and the Museum of Contemporary Art. It’s all a hoax, of course… Continue reading
![[Blog] Masanga Marima Brings “Guantanamera” from L.A. to Zimbabwe and Back (+ Video)](https://dainabeth.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/016.jpg?w=290&h=290&crop=1 "[Blog] Masanga Marima Brings “Guantanamera” from L.A. to Zimbabwe and Back (+ Video)")
The simple tune and patriotic lyrics of “Guantanamera,” Cuba’s signature song, have traveled to numerous far-flung corners of the planet. Even unlikely ones, I learned last Friday at a concert by Masanga Marimba at MacArthur Park’s Levitt Pavilion. Masanga Marimba blends African and Latin American musical styles, mostly played on seven Zimbabwean marimbas ranging from … Continue reading
![[Blog] Revisiting Ted Gibson’s Framing Shop: 1946 to Today](https://dainabeth.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/144.jpg?w=290&h=290&crop=1 "[Blog] Revisiting Ted Gibson’s Framing Shop: 1946 to Today")
Two years ago, the fate of Ted Gibson’s seemed uncertain. The esteemed framing shop needed to downsize and move from its original 1946 location near once-posh MacArthur Park to a storefront in Koreatown. Business had been tough, and owner Richard Gibson, Ted’s son, worried about keeping existing patrons and attracting new ones. Then there was the … Continue reading
![[Blog] “White Frog” Makes L.A. Premiere at Outfest](https://dainabeth.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/whitefrogscene.jpg?w=290&h=280&crop=1 "[Blog] “White Frog” Makes L.A. Premiere at Outfest")
In “White Frog,” a new independent film from director Quentin Lee, character Nick arrives at The Firehouse and says, “This doesn’t look like a community center place.” Well, it’s not! In real life the interior of The Firehouse is Visual Communications, the Asian Pacific American media arts center in Little Tokyo where I worked as a … Continue reading
![[Blog] “Eat Up” at Tamara’s Tamales](https://dainabeth.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/020.jpg?w=290&h=290&crop=1 "[Blog] “Eat Up” at Tamara’s Tamales")
Art about food deserves a blog post all its own. (Or a gallery. Which is just what Royal/T is doing with its current “The Art of Cooking” exhibition.) But for now, check out “Eat Up!,” spotted at Tamara’s Tamales in Mar Vista. I love the face peeping out of the watermelon, as if one with … Continue reading
Lotus land 