Artistic Director

The fourth season of the Dance at the Music Center series continues with the Music Center debut of Compañía Nacional de Danza 2, under the direction of founder and co-Artistic Director Nacho Duato and co-Artistic Director Tony Fabre, for three performances only, May 18 through May 20 at the Ahmanson Theatre. The company of fourteen, direct from Spain, will perform the Duato classic Remansos; Gnawa, a company U.S. premiere; and Rassemblement, a West Coast premiere. CND2 will also perform in Southern California on May 12 at the Irvine Barclay Theatre and May 15 at Campbell Hall at The University of California, Santa Barbara.

Joyce Rudolph Ask any entrepreneur what it takes to make a business venture successful and high atop the list will be good communication between all parties involved. With this theory in mind, Thorin Alexander hopes to increase the popularity of local theater by bringing together playhouse owners and audiences to exchange ideas at the free Valley Theatre Symposium on Aug. 3 at Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Burbank. "I would love to get a dialogue going between theater goers and the people who make the decisions at the theaters," he said.

LA CAÑADA ? Auditions are being held this weekend at California DanceArts for intermediate and advanced level classical and contemporary ballet dancers who wish to attend the Ostrava Ballet Workshop this summer. Dancers who make the cut will travel to the Czech Republic and other European cities to study. California DanceArts director, Erin Holt, is holding auditions at the La Cañada studio on Saturday, March 24 at 3:30 p.m. The school's ballet master, Yehuda Maor, is an associate director for the Ostrava workshop.

Actress presents poetry evening Zhenya Avetissian, a well-known stage actress in Armenia, performed an evening of Armenian poetry and talked about her career Tuesday night at the Luna Playhouse in Glendale. The appearance was coordinated by Aramazd Stepanian, artistic director of the Luna Playhouse, after he had seen her in the all-Armenian language play "Let's Save Our Souls" at the Star's Theatre in Glendale. Stepanian heard the actress hadn't left town on Sunday and decided to call and invite her to present an evening of poetry and reminisce about her life, he said.

Janine Marnien Several area arts organizations are a little richer, thanks to awards from the California Arts Council. The council dispersed a total of $4 million in funds to 664 nonprofit organizations statewide, including The Alex Theatre and Pacific Serenades of Glendale and Robey Theatre Company and The Victory Theatre in Burbank. The news came as a surprise to several of the local recipients. "We're particularly grateful because of the huge cut," said Mark Carlson, artistic director at Pacific Serenade, a $4,000 recipient.

What young musician, dancer or poet doesn't dream of performing on one of the many grand renaissance period stages within the Czech Republic? Auditions at California DanceArts in La Cañada this week will give many young dancers just such an opportunity to study and perform in the city of Ostrava this summer. The school's ballet master, Yehuda Maor, will be an associate director for the Ostrava Ballet Workshop. Director Erin Holt will join him as a member of the teaching faculty and will present new works of choreography to be performed this summer.

Next week's return of Celebrate Dance to the Alex Theatre in Glendale will bring several themes to the stage - healing through dance, the importance of family and maintaining individuality - while gathering eight gifted dance companies from across the Greater Los Angeles area. Among the five companies making their Celebrate Dance debuts March 9 will be Nickerson-Rossi Dance, performing the Los Angeles premiere of “Enkindled.” The piece was born out of company artistic director Michael Nickerson-Rossi's desire to tell the story of how dance influenced and helped him, and his introduction into the community of dance.

JOYCE RUDOLPH Media City Ballet's "The Nutcracker" showcased the marvelous talents of the Burbank company's principals as well as punched up the humor during Sunday's matinee performance at The Alex Theatre in Glendale. Ellen Rosa was an exuberant Sugar Plum Fairy while Askar Alimbetov made a gallant showing as her Prince Koklash in the Grand Pas de Deux, which was rewarded with a standing ovation. Both executed numerous lifts and consecutive pirouettes with finesse.

Cross-dressing men, a Norwegian sailors' chorus and cabaret-esque dancers where met with cheers and applause as they took to the stage on Sunday at the Alex Theatre. These performers and more were part of the ensemble cast of the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles. The group performed to a full house for their 28th season show, "Divas 3: Opera Strikes Back." The men's choral group sang classical and contemporary opera and musical theater pieces that included a combination of dancing and theatrics.

Media City Ballet Company celebrated the close of its fifth season following the performance of "The Nutcracker" on Dec. 10 at the Alex Theatre in Glendale. Cutting a birthday cake baked to mark the occasion were company principals, including artistic director Natasha Middleton- Kettebekov ; her husband and "The Nutcracker" choreographer and director Askar Kettebekov ; her father Andrei Tremaine , formerly a principal dancer with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo; Ruben Tonoyan , associate director, ballet master and dance coach; Cindy Pease , president of the board of directors; and her husband, Tom Pease , who directed his choir, the Taft High School Vocal Ensemble, during the performance.

Next week's return of Celebrate Dance to the Alex Theatre in Glendale will bring several themes to the stage - healing through dance, the importance of family and maintaining individuality - while gathering eight gifted dance companies from across the Greater Los Angeles area. Among the five companies making their Celebrate Dance debuts March 9 will be Nickerson-Rossi Dance, performing the Los Angeles premiere of “Enkindled.” The piece was born out of company artistic director Michael Nickerson-Rossi's desire to tell the story of how dance influenced and helped him, and his introduction into the community of dance.

One of the more quixotic ventures in the current economic climate would be to start an orchestra in Southern California. It's a sure recipe for financial suicide. Yet that's just what cello soloist Ruslan Biryukov did when he founded the Glendale Philharmonic Orchestra three years ago. Is it a surprise, then, that the idea came out of a vodka party? The biggest surprise is that the GPO has thrived and begins its third season Sunday with “Holiday Gala.” “I throw a vodka tasting party every year,” explains the 34-year-old virtuoso.

To survive and thrive in 2012, local theaters in Burbank and Glendale have adjusted to the times, expanding repertoires and finding niches in musicals, the avant-garde and the classics. They offer a wealth of affordable, engaging art and entertainment worthy of support. Back in 2000, the Colony Theatre made a big transition after 25 years as a “99-seat” venue in Silver Lake by moving to a much larger space in Burbank. It was an important learning experience, says artistic director Barbara Beckley.

Bob Rusch was searching for a permanent home for his SkyPilot Theatre Company, and Aramazd Stepanian, owner and artistic director of the Luna Playhouse, was looking for a company to share his space. The Internet brought them together. "I put a note on Big Cheap Theater, a Yahoo group for theater people, and I announced I was looking for a partner for the Luna Playhouse, and he was looking for a theater," Stepanian said. That was in June, and now SkyPilot, which formerly produced shows in Burbank, is a resident company of the Glendale playhouse.

Cross-dressing men, a Norwegian sailors' chorus and cabaret-esque dancers where met with cheers and applause as they took to the stage on Sunday at the Alex Theatre. These performers and more were part of the ensemble cast of the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles. The group performed to a full house for their 28th season show, "Divas 3: Opera Strikes Back." The men's choral group sang classical and contemporary opera and musical theater pieces that included a combination of dancing and theatrics.

Ambience, music, dancing and theater were the theme of the evening as the Crescenta Valley Arts Council presented its Springtime Gala at St. Luke's of the Mountains Anglican Church. As the group's first event, the Gala showcased work from local artists and served as a launching pad for the council's intentions to bring the spotlight back on the art and culture that the Crescenta Valley has to offer. "Right here (at the church) we are in the center of so much history," said Richard Toyon, co-founder and one of the council's board of directors.

The fourth season of the Dance at the Music Center series continues with the Music Center debut of Compañía Nacional de Danza 2, under the direction of founder and co-Artistic Director Nacho Duato and co-Artistic Director Tony Fabre, for three performances only, May 18 through May 20 at the Ahmanson Theatre. The company of fourteen, direct from Spain, will perform the Duato classic Remansos; Gnawa, a company U.S. premiere; and Rassemblement, a West Coast premiere. CND2 will also perform in Southern California on May 12 at the Irvine Barclay Theatre and May 15 at Campbell Hall at The University of California, Santa Barbara.

Actress presents poetry evening Zhenya Avetissian, a well-known stage actress in Armenia, performed an evening of Armenian poetry and talked about her career Tuesday night at the Luna Playhouse in Glendale. The appearance was coordinated by Aramazd Stepanian, artistic director of the Luna Playhouse, after he had seen her in the all-Armenian language play "Let's Save Our Souls" at the Star's Theatre in Glendale. Stepanian heard the actress hadn't left town on Sunday and decided to call and invite her to present an evening of poetry and reminisce about her life, he said.

LA CAÑADA ? Auditions are being held this weekend at California DanceArts for intermediate and advanced level classical and contemporary ballet dancers who wish to attend the Ostrava Ballet Workshop this summer. Dancers who make the cut will travel to the Czech Republic and other European cities to study. California DanceArts director, Erin Holt, is holding auditions at the La Cañada studio on Saturday, March 24 at 3:30 p.m. The school's ballet master, Yehuda Maor, is an associate director for the Ostrava workshop.

What young musician, dancer or poet doesn't dream of performing on one of the many grand renaissance period stages within the Czech Republic? Auditions at California DanceArts in La Cañada this week will give many young dancers just such an opportunity to study and perform in the city of Ostrava this summer. The school's ballet master, Yehuda Maor, will be an associate director for the Ostrava Ballet Workshop. Director Erin Holt will join him as a member of the teaching faculty and will present new works of choreography to be performed this summer.