Czech Republic

Mary O?Keefe/Valley Sun     M artha Graham said, "Dance is the hidden language of the soul." That is true — it is an art form that has been used to express the feelings of hope, despair and love since the beginning of civilization. But the fact is that dance is also very hard work that requires dedication and, as in most art forms, sacrifice. "I lost a lot of my social life," said 19-year-old La Cañada dancer Ryan Morrison.

Global Ballet Workshops, a division of California Dance Arts located in La Cañada, has announced plans to send their students to the world famous Ostrava Ballet Workshop in Ostrava, Czech Republic from July 23 to August 19. While there, the students, led by directors and choreographers Erin Holt and Yehuda Maor will continue their intensive workshop and end their visit with a sole night performance of their production "Blind Journey" at the...

Gary Moskowitz To Hynek Kmonicek, the future of the Czech Republic begins Saturday. Kmonicek, 41, is the ambassador and permanent representative of the Czech Republic to the United Nations. The Czech Republic will be one of 10 Central European countries to formally join the European Union on Saturday. On Wednesday, Kmonicek visited Glendale Community College and spoke with students and educators about his country's decision to join the European Union.

Michiko Otaki, critically acclaimed concert pianist, will make her long-awaited Los Angeles debut at 4 p.m. Sunday, March 11 at Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, under the auspices of The Da Camera Society Chamber Music in Historic Sites. The Japanese-American artist, who was born in Hazu and studied at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, will be joined by the prizewinning Graffe String Quartet from the Czech Republic for its very first performance in North America. Spectacularly sited in the mountains, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy was once called "America's most scenic hotel" and presides over incredible views.

Students of all ages can travel through the American Institute for Foreign Study. Children can have an opportunity to learn about other cultures in Argentina, Australia, Austria, the Czech Republic, England, France, Ireland, Italy, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Canada, China and Puerto Rico. Students from kindergarten through 11th grade can participate in the Summer Institute for the Gifted. The Summer Advantage program is tailored for high school students, while college students can spend their semester, year or summer abroad.

Jan J. Macho Sr. died of complications due to a fall on Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2005. He was 91 years old. Macho, originally from Pilsen, Czech Republic, escaped communism in 1948 with his family. He came to the United States in 1955 after living in Switzerland. He left a wholesale steel business behind in Pilsen and went on to become the top producer for Paillard Incorporated. He is survived by his sons Jan Jr. and Miro Joseph and their wives Eve and Marian; and five grandchildren, Michelle Sabourin, John, Michael, Christopher and Jenna Macho.

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.

Spring break at Lake Havasu wasn't on the calendar for the Crescenta Valley High School Choir Department. Instead, from April 12 to April 21, the talented group opted for a European spring break vacation. It wasn't all free time, though; the award winning choir was chosen to represent the school and perform in churches, concert halls and other arenas across three countries that the group toured. Last spring, an audition tape was submitted for consideration to take part in this year's event.

ISSUANCE OF REFUNDING PARKING REVENUE BONDS WHAT HAPPENED The board voted to approve a resolution that would allow an independent group called the Joint Powers Authority to refinance about $4.5 million in parking revenue bonds. The Joint Powers Authority is an independent, board-governed group made up of college and city members. The group, in 1994, borrowed $6 million in parking revenue bonds to pay for parking facilities that serve both the city and the college.

I don't think I've ever seen a movie quite like "Once." An Irish street singer/songwriter meets a Czech girl with musical background, there is music and romance, they fall in love with each other and at that same exact moment, we fall in love with them. Not so unique, you might think, but it really is very original and compelling, and took me completely by surprise. The interesting thing is how the music tells the stories in the film; not like a '40s musical where the actors inexplicably break into song and dance; and not like "Saturday Night Fever," where the music is a character itself.

As the top-ranked player in the United States Tennis Assn.'s Boys' 18s standings, Glendale native Alexios Halebian represented his country well against some top international competition over the past week in the 2011 U.S. Open Juniors tournament in Flushing Meadows, NY. Halebian, 17, advanced to the quarterfinals in the singles draw, setting up a clash with No. 1 seed Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic on Friday. In a match that hinged on a close opening set, Halebian fell to Vesely, 7-5, 6-2. "I didn't play that well.

When audiences are all Nutcrackered out this season but still want to see a beautiful holiday ballet filled with a queen, two snow-crossed lovers and a scary forest they need to look no further than the California Contemporary Ballet’s production of the “Snow Queen.” The original ballet, conceived, directed and choreographed by Erin Holt, has been enchanting audiences for years. In this the 11th year of the performance, Holt continues to find new angles to the story.

Filmed entirely in the Czech Republic, ?I Served the King of England? is an overly long, artsy reminiscence of a hotel waiter who has just been released from incarceration after serving a lengthy sentence as a political prisoner. The film is the work of writer/director Jirí Menzel, whose 1968 classic ?Closely Watched Trains? delighted audiences the world over with its freshness and clever charm. This production, although entertaining for the most part, does not have the impact of the earlier film, perhaps because it lacks directness and simplicity.

GLENDALE ? Making good on its top overall seeding and undefeated passage to the championship round, the United States Tennis Assn. World Junior Tennis boys? team became the first group of American boys to hoist the World Junior Tennis Competition championship trophy since 2003 with a 3-0 sweep of second-seeded France on Saturday in Prostejov, Czech Republic. Fourteen-year-old Alexios Halebian of Glendale was the team?s No. 2 singles player throughout the championship run and came through with straight-set victories in his semifinal match on Thursday and finals draw on Saturday.

GLENDALE — Alexios Halebian has turned out to be a valuable addition to the United States Tennis Assn. World Junior Tennis team, which has surged through group play over the past three days to reach the knockout round of the World Junior Tennis Competition Finals in Prostejov, Czech Republic. While alternating between the team’s No. 1 and No. 2 singles spots, the 14-year-old Glendale resident has helped the top-seeded United States pass through the four-team Group A undefeated with his strong play, including a come-from-behind win on Wednesday to spark a win over Croatia.

Mary O?Keefe/Valley Sun     M artha Graham said, "Dance is the hidden language of the soul." That is true — it is an art form that has been used to express the feelings of hope, despair and love since the beginning of civilization. But the fact is that dance is also very hard work that requires dedication and, as in most art forms, sacrifice. "I lost a lot of my social life," said 19-year-old La Cañada dancer Ryan Morrison.

Global Ballet Workshops, a division of California Dance Arts located in La Cañada, has announced plans to send their students to the world famous Ostrava Ballet Workshop in Ostrava, Czech Republic from July 23 to August 19. While there, the students, led by directors and choreographers Erin Holt and Yehuda Maor will continue their intensive workshop and end their visit with a sole night performance of their production "Blind Journey" at the...

I don't think I've ever seen a movie quite like "Once." An Irish street singer/songwriter meets a Czech girl with musical background, there is music and romance, they fall in love with each other and at that same exact moment, we fall in love with them. Not so unique, you might think, but it really is very original and compelling, and took me completely by surprise. The interesting thing is how the music tells the stories in the film; not like a '40s musical where the actors inexplicably break into song and dance; and not like "Saturday Night Fever," where the music is a character itself.

Spring break at Lake Havasu wasn't on the calendar for the Crescenta Valley High School Choir Department. Instead, from April 12 to April 21, the talented group opted for a European spring break vacation. It wasn't all free time, though; the award winning choir was chosen to represent the school and perform in churches, concert halls and other arenas across three countries that the group toured. Last spring, an audition tape was submitted for consideration to take part in this year's event.

You might think that a program lineup including Mendelssohn, Wagner, Shakespeare and jazz would be offered at Disney Hall or the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, but, in fact, it will be hometown La Crescenta that will provide the venue for a jam-packed cultural arts program at St. Luke's of the Mountains Anglican Church. On May 12, the newly-formed Crescenta Valley Arts Council will hold its premiere event, a Springtime Gala, to celebrate the wealth of talented performing and visual artists in the Crescenta Valley, and to pay tribute to the cultural arts programs that once thrived here.