Up-Coming Events

"Crime and Punishment" opens in Sac

2010-01-15T03:59:21Z

"Crime and Punishment," a theatrical performance presented by KOLT Run Creations, will open Friday at Ooley Theater in Midtown.

The play, originally a novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky, was brought to Sacramento by KOLT co-founders Kelley Ogden and Lisa Thew for a specific purpose.

"We usually do shows or pick scripts that have issues that are related to our community," Odgen said. "When we looked at doing our next show, we could not escape that there is a real economic poverty (in Sacramento)."

Odgen explained the with all the job-loss and furlough situations, they felt the play reflected current times around the community.

"Crime and Punishment" takes place during the mid-1800s in St. Petersburg, Russia. The main character, Raskolnikov, played by local actor Brian Rise, is a former student who is mentally unstable and living below poverty level. He contemplates theft as a way to get out of his situation. He ends up murdering two women in the process and lives with tremendous remorse throughout the play.

Rise will be joined by local actor Patrick Murphy as well as Ogden on stage. All three actors will be playing a combination of eight different roles throughout the show.

Ogden said having only three actors adds to the dream-like script.

"The idea behind the play and structure is kind of like a dream," she said. "Playing (various) characters is a reflection of the same theme. We like theater that makes people think."

The Sacramento showing will have an added element that no other "Crime and Punishment" showings typically have, Ogden said. Student violinist Patrick Claypool will be performing throughout the play.

"We use live music to help underscore the scenes and themes of the play," Odgen said, adding that having a violinist adds drama and suspense to the play.

Showings will begin Friday and go through Feb. 13. There will be two showings per week, Friday and Saturday, at 8 p.m. Ticket prices are $15 and $12 for SARTA members.

For more information, visit koltruncreations.com.

Youth Sports Safety Summit in Sacramento

2010-01-11T06:15:17Z

The National Athletic Trainer Association (NATA) will be holding a Youth Sports Safety Summit at the Capitol on Tuesday in hopes of educating legislators, athletes, parents, coaches and the community about catastrophic dangers young athletes are exposed to. In December, NATA partnered with 30 organizations, including American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine and California Brain Injury Association to name a few, and formed an Alliance to combat the "youth sports safety crisis in America."

The event will feature various speakers from the alliance including: Cindy Chang, MD, representative for the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM); Diane Claerbout, MD, board member of the ParentHeart Watch; Rebecca Demorest, MD, representing the American Academy of Pediatrics; Brendon McDermott, PhD, ATC, assistant professor of the graduate athletic training program at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; Kevin Guskiewicz, PhD, ATC, athletic trainer, professor and chairman of the department of exercise and sports science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and Leigh Steinberg, one of the country's leading sports attorneys.

The speakers will focus on three issues affecting young athletes: concussions and head injuries, sudden cardiac death and heat illness.

Chang, representing AMSSM, will lecture on sudden cardiac arrest and the Automated External Defibrillators (AED), a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses and treats life threatening cardiac arrhythmias leading to cardiac arrest. She said cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death among young athletes and the alliance is trying to bring attention to a problem that many frequently overlook.

"Our focus is the mental and physical development of the kids -- we really want to ensure health and safety," she said. "There are a lot of issues that affect young athletes that put them at more of a risk."

Chang said some athletes suffer from heart illnesses that are oftentimes not detected until their early to mid-twenties after they are heavily involved in a sport. She added that some of the illnesses could be prevented if proper measures are taken, such as the inclusion of AEDs in every school as well as standardizing pre-participation screening.

Chang is currently the team physician for intercollegiate athletes at UC Berkeley and was the former head team physician for the University of California's 27 athletic teams. She has had more than 15 years of experience as a physician at a college level, but said that many people forget that high school and college athletes aren't the only ones who are exposed to serious injuries.

Depending on school policies, many club sports and little leagues don't require physicals and those who do require physicals don't have general guidelines to follow, Chang said.

“We have put together a monograph and educational publication in an attempt to develop a more uniform, more comprehensive pre-participation screening process, that all physicians can reference just to make it more standardized so that we can make sure we are asking all the right questions," she said.

Even though NATA and the alliance are focusing on national issues, Assembly member Mary Hayashi will address sports safety issues in California during the summit. She will be speaking about Assembly Bill 533, which would require all coaches and athletic trainers to be licensed in first aid certification. According to the bill, the certification would include "a basic understanding of the signs, symptoms, and appropriate emergency action steps regarding potential catastrophic injuries, including but not limited to: head and neck injuries, concussions, second impact syndrome, asthma attacks, heatstroke and cardiac arrest."

The event will be held in the Legislative Office Building in Room 100 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. There will be no cover.

For more information about the event, visit nata.org. To RSVP to the event, contact Robin Waxenberg at robin@robwax.com.

Sacramento Ballet Presents The Nutcracker

2009-12-10T04:29:00Z

As children pranced around the well-lit and creatively-designed stage during Tuesday night’s dress rehearsal of the Nutcracker at the Community Center Theater, the Sacramento Ballet prepared for another season of Sugar Plum Fairies.

Director of Production Kyle Lemoi, who has been with the company for three seasons, said he has done many Nutcracker productions around the country, but the stage setup and attention to detail is what sets the Sacramento production apart.

“The set was made in Russia and was designed by (Alan Vaes), who lives in New York,” he said. “Everything is hand painted and they painted it with dye.”

The stage setup is a recent addition to the company and has only been around for five seasons, according to Lemoi.

Even though the set is fairly new, the production is full of effects that have been used for decades, such as fake snow.

“The snow is confetti, basically, but it’s certified and flame-proofed,” Lemoi said.

He said the snow is one of the most memorable stage effects for some, but it is also one of the hardest effects for dancers to work with.

Fifth season company dancer Brick Middlekauff agreed.

“Dancing on top of the snow isn’t too bad,” she said. “But while it’s falling it gets in your eyes, in your mouth and up your nose.”

Middlekauff said even though the snow is a minor setback, it remains her favorite part of the Nutcracker, along with the company's collaboration with children.

Middlekauff has been involved in Sacramento’s Nutcracker production since she was five and she said working with children reminds her of her childhood.

“I can remember doing all of the child roles and rehearsing,” Middlekauff said. “And every time I watch the kid rehearsals, you can tell that all the kids just love it.”

This season 500 children will be involved in 14 showings of the Nutcracker.

Art Director Ron Cunningham said he wanted to make the production homey for the audience and having many children accomplish that.

“My theory is that Nutcracker is a holiday, family tradition,” he said. “And when people in the audience are watching and they see all these kids, they’re really like their own kids, and I think that really resonates with families.”

Cunningham said the Sacramento Ballet has more children participants than any other Nutcracker production in the world.

Childhood participant Cheryl Konig said when she was involved in the production, during the mid-70s, there were only about 50 children in the Nutcracker.

“When Ron Cunningham took over, he took over about the mid-80s, he brought the trend in of adding so many children,” she said. “It’s just amazing.”

This season’s Nutcracker will also feature two guest dancers: Nina Baratova, a returning company dancer, and Melissa Sandvig from “So You Think You Can Dance,” who will share the sugar plum fairy role with company dancer Amanda Peet during the opening show as well as the Sweet Sunday performance.

“The opening night is the 500th performance of my Nutcracker,” Cunningham said. “We don’t typically have guest artist because I like to feature just my company; however, this being a very special one we invited special guests.”

Showings of the Nutcracker will be held Dec. 11 through Dec. 23 at the Community Center Theater. Ticket prices vary from $15 to $75.

For more information, visit sacballet.org

Local Photographer Captures Art in Bathrooms

2009-12-09T01:29:28Z

It's been said that photographs are worth a thousand words. And in the case of Troy Keon, they certainly are.

Keon opened the world to a new form of art that many see, but never acknowledge, with the publication of his book A Regular Robert Frost: Bathroom Prose and Graffiti.

The book, which was self-published and released in June, captures words and drawings created on walls of dive bars, coffee shops and restaurants in four cities: New York City, Berkeley, San Francisco and Sacramento.

“Of course among all the dry, stale curse, you’re going to find some insightful prose,” Keon said. “I think the idea about being anonymous really takes off. It’s really unfiltered, rather irreverent, but at times you can find some really good stuff.”

Keon is an amateur photographer who picked up a camera after being inspired by bathroom graffiti in 2008. In April, he started Two Tone Publishing in Sacramento and published his first book.

Keon isn’t an average local artist. He graduated summa cum laude from Sacramento State in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in business.

Jacqueline Hipp said her friend Keon is not a typical guy in a business suit; he marches to the beat of his own drums.

“He looks great on paper. You think, ‘This is going to be one successful guy,’ ” she said. “Then you look at him and he has tattoo sleeves and he’s got funky hair and funky clothes and he’s unique and creative and different.”

Hipp said Keon is very passionate about everything he does, whether it’s business ventures or feeding his creativity.

She said the best part of his book was the lost-art aspect.

“A lot of this graffiti art that he captured, he went back a year later and they were completely gone and covered up,” Hipp said. “If he hadn’t recorded them, no one would never know they ever existed.”

But is the graffiti found in bathrooms really art?

Steve Ciampaglia, assistant art professor at Sacramento State, said some bathroom graffiti has the potential to be art.

“If anyone writes on some sort of surface, to me it’s art. Now whether or not in the process they have broken the law, that’s a separate issue,” he said.

Ciampaglia said any form of expression could be considered art and the fact that bathroom graffiti makes commentary qualifies it even further.

But not everyone agrees.

Matt Trathen, manager at Streets of London in Midtown, said bathroom graffiti around Sacramento is very sophomoric.

“It’d be one thing if you’re doing big art, like murals or stuff like that,” he said. “I think now it’s more like gang related or just kids.”

Trathen said there are many “tagging crews”, people who get together and tag public venues around Sacramento, but many of them aren’t creative and simply tag their initials.

Sacramentan Darryl Cragun said he has never heard of “tagging crews,” but he also feels that bathroom graffiti is simply tasteless and unimaginative.

“(Bathroom graffiti) usually involves some standard phallic symbolism, at least in the men’s bathroom,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything that I’ve thought was interesting or provocative in any way.”

Even though Cragun said he didn’t feel bathroom graffiti was art, he said the documentation of it would catch his attention.

And that is exactly what Keon does with his book.

“The more and more material I saw on the bathroom walls, whether I saw it at a coffee shop or dive bar in Sacramento or San Francisco, eventually I had enough material where it just made sense to capture some of that stuff,” he said.

Keon will be signing books at Blue Lamp on Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. The evening also will feature two bands, Cynic at Best and Contagious. Cover is $7.

For more information about the book or book signing, visit twotonepublishing.com.

Third Annual Festival of Trees and Lights

2009-12-04T03:46:52Z

With Christmas around the corner and charitable spirits in the air, the Cathedral Square Homeless Program will host the Third Annual Festival of Trees and Lights at the Westfield Downtown Plaza Friday and Saturday.

The two-day event will be held in the Plaza Level between the Westfield Play Town and Morton’s Steakhouse.

Friday's event, which is an invitation-only event , will consist of a live auction as well as a silent auction and a performance from Academy Orchestra Ensemble. Saturday's festivities, which are free to the public, will include raffle prize drawings, a holiday boutique and performances from various community choirs and groups, such as Love Taxi, A Small Difference and Sheldon High School’s Universal Rhythm Group.

Festival Chair Valerie Chun said community donations are crucial to the event's success.

“We get from the community fully decorated Christmas trees, crafts and wreaths,” she said. “Then we auction them off or sell them and the money that we get from that goes towards the Cathedral Square Program.”

This year the festival committee decided to do something different and included gift baskets in the auction, according to Chun. Forty-one Christmas trees and gift baskets, which include wine bottles, chocolates, books, zoo passes, concert tickets and other goodies, were donated to the auction.

Susan Hansen, boutique coordinator, said the festival also receives many donations toward boutique sales.

"About 100 community members donate crafts, such as quilts, scarves, aprons and wreaths," she said. “Most of the donations we receive are handmade or hand-embellished."

The festival was started by a small group of Cathedral Square Homeless Program members who wanted to organize a fundraiser benefiting the program.

The program, which was started in 2005 by the St. Vincent de Paul Society, provides homeless individuals shelter, food, clothing and guidance according to its website.

Chun said the program focuses on chronic homeless individuals, people who have been homeless for over a year, but they also help recently homeless individuals or couples in need. The program admits five people every three months due to resources and housing.

Chun said the Festival of Trees and Lights is the programs biggest fund raiser.

“In the first year we gave the program $15,000, in the second year we gave them $20,000 and this time we’re hoping to give them a little bit more,” she said. “In this economy it’s very difficult because a lot of non-profits are suffering, but we’re doing okay.”

The festival will go from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday.

For more information about the event or to make donations visit cathedralsquareprogram.org.

Camellia Symphony Season Opener

2009-11-13T05:11:34Z

The Camellia Symphony Orchestra opens its 47th season with "Prodigies from St. Petersburg" at the Memorial Auditorium on Saturday.

The concert will feature the music of three composers from that city: Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Dmitri Shostakovich and Sergei Prokofiev.

“Everything ends on a high note in all three of the pieces and the sounds that the audience members are going to hear are just breathtaking,” said Allan Pollack, music director and conductor. “I think it was a great way to start off the season.”

The performance also will feature local cellist Burke Schuchmann, who will perform during Shostakovich's “Cello Concerto No. 1.”

Schuchmann said he was excited to work with such a talented group of musicians and was particularly impressed with the string section.

“The strings sound very nice; the cellos, the violins, absolutely gorgeous playing and just a beautiful section.” he said. “And it’s a hard thing to build an orchestra with a good string section.”

“Prodigies from St. Petersburg” will begin at 8 p.m., but doors will open at 6 p.m. for wine tasting, a silent auction, the Camellia Juniors Orchestra mini-concert and a preconcert talk with Pollack.

The orchestra provides different activities in order to appeal to a broader audience, said Executive Director Roberta McClellan.

“We really want to give people a full experience,” she said. “ And we also like to feature local wineries if we can and any other kind of local business.”

McClellan said the orchestra, which has not raised ticket prices for five years, offers family concert packages. She said the symphony tries to make the performances accessible to all.

For more information, visit www.camelliasymphony.org.

Asian Food and Culture Bazaar

2009-10-02T05:45:49Z

In the mood for Asian food?

Don’t miss out on the Asian Food and Cultural Bazaar Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Japanese Methodist United Church at 6929 Franklin Blvd.

There will be a variety of dishes including teriyaki chicken, sushi, sesame chicken lunch boxes, and Korean short ribs, to name a few.

Co-chair of the event, Art Imagire, who has been involved with the bazaar for about 30 years, encourages entire families to participate in the event and enjoy the food.

“People enjoy our food very much,” Imagire said. “A lot of times they have trouble deciding what they want.”

Dessert is also on the menu and will include ice cream, popcorn and Manju, a dessert derived from mochi and rice cake.

The event will have no cover charge and will include performances from local entertainers.

“It’s open to the public, so we get a wide variety of people,” Imagire said. “There will be games for the entire family as well as performances.”

The Sacramento Taiko Dao, a popular Japanese drummer group; Ohana Dancers, a Hawaiian dance group; and the ACC Pocket Pickers, a ukulele group, will be performing.

Along with the entertainment, items will be on sale from local boutiques and nurseries.

The Bazaar was started about 40 years ago in the hope of raising money for the church. All the funding goes towards capital repairs around the church.

Chalk It Up!

2009-09-04T07:20:37Z

Roll up your sleeves - it's time to get covered in chalk dust.

The 19th Annual Chalk It Up! Festival will be held from 10 a.m. -6 p.m. Sept. 5, 6 and 7 in Fremont Park on 15th and P Streets.

The Festival will consist of purchased personal squares as well as free community-sponsored squares for the entire family to create chalk art. Artists such as Emily Balestrini, who recently won First place in Prink Making a the KVIE art auction, will also be present.

There will also be live performances from local Sacramento bands, such as Lite Brite, Diciembre Gris and Storytellas just to name a few, as well as local vendors. All the proceeds will go to Art Education Programs for high school students as well as student grants for first-time college students interested in careers in art.

All the money goes to a pool and (is) disbursed to high schools and student grants," said Paul Hicks, Music and Media Manager and volunteer board director. "The board wants to put together an event to generate more money for scholarships."

According to Hicks, major sponsors such as University Art, Midtown Grid.com, Paige Design and Sacramento City Councilman Rob Fong have done a great deal to help support the event.

University Art is donating most of the chalk being used throughout the weekend, while Fong will be providing the bandstands, tables and chairs.

President and volunteer Board Director Leta Wrightsmen said that Chalk It Up! is also involved in events such as the High School Self-Portrait show at the 20th Street Gallery in Sacramento.

This year we have not given out any grants to one school, but we have given awards to the Self-Portrait show,"Wrightmen said in an e-mail interview."In the past, we have given grants to Loretto, Christian Brothers, Hiram Johnson, Youth Detention Facility, Crocker Art Event for youths, KVIE youth arts events, Sacramento High School, Rio Linda grade 1-6 school and Kennedy High School."

Chalk It Up! was started in 1991, and it was held in Cesar Chavez Park and was founded by Annie Chow, a merchant with ties to the art community in Sacramento, according to the Chalk It Up! website.

The festival was organized by the Board of Directors, who volunteer their time, efforts and talent toward the art community.

"It was founded by a group of artists that got together to show community support towards the arts," Vice President and Board Director Darby Flynn said.

Registration for the event ends at 10 a.m. Sept. 5th for both sponsors and participants.

For more information visit www.chalkitup.org/history.html

Race For The Arts 2009

2009-08-26T17:27:54Z

Put on your running shoes and get ready for a fun run. Sacramento's 11th annual Race For The Arts will be happening Friday and will begin at 6 p.m.

Admission to the event is free, but the registration fee for participants in the 5K run/walk is $30 for adults and $17 for children. This year's race has been moved from its usual location at the Crocker Park and Front Street to William Land Park, on Sutterville Road and Freeport Boulevard, due to construction for the expansion of the Crocker Art Museum.

According to race director Kim Parrino, the race is due back at Crocker Park next year. Aside from the location change, Sally Rice, co-founder of the event and event coordinator, is enthusiastic about the run and its future.

"We've got some really, really good performances," Rice said. "And (the booths) are interactive, we want the public to experience what they are experiencing."

Folsom Civic Ballet Theatre, Sacramento Theatre Company and El Dorado Music Theatre, will be among the 16 organizations performing during and after Friday's run/walk. There will be about 30 interactive booths, according to Rice. The Camillia Symphony Orchestra will have an instrumental petting zoo, where members of the orchestra will allow the audience to use and play the instruments used during productions, while the Folsom Gourd Festival will have an interactive booth where the entire family can learn to make necklaces from gourds.

This year's event will benefit over 150 art organizations, ranging from art programs in schools to ballet organizations, Rice said.

She added that the race had no limit regarding the number of organizations that could join.

"Every year we get new beneficiaries, this year especially with the hard economic times," Rice said. "There are not limits of beneficiaries as long as they are an art or cultural organization, a California non-profit or a California school."

Rice founded the event 11 years ago along with co-founder Mary Wesley in hopes of giving back to the arts. The event started off as a horse race, which was founded by Caroline Reed, where only adults could participate. Due to the restrictions, the event only helped a handful of art organizations. Rice said that she and Wesley proposed a run/walk event instead because it would be more inclusive and family-friendly.

"Come by, even if you don't want to walk or run," Rice said. "You can definitely visit the booths, you will still be learning about arts and appreciate them."

Pledges are being encouraged and will be taken until Aug. 28.

For further information regarding race please visit www.raceforthearts.com