Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "ballet"

The Nutcracker Ballet delights at the Sacramento Community Theater

2011-12-12T07:50:13Z

For ballet enthusiasts and those new to the experience, this is one presentation that should not be missed.

Ron Cunningham’s “The Nutcracker” is a traditional interpretation of the ballet he’s been directing for 24 years in Sacramento. Visually stunning sets create the scene for a ballet performance that will delight young and old alike.

Accompanied by the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra, this holiday classic boasts performers of all ages, with over 500 children, including Molly O’Dell,10, playing Clara.

O’Dell’s enthusiasm is infectious as she, along with her Nutcracker Prince, takes the journey from a joyous Christmas Eve into an enchanting dreamland.

The first act is charming and belongs fully to the children as the story unfolds. The sets are spectacular as the seemingly opaque backdrop becomes translucent to reveal another scene in the background.

The second act is a complete departure from the first, as the seasoned cast of dancers enchant the audience with an array of performances. In the “Candy Cane” dance, Richard Smith gives an incredible, almost circus-like show, while Mother Ginger’s “Macarena” elicits laughter as her nine children pour onto the stage from under her skirt.

“The Nutcracker” does not disappoint, and the years of dedication are evident in the performances given by the stars of the show- the “Snow Queen,” the “Sugar Plum Fairy” and “Her Cavalier,” portrayed by Alexandra Cunningham, Amanda Peet and Stefan Calka, respectively, on Dec.9 at opening night.

Each show promises to be a slightly different representation, as many of the performers will dance the part of several characters throughout the ballet’s run.

The show was highlighted beautifully by the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra’s performance of Tchaikovsky’s original score. Under the watchful eye of artistic director Ron Cunningham, who also plays "Dr. Drosselmeyer" in the prologue, not a single beat is missed.

It’s quite a feat, especially with so many children, but Cunningham wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It’s a labor of joy,” said Cunningham, who said he thinks he is the only artistic director in the country to work directly with children.

The show runs through Dec. 23 at the Sacramento Community Theater with a total of 13 performances. Tickets are available from $39 to $630 at a range of prices from www.sacballet.org.

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Photography by Barry Wisdom

Editor's Note: The Sacramento Press editorial staff has edited this article to reflect a correction in ticket prices and a link to purchase tickets from The Sacramento Ballet.

Cocktails, appetizers, networking and...ballet?

2011-11-07T22:00:40Z

Sacramento’s young professionals are invited to attend United Way’s unique twist on a networking event. Sacramentans can enjoy drinks and appetizers while learning about the origin of ballet at United Way’s Emerging Leaders Fall Event on Nov. 10.

Pamela Hayes Classical Ballet will present a costumed Ballet 101 demonstration at the event as well as a sneak peek at the group’s production of “The Nutcracker.” The event will take place 5:30-7 p.m. at Lounge ON20, 1050 20th Street in Sacramento. Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased at www.yourlocalunitedway.org.

Proceeds will benefit United Way California Capital Region and its nonprofit partners working on high school graduation rates, household financial stability and obesity through United Way projects: STAR Readers, $en$e-Ability and Fit Kids.

United Way’s Emerging Leaders are young or young-at-heart professionals who join together across varying backgrounds and industries to create lasting change in our community. The Emerging Leaders’ mission is to engage members to make a difference in their community through hands-on volunteer opportunities while providing members with professional and personal development through innovative leadership trainings and inventive networking events. For more information, visit www.yourlocalunitedway.org/el.

Disclosure: Kristin Thébaud is the marketing consultant for United Way California Capital Region, as well as other local nonprofits and philanthropic companies.

Zombies 'Thrill' with Sac Ballet Flashmob

2011-10-17T21:15:07Z

The Sacramento Ballet can never be accused of élitism. Not when it dresses up as zombies and arranges a "Thriller" flashmob dance and encourages everyone to join in!

Last week we attended a 'performance rehearsal' at the Sac Ballet studios for the work-in-progress of the upcoming performance of 'Dracula'. The news is that it looks great! - Lots of exposed necks and flashing fangs and swirling velvet capes, even if Vincent Price won't be in it. Smart patrons have already got their tickets booked (we have). Spooky haloween-themed fun, but without the high fructrose corn syrup!

But, after the rehearsal, there was a rehearsal of another kind - As the audience filed out, another group was making their way in to the studio - not to watch, but to dance (or at least to practice dancing) the 'Thriller' dance sequence from Michael Jackson's classic video of the same name.

I'd guess about 60 people showed up to dance, some of whom had already practiced with the YouTube video that SB had posted earlier. My three kids plus a neighbor's daughter gave it a try led by the amazingly talented (if a little hoarse) MC; Chris Nachtrab.

It wasn't pretty, but it was a lot of fun.....

So, a week later, after practice with the videos, we were ready to go, so down to 20th Street, betwixt J and K.

I. Had. No. Idea. that this was the location of the Midtown Modern Arts Festival so was shocked when I saw how many people were there and parking was difficult so we got there about sixty seconds before the dance started. I shuffled my kids in to the crowd and surged to the front to take photos, having to hold the camera above my head to get any shots.

After the dance, we regrouped and looked around. Some of the dancers and other people in costume gathered preparing for a video interview so I go the kids to hang out there while I took some more photos. They turned out rather nicely!

OK, so I know it's a lot of pictures of my own kids, but I try to make them interesting - so sue me!

Contemporary Dance Conservatory opens in hidden corner of Midtown

2011-06-08T01:50:17Z

Local dance instructor Lena Logan has opened her first studio, the Contemporary Dance Conservatory, in a warehouse once used for raves.

The studio opened May 2 at 213 26th St., in a renovated 6,300-square-foot warehouse whose neighbors include a community garden, bicycle repair shop, an independent building contractor's shop area and homes.

From 4 - 10 p.m. Saturday, the studio will hold a grand opening that mixes dance performance and live art. Her students will give short dance performances each hour, while muralists and graffiti artists will create paintings on the front of the building.

Logan's focus is to train teens and pre-teens who want to move on to professional dance companies. She prepares them by teaching classical ballet as the base of their dance education and training.

Logan also teaches contemporary ballet and contemporary dance, as well as other classes. Performances, which she plans to hold in professional theaters, concentrate only on contemporary dance and contemporary ballet.

"What is unique about the dance environment Lena is setting up is that at the foundation is ballet training," said Michelle Miranda, whose 13-year-old daughter, Caitlin, has studied with Logan for five years.

"At the core, kids are practicing ballet,” she said. “But when they hit the stage with a showpiece, it's very cutting-edge, very relevant and very cool."

Logan trained to be a ballerina while growing up in the Bay Area. She also modeled and acted, appearing in a national Miracle Whip commercial eating a sandwich in the 1980s when she was about 5.

She said she turned to contemporary and jazz dance to make more money. She danced in Broadway shows, a traveling performance called “Ballet Magique” and on Royal Caribbean cruises. She began teaching and doing choreography 10 years ago.

She left a post as artistic director at a West Sacramento studio to open this studio with her husband, James Bahn, who handles the business end of the studio.

Kids aged 6 to 18 can take beginning, intermediate and advanced classes in classical and contemporary ballet and contemporary dance, which may include modern, jazz, lyrical, African, new wave, hip hop and other types of dance or movement. Logan also offers classes that teach turns and leaps, and acting classes that teach stage presence.

She currently has 30 students. Half of them are in her dance troupe called the Contemporary Dance Conservatory Company. They take a dance company-level class, compete, perform and volunteer.

She also has a "ballet babies" class for children who are potty-trained and have good attention spans, up to age 5. The couple’s 2-year-old, John Michael Bahn, is in the class.

Logan is starting an adult contemporary class from 8 - 9 p.m. on Fridays. The class will be a mix of Pilates, ballet and contemporary dance moves, she said.

Logan looked at about 150 other buildings before finding the warehouse on Craigslist. But she said she wanted the studio to be in Midtown.

She learned from talking to neighbors and stepping inside that the warehouse had had a wild life. It was once used for rave dance parties. Local graffiti artists and muralists had painted on its interior walls.

“It was kind of like an art house, with people doing art in a free, open space,” she said. “I want to keep that feel.”

Windows were blacked-out, the walls had holes, the concrete floor had a thick layer of dirt and the space smelled of mold.

Despite its condition, she immediately fell in love with the warehouse, which sits behind a chain-link fence on a cul-de-sac that dead-ends at a levee near 26th and B streets.

"I just walked in and said it was perfect. I knew I could turn it into an urban chic studio," she said.

She and her husband spent $10,000 to renovate the space and another $10,000 on a 3,500-square-foot "sprung" dance floor that can be used in traveling shows. The two-layer floor has a shock-absorbing bottom layer covered by a slip-resistant vinyl floor.

Local muralist Sean Turner created a fresh new mural on a repainted dance studio wall. Other artists will be asked to paint on walls, too.

She plans to soon open a dance store. Sacramento has only one, Capezio Dance Theatre Shop in East Sacramento.

One of her students, 16-year-old Bradly Palmer, said he loves the studio because it's modern and huge and fits the dance company's mission.

"It speaks to what our studio's philosophy is and what we try to chase as dancers," he said. "It's about being fresh and innovative and finding a way to portray life in a way that's abstract and thoughtful, but simple."

Logan said her goal is to open a true conservatory in 10 years in Sacramento. She added that she wants to open the area's first private conservatory, where students can take classes in dance, acting, music and other art.

They would meet with math, history, English and science tutors during the day but do most regular school study independently at home at night, she said.

Television talent shows like “Dancing with the Stars” and “America’s Best Dance Crew” have created a surge of interest in dance classes among kids and adults. That's helped dance studios thrive in recent years, even during the recession, Logan said.

Palmer is a sophomore at West Sacramento Early College Prep Charter School. He grew up dancing hip hop but has only been studying ballet for one and a half years. Logan describes him as "on his way to being famous."

"He can act. He can sing. You'll see his name in bright lights one day," she said.

He takes classes five days a week at the studio. He said he's in training to be on the TV show "So You Think You Can Dance." But he has to wait until he's 18 before he can audition. Until then, he's one of a handful of boys studying with Logan. Palmer said he likes her teaching style.

"She knows how to teach dancers as individuals, which is important because everyone’s bodies are not the same," he said. "Because she's been there as a dancer, she knows how to teach us how to go out and become professionals."

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

Sacramento Concerts, Music Events, and The Local Music Scene This Week

2011-03-18T16:06:56Z

Here are some of the many music events happening in the Sacramento area this week. For more detailed information on these events and many more go to www.eMusiConnect.com.

Sacramento Area Concerts & Music Events

Through Sunday, March 20th: 9 to 5 The Musical at The Sacramento Community Center Theatre on 1301 L Street in Sacramento. Shows at 8PM, 2PM, and 7:30PM depending on date. Tickets are $18.00 - $70.00.

A Grand Night For Singing at Cosmopolitan Cabaret on 1000 K Street in Sacramento. Continues WED-SUN. Show times are at 8PM or 7:30PM with some 2PM matinees. Tickets are $33.00 - $48.00.

Friday, March 18th - Saturday, March 19th: Sacramento Ballet In-Studio Celtic Experience at 1631 K Street in Sacramento. Enjoy beer and wine and an intimate performance beginning at 7PM. Tickets are $25.00.

Saturday, March 19th: Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra presents Verdi's Requiem at Mondavi Center on the UC Davis Campus. Performance at 8PM. Tickets are $30.00 - $50.00.

Saturday, March 19th - Sunday, March 20th: Sacramento Master Singers Celtic Connections III at First United Methodist Church on 2100 J Street in Sacramento. SAT at 8PM, SUN at 3PM. Tickets are $20.00.

Sunday, March 20th: Camellia Symphony Orchestra presents a Family Concert at Tsakopoulos Library Galleria at 828 I Street in Sacramento. Performance at 2PM, Instrument petting zoo at 1PM. Free Admission.

Tuesday, March 22nd: Paul Thorn at Harlows. Show at 7:30PM. Tickets are $22.00 ADV.

Wednesday, March 23rd: Marsha Ambrosius with Melanie Fiona at Harlows. Show at 9PM. Tickets are $30.00.

Wednesday, March 23rd: Richrad Thompson Electric Trio at Ace of Spades at 1417 R Street in Sacramento. Show at 7:30PM. Tickets are $35.00 - $40.00.

Wednesday. March 23rd: Lady Gaga Monster Ball Tour at Power Balance Pavilion (Arco Arena). Concert at 8PM. Tickets are limited $52.00 - $177.50.

Thursday, March 24th: Crocker Art Museum presents Open Art: CORE Dance Collective World Premiere of Silent Noise at 216 O Street in Sacramento. Performance at 7PM. Tickets are $15.00 - $25.00.

The Local Music Scene:

Friday, March 18th:

Jerry Perry presents Island of Black and White - The Bellboys - James Cavern at Old Ironsides 9PM/$7

Mary Youngblood at 7PM/$20ADV and Primo with GPD at 10PM at Harlows

Gino Matteo at Torch Club 9PM/$12

Kevin Seconds - Kepi Ghoulie - Dino The Girl at Fox & Goose 9PM/$5

3 Dance Floors of DJ Top Hits, Hip-Hop, Latin at Faces $5 before 10PM/$10 After

Wonderbread 5 at Power House Pub 10PM/$15

CrookOne TGIF at Golden Bear 10PM/No Cover

Adam Varona - Christian De Wild - Ross Hammond at Distillery 10PM/$6

Set Theory at Marilyns 9PM/$5

80's & 90's DJ Mix at Mix Downtown 9PM

Coco Montoya - Mick Martin & The Blues Rockers at The Boardwalk 8PM/$20-$22

DJ Illest at Dream Ultra Lounge 9PM

DJ G-Roy District 30 9PM

As I Lay Dying - Winds of Plague - After The Burial at Ace of Spades 6:30PM/$20

DJ Billy Lane at Park Ultra Lounge 10PM/$15

Rough House with DJ Shaun Slaughter & Roger Carpio at Townhouse 9PM/$5

Get Down To The Champion Sound with DJ Esef at Capitol Garage 10PM/$5

Hot Tar Roofers - Perpetual Drifters at Luigis Fungarden 8:30PM/$5

98 Rock Local Licks Live with Stepchild - Fallrise - Black with DJ Blend downstairs at Shenanigans 9PM/$5

Sean Powers Shadow Puppet Theatre - Gilberto Rodriquez at Lunas Cafe 8PM/$6

Saturday, March 19th

Richard March at Old Ironsides 9PM/$5

The Newzmakers at Marilyns 9PM/$5

Early States - Wesley Avery - Greenlight District at Ace of Spades 6:30PM/$20

Simpl3Jack - Prieta - Honyock at Luigis Fungarden 8:30PM/$5

Sean Kilcoyne - Chris2Me - Rebel Radio at Fox & Goose 9PM/$3

Wonderland at Mix Downtown 9PM

Cura Cochino - Rabbits - Ungolian at The Distillery 10PM/$6

Country Music & Line Dancing 8PM with DJ's on Three Floors at Faces $5 before 10PM/$10 after

DJ Peeti-V at Park Ultra Lounge 9PM

White Minorities - Mudface - Left Hand - Deadset at The Boardwalk 8PM/$10

Laurie Morvan at The Torch Club 9PM/$10

DJ Whores at The Golden Bear 10PM/No Cover

Superlicious at Power House Pub 10PM/$10

DJ Slick D at District 30 9PM

DJ Larry Rodriquez at Press Club 9PM/$5

The Ricky & Del Rock Show - Dungeons & Dragqueens at Blue Lamp 9:30PM/$8

Oh Dang! at Townhouse Lounge 9PM/$3

Sunday, March 20th

Dragalicious Show & DJ Hits at Faces 9PM/$5

Blues Jam at 4PM & Bone McDonald 8PM at Torch Club 8PM/$7

Industry Night at Golden Bear 9PM

Saving Abel - Red Line Chemistry - Desperate Union - First Class Citizen at Ace of Spades 6:30PM/$16

Reggae Basement with DJ Wokstar at Blue Lamp 9:30PM

The Long Term Effects of the Nutcracker Experience

2010-12-14T05:11:50Z

written by Sam Ainley-Zoll, 12 years old

I remember the first year I auditioned for Ron Cunningham’s, “The Nutcracker.” There were a lot of kids outside of the Sacramento Ballet studio. I didn’t know at the time that almost 500 children would receive roles to dance and perform in one of Sacramento’s greatest Christmas traditions.

That day, I auditioned to be one of Mother Ginger’s Children. I was 7 years old and remember entering the building filled with people. I thought about how my mom told me that I had to be well-behaved to be chosen by Mr. Cunningham. I remember a nice lady measured how tall I was. I hoped I was the right height. For what? I didn’t know.

I didn t know if I should stretch to be taller or slouch down to shrink myself; so I just stood still. The lady wrote down my height, handed me the paper and directed me to a table. I walked to the table and received a number from another lady with a smile. I stuck the number to my shirt and followed the line of kids into a huge room. We all sat on the floor to wait our turn to audition.

A video played to keep us entertained. I didn’t dare speak to anyone. When it was my turn, I tried my best to do the steps that were shown to us. I’m sure I wasn’t perfect, but I knew I could keep a smile on my face, so I smiled as big as I could. I smiled until it hurt.

I was nervous but equally excited at the possibility of getting to perform on stage at the Community Center Theater. I had been to that theater once when my mom walked me into the building just after a play had ended to show me what it looked like inside.

I remember how huge the theater felt, how red was the dominant color and how grand that big black stage was. I wanted to perform. “The Nutcracker” was a great way to get to do just that.

Six years have gone by since that first audition when I walked out of the ballet studio with cheeks that hurt and the role as one of Mother Ginger's Children. I had so much fun that year hiding under Mother Ginger’s dress, dancing on stage and making new friends. I felt fortunate to be a Ginger. I enjoyed that role for two years and then moved on to other roles that were all special in their own way. This year, I get to perform the role of Soldier Captain. It’s a new role. That’s the thing about “The Nutcracker.” No matter the role, they are all fun and unique in their own way.

I grew up in “The Nutcracker.” I grew as a child, I grew as a performer, and somewhere along the way, I discovered a love for dance that I might never have found had Mr. Cunningham not given me my first experience.

I see Mr. Cunningham frequently as I pass him on the street outside the Sacramento Ballet studio or inside the building between my dance classes, and I often wonder if he knows just how much he affects, directs and enhances the lives of the children who perform in his “Nutcracker.” The long-term effects of “The Nutcracker” experience on a child are many. They are vast and undeniable. They have helped to shape me into who I am today and who I will become: a confident performer, a person with a lot of great friends and someone who can look back on their childhood and smile until it hurts.

Sacramento Ballet Family Fun Dance

2010-10-25T19:06:36Z

Discover Dance was the theme for the Sacramento Ballet’s Family Fun performances at the Crest Theatre in Sacramento this weekend. Hundreds of kids brought their parents and friends to the Crest Theatre to experience marvelous performances by the Sacramento Ballet.

(After performance autograph session)

The laughter and cheers of children filled the theatre as they enjoyed many dance performances. Dances with Alice in Wonderland characters pranced around the stage to the delight of the audience. Performances were geared for children ages 4 and older. Some kids took advantage and showed up dressed in their ballet outfits.

The evening’s performance started off with an energetic dance introduction specially geared towards the young audience. Christopher Nachtrab served as the narrator for the show. He started off by observing that today’s young children spend a lot of time sitting on the couch playing computer or video games and watching TV. By relating to children, as he spoke, he pretended to be watching TV. “Let’s see what’s on TV” Chris said, and pretended to be switching channels and then pretending to stop at the History Channel. Three couples of dancers came out and performed short dances as Chris talked about the History Channel and how history and stories have been interpreted through dance.

Chris went on to explain that dances can not only tell history but can also interpret fairy tales and challenged the audience to guess who some of the performers were for the act that followed. The challenge did not go unanswered, children shouted “Little Red Riding Hood! “ Interpretations of Sleeping Beauty, Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, Puss-in-Boots and the White Cat and Tom Thumb followed in quick succession.

Children’s laughter and shouts of enjoyment were heard throughout many of the performances during the Fairy Tale Characters segment. Chris Nachtrab continued to guide the audience through the steps being performed and gave a little history about ballet and composers. He gave the meaning of choreography in terms children could understand. During the Puss and Boots performance I became aware that some of these dancers, besides moving with long and in some cases elaborate costumes, had to wear masks during their interpretive dancing and did it with much grace. A slight bump between Miss White cat and Puss made me realize what hard work these dancers in costume have to go through and how easy they make it look.

Chris also commented and gave some history about the classical ballet dance outfits. He talked about the typical shoes worn by ballet dancers as well as what a tutu is and how and what these are made of.

Audience participation is a must when teaching or demonstrating to young children. Chris had the audience stand while the Puss and Boots (cat) characters showed the audience a dance step. This was to show the audience how cats groomed themselves. Using one paw, the cats on stage pretended to groom themselves by licking a paw and using it to clean the side of their face. As the cats demonstrated the audience was asked to participate. “One paw, two paw, quick-quick paw”, Chris directed the audience as children and adults pretended to be cats grooming themselves.

Many of the dancers in the Fairy Tale Characters section of the program turned in a great performances that were enjoyed by the families in the audience. Animated movement was incorporated in dance moves that brought the sweet laughter of children enjoying the performance.

Alex Steward assisted narrator Chris as the evening went along. Chris asked Alex, and the audience, about another great dancer; Gene Kelley. “Ever hear of him?”, Chris asked. Adult members of the audience said yes but the children stayed quiet. Alex made it a point to tell the audience that dance is not just for girls and some of the boys in the audience yelled out “yeah!”

Chris and two other dancers copied Gene Kelley’s dance steps during Singin’ in the Rain. After the performance Chris and Alex, on stage, talked about how dance is used to tell stories. They went on to talk about telling wacky stories or stories that are way out there. This led to some performances from Alice in Wonderland. Three different dances; Alice and the White Rabbit, Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee, and Cheshire Cat performed. Children laughed out loud every time the White Rabbit snuck up behind Alice and put rabbit ears on her. As the skit ended the use of the movie theater screen was used to show an animated portion recapping what had gone on in the Alice in wonderland story and then moved to another dance.

Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum performed a whimsical dance using umbrellas giving a very colorful performance. A talented dancer in full Chesire Cat costume moved around the stage with ease. During one of the dances the Macarena and some disco dancing was incorporated in the moves.

Chris and Alex, once again, entertained the audience and asked everyone to close their eyes and use their imagination to develop a picture as they were told a story. In melodramatic fashion and using priceless face expressions they told of a story of ballet in Russia. It told a ballet story that has not changed and basically that ballet itself has not really changed much in over 120 years. As the audience kept their eyes shut they imagined a story of a prince who fell in love and the story of a swan that magically was transformed into a beautiful maiden. Chris continued “Now open your eyes and experience Swan Lake!” White Swan Pas de Deux, with music by Peter Tchaikovsky came to life. Beautifully choreographed moves came to life on stage. Wonderful dance moves were choreographed and used every inch of the stage in some cases coming right to the edge of the platform.

Audience participation was again used as Chris and Alex asked the girls to stand as they used their arms to emulate swans flying. Boys were asked to move their arms like eagles and then both were asked to move their arms in allegro like humming birds. Children again enjoyed this part of audience participation very much.

The use of French was talked about to describe many of the ballet moves and wardrobe. Ironically a set entitled New York followed and soon after that the very children oriented Ballet Du Murphy followed and was very captivating. The dance tells the story of a ballet dancer that’s practically blind wearing coke bottle eye glass lenses causing her to misstep and walk into the other dancers. This hilarious dance was one of the many highlights of the evening.

The Nutcracker children’s dance showcased some of the child cast members. Chris and Alex once again informed the audience about this particular production. Chris indicated that around 500 children have been used by the Sacramento Ballet for the Nutcracker performances.

A music medley entitled Western Hoe Down followed the Nutcracker. As the dancers came on stage I heard a little voice behind me saying “Woody! Hey mom it’s Woody!” referring to Toy Story I presume. The child made a quick association of this Western Hoe Down to something she could relate to, children are precious.

Shoeless Joe From Hannibal, Mo was a baseball dance story that incorporated ballet with tap dancing. This was followed by the Grand Finale performed by the entire dance company. Cast members danced on stage and stood on both sides of the stage as they took turns performing.

This was a great dance celebration and a delightful children’s show. It was a great educational platform where Chris and Alex helped to educate not only the children but parents and family members who showed up to the event knowing little or nothing about ballet. The Sacramento Ballet’s outstanding performance had the audience participating, clapping, cheering, and dancing in their seats. Extraordinary dance moves were performed and these great dancers made it all look so easy. The many people who helped put on this performance did a great job. Kudos to the choreographers, Costume Designers, Stage Managers and specially the dancers. Bon travail.

Dance members were available after the performance for autographs and photographs after the show. These members graciously obliged every request and this can only enhance the community and the Sacramento Ballet relationship in Sacramento.

Choreography at The Crest

2010-10-18T06:53:02Z

The chatter from the near-capacity audience was silenced as soft footsteps took the stage of the Crest Theatre Friday.

Recognized as one of the most renowned small ballet companies in the nation, the Sacramento Ballet hosted the second annual Capital Choreography Competition with world premiers from choreographers Melissa Barak, Yannis Adoniou and Darrel Grand Moultrie, each of whom was competing for two grand prizes: one from the seasoned judges and one from the breathless audience.

Each choreographer presented a ballet of 20 minutes, practiced and rehearsed over a period of only 30 hours since tthe choreographer met the dancers of the Sacramento Ballet.

Video introductions of the choreographers and their ballets helped the audience get acquainted with each of the talented contestants, and revealed the unique focus of each ballet.

The first performance, choreographed by Melissa Barak, was titled “Keeping Within.” She used music by Charles Dodge and Morton Feldman, which was the primary focus for her ballet. The costumes were a brown-to-white fade of what looked like Lycra. The music was abstract and so was the choreography, which was no surprise since she shared in her video introduction that she tried to think outside the box. Accordingly, it was unconventional, although it remained very balletic. Ensemble movements and organic forms dominated in Ms. Barak's piece.

There was a fifteen-minute intermission between each number while the dancers rested and donned new costumes.

The second performance, choreographed by Yannis Adoniou, was titled “Gomidas Songs.” The ballet revolved around themes of the Ottoman Empire, with music by Gomidas Vardabet. The songs were interpretations of the ancient liturgy, songs, hymns, and folk dances of the Armenian people. The audience gasped as the dancers flung themselves from the stage and the sounds of skin slapping against floor mat added drama throughout the dance. In this way, Adoniou successfully utilized the wingless stage of the ornate Crest Theatre and the audience was very responsive. Mr. Adoniou's piece featured movements that were not conventionally balletic, and his was the most highly conceptual composition of the evening. The costumes were gauzy and earth-toned, and were unconventional as well: the male dancers wore skirts and the females tunics. An impressionistic depiction of the Armenian genocide gave Adoniou's composition a tragic cast.

The third and final performance, appropriately titled “Moved,” was by Moultrie. He chose the music “Juan Loco” and “Hora Zero” by Rodrigo y Gabriela, and “Recuerdos de la Alhanbra” by Francisco Tarrega. The rhythmic guitar and percussion gave this dance its spark and at once set it apart from the more somber tone of the first two dances, and Mr. Moultrie's emphasis was on the dancers, not the choreographic concept. It was bright, fun, and unaffected, and its light-heartedness and unabashed emphasis on pleasing the crowd paid off.

Moutrie won both the grand prize from the judges and the People’s Choice award, as well as a standing ovation from the audience.

The show was a decided artistic and popular success. Kudos to the Cunninghams and the Sacramento Ballet for once again exploring the margins of balletic performance, both in conception and execution.

The performances will be repeated for a new audience again this Friday.

Photos courtesy of Steven Chea.

Choreographers compete at the Crest Theatre

2010-10-18T05:41:09Z

Approximately 500 dance lovers filled the beautiful, historic Crest Theatre on Friday, Oct. 15, 2010 for the premiere of the Sacramento Ballet’s 2nd Annual Capital Choreography Competition. The event unveiled performances by three of the world’s top emerging modern ballet choreographers: Melissa Barak, Yannis Adoniou and Darrell Grand Moultrie. Arriving from varying backgrounds and sources of inspiration, the choreographers, who had a week each to work with the Sacramento Ballet dancers, offered a diverse and dynamic flow of expression.

A panel of judges chose the “Grand Prize” winner, while the final say was up to the audience with the “People’s Choice Award.” Both awards were given to the daring Darrel Grand Moultrie.

For Moultrie’s piece titled “Move,” Sacramento Ballet dancers did just that. Bodies moved melodically to the rhythmic and energetic Latin grooves of Juan Loco by Rodrigo y Gabriela. One ballerina simulated the strumming of a guitar, her feet nimbly weaving to the staccato sound of drums while fellow dancers moved whimsically behind, ultimately manifesting Moultrie’s vision.

“I’ve never done anything like this before in my life,” Moultrie told the Sacramento Press. “It’s nerve-wracking,” he said, adding that the experience helped him fully realize the courage and vulnerability it takes to compete. As for the future, the native New Yorker said this competition was a wonderful introduction to Sacramento and California, as he plans to relocate to Los Angeles.

Barak’s and Adoniou’s pieces preceded Moultrie’s, offering distinct movement and messages of love and tragedy. Barak, who says she’s “inspired by the music,” featured discordant violin compositions by Charles Dodge and Morton Feldman for her dance performance titled, “Keeping Within.” Adoniou’s piece titled “Gomidas Songs,” was perhaps the most avant-garde and solemn of the three ballets. Adoniou, moved by Armenian folk music, created a melancholy montage of sonic and visual imagery reflecting the tragedy of the Armanian genocide of 1915. Dancers distorted bodies moved freely, recreating desperation and surrender. One notable moment included a female dancer holding tightly onto ribbons secured by two men, their bodies vacillating between resistance and support of one another.

Master and Mistress of Ceremonies Dr. Steve Winlock, a KVIE on-air host, and Kirsten Bloom, former Sacramento Ballet principal ballerina, transitioned each choreographer’s performance, offering anecdotal introductions to the artists.

Bloom and Winlock also delivered interesting facts about the dancers, including some quirky pre-performance rituals such as secret handshakes and Clif bars.

Aside from the idiosyncrasies that make up a dancer’s routine, Moultrie summed up the experience by getting at the heart of dance and its purpose.

“The People’s Choice award felt great,” he said. “For me, it’s all about giving back to the people.”

Now in its 56th season, the Sacramento Ballet will present a second showing of the Capital Choreography Competition on Friday at the Crest Theatre. A new audience will determine this week’s "People's Choice Award" winner.

Photos by Steven Chea

Ballet troupe bonds with local bands in charity event at Crest

2010-09-20T01:29:50Z

It wasn't your mama's "Nutcracker" at the Crest Theatre Friday evening, when Pamela Hayes Classical Ballet Theatre collaborated with a quartet of contemporary Northern California bands for "Ballet + Live Local Music," a Concerts 4 Charity-produced event designed to "showcase Sacramento's diverse arts community while raising money to keep children involved in the performing arts."

Sequestered stage left on floor level, bands DoomBird, Exquisite Corps, Drifting Shapes and Sister Crayon offered a moody, rhythmic mix of indie, electronica, world music (think big, big drums) and trance-flavored numbers that provided the inspiration for the amazing, mind-bending work by choreographer Zara Hayes, set designer Gioia Fonda, costume designer Lindsay Rickman, as well as the flying-in-the-dark beauty of Pamela Hayes' dancers.

photographs by Barry Wisdom

Arts organizations receive $30,000 in grants

2010-09-02T02:30:59Z

More than $30,000 was recently awarded to six local arts organizations for their innovative ways of staying afloat in the wake of reduced funding and and audiences as the economy took its toll.

The grants were awarded as part of a public/private partnership through the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission and the Sacramento Region Community Foundation.

“When the economic crisis hit, we had these organizations calling us and saying their doors were going to shut, but they survived,” said Priscilla Enriquez, chief giving officer for the Sacramento Region Community Foundation. “We wanted to acknowledge that fact and learn how they survived.”

The six organizations receiving the grants were The Sacramento ballet ($10,000), The Sacramento Choral Society ($8,500), Capital Stage ($7,000) and three awards of $1,500 each to the Sacramento Philharmonic, La Raza Galeria Posada and Instituto Mazatlan Bellas Artes.

Enriquez said the organizations received 28 applicants, which were narrowed down to 15, who then submitted their proposals with a donor and a board member to a panel put together by the organizations.

“What really resonated for the panel members was the fact that their innovation was strategic ... it wasn’t just one single thing,” Enriquez said. “Each portion of their strategy provided something for the next.”

Greg Smith, executive director of first-prize-winning Sacramento Ballet, said his organization’s proposal highlighted the efforts made over the past year to expand the art form into the community.

“We actually relocated many of the performances to in-studio performances so we depended less on lighting and special effects and more on the intimacy of the art form itself, and it really drew people’s attention to see this in a nontheatrical setting,” he said.

Smith added that holding about 40 shows in smaller spaces than the normal eight shows in the Community Center Theater helped the audiences get a better feel for the dancing because they were much closer han they normally would be from theater seats.

This year, the ballet plans to expand on that success by adding shows in Davis, Folsom and at St. Francis High School.

With a $2.5 million budget, $10,000 might not seem like much, but Smith said the fact that it’s unrestricted means the ballet can use it to fill gaps anywhere it needs.

Two upcoming events will be held at the Crest Theatre: Capital Choreography Project (Oct. 22) and Family Fun, Discover Dance (Oct. 23). More information is available here.

Receiving the second prize was The Sacramento Choral Society.

Board President James McCormick said the $8,500 prize will help bring the organization closer to a positive cash flow.

“In the summer, it’s a bit of a quieter time for donations,” McCormick said, “so this was really a Godsend. We’re very grateful. It was a great experience.”

McCormick said the organization received the grant due to its launching of a new series in the recently remodeled cathedral downtown. The renovation opened up the cupola, and he said the acoustics are perfect for a capella performances as well as those with organ accompaniments.

“We’re launching a new series in a new venue,” McCormick said. “We’re proud of that. We’ll be doing a whole series of performances at the Mondavi Center. We wanted to have our Sacramento presence felt.”

That new series will be kicking off soon, and more information is available here.

Taking the third prize was Capital Stage.

According to founder and Artistic Director Stephanie Gularte, Capital Stage’s goals are to introduce bold and compelling new plays being produced across the United States in Sacramento.

Capital Stage recently signed a lease on a building in Midtown that used to be a gun store with the intention of converting it to a theater and using it to stage productions beginning in 2011.

Gularte wrote in an e-mail that Capital Stage is excited to receive the funds, especially since their usage is not regulated.

“We are very grateful for this flexibility in the use of our gift and plan to apply the funds to the marketing and promotion of our new 2010-11 Season of Premiers,” she wrote.

Capital Stage’s sixth season kicks off Oct. 8 with Theresa Rebeck’s “Mauritius.”

“We have an exciting lineup of dynamic plays all season that will be making their Sacramento debuts,” she wrote.

More information about Capital Stage can be found here.

This year’s grant awarding was deemed a success, and Enriquez said the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission and the Sacramento Region Community Foundation plan to continue with the program into the future.

“They really believe in the arts as a key aspect of the city,” Enriquez said. “It’s not just about programming, it’s really about how these organizations think innovatively to stay alive.”

Choral Society photo courtesy James McCormick.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Dance Company brings Broadway to Oak Park

2010-06-03T09:27:43Z

The 34th Street Dance company put on another high energy performance last Saturday at the Guild Theater. The theme was Fiat Lux, which is Latin for "let there be light. The show wrapped up with a tribute of dance routines to the late Michael Jackson, along with a heart felt and tearful ceremony to the seniors graduating from the company.

“Our mission is to use dance as a tool to build community and develop each dancer as a creative thinker, dance technician, and a leader” said Sheila Coleman, the founder and director of the company. The company trains in modern, hip-hop, and contemporary movement forms and for seven years, has shared its passion for dance with audiences all over California. The Sacramento-high based company is proudly led by Coleman , assistant director, Janay Hood, and dance coach and 34th SDC alumna, Rachel Hylton.

To view the photo gallery of the performance Click Here (photos by Ray Johnson/Npaphoto.com)

For more information on the 34th Street Dance Company, please visit Sheila Coleman's Facebook page

By Ray Johnson/Npaphoto.com

Ballet Folklorico brings culture and color to the Mondavi Center

2010-03-30T17:45:35Z

A México with bundles of tassels.

A Mexico that is tame, quiet, wild, incongruous, strident, lighthearted.-Amalia Hernandez

A Mexico that is a pure expression of roots, that convert themselves into reality though emotional sentiment

Ballet Folklorico de Amalia Hernandez

Sacramento Ballet Company calls it a comeback with hit Carmina Burana.

2010-03-22T04:19:35Z

Dancer Amanda Peet stretches before her performance. Peet has spent 8 of her 9 years as a professional ballerina with the Sacramento Ballet Company. She has big dreams and is willing to sacrifice much of her social life and family time to rehearse. Her advice to young dancers: “do it because you and only you love it, take it one step at a time.”

Ensemble cast

Melissa Sandvig has been a dancer for 25 years. Her dance career sky rocketed after her appearance on Fox’s, So you think you can dance(season 5) and was the first ever classically trained ballerina to appear on the show. Melissa’s advice to young dancers: “Aim for perfection, but never expect it.”

Director/Choreographer Ron Cunningham and his wife Carrine Binda are celebrating their 22nd season with SBC. The tight knit troupe looks to Ron not only for direction, but as a mentor and nurturer of their skills. The company is coming off of a noteably rocky season last year, and has already seen an 80% renewal of season ticket holders, as well as 700 new subscribers, quite a comeback.

The cast of Carmina Burana

Carmina Burana-A celebration of life, love and compelling choreography.

Male cast members of Carmina Burana

"Focus"- Female cast members taking a brief break before the final run through. Opening night is Thursday March 25th, 2010 at the Community Center Theatre.

“On Pointe”- Ballet dancers spend 6 to 8 hours a day, 6 days per week on their toes. Many suffer through arduous practices, and are still able to look beautiful while doing it.

Veteran dancer Melissa Sandvig and her partner.

Red Hot Valentine Nights

2010-02-02T04:16:51Z

Get an inside glimpse of what's to come in the Sacramento Ballet's season by attending one of the company's "Red Hot Valentine Nights," featuring excerpts from Second Before the Ground, Nine Sinatra Songs and Frankie & Johnny.

You'll enjoy a studio show experience more intimate than on the stage followed by tango lessons with the help of the dancers themselves.

Friday night, two movements were showcased from Trey McIntyre's Second Before the Ground (a lighthearted energetic dance set to the music of the Kronos Quartet).

In excerpts from Michael Smuin's Frankie and Johnny, dancers performed a mambo, incorporating a makeshift bar to give the audience a sense of the party.

The dancers especially shined in their paired performances to Frank Sinatra's most unforgettable songs in an excerpt from Twyla Tharp's Nine Sinatra Songs, described by Ron Cunningham as both a ballet and Broadway success.

The dances were sensual and romantic; the effortlessness of their movements allowed the audience to forget for a moment the incredible strength and athleticism involved.

After an ovation, Ron Cunningham invited the audience to stay for more drinks and dancing.

The tango instructor assured the pairs around me that "if you can walk, you can tango."

I didn't believe him. But I gave it a shot, allowing myself to be led around in the capable hands of John Whisler, who debuted as a dancer at age 8 and went on to apprentice and later contract with the Sacramento Ballet company.

"We're like a family," he said. "Ron and Carinne are like ballet parents."

Whisler, who claims to be hopeless as a tango dancer, said he nonetheless enjoys Red Hot Valentines Nights because the dances incorporate new styles with traditional ballet.

"It keeps things interesting," he said.

Cunningham seems to have a knack for that, supplementing a program of classic masterpieces with upcoming events like "Beer and Ballet" night and a Drag Queen Bingo benefit.

Red Hot Valentines Nights will run again next weekend, on Feb. 5 and 6, leading up to Nine Sinatra Songs, which will run every night of Valentine's weekend.

For tickets and more, visit the Sacramento Ballet website.

Sacramento Ballet's Unstoppable 55th Season

2009-10-26T03:34:51Z

The Sacramento Ballet opened its 55th season with the First Annual Capital Choreography Competition at the Crest Theatre Oct. 17 and 24.

Both days consisted of three dances choreographed by Viktor Kabaniaev, Amy Seiwert and Matthew Neenan, who competed for a cash prize as well as a Tiffany & Co. star.

Neenan’s dance, The Ration, took the judges award, while Seiwert’s On Frail Wings won the peoples choice award during both showings.

Pepper Von, international fitness instructor and choreographer and a judge for the Oct. 24 performance, said Neenan and Seiwert used the theater beautifully.

“The two who exhibited (the use of space) best, in my perspective, were Amy and Matthew,” Von said. “I don’t do safe, you don’t grow and you don’t blaze trails if you stay in a safe box, and those guys came out of the box. They took risks, they took a chance, they challenged the dancers.”

And challenging the dancers as well as the audience is what the Sacramento Ballet is known for.

Founded in 1954 by Barbara and Deane Crockett, the company started as a regional school. It later became a professional company, but still offered classes for ages 6 to 18. Twenty-four classes per week are taught now.

Ron Cunningham joined the company in 1988 and his wife, Carinne Binda, joined the following year, according to the Sacramento Ballet Web site. They became co- artistic directors of the company in 1991.

Cunningham and Binda had been dancers at the Boston Ballet Company for 15 years, and Cunningham became the resident choreographer. But they were ready for the next step.

“At a certain point, when we had our first child, we decided we wanted our own company,” Cunningham said. “We thought that beginning with a fresh start from the ground up was an opportunity to build a company and an institution with our vision.”

Cunningham and Binda did just that. The Sacramento Ballet is known for its diverse repertoire and talented dancers.

The Sacramento Ballet has 16 dancers this season, some from around the world, such as Australian Richard Porter, who's been with the company for two seasons.

“I decided to come (to Sacramento), and this company here has a great repertoire,” Porter said. “Here, you get to dance a whole lot more, everyone here gets a good shot of showing their ability, which you train so many years to do and in a larger company often you can get stuck in the back for a long time.”

The diversity of the programs attracts not only dancers, but audience members as well.

Karen Finerman, a subscriber, said the diversity keeps her coming back.

“They do a traditional ballet, the whole tutu, they’ll do story ballet, they’ll do the children’s ballet,” Finerman said. “They always select such great programs year after year.”

Finerman, who has been a ballet subscriber for eight years, said she plans to continue for years to come because of the repertoire.

Diversity is what the company strives for, Cunningham said, since it competes with companies whose budgets are larger.

“We are always trying to look and do innovative things, where our dancers work directly in the creative process,” Cunningham said. “We have 18 of George Balanchine’s ballets in our repertory and we do a lot of my repertory, which is unique to me and that give the company kind of a unique signature.”

Cunningham said the Sacramento ballet does six to eight new works a season.

Many of the dancers also create 5- to 10-minute pieces that, when combined with one another dancer's, could become a whole performance.

Audience member Geoffery Kimbrough said the Sacramento ballet has a lot of cohesiveness.

“Sacramento Ballet is a much better company than Sacramento deserves,” Kimbrough said. “It’s a top notch company. The local audience has no idea what they’ve got.”

Capital Choreography Competition at the Crest Theatre

2009-10-19T07:13:56Z

Lights inside the Crest Theatre were dim, the spotlight was bright and nothing could be heard besides the feathery footsteps of the Sacramento Ballet dancers during the first annual Capitol Choreography Competition Friday night.

A crowd of about 600 experienced the talent of three choreographers from around the world who created 18-minute dances in six days. The choreographers, chosen by Ron Cunningham and his wife, Carinne Binda, artistic directors for the ballet, were Viktor Kabaniaev, resident choreographer of Diablo Ballet; Amy Seiwart, artistic director of Im'ij-re and choreographer in residence for the Smuin Ballet in San Francisco; and Matthew Neenan, artistic director of BalletX and choreographer in residence for the Pennsylvania Ballet.

"I love the Sacramento Ballet, their dancers are so talented," said spectator Tina Suarez-Murias. "So I wanted to see what different choreographers would work up for them."Audience members received a wooden chip that would be used to determine the People's Choice Award.

And a panel of five judges, chosen by Cunningham and Binda, named the top choreographer.Cunningham, who has been with the Sacramento Ballet for 20 years, started the competition to generate more audience participation.

The event was modeled after several television competitions, including "So You Think You Can Dance" and "American Idol", in which audience participation is crucial."We came through a very difficult time last year with the ballet," Cunningham said. "It was pretty challenging financially. So we wanted to do something different this year to show that we are different and that we have reinvented ourselves."

The panel consisted of Buck Busfield, artistic director of B Street Theatre; Jeremy Ganter, associate executive director and director of programming for the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts; Linda Goodrich, chairwoman of the Sacramento State Dance Department; Molly Lynch, University of California at Irvine dance faculty member and artistic director of the National Choreography Institute; and Ruth Rosenberg, former artistic director of the Ruth Rosenberg Dance Company.

Seiwarts piece wowed the crowed and won the People's Choice Award, but stealing the show was Neenan with his interactive piece. Busfield praised Matthew Neenan's great use of space.

"I think (Matt's piece was) very economical and had great whimsey and fun to it," Busfield said. "And the use of space was incredible, you know, I thought they were going to pop up behind me."

The choreography of Neenan's piece, The Ratio, was tailored to the Crest Theatre. At one point in the performance, some of the male dancers leapt from the stage and stood next to the wall.

The dancers were off the stage as much as they were on.

Dancer Alexandra Cunningham said she enjoyed bringing to life the diversity of Neenan's piece.

"I really liked how Matt used the space. I really enjoyed how he utilized the curtains and the stage," she said. "And the movement is a little more of my style."

The winner of the competition was to receive a cash prize and a Tiffany's and Co. piece, courtesy of the jeweler in the Roseville Galleria.

The People's Choice Award, On The Frail Wings by Seiwarts, consisted of two movements. The first consisted of pairs showcasing modern moves, such as arabesque (leg extended back, with one arm extended forward and the other backward) and penchee (an extreme arabesque, with the dancer close to the ground).

In the second movement, dancer Roberto Cisneros dominated the stage, with other dancers in supporting roles.Panel judge Ruth Rosenberg said she appreciated the detail in Seiwart's piece.

"I did really like the look of Amy's piece, specially the lighting." she said. "I thought it was very strong for that dance, it really created a mood."

Ballet subscriber Paul LeBeouf said he enjoyed Seiwart's use of male dancers."It seems like the guys have really taken on a new level," he said. "My wife and I love modern ballet and modern dance, and we really liked her kind of format."

Seiwarts was a dancer with the Sacramento Ballet from 1991-99, and also danced with the Smuin Ballet and Los Angeles Chamber Ballet. She also has danced in a Kabaniaev ballet.

"I'm just so proud to be on a stage with both Viktor and Matt," she said. "I've known them both for so long and I respect them both so much."

Even though Kabaniaev didn't win an award, his piece, Almost a Story Ballet, was not overlooked. It involved many group grand jetes (long, horizontal jumps). Dancer Roy Gan praised the dance's freedom.

"Each piece had its own feeling and the dynamic and movement were very, very different in each," he said. "In Viktor's piece, I guess it expresses more freedom of movement for me."

Before each performance, the choreographers explained their dance background in a three-minute video interview that included short clips of the dancers during rehearsals.

The Oct. 24 performance will have a different panel of judges.

More than 1,500 people are expected to attend the competitions.

For more information on Saturday's competition, visit www.sacballet.org/index.php/upcoming_events.Photos by: Nallelie Vega

Dancers stepped away from financial disaster

2009-07-13T18:12:39Z

"The 2009-10 season is a dream come true," said dancer Alexandra Cunningham.

A financial crisis in the 2008-09 season has given the 24 dancers a new perspective on their dancing career. Relocating from the 2,398-seat Community Center Theater to the studio with only two rows of seats was perhaps the biggest eye-opener.

For the in-studio shows, only the bare minimum -- chairs, curtains and lights -- separated the dancers from the audience. Both the community and the dancers loved it.

"Performing to sold-out audiences in our studios was exhilarating!" Cunningham said. "I felt that I could share so much more with audience members because I could see their every reaction."

Cunningham praised the entire organization -- staff, dancers, the board of directors -- who all worked to keep the ballet afloat. The community responded with great enthusiasm, she added.

More than 50 businesses became "Ballet Businesses" by donating goods for a silent auction, a space to perform in or donating part of their income. The dancing troupe also created a website, saveoursacballet.org, to give the community a better idea of who the dancers are and inform them about performances.

During Second Saturday Art Walks, they became living sculptures at various art galleries.

When all was said and done, they performed a record number of more than 40 shows, including more than 50 pieces at five different venues.

"It was exciting for us, and therefore translated into our bodies as a new, raw and fearlessness energy," Cunningham added. "I think as dancers we learned a lot from the experience, and overall I feel that we all became stronger because of it."

Administrators of saveoursacballet.org shut down the site, but will reopen it as sacballetdancers.com. The new site will feature information on the dancers' lives, backgrounds and interests.

Sacramento Ballet prepared for unstoppable season

2009-07-09T04:57:52Z

Sacramento Ballet has narrowly survived its budget crisis. After canceling the remainder of the 2008-2009 season last January, the ballet will dance on another season.

"We're excited and thrilled to have made it through the crisis, and we've put together a program!" said Mimi Kent, the ballet's marketing director.

Credit the work ethic of the dancers. After the season was canceled, they organized and executed their own fundraising campaign while continuing with a number of in-studio performances.

On top of that, they took a 10 percent pay cut last season which has now been restored. In one silent auction, they raised about $20,000 for the organization.

For the 2009-2010 season, Sacramento Ballet has lowered their ticket prices. As part of the effort to be more fiscally responsible, they've also added new smaller venues.

"[The new season] is just trying to appeal to the masses by offering ticket prices that don't scare people off," Kent said. "We've done a lot of cost-cutting, and we've got a massive subscription [effort] going on."

No longer will all the shows be held in the expensive Community Center Theater in the Sacramento Convention Center. Shows will be held at the Crest Theatre, the University Theater in Shasta Hall at Sacramento State and the Sacramento Ballet's studio at 1631 K St.

Also expanding is the ballet's repertoire. The program features something for everyone: a choreography competition, classics like the Nutcracker, and the epic Carmina Burana.

"We had a wide variety of people who came to our rescue," Kent said. "They wanted to see more contemporary works and get to know the ballet a little better -- not everybody is into classic ballet."

Because the dancers have yet to sign contracts for the season, they were not available for comment.

The following is the program for the new season:

Capital Choreography Competition
Three world premieres from top talent in the dance world battle for recognition and cash awards. After a distinguished panel of judges pick the winners, the audience selects the “people’s choice” by popular vote.

Where: Crest Theatre, 1013 K St.
When: October 17 and 24, 7 p.m.
Tickets: $25 to $35

Peter & the Wolf
An interactive afternoon of fun activities with dancers of the Sacramento Ballet including a performance of Peter & the Wolf, the world’s most famous children’s ballet. A celebrity guest narrates the charming tale choreographed by Ron Cunningham to the delightful music of Sergei Prokofiev. Join Peter, Cat and Bird as they capture the Big Bad Wolf and take him to the zoo!

Where: Crest Theatre, 1013 K St.
When: October 24 3 p.m.
Tickets: $15 (children), $25 (adults)

Ron Cunningham’s The Nutcracker
Opening night of The Nutcracker is the 500th performances of Ron Cunningham’s magical rendition of this timeless classic. Be swept away by the beautiful music of Peter Tchaikovsky’s music as you visit the enchanted Snowflake Forest and scrumptious Land of the Sweets. All performances of this beloved tradition are accompanied by the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra.

Where: Community Center Theater, 1301 L St.
When: December 10 to 23, time to be announced
Tickets: $15 to $68

Nutcracker Sweet Sunday
Special matinee event: Enjoy the magic of The Nutcracker, then join the cast and characters in the lobby for juice and cookies. Walk on stage in the Land of the Sweets, meet and greet the dancers and take your picture with the Sugar Plum Fairy and other characters from the ballet! Appropriate for all ages.

Where: Community Center Theater, 1301 L St.
When: December 13, 1 p.m.
Tickets: $37.50 (children 12 and under), $75 (adults), no child discount in Grand Tier Box

Nine Sinatra Songs
Celebrate Valentine’s weekend to the velvet voice of “Ol’ Blue Eyes” in the sophisticated and elegant Nine Sinatra Songs by Tony-award winner Twyla Tharp. Included on the program is Trey McIntyre’s joyous and spiritually uplifting "Second Before the Ground" set to the African-inspired music of the renowned Kronos Quartet, and the spectacular "Frankie & Johnny" by Michael Smuin, another Tony-award winning choreographer, who places the legendary lovers in sultry Havana to the beat of hot Latin rhythms. Suggested for mature audiences.

Where: Community Center Theater, 1301 L St.
When: February 11 to 14, 2010, time to be announced
Tickets: $15 to $63

Carmina Burana
Ron Cunningham’s epic, larger-than-life spectacle to the soaring music of Carl Orff is the signature masterpiece of the Sacramento Ballet. Complete with full chorus and orchestra, Carmina Burana’s erotic passion ignites the senses for an intense experience not soon forgotten. The genius of George Balanchine’s magnificent theme and variations completes a perfect evening to the glorious music of Peter Tchaikovsky.

Where: Community Center Theater, 1301 L St.
When: March 25 to 28, 2010, time to be announced
Tickets: $15 to $63

Modern Masters
Catch the next wave as daring, innovative choreographers unleash their imaginations in new works of astonishing creativity. See the most talked-about new voices in American dance in an explosion of creativity from the edge. Five world premieres will bowl you over with fresh new concepts and ideas as diverse as the wide universe of dance.

Where: University Theatre in Shasta Hall, Sacramento State, 6000 J St.
When: April 22 to 25, 2010, time to be announced
Tickets: $40

Encore at Mondavi
Join us for a celebration of the best of the Sacramento Ballet in a special performance sponsored by the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts. A champagne and dessert reception following the performance is included in the price.

Where: Studio Theatre at the Mondavi Center, 9399 Old Davis Road, Davis
When: April 2, 2010, 5:30 p.m.
Tickets: $100 (includes reception), available only through the Mondavi Center Box Office.

In-Studio Performances
Details will be released at sacballet.org during the season.

*Permission to use photo granted by Sacramento Ballet. Photo is credited to Keith Sutter.

Which event will you be attending this Memorial weekend?

2009-05-21T00:39:16Z

Although many of the events this weekend do not really reflect the true meaning of the foundation of this holiday, there are still some great things to do! Whatever your plan is this weekend, do take a moment to reflect on what Memorial Day is about and be thankful for our fellow Americans who put their lives on the line for the sake of our country. Just in case you aren't sure as to what Memorial Day is all about and why it is a National Holiday, here is the definition from Wikipedia: "Formerly known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military service. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War (it is celebrated near the day of reunification after the civil war), it was expanded after World War I to include American casualties of any war or military action." So here's to a great weekend and thank you to all those who made it possible!

Wednesday 5.20

Music: Izabella w/ Montana Slim -- $10
Where: Harlow’s (27th & J St)
When: 8pm
Why: Izabella is a dance-inspired rock and soul band hailing from the Bay Area. I haven’t seen them yet but hear they’re great! This is what their website has to say: “This six-piece family of musical explorers is avowed for producing danceable, dynamic grooves. Izabella's live performances exude joy and inspiration for all in attendance. Their unique blend of fist-pumping guitar, funked-out keys, poly-rhythmic beats, and impassioned vocals is unparalleled in the genre. As this musical collective continues to blaze their own trail, they remain in constant connection with their community of fans who ultimately make it all happen.”
Details

Thursday 5.21

Museum: Diverse Perspectives Tour -- $6/$4/$3
Where: Crocker Art Museum (216 O St)
When: 1pm
Why: For those of you out there with wheels to get around on, The Crocker Art Museum will be shining the spotlight on their works at eye-level. This is a special exhibit for wheelchair users and their friends and all are welcome!
Details

Art: Lecture by Catherine Clark-- $5 (Free to CCA members)
Where: Center For Contemporary Art (1519 19th St)
When: 7pm
Why: Catherine Clark, from the Catherine Clark Gallery in San Francisco, will discuss the work in the Center for Contemporary Art, Sacramento's "The Conundrum of Abundance," an exhibition of paintings by Chester Arnold, Scott Greene, and Julie Heffernan. They all share an affinity for abundance in their paintings. While the imagery differs, the works share a pre or post-apocalyptical narrative that simultaneously embraces this abundance, and questions it. This should be a great, informative event.
Details

Music: Third Thursday Jazz Summer Concert Series -- $10 (Free to Crocker Members)
Where: Crocker Art Museum
When: 5:30-8pm
Why: Guitarist and singer Perry Mills leads his band in playing rock-rooted and jazz-schooled music. Enjoy a spotlight tour during intermission.
Details

Festival: Sacramento County Fair-- $3 (Kids & Seniors Free!)
Where: Cal Expo
When: 10am-10pm, May 21st-25th (10am-7pm on Memorial Day)
Why: The County Fair features competitions showcasing talent from our region, arts and crafts displays, agricultural exhibits, a hypnotist, SPIKE the fire juggler, a carnival with 30 thrilling rides, and of course, an assortment of food ranging from traditional fair favorites to contemporary cuisine. Local bands and musicians will get your summer rockin’ and rollin’ on two stages this year. Each night, talented artists are guaranteed to impress audiences! The Demolition Derby, Roving cowboys, wandering jugglers, hands-on fun with physics and the popular Sunflower Saddle Ranch are the types of entertainment you can expect- It's a surprise around every corner! Individuals, families and groups can enter and participate in contests during the Fair including a Cookie Bake-Off, Potatomobile Races, Gift Wrapping, Memory Pages, Grab Bag Art, Trim-a-Tree and more. Frugal fun for the whole family!!
Details

Friday 5.22

Festival: 36th Annual Sacramento Jazz Festival--$45 ($50 at door)
Where: Old Sacramento/Convention Center
When: May 22nd-25th: Fri, 1pm-11pm; Sat & Sun, 10am-11pm; Mon, 10am-4pm
Why: Jazz music of all types will permeate Old Sacramento and the area around the Sacramento convention center. More than 60 bands at 23 venues, more than 20 nationally-known all-stars, and a dozen featured bands. Special events include a big Friday parade, specialty concerts, a rousing Sunday gospel service and respectful Memorial Day salute to service, and sixteen bands made up of teenage musicians on their own stages.
Details

Music: Wonderbread 5 -- $12
Where: Harlow’s
When: 10pm-1:30am
Why: For over a decade, the unstoppable, international rock and roll party machine known as the Wonder Bread 5 have been thrilling audiences, and exceeding client's expectations around the globe. (And on Saturday you can catch Mercy Me at Harlow’s too!)
Details

Theatre: Let's Go! Musical -- $20/25/30
Where: Crest Theatre
When: May 22nd-24th: Fri-Sun 8pm & Sat-Sun 2pm
Why: "Let's Go" will take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions through its inspirational story. With jaw-dropping dance numbers and soulful renditions of your favorite songs, you'll be dancing and singing along with the cast! The performers in Let's Go! have a passion for their art and a desire to be deemed number one. Throughout the first act, the singers and dancers battle to find out who is the best. The magic begins when the rivals realize the only way to be number one is to act as one. United through a tragic loss, the performers come together in Act II and put on a show you'll never forget. Whether you are a fan of Country, R & B, Rock, Gospel, or Hip Hop, this musical has it all! At the end of each show, meet the Let's Go! Cast and hear their real life stories. This is a rare chance to meet the people behind the characters you see on stage and best of all- they’re from Sacramento!
Details

Music: Jackopierce -- $25 ($20 in advance)
Where: Marilyn’s on K (St)
When: 9:00pm
Why: The songs range from acoustic pop (the title-track, "Promise of Summer") to John Mellencamp-tinged country-rock ("Everything I'm Not"). Heartache is ever-present on a Jackopierce record. Jack O'Neill and Cary Pierce founded the duo in 1988 and after a decade-long run they decided to call it quits with a sold-out farewell tour 1997. In 2002, they reunited and have played 15-20 shows per year, always to sold-out venues.
Details

Music: Concert in the Park -- $Free
Where: Cesar Chavez Park
When: 5pm-8pm
Why: This week check out Silver Darling, Kris Anaya, & Buildings Breeding (their CD release!) followed by the featured band Two Sheds. Afterward, continue the fun with the “Weekly Concert Crawl” (Post Concert Specials)! Show your concert wristband and receive specials like happy hour pricing on food & drinks every Friday night at local bars and restaurants. Just ask for the Concert Crawl Deal.
Details

History: CARRIED WITH COURAGE: Historic Flags from the Capitol Collection -- $Free
Where: CA State Capitol Museum
When: Mat 22nd-23rd 9am-5pm
Why: This exhibit features a number of conserved Civil War flags from the Capitol Historic Flag Collection. Some of these flags were flown on display on the parade ground, while others have accompanied Californians into battle. Many of the flags to be exhibited have never before been seen by the public. This exhibit is a unique opportunity and will offer the public a once in a lifetime chance to view this remarkable collection.
Details

Saturday 5.23

Dance: Sacramento Ballet's Season Finale -- $38
Where: Sacramento Theatre Company
When: May 23rd & 24th: Saturday 7:30pm, Sunday 2:00pm
Why: The Sacramento Ballet is bringing their year to an end. These two shows will be the final performances for the Ballet’s 2008–2009 Season. Presenting highlights from its recently sold-out performance at the Mondavi Center’s Studio Theatre, these performances will showcase Amy Seiwert's "Well it's not a cry," Nolan T'Sani's "Ballet de Murphy," Molly Lynch's "A Journey" and Jared Nelson's "Jump Jive," along with additional Sacramento Ballet repertory favorites in a powerful display of the creative and artistic excellence that is the hallmark of what Sacramento Ballet’s Artistic Directors Ron Cunningham and Carinne Binda have consistently and brilliantly brought to the stage. Support the SacBallet!
Details

Festival: Handmade Parade-- $1
Where: Giovanni Hall (1333 58th St)
When: 10:00am-5:00pm
Why: Handmade Parade welcomes everyone to come and enjoy a wide range of fine art, folk art and crafts at this semi-annual event- with free craft demos, make & takes, and knitting & crochet demos to boot! The first 200 people there will receive a bag of freebies and discounts from our vendors and sponsors.
Details

Fundraiser: Walk 'N Rock for Kids Benefit-- $donation
Where: Raley Field
When: Walk 8:00am, Concert 8:00pm
Why: The morning will be filled with music at Raley Field and along the route. After the walk, enjoy entertainment, interactive booths, kids activities, more music, food and fun! Bobby Jackson will be the official spokesperson for this event- Don't miss it! Later that evening, Hope Productions and our corporate partners will host an exclusive VIP reception and a benefit concert featuring: Journey! (Tickets on sale) This will be open to the general public. The proceeds from the concert will be divided among the nonprofit partners.
Details

Family: Family Fun Program-- $Free w/ Museum admission ($7/6/3)
Where: California Auto Museum
When: 1:30pm-3pm
Why: Celebrate Mom all month long and make her a special keepsake, a race car themed picture frame complete with your picture next to your favorite Museum car! Just in time for the 93rd Indianapolis 500, you can also decorate your own miniature wooden race car.
Details

History: Memorial Day Ceremony -- $Free
Where: Historic City Cemetary
When: 10am
Why: Join the Historic City Cemetery Committee in honoring veterans who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Music, speakers, color guard and dignitaries guided tours will be featured.
Details

Sunday 5.24

Music: A Fashion Night Stand -- $10
Where: MIX Downtown
When: Pre-party 6pm, Runway 9:30pm
Why: An upscale & fashion forward one night affair showcasing some of the best local fashion & talent rounds out the Memorial Day Weekend! Enjoy a runway main event featuring fashions by local boutique Madam Butterfly & local designers of Velvet Leaf, with styling by Suede Salon & showcasing Cast Images runway talent. Stay for the post-show party hosted by 100.5 The Zone until 2:00am. Walk the TwinSoup Pink Carpet, enjoy photo-ops, free swag bags valued at $250+ each, TwinSouptinis & more!
Details

Music: Graham-A-Rama -- $15
Where: Geery Theatre
When: 7pm & 9pm
Why: Join in the fun this weekend with Graham Sobelman as he welcomes Jerry-lee to the set! Also performing are the Graham-A-Rama puppeteers! A fun filled-hilarious time! This humorous display of talent occurs every Sunday at the Geery theatre so even if you can’t make it his week, keep it in mind…
Details

Monday 5.25

Theatre: Tommy the Musical-- $20 ($15 in advance)
Where: Crest Theatre
When: 7pm
Why: Sacramento's own Nancy Zoppi will be playing Tommy's mom- She is the daughter of a good friend of mine and an amazing performer! This show is not to be missed! Presented by Artistic Differences.
Details

Also keep in mind for that the Sacramento County Fair & the Sacramento Jazz Jubille are both continuing through Monday. If you didn't get a chance to go over the weekend, it's not too late!!

These events and many more can can be found on Sacramento365.com, the year-round source for Sacramento events.

Eat, shop & play to support a good cause

2009-04-23T18:56:48Z

It seems more so now than ever before that organizations across the board are reaching out for help. Despite all of the "doom-and-gloom" being reported on in the news, I consider myself to be a fairly positive person with an optomistic outlook on life. However, reality tends to sink in a little when you find that local mainstays within your hometown are being threatened. These times of "crisis" are when charity organizations and community support foundations see a significant spike in demand for their services. Every week there are events being held to raise money and awareness for various causes that will likely relate to every person at some point in their life. This week, I stumbled upon a handful of various causes to consider. Whether you enjoy shopping, a night of great food, a pint of beer with friends or a day out in the sunshine with other people, you should be able to find one of these events "beneficial" to attend.

Tonight!!

People Reaching Out: Art of the Kitchen
Benefitting: People Reaching Out
The goal of PRO is to promote a healthy community by empowering youth to make healthy choices, strengthening families to guide their children away from drugs and violence, and forming effective partnerships working together to build a strong community.

Food and one-of-a-kind art are on the menu. This is a celebration of all good things that go in and come from the kitchen. Enjoy cooking demonstrations by some of the areas top chefs. Also featuring one-of-a-kind art pieces by Steve Memering, Michael Kennedy, Yuko Carson, Viki Asp, Clare Bailey, Kristin Hoard, Arbo Barnarnd, and many more.

Where: Lounge on 20 (20th & K St); Time: 6:00-9:00pm
Tickets: Tickets are $100, five for $500
Info Phone: (916) 576-3300

S.O.S.- An Evening With the Dancers & Silent Auction
Benefitting: The Sacramento Ballet

The first ever Dancer organized event!- The Vizcaya Mansion has generously donated their space for a night of entertainment, wine, food, live music, games, a special performance by the Dancers & a silent auction. Local businesses are contributing items for the auction and if you have anything that you would like to contribute, email us at: saveoursacballet@gmail.com. Some of the auction items include: vacation packages, family packages, dance lessons, ballet tickets and much more!

Where: Vizcaya Mansion & Pavilion (2019 21st Street); Time: 7:00pm
Tickets: $10 Advance, $15 Door
Info Phone: (916) 552-5800 ext. 102

Saturday

Huge Rummage Sale Fundraiser
Benefitting: Effie Yeaw Nature Center's Pioneer Ranch Living History program

The weather is going to beautiful this weekend! What better reason to get outside with the family than to shop, play & learn together! Check out the bargains and enjoy the history exhibits and activities at this huge rummage sale. If you have items to donate, the donation drop off deadline is Friday, April 24th. **They request to please donate items in good/working condition** Call for a complete list of items they will be accepting.

Where: Ancil Hoffman Park (6700 Tarshes Drive Carmichael, CA) ; Time: 10:00-7:00pm
Info Phone: (916) 489-4918

March For Babies
Benefitting: March of Dimes
The March of Dimes uses 77 cents of every dollar you raise in March for Babies to support research and programs that help moms have full-term pregnancies and babies begin healthy lives. And your funds are used to bring comfort and information to families whose baby was born too soon, or sick.

It's America's favorite walking event! When you walk, you give hope to the families of babies born too soon or sick. The money you raise supports programs in your community that help moms have healthy, full-term pregnancies. And it funds research to find answers to the serious problems that threaten our babies. We've been walking since 1970 and have raised an incredible $1.8 billion to benefit all babies.
The March of Dimes uses 77 cents of every dollar you raise in March for Babies to support research and programs that help moms have full-term pregnancies and babies begin healthy lives. And your funds are used to bring comfort and information to families whose baby was born too soon, or sick.

Where: California State Capitol Park (10th & L St); Time: Registration- 7:30am, Start Time- 9:00am
Tickets: Free, Donations welcome!!
Info Phone: (916) 922-1913

Women and Brewing
Benefitting: W.E.A.V.E. (Women Escaping A Violent Environment)

Each year, the Rubicon Brewing Company honors women in the brewing industry by inviting women and the beer they brew to Sacramento for a showcase day! This event celebrates women in the brewing industry. Special "brewed by women" beer, along with traditional Rubicon beers, will proudly be poured. There will be a silent auction featuring prizes donated by local businesses and supporting breweries.
This event is not only another chance to taste amazing guest beers but both the event and silent auction benefit W.E.A.V.E. A representative will be present at both events to take donations for their Safe House and answer questions about their organization. All proceeds from the day are donated to W.E.A.V.E.

Where: Rubicon Brewing Company (2004 Capitol Ave); Time: 10:00am-Midnight
Info Phone: (916) 448-7032

Sunday

Walk MS - Sacramento 2009
Benefitting: National Multiple Sclerosis Society
The National MS Society is a collective of passionate individuals who want to do something about MS now—to move together toward a world free of multiple sclerosis. MS stops people from moving. We exist to make sure it doesn't.

This event will once again be held at the West Steps of the State Capital building. The route will take you on a stroll through the beautiful, tree-lined streets of downtown and mid-town Sacramento. You have a choice of a 5k or 10k route. Meet new friends on our party route and then celebrate with old friends at the finish line while we walk, give and volunteer to create a world free of MS. The April 26th Sacramento Walk MS promises to be bigger and better than ever. Join us for fantastic food and fun finish-line festivities all while enjoying live music from On Air, a local band, another amazing performance by Jodette’s Belly Dancers and the Ben Ali Shrine Clowns. Dogs are welcome, so bring your canine friend with you.

Where: California State Capitol- West Steps (10th & Capital); Time: Registration- 8:00am, Walk- 9:00am
Tickets: Free (donations gladly accepted!!)
Info Phone: (415) 230-6677

Kaboom! Playground Build
Benefitting: The Salvation Army Playground at the Roy Robinson Oak Park Community Center

It all starts with a playground. Three hundred volunteers are needed to join CaliforniaVolunteers, The Salvation Army of Sacramento County, organizers from KaBOOM! and residents of the community to build a new, safe playground at The Salvation Army. The new playground’s design is based on drawings provided by children who attended a “Design Day” event in March. The new playground will provide thousands of children in the community with a safe place to play. Currently, the children have only outdated equipment to play on, which will be removed to make way for the new playground. This playspace project is one of seven sponsored by CaliforniaVolunteers this year to celebrate the legacy of Cesar E. Chavez. Since 2007, CaliforniaVolunteers has sponsored 20 playspace builds constructed by more than 6,000 volunteers and supported 77 after-school service clubs in Title I middle schools across the state. These done-in-a-day play spaces are dramatic, inspirational events that people come back for again and again.

Where: Ray Robinson Oak Park Community Center (2550 Alhambra Blvd); Time: 8:00am-5:00pm
Tickets: Free
Info Phone: (916) 447-7063 x344

All of these events can be found at Sacramento365.com, the year-round source for Sacramento events. For more information and details about the venues and organizations involved, click on the title of the events or visit www.Sacramento365.com.

Budget friendly events this week

2009-04-20T07:09:49Z

There were so many events going on this week in Sacramento that I had to break them up into two articles (and still there are so many more!). This is a diverse compilation of things to do under $20 this week. From lectures, concerts & festivals, to health classes and job fairs, you are bound to find something you'll like! Keep an eye out for my next article in which I will feature all of the fundraisers and benefits this week...

Monday 4.20

Lecture: Andrew Sean Greer - Free
When: 1pm
Where: CSUS- Union Ballroom (Free parking on Lot 10)
Why: Andrew Sean Greer is the bestselling author of The Story of a Marriage, a lyrical novel about love and longing, and the political, sexual, and racial tensions set against the backdrop of the early 50s. The New York Times Book Review hails it as “Wondrously unsettling…A timeless story of conflicting loyalties.” For more Info: #(916) 737-1300

Tuesday 4.21

Career: Sacramento Diversity HIREvent /Career Expo - Free
When: 10am-2pm
Where: Sacramento Convention Center
Why: The unemployment rate in Sacramento has reached around 11% in the past few weeks. Don’t be a statistic! Get out there and keep looking. Luxe Salon and Spa is even offering free makeovers for jobseekers. Know the resources out there to help in this difficult time.For more info: # 1(888)THE-JOBS

Dance: Inside the Director’s Studio- Virtuosity and Passion - $15
When: 6pm-7pm
Where: Sacramento Ballet Studios (1631 K St)
Why: Are you a fan of the classic Pas de Deux? Then you won't want to miss this working rehearsal as the professional dancers of the Sacramento Ballet perform the Pas de Deux from Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Diane & Acteon, and others. For more info: #(916) 552-5800 x2

Wednesday 4.22

Food & Wine: World Wednesdays “Fiesta Cubana,”- $ Cost of food & Drinks
When: 5pm-7:30pm
Where: Masons Restaurant @ The Park (15th & L St)
Why: An ongoing spring and summer series of “World Wednesday” food and music celebrations will be bringing the flavors and rhythms of Latin America to downtown Sacramento this week!! Food & Drink specials offered on the outdoor patio include Latin-inspired small plates, half price bites and half off the “Fuegotini,” a daring martini with flair, hand shaken to the beat of live Cuban and Latin-based musical performances. Specialty Mojitos and Margaritas will also be available. For more info: #(916) 492-1960

Thursday 4.23

Music: Living Legends - $ TBA
When: 7:30pm
Where: CSUS University Union Ballroom
Why: A hip hop concert plus special opening guests, , 7:30 pm, ticket prices TBA. Sponsored by the University Union UNIQUE Programs. All ages welcome. No alcohol served or permitted at venue.

Entertainment: Talent Search - $
When: 8pm
Where: Dante Club (2330 Fair Oaks Blvd)
Why: Enjoy the talent of local singers, comics, magicians, jugglers and bands.

Friday 4.24

Food & Wine: Fast Food, Slow Food & Popular Culture in America - $15 adv/$20 door
When: 7pm-10pm
Where: Revolution Wines (2116 P St)
Why: Professor and writer, Kevin Wehr, will team up with The Sacramento Institute of Fun to discuss the question “Are we really what we eat?” This discussion will be centered on fast food, slow food and how it all relates to American popular culture. Learn more about popular culture today and the roles our food plays in it!

Festival: Acupuncture Awareness Day & Rally - Free
When: Fri & Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 10am-2pm
Where: Hyatt Regency (1209 L St)
Why: Learn Why Acupuncture can Change Healthcare and Change your Life! Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine has been practiced for more than 2500 years. Increase your awareness and understanding. Experience Acupuncture. Learn more about the profound impact AOM can have in improving your overall health! Acupuncture Demonstrations will be offered to the Public from 2:00-5:00pm. Enjoy live music and refreshments! For more info: #(916) 443-4770

Kids & Families: Challenger Learning Center: Voyage to Mars - $15/$20
When: 5:30pm-8:30pm
Where: Discovery Museum Science & Space Center (3615 Auburn Blvd)
Why: You and your friends and family can choose your roles on a simulated mission in space and learn what astronauts really do! Experience the wonder of space exploration! See what it’s like to work for NASA while you perform hands-on science experiments nodeled on real-life astronaut tasks. You’ll be working in the Challenger Space Center’s Mission Control room, designed after Johnson Space Center and the Spacecraft, designed to simulate a room onboard a future inter-planetary space vehicle. Children must be over the age of 9 (9 & 10-year-old astronauts must be paired with an adult crewmember). It's fun! It's interactive! It's educational! Reservations are required, because even "outer" space is limited. For more info: #(916) 575-3942

Saturday 4.25

Class: “Artomotive” Photography Class with Jim Richter
When: Call (916) 442-6802 for details
Where: California Auto Museum (formerly the Towe)- 2200 Front Street
Why: Enjoy a morning of cool cars and photography, with local photography enthusiast, Jim Richter. Jim will guide you in the basic steps and skills needed to capture that perfect picture. Whether you are a classic car owner and want to photograph your cool ride or just interested in the art of photography – this class is for you! Students are asked to bring their own cameras & supplies (including a flash and/or a polarizing lens if you own one). Students must be at least 12 years old (minors must be accompanied by an adult). All skill levels welcome! For more info: #(916) 442-6802

Network/Workshop: SacBarCamp - Free
When: Sat 6pm- 11pm & Sun 8am-5pm
Where: Sat @ Bricka Bracka (21st& P), Sun @ Capsity Offices (24th & P)
Why: An informal event where you will network, learn, and share with other Sacramento techies, helping to create a local community for the industry. All types of people - developers, publishers, bloggers, marketers, designers, students, networkers, etc. will be participating. BarCamp is an ad-hoc gathering born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment (open source model). It is an intense event with discussions, demos, and interaction from attendees. It is an international network of user generated non-traditional social conferences— open, participatory workshop-events, whose content is provided by participants.

Dance: The Unicorn Fountain - An Original Ballet - $12/10/8
When: Sat 7pm, Sun 2pm
Where: Hiram Johnson High School (6789 14th Ave)
Why: This original ballet is set in the mythical village of Eudora during its annual Seed Time Festival. A rainbow’s appearance has signaled the coming of a magic unicorn in generations past, a beautiful creature able to bring forth a plentiful harvest by drinking from an enchanted fountain. Prince Frederick is to award a medal of merit to the most deserving girl in the village. Maidens Charity and Dahlia vie for the honor. Only one will win. The other’s jealous actions, with help from some magic marionettes, threaten the unicorn and the prosperity it can bring. The outcome is a moral of triumph over adversity. For more info: #(916) 453-0226

Sunday 4.26

Festival: Festival de la Familia
When: 10am-6pm
Where: Cal Expo
Why: Tempt your taste buds with Latin flavors and savory dishes; view authentic arts and crafts or create your own; be awed by the variety of exhibits where you can learn about Latin heritage; or get involved in one of the numerous community outreach opportunities. More than 200 vendors are participating in this year's event!

Kids & Families: Kids Cooking Class
When: 3pm
Where: Arden Hills Resort & Spa (1220 Arden Hills Ln)
Why: A hands on class where children will learn how to make low-fat pumpkin and zucchini mini-muffins. Start your children off early with practicing healthy eating habits. For more info: #(916) 609-8209

Sports & Rec: The 34th Annual Haggin Oaks Golf Expo - Free
When: Fri, Sat, & Sun
Where: Haggin Oaks Gof Complex (3645 Fulton Ave)
Why: Golfers from all over California, Oregon and Nevada descend on this award-winning facility to see all the latest from around the golf industry- from the latest in golf equipment to the best vacation destinations- and everything in between! The expo is taking another giant step forward at this year’s event by doubling the amount of complimentary hitting stalls available to the public, adding a new area hosting dozens of golf courses from around Northern California and beyond and offering a new promotion that pays you in store credit the more you spend. This is truly the show of all golf shows with over 150 different manufacturers and booths scheduled to appear and hosting over 17,000 golfers over the three-day event. For more info: #(916) 481-GOLF

For more info on these and many other great events in Sacramento, visit www.Sacramento365.com or simply click on the name of the event.

10 things to do under $10 (and a few others...)

2009-04-14T07:12:19Z

This week there is no excuse! Despite this 'little' slump we're in, I was able to find a slew of cost efficient ways to entertain yourself throughout the week. There's a little something for everybody...

Tues 4.14
Music: Lipstick- $3 (before 10pm)
When: 8:00pm
Where: Old Ironsides
Why: A fusion of indie rock, pop, garage & electronic dance part. It's been going strong for 8 years. 'Nuff said.

Sports: Sacramento Rivercats v. Portland Beavers- $10+
When: 7:05pm
Where: Raley Field
Why: If I am going to go to any Baseball game, it's going to be this one. Who wouldn't want to see which of the water creatures prevails?

Wed 4.15
Music: Ari Hest w/ Hana Pestle- $8
When: 8:00pm
Where: Marilyns on K
Why: His music encompasses the longing everyone feels to jump in the old beat-up car and live like Jack Kerouac. Although he may be a few decades too late to be called a beatnik, with his rejection of the major label, long hair and songs about chasing miracles, Hest would make Kerouac proud.

Music: Rowdy Kate- $8
When: 9:00pm
Where: Torch Club
Why: Rowdy Kate came together in late 2006 and began performing around Sacramento and the Central Valley. They bring a fresh take to old school honky tonk classics along with their own brand of clever country. From Keris fiery vocals to Geoffs stinging telecaster, their live show is a must see.

Wine & Dine: Picnic Basket Battles- $10
When: 5:00-7:00pm
Where: 58 Degrees & Holding
Why: Compare Pinot Noir vs Beaujolais wines along with light hors d' oeuvres. You're bound to find something to bring to your next picnic! And just in time for spring...

Thurs 4.16
Comedy: Jeff Dunham- $45
When: 7:30pm
Where: Arco Arena
Why: Jeff Dunham is an award-winning ventriloquist and a stand-up comedian. He's performed on numerous comedy shows, including Comedy Central Presents in 2003. His usual puppets include a woozle named Peanut, a bitter old man named Walter, a dead terrorist named Achmed (one of my personal favorites) and José Jalapeño - a talking jalapeño pepper on a stick. Good stuff.

Club/Dance: DJ Kaskade- $20
When: 9:00pm
Where: The Park Ultra Lounge
Why: He is world renouned! Not to mention that he's my favorite DJ.

Fri 4.17
Wine & Dine: Artisan Cheeses of Sonoma- $45
When: 6:30-8:30pm
Where: Cest le Cheese- Penthouses @ Capital Park
Why: Celebrated chef, cheesemaker and culinary educator Sheana Davis pairs delectable cheeses from her favorite creameries with her selection of fine wines and accompanies them with other local flavors. Among the treats to be savored is her very own "Delice de la Valle" which is currently on the menu at the French Laundry. and Murray's Cheese Shop in New York.

Festival: Traders' Faire- Free!
When: 10:00am-5:00pm
Where: Sutters Fort
Why:Shop like An Early California Pioneer! In a unique program, vendors of merchandise of the kind found during the 1800's will set up their tents inside the Fort walls. Shoppers will find clothing, house wares, toys, beads, knives and more for sale during this three-day event. Visitors can also witness demonstrations of crafts and skills of the era presented by costumed docents and volunteers

Sat 4.18
Family: Healthy Kids day & Camp Cook-off- Free!
When: 10:00am-2:00pm
Where: Sacramento YMCA
Why: Fun & Free Family Event with games, food, music, & demonstrations!

Dance: Beer & Ballet 2- $25
When: 6:00pm & 8:00pm (next Saturday too!)
Where: Sacramento Ballet Studios
Why: Enjoy the casual atmosphere, watch contemporary & classically influenced dance along with friends and get yourself a glass of beer to boot! Watch as the professional Dancers of the Sacramento Ballet bring a totally different Beer & Ballet line up to the Sacramento Ballet’s Studio Stage.

Recreation: Marine Services Show- Free!
When: 9:00am
Where: Sacramento Marina
Why: With boating season just around the corner you won't want to miss this FREE Marine Services Show. Your one-stop shop to meet mechanics, canvas shops, detail shops and other providers of marine services

History: Historic Rose Garden Tour- Free!
When: 9:00am-2:00pm
Where: Historic City Cemetery
Why: Experience the splendor of heritage roses in a unique 19th Century setting! The Open Garden will feature free tours of the beautiful gardens located within the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery. The sale of rooted rose cuttings and snacks and a raffle will raise funds for the maintenance of the gardens.The Historic Rose Garden is a collection of over 400 ‘found’ roses collected from cemeteries and other sites where the original plants were planted 100 years or more ago.

Sun 4.19
Art: Buddha- Closing Celebration- A Mass Meditation- Free!
When: 3:00pm
Where: Crocker Art Museum
Why: Mark the closing of Buddha with a mass mediation led by Lama Jinpa of Lions Roar Dharma Center and Michael Halfhill, founding member of the Dalai Lama Foundation.

Music: Blues Guitar Showdown- $20
When: 2:00pm
Where: Sacramento Horseman's Club
Why: Blues+BBQ+Bar= Good Times! This showdown will feature: Michael Burks- the "Iron man of Blues", Tommy Castro- Contemporary West Coast Blues, & Roy Gaines- a 50 year Blues veteran.

Family: ZooZoom- 29th Annual Run/Walk- $12-$30
When: 7:00am-12:00pm
Where: Sacramento Zoo
Why: Join the stampede as thousands of runners raise funds to benefit the Zoo. Are you as fast as a hare or as slow as a tortoise? There are options for everyone from a 5K to a 10K to the Saucony ‘Run for Good’ & Kid’s Fun Runs.

Find details to these events along with many more at www.Sacramento365.com, the year-round source for Sacramento events.

More Stuff to do in Sacramento

2009-04-13T20:50:23Z

I missed last week, but here's a big list of stuff coming up this week. Lots going on this coming week -and this only a sampling!

Ongoing:
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
Live Theater
Fridays and Saturdays, 8:00 PM; Sundays, 2:30 PM through May 9, 2009
Admission: General: $15.00; Students/SARTA: $12.00 (April 17-19, all tickets are only $10.00!)
Big Idea Theatre
1616 Del Paso Blvd
Sacramento, CA
(916) 960-3036
http://www.bigideatheatre.com

A comedy that includes scenes from Hamlet involving the prince's two unwitting friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and combines them with a "Waiting for Godot" sensibility, resulting in a thought provoking show and a knee-slapping good time.

SPCA Spring Book Sale
Saturday, April 18 - Sunday, April 26, 2009
Mon-Sat: 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Sun: 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Admission: Free
Marketplace at Birdcage
6123 Sunrise Blvd
Citrus Heights, CA
(916) 383-7387, ext. 9103

Features thousands of new and used books at dog-gone great prices! The sale, one of the largest book sales of its kind in Northern California, will include 40 categories, including fine and rare books, fiction, children and teens, mystery, adventure, science fiction, biography, history, westerns, art, reference, business, cultural issues, foreign language, humor and home and garden

Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Mahogany Urban Poetry Series: Seth Walker
9:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Queen Sheba Restaurant
1704 Broadway
Sacramento, CA
http://mybmsf.com/mahogany/

The notorious Houston poet comes to Sacramento!

Thursday, April 16, 2009 and Friday April 17, 2009
The Davis Feminist Film Festival
7:00 PM reception/8:00 PM show
Admission: Students: $12.00 single night/$20.00 both nights; General: $18.00 single night/$30.00 both nights (slightly cheaper if purchased in advance at The Beat)
Veterans Memorial Theater
203 E 14th St
Davis, CA
http://femfilmfest.ucdavis.edu

The Davis Feminist Film Festival is a grassroots festival of short films featuring filmmakers from around the world. Mixing narrative, documentary, and experimental styles, the films focus on issues of gender and sexuality often missing from mainstream media and highlight the links between local, national, and international social struggle.

Friday, April 17, 2009 - Saturday, April 18, 2009
Indian Arts & Crafts Market
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Admission: General: $2.00; Youth (6-17): $1.00; 5 & Under: Free
California State Indian Museum
2618 K St
Sacramento, CA
Indian artists and crafters from all over California will participate. Items to fit every budget include: artwork, jewelry, hand-crafted dolls, baskets, soapstone and elkhorn carvings, drums, decorated gourds and more.

Friday, April 17, 2009, Saturday, April 18, 2009, Friday, April 24, 2009
Keith Lowell Jensen Live CD Taping
Doors at 7:00 PM, Taping Begins at 8:00 PM
Admission: $10.00
Luna's Café
1414 16th St
Sacramento, CA
http://rockass.net

Keith Lowell Jensen, co-headliner of The Coexist? Comedy Tour, featured guest on Brian Malow's Science Comedy Tour and one of Sacramento's best known comics will spend three nights taping original material at Luna's Cafe in downtown Sacramento for an upcoming CD.

The taping is divided into three categories over three nights, club comedy, atheist/religious themed comedy and the third night will be the wild card leaving room for KLJ to riff, ramble and if need be, totally make an ass out of himself because he already has two nights of tape so to heck with it right?

The venue is small. This will sell out, so advance tickets are the only way to guarantee a seat. They can be obtained at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/55720

Saturday, April 18, 2009
R5 Records Celebrates Record Store Day with a Rock n' Roll Garage Sale, Live Music and More!
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Admission: Free
R5 Records
2500 16th St
Sacramento, CA
http://www.r5records.com

R5 will be hosting live music, a Rock n' Roll Garage Sale and swap meet, and offering refreshments, giveaways and lots of other surprises from 9am to 5pm. R5's entire inventory will also be at sale price for the entire day. KSSU, the on-campus station at Sac State will also be on hand hosting the "Big Vinyl Spectacular" featuring live DJ sets throughout the day. Guest DJs include Shaun Slaughter, Trina Latrine, Danny Secretion, Nick Brunner and others.

The Rock n' Roll Garage Sale will take place in R5's parking lot facing the Tower Theatre. Vendors will be selling used vinyl, music memorabilia, posters, toys, buttons and more. The vendors are all private individuals or small businesses selling at garage sale prices.

During the day students from the Met School, a charter school within the Sacramento Metropolitan School District, will be staging raffles to raise funds to build the music program at their school. As a further aid to this venture R5 will be collecting new and used musical instruments for the Met School throughout Record Store day.

Record Store Day is a national celebration of local independent music retailers. Now in it's second year, RSD came about as a way to spotlight the wide range of music and services offered by independent music retailers.

Sunday, April 19, 2009
Screening: Trembling Before God
2:00 PM
Admission: $5.00 suggested donation
Congregation B'nai Israel
3600 Riverside Blvd
Sacramento, CA
(916) 446-4861
http://www.bnai.com

The acclaimed 2001 documentary chronicling the struggles of gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews who are trying to integrate their sexual orientation into their faith, even as some have been abandoned by their families. Also showing is the short sequel Trembling on the Road, a documentary about the controversy, protests and dialogue that has accompanied screenings of Trembling Before God in Jewish communities around the world.

Sunday, April 19, 2009
Poetry with Traci Gourdine & Quenton Duval
7:00 PM
Admission: $5.00 donation
Time Tested Books
1114 21st St
Sacramento, CA
(916) 447-5696
http://www.timetestedbooks.net

Quinton Duval is the author of three books of poems: Guerrilla Letters, Dinner Music, and Joe's Rain. He teaches English and Creative Writing at Solano Community College and is the editor and publisher of Red Wing Press.

Traci Gourdine is a poet whose work has appeared in Calliope, ZYZZYVA, and other small magazines. She is the co-editor of "Night is Gone, Day is Still Coming," a collection of work by young American Indian writers. Her letters to poet Quincy Troupe have been anthologized in the book "Letters to Poets." He currently teaches English at American River College.

Monday, April 20, 2009
Author: Andrew Sean Greer
Doors: 12:15 PM; Reading at 1:00 PM
Admission: Free
CSUS University Union
6000 J St
Sacramento, CA
http://www.csus.edu/union

The bestselling author will discuss his work and will read from The Story of a Marriage, followed by a question-and-answer session with the audience. His newest novel, The Story of a Marriage, is a lyrical story about love and longing, and the political, sexual and racial tensions set against the backdrop of the early 1950s. Greer also is the author of The Path of Minor Planets, How It Was for Me and The Confessions of Max Tivoli. A lecture preview will be at 12:20 with Sac State English professor Sheree Meyer.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Safe Ground Rally
2:00 PM
State Capital, South Steps
http://www.sacloaves.org/SafeGround/
Rally to help benefit and legalize a safe campground where homeless folks can live and have running water, bathrooms, and trash services until proper shelters can be provided.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Support Local Growers: Farming as if Nature Matters Inspiring Panel Discussion
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Admission: General: $15.00; Co-op Owners: $10.00; Children Under 12: $5.00
24th Street Theatre
2791 24th St
Sacramento, CA
(916) 455-2667
http://www.sacfoodcoop.com
Featuring Trini Campbell, Riverdog Farm; Gretchen Ceteras, Blue Heron Farm; Annie Main, Good Humus Produce; Gena Nonini, Marian Farms; Bu Nygrens, Veritable Vegetable, and Judith Redmond, Full Belly Farm.
A benefit for Soil Born Farms and the Good Humus Land Preservation Project.

Thursday, April 23, 2009
Sacramento Ballet Dancers' Event
7:00 PM
Admission: $10 advance; $15 at the door
Vizcaya Mansion
2019 21st St
Sacramento, CA
(916) 552-5800
http://www.saveoursacballet.com

The dancers have organized an evening of fun with performances by the ballet, live music by Camerata Capistrano, the CSUS Baroque Ensemble, wine, food, fundraising games, and a silent auction with inexpensive and luxury items such as a signed Greg Kondos print, a weekend at a Tahoe cabin, and a delta cruise. Come hang out with the company and support the ballet at the same time!

Get up, get out & have fun

2009-03-31T22:43:08Z

Week 13: March 31-April 5

So after a few weeks of experimenting with this Storyline, I’ve decided to tweak things around a bit.

Quandary: My initial concept of highlighting an event a day was in response to those flighty and exasperated comments like: “There’s nothing interesting going on in Sacramento” or even more so the: “There’s nothing to do on Mondays (or any other day of the week that doesn’t seem to offer anything new)”.

7 Days, 7 things to do was my attempt to address this boring complaint of the non-creative, unimaginative types. Not to say that I haven’t been there myself! Don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t until I started to get out a little bit that I really became aware of the vast array of truly great events going on- all the time! The limitation I set for myself to only cover one event a day proved difficult when there happened to be multiple events on a single day. How could I choose which one to cover when they are all cool events?

Solution: Get up, get out & have fun! will be a weekly article featuring events every day of the week. Not a day will be left out but neither will any great events. That being said, if none of these events catch your eye, there are still many more that I didn’t mention, so check out Sacramento365.com for more ideas.

Drum roll please…..

Tuesday 3.31

Save Our Sacramento Ballet Week!! (This is a week-long event)

It is no secret that the enormously talented dancers of our beloved Sacramento Ballet have been affected by economic downturn in the past year. Local businesses have graciously lent a helping hand by participating in the ballet’s “Ballet Business” program. These businesses will donate a percentage of their proceeds on certain days to help support the Sacramento Ballet. Play your part in this valiant effort by visiting one (or all!) of these businesses:

March 30 - April 4: Firefly Salon and Boutique will be donating 10% with mention of S.O.S. Ballet week. Located at 5539 H St.
March 31: Zuda Yoga Classes. Zuda Yoga is located at 19th & O St. Check their website for a schedule.
April 1 - 4: ARareity Jewlery and Art Glass Gallery will be donating 20% of all sales. Located at 1021 R St.
April 4: Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill: donating 20% of sales with presentation of their flyer (Click HERE to download a printable version of the flyer). Valid at Natomas, Truxel Road location only.
April 4: Heavenly's Yogurt, will be donating 30% of all sales.

Wednesday 4.1

ROOTBEER

No, I am not referring to the bubbly soda likely consumed in ridiculous amounts during your childhood adventures at Chuck-E-Cheese. ROOTBEER is the joint efforts of Pigeon John & Flynn Adam resulting in musical mayhem. As self-described on their myspace page, this is what you can expect: “With an even more upped-tempo vocal cadence dancing on top of beatscapes that awaken even the hippest of skeptics, the music will make you jump up like a chimpanzee. An unbelievably charismatic live show, mixed with the most infectious hooks you've wrapped your ears around in quite some time, Rootbeer slaps a smile on your face that you simply can't contain.”

Location: Blue Lamp (N St. & Alhambra). Time: 9:00pm. Cost: $10. Info: (916) 455-3400

The Waybacks

As unpredictable as the city they come from (San Francisco), The Waybacks are an eclectic mix of music from classic folk & bluegrass to a soulful honky tonk. Their most recent album is their first entirely original album complete with a fiddler and mandolinist.

Location: Marilyn’s on K (10th & K St). Time: 8:30pm. Cost: $15adv, $18 door. Info: (916)446-4361

Thursday 4.2

Jim Lehrer

Most recently known as the executive director and anchor for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS, and he has been the moderator for 10 nationally televised debates among candidates for the presidential elections. Jim Lehrer is the acclaimed bestselling author of both fiction and non-fiction books, including 18 novels, two memoirs and three plays. He has been inducted into the Television Hall of Fame, honored with the National Humanities Medal, elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Science, and has won two Emmys. I found it interesting to find that he is a Bus enthusiast! I didn’t know there was such a thing! Maybe he can advocate for Sacramento to have a better public transportation system…

Location: Crest Theatre (13th & K St). Time: 7:30pm. Cost: $27. Info: (800) 225-2277

David Crow

David Crow has rapidly gained a foothold in the standup comedy scene. From his first road trip a few years back to headlining some of the best clubs across the country. In 1996 he was chosen to open for President Clinton when he spoke to over two thousand supporters at the Paramount Theater in Seattle (Hello? He must be funny…) Most recently he has hosted the 1 hour special on Showtime, Crooked Finger. Catch him live this weekend!

Location: Laughs Unlimited (1201 Front St). Time: 8:00pm. Cost: $10. Info: (916) 446-5905

Friday 4.3

Massaging for Medicine

Come out and support a great cause. Troy Goings, a local certified massage therapist, is attempting to raise $10,000 dollars for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and at the same time get into the Guinness Book of World Records by massaging for 20 hours straight. He needs your help. Troy will be offering ten minute chair massages for donations of any amount. All money that is donated will go to the St. Jude's Children’s Hospital. Come out and get a chair massage and hang out. KSFM 102.5 as well as Good Day Sacramento will be there broadcasting. Sandwiches will be available courtesy of Beach Hut Deli from 12:00-1:00pm. There will be raffle tickets for sale for some really great prizes. It should be a lot of fun. Hope to see you there!

Location: Adora Bella Day Spa (1470 Eureka Rd.). Time: 5:00am-2:00am. Cost: Donations welcomed! Info: (916) 541-6914

Bank of America: Free Admission Days

Check out the California Museum for Women History and the Arts courtesy of Bank of America. Museums On Us sponsored by Bank of America provides free admission on the first weekend of every month. Being a Bank of America customer may finally pay off! Bring your BofA ATM or credit card and a photo ID and get in for free.

Location: California Museum (10th & O St). Times: 10:00am-4:00pm. Cost: Free Info: (916) 653-7524

Saturday 4.4

Earth Fest- Party for the planet!

It’s a party for the planet! Learn how to protect and preserve the earth with environmental, wildlife and conservation organizations, a recycle raffle, rummage sale, games, crafts and face painting. During the day, visit Wildlife Wagons to explore animal bio-artifacts; participate in storytelling and activities in the Discovery Room; come face-to-face with the outreach animals; or listen as keepers present enrichment talks in the afternoon.

Location: Sacramento Zoo (3930 West Land Park Drive). Time: 9:00am-4:00pm. Cost: $6.50-$9.50. Info: (916) 808-5888

Theatre Performance Month

A month-long festival of live stage performances for the entire family, featuring Puppet Art Theater, the Fairytale Town Troupers, and other Sacramento-area theater companies. All performances are matinees and will take place indoors in the Children's Theater on Saturdays and Sundays. This week Tomas and the Library Lady is the feature at the Next Stage Theatre for Young Audiences. See their website for the remainder of performances in April.

Location: Fairytale Town (3901 Land Park Dr). Times: 12:30pm & 1:30pm. Cost: $4.50 (Kids under 2- Free). Info: (916) 808-7462

Sunday 4.5

Salsa Night

If you're tired of sitting on your couch and watching Dancing With The Stars, get up and learn to do it like they do! Del Campo Studios conducts a FREE beginning Salsa dance class every sunday night at Harlow's. You don't even need to have a partner! There are plenty of newcomers to stumble over so you won't have to be embarrassed. Try something new! After the class, two DJ's will be keep you dancing to latin music through the night.

Location: Harlow's (28th & J St). Times: 7:00pm-12:00am. Cost: Free. Info: (916) 441-4693

Ross Hammond

Gotta love the coffee house live instrumental sessions! Grab a cup of Joe and enjoy some music. Old Soul is tucked away in the alley between 17th and 18th and L and Capital Streets. Its a cool, brick warehouse turned coffee roasting facility and coffee house. Jason is the coffee connoisseur (you may know him from the original Naked Lounge) and Tim is the baker and pastry extraordinaire. Good people that you are sure to have a good time with! A nice way to spend a lazy sunday if you ask me.

Location: Old Soul Coffee Co (17th & L). Times: 10:30am. Cost: Free. Info: (916) 443-7685

And so goes another fun filled week in Sacramento brought to you by Sacramento365.com. Hope to see you out on the town!

S.O.S Ballet Week

2009-03-30T03:49:19Z

Looking to put a little bounce in your step as spring gets under way? Better yet, how about putting many more chassés, pliés and pirouettes into the Sacramento Ballet's performances? March 30 through April 4 is Save Our Sacramento Ballet Week. A variety of businesses have stepped forward to help raise money for the local dancers, so make it a point to stop by on one of these days.

On March 30, Ink Eats & Drinks will be donating 10 percent to the ballet all day long. It is located at 2730 N St.

Tuesday, March 31, Zuda Yoga is donating 15 percent of the day's class sales and will host the dancers during their 6 p.m. class. Zuda is located at 19th & O Streets.

From Tuesday, March 31 to Saturday, April 4, Firefly Salon and Boutique will be donating 10 percent if you mention of S.O.S. Ballet week. It is located at 5539 H St.

Starting Wednesday, April 1 and running through Saturday, April 4, ARareity Jewlery and Art Glass Gallery will be donating 20 percent of all sales. It is located at 1021 R St.

On Saturday, April 4, Heavenly's Yogurt will be donating 30 percent of its sales to the ballet. It is located on H & 56 Streets.

Also on Saturday, April 4, Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill will be donating 20 percent of sales when you present the discount flier,
which can be found here. Rubio’s is located in Natomas, on Truxel road.

If it's time for a haircut, or new bracelet — if you're craving Mexican food, frozen yogurt or sliders — or if you're looking to work
off some of these foods with a yoga session — why not choose one of these local businesses and help save the ballet in the process?

For more information and for future S.O.S. Ballet events, visit saveoursacballet.com.

This Week: 7 Days, 7 Things To Do

2009-03-09T23:49:41Z

This storyline is simple. We all know that there are 365 days in a year, 52 weeks in that year, and 7 days in each week. Sacramento365.com aims to showcase this artistic & cultural city's events, 365 days a year. If you ever feel like there is just nothing interesting to do in this great city or you're tired of doing the same things all of the time, my hopes are that these articles will inspire you to explore what Sacramento has to offer and realize the diverse & interesting place we call home. There is something unique going on every day! Every week I will outline an event a day for that week for your enjoyment. Get out of your comfort zone & try something new.

Week 10: March 10-16, 2009, Check out:

Tuesday, March 10: Metro Expo 2009

Organized by the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce, Metro Expo 2009 is a Business-to-Business networking extravaganza! Visit one of the 200+ exhibitors and hob-nob with the decision makers of over 1500 regional businesses. The event begins at 12:30pm with Opening Ceremonies followed by sales, education, and networking workshops throughout. The event ends with a networking reception from 5:00-7:00pm. Tickets for the full event are $30/members and $45/non-members. Tickets for the reception only are $15/members and $25/non-members. Location: Sacramento Convention Center, 1400 J Street, (916) 808-5291.

Wednesday, March 11: Karaoke @ Townhouse Lounge

Does this weather make you feel like singing the blues? Lately you might be feeling like you want to get up and dance! Either way. there is nothing like a night of karoake to get your spirits up! Check out the TownHouse lounge every Wednesday and Saturday nights to witness some local talent (likely along with some less talented folks...) and maybe try a song or two for yourself. Located at 1517 21st Street.

Thursday, March 12: The Spanish Harlem Orchestra

Capital Public Radio's 30th Anniversary Celebration: a dance concert with The Spanish Harlem Orchestra. Held at the Memorial Auditorium, the concert begins at 8:00pm. Tickets are $25 a person. Reserve your seat before tickets are gone! Call (916) 278-8900.

Friday, March 13: Camellia International Folk Dance Festival

A festive, entertaining day filled of ethnic folk dance performances and workshops. Held @ Sac State. Tickets range from $7 for individual shows/workshops to $25 for the full event. (916) 923-1555.

Saturday, March 14: Eat Mochii to Help save the Sacramento Ballet

Treat yourself to a tasty cup of frozen yogurt at Mochi Yogurt this Saturday and they will donate 20% of the proceeds to help save the Sacramento Ballet! As part of the Second Saturday Art walk, Body sculptures, DJs and artists will be present from 6pm to 10pm. Mochii Yogurt is located at 1530 16th Street (corner of 16th and P Streets). (916) 441-2601.

Sunday, March 15: Graham-O-Rama Cabaret

Join Graham Sobelman and his weekly guests for an all around good time! This week Tristan Rumery & Christina Day star in "We're Seriously Irish". Enjoy live entertainment with singing, comedy and encouraged participation from the audience! This show is not for the conservative crowd- expect lots of racy humor and adult content. $15 a person- cash only, at the door (also get a $5 off coupon for the next week's show!). Held @ the Geery Theatre, 2130 L Street. (916) 798-6352.

Monday, March 16: Thistle Dew Playrights Workshop

If you are interested in participating in bringing new plays & musicals to Sacramento (i.e. Thistle Dew Theatre...) and have Monday nights free, check out the Playrights Workshops held at Thistle Dew Dessert Theatre every Monday night. They call it "Monday Evenings at Seven". Bet you can guess what time it starts. This is a FREE workshop where readers, writers, theatre critics, directors, producers, actors, and theatre aficionados are invited and welcomed. Thistle Dew Dessert Theatre is located at 1901 P Street, (916) 444-8209.

Sacramento365.com wants YOU to get out and see a show, visit an exhibit, take your family or friends to a festival... basically, just get out there and discover all the amazing things happening throughout our community... 365 days of the year! And if you're a visitor, we hope you'll find plenty of reasons to stay an extra day or two and see why Sacramento is such a great place to live and visit. See you next week...

*** If you have an event you would like to promote on Sacramento365.com click here to enter your event/venue/organization information. It's FREE to do and does not require a login account or password***

Sacramento Ballet Dancers Working Hard To Raise Money and Awareness

2009-03-08T03:12:37Z

I am a dancer - not a writer or a journalist. So, why am I stepping outside of my comfort zone to write an article that hundreds, if not thousands of people may read? I am writing because I feel compelled to let you know about what is going on right now at the Sacramento Ballet, where I am employed. As many of you are aware from recent media coverage, the Sacramento Ballet is facing challenging times in this economic environment. We have had to cancel our shows at the Community Center Theater for the remainder of our season, and we have had to make major cuts in all areas of the company, including employee lay-offs. We are, however, still rehearsing and performing in our studios at 1631 K St. Since New Year’s Day, we had over 18 shows, and we hope to have many more to come, performing for the Sacramento community.

We have been blessed with the overwhelming generosity of choreographers, teachers, accompanists, and volunteers, donating their time to help us put on the best shows we can. Dancers in the company have been choreographing dances that have been performed to sold-out audiences in our “Beer and Ballet” series. We will have more “Beer and Ballet” performances later this month and in April. We will also be performing our “Modern Masters” series, featuring Californian choreographers, three of whom are dancers with our company.

The dancers are not only busy with dancing and choreographing, but we are also in the midst of a huge dancer-driven fundraising campaign. Our goal is to raise $150,000 by May 1 to help with our company’s fundraising efforts. We are calling our cause “Save Our Sacramento Ballet,” or “S.O.S. Ballet.”

We have many projects underway. We are hosting a silent auction at the Vizcaya Mansion on April 23 at 7 p.m. We are encouraging everyone to come, as we are planning on having inexpensive, as well as luxury items. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. There will be food, wine, and entertainment. The dancers will be doing a short performance.

We are developing a network of “Ballet Businesses,” local businesses that are supporting us in some way. They are giving us items for our silent auction, hosting an “S.O.S. Day,” donating money, or helping us with other forms of support. On an “S.O.S. Day” a Ballet Business donates a percentage of its sales to the ballet. Our first “S.O.S. Day” was at the Beach Hut on March 7 and was a huge success. Our next two are at Mochii Yogurt on March 14 and April 11. There will be an entire “S.O.S. Week” starting March 30 when many Ballet Businesses will have “S.O.S. Days” all in the same week. The Ballet Business campaign is a great way for us to involve the whole community and not only help ourselves, but help these businesses by promoting them as well.

One of the dancers’ most important goals is to bring the dancers into the community and make the people of Sacramento aware of who we are and what we do. Up until now, the dancers have been satisfied with performing in our 2500 seat theater, hoping that people will come to be an audience for our performances. Now that we have been stripped of our “comfortable” existence and have left our large venue, we are realizing that we must reach out into the community. We need to convince people that they want to come to our shows, that they value the arts, and that they don’t want Sacramento to lose its only professional dance company. It is amazing how many people in Sacramento don’t even know we exist, and have never seen a performance. We want to change that.

Dance is an amazing art form. Somewhere I read that “Dance is the only art where we ourselves are the stuff of which it is made.” Dance demonstrates the unbelievable capabilities of the human body. It not only pushes the body to physical extremes, but allows it to be a vehicle for emotional expression and a window into the human soul. Dance can express things that can’t be put into words. It truly is “poetry in motion.”

Why should you come to a show? A performance by the Sacramento Ballet is an opportunity to experience a varied selection of music and diverse types of dance all on a single program. We might have classical, pop, jazz, and world music all in one performance with dancing in classical, contemporary, and modern styles. A performance is an opportunity to experience art with a group of people, where all of you are seeing something that will never be seen again. Even if the same program is performed on the following night, it won’t be exactly the same. As an audience member, you may have the chance to see that unbelievable leap, that effortless turn, that transcendent moment during that seamless pas de deux that will never happen that same way again. You may laugh, cry, and be filled with wonder. You may even find yourself jumping to your feet in a burst of applause. And all this occurs with flesh and blood, living, breathing dancers in front of you, not on a television set, or a movie or computer screen. We can feel your energy, and you can feel ours. It is palpable. We know you’re there. We need you. There is no performance without an audience.

The dancers and I love the Sacramento Ballet. We care about it enough to not only work tirelessly to put on outstanding shows, but also to raise money for the company in our spare time. Please don’t let our efforts be in vain. Participate in one of our events, visit a Ballet Business, come to our silent auction, and most of all please come see a show. You can find us at www.sacballet.org or at the dancers’ site at www.saveoursacballet.com. We want you to be a part of the Sacramento Ballet family.

Thank you.

Sacramento Ballet Keeps Dancing

2009-02-04T07:08:26Z

After all the recent economic hardship at the Sacramento Ballet, including the cancellation of the rest of the season, there is finally a glimmer of hope.

The dancers are committed to pursuing their careers -- even if it means dancing in alternative venues or in the group's practice space.

Following the success of Beer and Ballet, an encore of the performance has been scheduled in the month of February. There will also be abbreviated performances of Modern Masters and Noches Calientes. All of these performances will be held in a more intimate setting than the Ballet's usual venue, the Community Center Theatre. They will be held at the site of the Ballet's studio, located at 1631 K Street.

The news comes at a good time for supporters of the Sacramento Ballet. Last month the Sacramento Press reported that several Ballet employees left the organization, including executive director Kerri Warner. The company has suffered from shrinking audiences and declining corporate sponsorships. Ticket sales comprise approximately 80 percent of the company's operating revenue.

Ron Cunningham and Carinne Binda, the artistic co-directors of the ballet, pleaded in a recent press release for the community to "encourage others to help preserve the legacy of the Sacramento Ballet, and keep us dancing through the rain." For those who wish to help, there are three ways: Go to one of the intimate performances, donate refunds from the remaining season tickets, or send money directly to the studio.

Beer and Ballet dates are as follows:

Saturday, Feb. 21: 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 4th: 6 p.m.
Saturday, April 11th: 6 p.m.
Saturday, April 18th: 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Noches Calientes dates are as follows:

Friday, Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. - will be followed by a free one-hour tango lesson
Saturday, Feb. 7 at 5 p.m. - will be followed by a free one-hour salsa lesson

Modern Masters dates are as follows:

March 20, 7:30 p.m.
March 21, 7:30 p.m.
March 22, 2 p.m.
March 26, 7:30 p.m.
March 27, 7:30 p.m.
March 28, 7:30 p.m.
March 29, 2 p.m.

*Permission to use photo granted by Sacramento Ballet. Photo is credited to Keith Sutter.

Ballet cancels rest of season

2009-01-23T02:00:07Z

About a week ago, the Sacramento Press broke the story about Sacramento Ballet's director Kerri Warner stepping down from her position amidst the ballet's economic crisis. According to the Sacramento Bee, the ballet has now been forced to cancel the rest of its season in an effort to float the organization along through the rest of the year and emerge stronger next season.

"In addition to canceling its shows, the ballet cut three people from its staff of 12," said Debbie Arrington in her Bee article about the ballet. Phone calls by The Sacramento Press to the Sacramento Ballet were not returned.

However, Debbie Arrington of the Bee reported that the three-week-long Beer and Ballet shows on Jan. 24 and 31 will go on as planned.

Save the Sacramento Ballet!

2009-01-17T00:02:52Z

The executive director of the Sacramento Ballet has resigned. Kerri Warner quietly left the troubled organization about a week ago, according to sources within the organization who asked to remain anonymous.

The reason for Warner's resignation remains unclear. An employee said that there was a "difference of opinion on how to handle the financial situation, and Kerri decided to respectfully step away."

The Sacramento Press was unable to reach Warner, and Ron Cunningham, the organization's artistic director and public face did not return calls.

The Sacramento Ballet, which has gone through recent struggles with ticket sales, now needs major corporate funding in order to return to a fully-staffed, fully functional state.

Amidst slow December sales for the Nutcracker, the Sacramento Ballet has been appealing to the community for financial help. On December 19th, dancers took to the streets with signs such as "Save the Nutcracker" and sold tickets to raise awareness about the Ballet's financial problems. In a three-week promotion set to start next Saturday, Jan. 17, $25 dollars will buy you a beer, provided by Brew It Up!, as well as a ticket to the ballet.

Ticket sales, which make up nearly 80% of the Ballet's earnings, increased near the end of December. "We did better than we thought, and had a number of sold out shows," said one employee.

However, that was not enough to keep Warner.

A press release will be made public soon, but right now the resignation is a private matter, the Press was told; thus all sources declined to comment further. For now, Kerri Warner's Sacramento Ballet voice mail redirects to Executive Assistant Shannon Peach.