Beach=Culture: New Choreographer-in-Residence
For Immediate
Release: 8/14/15
Contact: Naomi
Okuyama, Cultural Affairs Supervisor
Phone: (310) 458-8350
E-mail: isanaomi.okuyama@smgov.net
Annenberg Community Beach House, September Beach=Culture events
Santa
Monica, CA … Summer concludes at the Beach House with an abundance of dance and
literary events. Follow the creative process with the 2015
Choreographer-in-Residence as she creates a site-specific work in the
Courtyard.
--- Artist
Residency ---
This fall, Choreographer-in-Residence Rebecca Bruno is
creating a new dance work in the Courtyard of the Beach House, September 8-27,
2015. Titled Elemental Forms, her creation will create a dialogue
between dancers and the natural elements of the Beach House site, exploring the
interactions between sand, water, air, sun, space, and people. You can
follow her progress by observing a rehearsal onsite or by visiting the Artist
Residency blog at beachhouseair.blogspot.com.
Join Bruno at the Beach House mid-August for a
Mindful Movement workshop with guest artist Gillian McGinty on Tuesday, August
18. McGinty will be leading a free Body Mind Centering class, open to all. On
Wednesday September 16, 9-10am Bruno herself leads a free Beach Walk with a
choreographer’s focus. Her final presentations will take place Friday-Sunday
September 25-27 at 4pm (check annenbergbeachhouse.com/beachculture for info and to make reservations.)
Rebecca Bruno is an active member of the Los Angeles dance
community as a performer, choreographer and producer. For the last two years,
her project “homeLA” (homela.org), has investigated dance process in interior
spaces, presenting large-scale dance events in residences with hundreds of
performers and thousands of guests. Rebecca has worked as a dancer and
collaborator with Pablo Bronstein at the REDCAT Gallery and Le Mouvement
Festival in Biel, Switzerland; as associate choreographer with Julien Prévieux
at FAHRENHEIT Gallery and the Palais de Tokyo in Paris for What Shall We Do
Next?; and as a member of the temporary performance company, WXPT,
initiated by the artist taisha paggett. She is inspired by the tensions between
public and private space, the strange and the familiar, and the possibilities
presented by bodies in architecture and the natural world. rebeccabruno.net
In celebration of Marion Davies’ support of
artists, and to further the work of artists in all disciplines, the City of
Santa Monica created the Annenberg Community Beach House Artist Residency
program. Several times a year a local artist works out of an office at the
Marion Davies Guest House, sharing their progress with the public both in
person and online.
------
RESIDENCY EVENTS ------
Tuesday, August 18, 6:30 – 7:30pm
Mindful Movement Workshop: Body-Mind Centering with Gillian
McGinty
Info/Reserve: annenbergbeachhouse.com/beachculture
Explore Body-Mind Centering practices by focusing on the
fluid system of the body. Becoming mindful of the ebb and flow of our body
allows us to release habitual patterns and offers support for a buoyant and
easeful relationship to space. All welcome; wear loose clothes for movement and
come with a desire to explore in a safe and playful environment. This workshop
is accompanied by musician Alex Schnitzler.
Wednesday, September
16, 9:00 – 10:00am
Beach Walk with Choreographer-in-Residence Rebecca Bruno
Info/Reserve: annenbergbeachhouse.com/beachculture
Start your day connecting with the natural elements. Beach
House Choreographer-in-Residence Rebecca Bruno leads a group beach walk
informed by her dance practice. We will walk down the beach as a group, sharing
some of the meditative movement processes that Bruno and dancer/collaborator
Samantha Mohr have been working on during the development of Bruno's new
work, Elemental Forms. We will tune into the movement, sound, and
sensations of the ocean, allowing our bodies to move in response. Please wear
sun protection and comfortable shoes.
Friday - Sunday, September 25-27, 4:00pm
Elemental Forms by Rebecca
Bruno
Info/Reserve: annenbergbeachhouse.com/beachculture
Rebecca Bruno
concludes her residency at the Beach House with a meditative new work set in
the Courtyard and Garden. Dancers: Samantha Mohr and
Rebecca Bruno; Costume Design: Lynn Ellen Bathke. Please note that Friday’s
performance is a dress rehearsal for documentation, and may differ in duration
and continuity from the performances on Saturday & Sunday. This work is set
outside with some audience movement; wear sun protection and comfortable shoes.
Saturday & Sunday performances will be followed by a talkback and
discussion with the artists.
------
OTHER BEACH=CULTURE EVENTS ------
Tuesday, August 25, 6:00 – 8:30pm
Dance Hall: Swing Dance with Jonathan Stout and his Campus
Five featuring Hilary Alexander, vocals and Rusty Frank, dance instruction
Info/Reserve: annenbergbeachhouse.com/beachculture
Strap on your dancing shoes for a night with the premier
swing dance band of the Southland, if not the world. Showcasing the small-group
sound of the late 1930’s and early 1940’s, the Campus Five captures the true
sound of the swing era, with all the energy and excitement that inspired millions
to dance. Influences include the Benny Goodman Sextet, Artie Shaw's Gramercy
Five, Count Basie's Kansas City Six, and the Harlem-based small groups of
Illinois Jacquet, Cootie Williams, Coleman Hawkins, and Hot Lips Page. Rusty
Frank leads mini-lessons at 6:00 and 7:00pm. All levels welcome, period costume
encouraged.
Tuesday, September 1, 6:30 – 8:00pm
Red Hen Press Reading: Tom
Janikowski, Kim Freilich Dower, Nicelle Davis, Laurel Ann Bogen, moderated by
Kate Gale
Info/Reserve: annenbergbeachhouse.com/beachculture
The readers this evening push the boundaries of story and
provoke both excitement and insight, whether writing about small town murders,
women immured in castles, or the follies of life in Los Angeles. Tom Janikowski
will read from his debut novel, The Crawford County Sketchbook.
Tuesday, September 8, 6:30 – 8:00pm
New Short Fiction Reading:
Working Los Angeles
Info/Reserve: annenbergbeachhouse.com/beachculture
Actors Alex Boling, Shaun Shimoda, and Sally Shore read
pieces about working in the City of Angels by Robert Morgan Fisher, Tommy Kim
and Mary Kuryla.
Tuesday, September 15, 6:30 – 8:00pm
Heyday Books Reading:
Paradise Lost & Found with David Ulin, Wendy Gilmartin, Charles Hood and
Jason Brown
Info/Reserve: annenbergbeachhouse.com/beachculture
Join authors David Ulin, Charles Hood, Wendy Gilmartin, and
Jason Brown as they help us see LA in a new light. This reading and discussion
celebrates the publication of LAtitudes: An
Angeleno’s Atlas (edited by Patricia Wakida with a foreword
by Luis Alfaro,) which features entries by
tonight’s panelists and other local and national authors. They tackle the big
questions: Should the eucalyptus be honored as our state tree? Is the freeway
system our meditation mandala? What have multimillion dollar beach homes and
tracts of the San Fernando Valley have in common? The freewheeling discussion
includes slideshows and a public forum about what we can expect from our
natural and synthetic environment. Stick around afterward for a book signing
hosted by Hennessy + Ingalls Bookstore.
Friday, September 25, 4:00 – 8:00pm
Beach=Culture Open House: Elemental
Forms Dress Rehearsal, Reception for Artbank, Selections from the City
of Santa Monica’s Art Collection, and a Vintage Jazz Dance Hall with Nick
Ariondo & Friends.
Info/Reserve: annenbergbeachhouse.com/beachculture
New to the Beach House? Stop by the Beach=Culture Open House
for a taste of various cultural offerings from our ongoing series. At 4pm check
out the dress rehearsal of Choreographer-in-Residence Rebecca Bruno’s new
site-specific dance work Elemental Forms, and stay for a reception at
6pm celebrating the opening of the Artbank show in the Beach House
Gallery. At 6:30pm: a short ballroom dance lesson with James & Cynthia,
followed by a mini-Dance Hall featuring the vintage jazz of Nick Ariondo &
Friends. Bring a partner or dance with a new friend, all levels welcome.
The City of Santa Monica's Art Bank program was established
by the Santa Monica Arts Commission in 1984, with the aim of bringing art into
the environment and life of the City's municipal spaces. The collection
contains over 70 works of art--including sculpture, painting, photography and
works on paper, by such notable artists as Red Grooms, Charles Gaines, Alexis
Smith, Richard Wyatt and other artists active in southern California. Normally
dispersed throughout the City in municipal spaces, this exhibit offers visitors
a rare opportunity to see work from the collection in one place.
Accordionist and composer Nick Ariondo has worked with music
icons from Paul McCartney to Plácido Domingo. A double Grammy Award winner with
the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra, Ariondo has received 26 consecutive awards
from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers for his
compositions and performances. Equally proficient in musical styles ranging
from the great classics to modern contemporary, ethnic and jazz, Ariondo and
his versatile trio bring the sounds of vintage jazz to life. nickariondo.com
------
GENERAL INFORMATION ------
Beach=Culture
presents a year-round series of free concerts, talks, readings, artist
residencies and exhibits at the Annenberg Community Beach House.
Docents are available to discuss the historical site on
weekends; check annenbergbeachhouse.com for details.
Seating for Beach=Culture events is limited and free
reservations are required. If you would like to attend, reserve at
annenbergbeachhouse.com/beachculture & arrive at least 15 minutes before
the event to retain your reservation; late seating is not guaranteed. To adjust
or cancel your reservation for an event, email beachhouse@smgov.net.
Getting Here: The Beach House is located at 415 Pacific
Coast Highway, Santa Monica, CA 90402 on the west side of Pacific Coast
Highway. Enter off PCH at the Beach House Way traffic light. May – September,
parking is $3/hr & $12/day. October – April, there is a special
Beach=Culture rate of $5 after 5pm (attendees must display receipt on dash).
The park and pay machines in three areas of the parking lot take credit cards
and cash. Check annenbergbeachhouse.com for parking details.
General Info: For general hours, events and more, visit http://www.annenbergbeachhouse.com
or call 310-458-4904. Sign up for the Beach House email list at http://ow.ly/jZvUZ
or for more information on Santa Monica Cultural Affairs programs, join an
email list at http://smgov.net/artsignup.
The Annenberg Community Beach House is wheelchair accessible and
ADA compliant. For disability related accommodations, call Guest Services at
310-458-4904. The Annenberg Community Beach House at Santa Monica State Beach
is operated by the City of Santa Monica. The Beach House is made possible by a
generous gift from the Annenberg Foundation, at the direction of Wallis
Annenberg, and in partnership with the City of Santa Monica and California
State Parks. Additional funding was provided by the U.S. Department of Housing
& Urban Development.
###