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.

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