GOINGS ON / SANTA BARBARA : Shore Stepping : A ‘tree dance’ and ice art are some of the offerings at the two-day Outdoor Dance Festival and Coastal Project.
- Share via
A word spelled out in ice. Dancers gliding through a grove. Water balloon art. If it’s in Santa Barbara, and in a park and on a beach, it’s got to be the two-day Outdoor Dance Festival and Coastal Project.
The sixth annual festival and the fifth annual project will highlight a full schedule of activities in Santa Barbara this week.
Eight dancers will gather Saturday near the La Mesa Park eucalyptus trees for two 45-minute performances of a “tree dance,” accompanied by poetry readings. The dance was choreographed on site to incorporate the 20 or so trees into the routine.
Director-choreographer Robin Bisio said the dance is based in large part on mythology and “the myth of the green man.”
“When you look at cathedrals in Europe you see the Holy Family with a more archaic figure in back of them,” she said. “These figures are being grown out of trees with leaves out of their mouths. There is a lot of symbology in the old churches of Europe that goes back to the worship of trees.”
The two shows--at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.--will differ only slightly. Bisio designed the dance to make use of the sunlight as it peeks through the trees. The sun’s location in the sky, she said, will to some extent effect the look of the routine. La Mesa Park is located at 295 Meigs Road, at the corner of Shoreline Drive.
On Sunday, Leadbetter Beach will be awash in art installations set to the backdrop of musicians, dancers, poets and nature. The artists have no particular theme other than to utilize the immediate environment without harming it.
Art installations will range from poster art to furniture. Among the highlights:
* Maria Velasco will set up ice blocks along the tide line that will spell the word “memory.” As the tide comes in, the ice will melt, and the “memory” will fade.
* Alex Munoz will set up a 40-foot-by-25-foot fishing net atop of which will be tethered a grid of 20 black weather balloons and above them a 5-foot white weather balloon.
* Gretel Huglin will set up a beach roller that will make imprints on the sand as the public moves it.
The beach activity will take place from 3 to 5 p.m. Meanwhile, in neighboring Shoreline Park, there will be tai chi demonstrations and environmental information will be available. Admission to all events is free. For more information on the weekend-long event, call 963-0611, extension 4530.
*
Santa Barbara’s Community Arts Music Assn. will open its 74th season with a concert Monday by the 40-year-old, Prague Chamber Orchestra.
The 36-member ensemble will be accompanied by American violin soloist Robert McDuffie. The Grammy nominee has performed with major symphonies around the world and has even given a private performance for the United States Supreme Court. (Talk about chamber music.)
Monday’s program of 19th- and 20th-Century compositions will include Beethoven’s “Prometheus Overture” and “Violin Concerto,” “Serenade No. 3” by Czech composer Marinu, and Mendelssohn’s “Italian” symphony. The concert will be held at the Arlington Theater at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $18 to $48. The theater is located at 1317 State St. Call 963-4408.
*
The collaboration between the Pasadena Playhouse and the Lobero Theatre will unofficially be christened tonight with a preview production of the Preston Sturges comedy “A Cup of Coffee.” Previews will continue Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 5 and 9 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $27.50. Regular shows will begin Sunday evening at 7 p.m. and will continue through Oct. 11 (Tuesdays through Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.). Tickets are $31.50. To reserve a seat call (800) 883-PLAY, or TicketMaster at 583-8700 or pick up tickets at the Lobero Box Office. The theater is located at 33 Canon Perdido St.
*
Santa Barbara’s Contemporary Arts Forum will show a four-part video presentation titled “Azatlan Chronicles: An Adventure Into the Chicano Experience,” on Monday evening.
Each of the four sections shows an aspect of Chicano culture. Part 1 is a musical depiction of the last 500 years of Chicano history. Part 2 looks at performance artwork featuring an autobiographical glance at a Chicano man living and working in Los Angeles. Part 3 combines indigenous music and ancient dance with modern musical and visual technology. And Part 4 profiles Lupita Beltran, the first woman producer of a live Hollywood Latino variety show.
The 72-minute presentation will begin at 8 p.m. The video collection will also be available for viewing at CAF, by request, through Oct. 17. CAF is located at 653 Paseo Nuevo, on the second floor of the Paseo Nuevo shopping center. For more information, call 966-5373.
*
If you’re heading to downtown Santa Barbara Tuesday between 6 and 9 p.m. bring a map. You may need to do a little detouring.
State Street will be closed between Anapamu and Sola streets for the inaugural Downtown Street Faire, sponsored by the Downtown Organization. Instead of being covered by the usual traffic, State Street will be teeming with local arts and crafts vendors, retail merchants, food stands and entertainers.
The entertainment will include a piano concert by students of Gabrielle Guhl. The children, ages 3 to 17, will be backed by an electronic orchestra. They will be camped out in front of Castle Music at 1219 State St.
The fair will run on a trial basis for eight successive Tuesday evenings, at which point its future will be discussed.
As a special attraction for the opening night of the Faire, a $5 admission will allow you to be part of the “Curtain Up!” walking party. It will begin with a walk through the fair itself, followed by previews of upcoming performances by the Santa Barbara Symphony, the Santa Barbara Civic Light Opera and the Ensemble Theatre Company.
After that it will be on to the Acapulco Restaurant for hors d’oeuvres and music by the blues band Little Jonny and the Giants. From there, the Earthling Bookstore will offer coffee, dessert and jazz by Barry Ebb. For information on “Curtain Up!” call 965-3023.
