Dance Festival to Host Sunday Shows

0
1875

 

This Sunday, July 21, Laguna Dance Festival will present two free shows by Los Angeles-based Versa-Style Dance Company at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. on the stage at the Festival of Arts. Photo courtesy of Laguna Dance Festival

This Sunday, July 21, Laguna Dance Festival will present two free shows by Los Angeles-based Versa-Style Dance Company at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. on the stage at the Festival of Arts grounds, 650 Laguna Canyon Road.

Versa-Style was founded in 2005 by Jackie Lopez, a.k.a. “Miss Funk,” and Leigh “Breeze-lee” Foaad, to reflect the vast versatility within street dance and to break color lines by creating a forum where people come together in a common passion and joy. As a reaction to media misrepresentation of the dance forms it offers—hip-hop, house, popping, locking, whacking and boogaloo, and Afro-Latin styles such as salsa, merengue, cumbia and Afro-Cuban—Versa-Style specifically aims to perform for the youth of Los Angeles in order to foster knowledge of the roots, history, and social and political issues surrounding the art of its generation. Through its art, Versa-Style emphasizes freedom of expression, individuality, discipline, and dedication to the form

For its 15th season, Sept. 27–29, Laguna Dance Festival will present a trio of performances by the Parsons Dance Company from New York City, RUBBERBANDance Group from Montreal, and Ballet West from Salt Lake City, hosted by the 750-seat Irvine Barclay Theatre. Tickets are on sale now: lagunadancefestival.org.

 

 Cameron, Jacobucci Among Art-To-Go Winners

Art-To-Go presented Best-in-Show awards to winning artists last Sunday on the Festival grounds. (L-R) Mary Platt, Wendy Wirth, Judith Cameron, Dennis Carrie, Yuri Kuznetsov, Anthony Salvo, Mitch Ridder, Bree Poort, Mark Jacobucci, and Lansing Molzen.

The Artists Fund at Festival of Arts recently presented the Art-To-Go Best-in-Show awards to seven artists. The fundraising sale, themed Full Circle, features original works donated by Festival exhibitors to support the Hardship fund for artists. Works are available daily through Aug. 25 on the Festival grounds

Painter Mark Jacobucci won both People’s Choice City Hall and Best-in-Theme categories for his landscape “Plant Rings of Anza Borrego.”

The awards juror was Mary Platt, director of The Hilbert Museum in Orange. “Art-To-Go shows the diversity of talent we have here in Orange County. I’m always excited to discover new artists, and Festival of Arts has so many great ones,” she said.

Platt’s picks were Judith Cameron, first place; Dennis Carrie, second place; and Yuri Kuznetsov, third place. Honorable mentions went to Mitch Ridder and Anthony Salvo. People’s Choice Festival grounds went to newcomer Bree Port. President Wendy Wirth handed certificates and gifts to winners.

All Art-To-Go buyers qualify to win a two-night stay at The Tides Inn. View the collection online at TheArtistsFund-foa.org or call 949-612-1949.

 

 Concerts on the Green: Greg Adams and East Bay Soul

On July 20, Greg Adams and East Bay Soul perform on the Festival of Art’s concert green. Photo courtesy of Festival of Arts

On Saturday, July 20, from 1-2:30 p.m., legendary performers Greg Adams and East Bay Soul perform on the Festival of Art’s concert green. Adams has recorded six solo albums, three releases with East Bay Soul, and 14 recordings as a founding member of Tower of Power. His 1995 debut, “Hidden Agenda,” hit #1 on Billboard and stayed there for five weeks. With countless collaborations in the studio and live on stage, Adams has made his mark on a broad stretch of today’s music landscape that includes jazz, pop, rock, R&B, soul and funk.

The show is free with $15 Festival admission. Limited seating is available in a reserved section for $40 per person (includes Festival admission).

 

 

 

 

 ‘Shape of Light’ Installation Ends July 31

The lawn of City Hall has been the outdoor exhibit space for a three month-long temporary installation by Hybycozo, which concludes July 31. Photo by Allison Jarrell.

The lawn of City Hall has been the outdoor exhibit space for a three month-long temporary installation by artist team Hybycozo, which will conclude on July 31. The three geometric sculptures, created of laser cut metal and lit with LED, were created by Hybycozo, a collaboration of two artists: environmental scientist Yelena Filipchuck and industrial designer Serge Beaulieu. The name Hybycozo stands for “Hyperspace Bypass Construction Zone” a nod to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The two met in New York City in 2013, but moved to the Bay Area to make a series of works for Burning Man. “We decided to create a set of sculptures that could represent our fascination with the beauty of mathematics and the language of the universe,” Filipchuck says.

 

The next exhibition will be installed on the week of Aug. 12 by the well-known American urban street artist Mark Jenkins. Jenkins will begin his artist-in-residency on Aug. 5 and create site specific sculptures along with his creative partner Sandra Fernandez.

For more information, visit lagunabeachcity.net, hybycozo.com, and xmarkjenkinsx.com.

 

Share this:

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here