Toning it up

There is something undeniably magnetic about watching bad singers perform. “American Idol,” for example, is a perennial hit because audiences like to see the comical dreamers of the early episodes croon their way to television infamy. A generation before Kelly Clarkson was crowned reality royalty by the public, though, Florence Foster Jenkins captured the hearts […]

Unbounded Ballet

Despite the implications of its name, the Lyon Opera Ballet’s performances are missing all of the standard ballet accoutrements. There are no princesses in tutus and tiaras, pirouettes in pointe shoes or a corps de ballet of swans. There is nothing balletic in the program,” said Yorgos Loukos, the troupe’s artistic director. Tonight, the Lyon […]

Cuban Connection

Gil Garcetti is practically a Los Angeles institution. With three decades of experience in the district attorney’s office, his name is familiar to most Angelenos. While his career as a prosecutor made him a household name, most people do not realize that Garcetti is also a critically acclaimed photographer. Garcetti’s most recent collection, “Dance in […]

A modernist legacy

When visiting a modern-art exhibit, one inevitably hears remarks such as, “I just don’t get it,” or “They paid millions for that? I could have done that with Crayolas!” Indeed, 20th-century modern art is grossly misunderstood and thus greatly underappreciated. While Salvador Dalí’s surrealist landscapes and Piet Mondrian’s primary-colored grids have become a part of […]

WEEKEND REVIEW

Exuberant crowds of masked revelers, costumed children and jubilant musicians crowded UCLA’s Kaufman Plaza on Saturday to celebrate Carnival. The afternoon festival brought to life the Fowler Museum of Cultural History’s current exhibit on the worldwide celebration of Carnival through dance, music, food and art. Traditionally, Carnival is a three-day celebration of Bacchanalian excess and […]