Instead of looking back, as one might do when celebrating a 25th anniversary, Ron Cunningham of the Sacramento Ballet seems always to look forward. The latest ballet company production is Modern Masters Proteges, in which Cunningham invited three former dancers with the Sacramento Ballet to create new works for it. Jared Nelson, a Yuba City native who, after a stint with the local company, has danced for about a dozen years with the Washington Ballet; Ilana Goldman, who danced several seasons in Sacramento before moving on to the Trey McIntyre Project and then to the University of Washington where she’s soon to graduate with an advanced degree; and Amy Seiwert, who became resident choreogr

Multiple bold explorers and a proxy for Monsanto While the big buzz this week will be focused squarely on the latest entry in the decades-long Star Trek franchise, there are also a couple of smaller, counter-programming opportunities, one of which is oddly related to Star Trek. There’s also a second opinion included in today’s column on the Star Trek movie itself, but be warned in advance: Malcolm’s comments contain a character spoiler (although many viewers probably know this particular detail already).   Star Trek Into Darkness Directed by J. J. Abrams When the last “Star Trek” movie came out, I strongly praised its balancing act in terms of respecting the canon and the knowledge of

This past Friday I attended my first Concerts in the Park of the year. The evening was spent with great friends, family and a full evening of phenomenal musical performances. I could hear I'm Dirty Too playing from a block away before arriving at Cesar Chavez Plaza. I hurriedly made my way to the park entrance on 10th and I streets. My hurry was to no avail as I had to wait in a long line for 15 minutes for security to check everyone coming in. Once inside I noticed a thirst had been built up so I got in line to purchase some drink tickets. After a short wait in line I got a drink and walked around the park. Several food trucks and specialty food stations lined the park near 9th and

Families enjoyed a Mother's Day celebration at the 4th Annual Vida de Oro Folk Art Festival. The festival was held at the Good: Street Food + Design Market building located at 1409 Del Paso Blvd. Vida de Oro (which means “golden life”) was a free, family-friendly event held Saturday, May 11. This was the first year that the event was held at this venue. Artists, vendors and performers were on hand to help celebrate the event. The Good warehouse building has a high ceiling, and for most of the day it helped keep things somewhat cool, bringing relief from the hot weather. Delicious food and drinks were sold at the back of the building, providing a picnic-type setting. Vendors and ar

The Center for Strategic Economic Research (CSER) has released the Q1 2013 Quarterly Economic Report--supplied to you through SACTO's member benefits. The Quarterly Economic Report provides an overview of the health and performance of the Sacramento Region's economy along with an update to the Sacramento Region Business Confidence Index, a collaborative project with the Sacramento Business Journal to measure business sentiment. Previous editions of this report are available on the CSER website (strategiceconomicresearch.org).   FIRST QUARTER REPORT - April 2013 Click to view   Positive job growth in the Sacramento Region moved up again in the first quarter of 2013  The six-county

Celebrating its fifth anniversary season, the Vocal Art Ensemble of Davis summons a musical invocation of the Japanese Godai -- the “Five Great” elements that create our world:  Earth, Water, Fire, Wind and Void. Transcendent a capella singing, instrumentals and dance unleash one by one the solid and the fluid, the passionate and the wise, and the intangible energy that connects us all. Welcoming back a rich roster of past guest artists, VAE forges powerhouse favorites with enticing new discoveries in a program shaped by characteristic depth of emotion and attention to detail. Experience the tide of elemental forces expressed in music, dance, and poetry!  Friday, May 24, 2013 7:30pm Tr

For Matt Castle, a New York-based jack of all musical trades whose work can currently be heard in Sacramento Theatre Company’s lauded world-premiere production of “A Little Princess” (extended through the evening of May 19), taking on the task of orchestrating Eric Rockwell’s score was a multi-layered labor of love. Not only did it allow Castle, a Sacramento native now living in New York, the opportunity to participate in the gifting of his hometown with an original musical adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s beloved novel, but it provided yet another project on which he and husband Frank Galgano could collaborate – further establishing the duo’s reputation as go-to guys for musical t

The Whole Earth Festival was held for the 43rd time on the UC Davis campus over the weekend of May 10-12, 2013. Vendors, artists, performers, cooks, and the general public were part of an inspiring and fun event that highlighted the experience of the wholeness of the earth. From the Whole Earth Festival website . “Whole Earth Festival was born when an art class taught by Jose Arguelles had an “Art Happening” on the University of California, Davis campus in 1969. The students used art to involve visitors in the ultimate goal of learning about activism, wellness, and the environment. Whole Earth Festival aims to ignite passion, propel creativity, and leave visitors with inspiration. Foll

Dennis Newhall has been the organizer and curator of the Sacramento Rock and Radio Museum since 2000. The museum, which houses a wealth of local concert memorabilia, only opens for the public on Second Saturdays. It's located at 911 20th Street, next door to what used to be a hot local band venue called the Oasis Ballroom. Dennis himself played a role in the local music and radio scene, working for radio stations KZAP, KSFM and KROY. The museum showcases his vast collection of concert posters and donated memorabilia of mainly the 1960s through 1980s, but also includes later artifacts. On Saturday night, May 11, Dennis and I did a video interview for SacTV.com about the museum and how it ha

The Great Gatsby (x3) 1925 novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald 1974 film by Jack Clayton 2013 film by Baz Luhrmann There have been four theatrical film adaptations of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” the earliest of which was made in 1926, only a year after the manuscript was completed (and which is now lost). Other than the latest version by Baz Luhrmann, the only version easily found for comparison purposes is Jack Clayton’s 1974 film, with a screenplay adapted by Francis Ford Coppola. In anticipation of the press screening of Luhrmann’s film, I downloaded and re-read the novel in the break between last Sunday’s East Coast feed of “Game of Thrones” and the West Coast feed of “Mad Me

Besides giving you the opportunity to sip an adult beverage and sit hardly more than inches from the dancers, the Sacramento Ballet's "Beer & Ballet" lets you see how creative these dancers are at making dance, not just doing it. All the pieces on the program are new works created by members of the troupe, and, for the most part, they show a solid command of dance vocabulary and syntax and a maturity of style. "Beer & Ballet" opens Saturday after a couple of recent private performances, one of which I saw for review. Of the 11 dances, there probably are half a dozen really fine ones. Take, for example, the wonderful duet "Scars Never Seen" created by Nicole Haskins and danced by Ava Ch

Psychedelic forms viewed through a kaleidoscope have fascinated me since childhood. With kaleidoscope images in the back of my mind I attended the American River College “Kaleidoscope 2013” fashion show held on May 3. The American River College's 12th Annual Fashion Show brought 12 student designers to the campus' Black Box Theater stage for three showings. The air conditioned theater also served as a relief from the heat outside. Stunning children, men and women's designs captivated the audience during each of the three fashion runway shows. A production with so many designers and shows had to have many volunteers to make things move smoothly. ARC students and faculty worked hard to

On Sunday, May 12, at 7 p.m., 15 local women writers will perform in the Sacramento premiere of “Listen to Your Mother” at the Crest Theatre. A portion of all proceeds will benefit 916 Ink, a local nonprofit organization that is dedicated to increasing the literacy rate of youth in Sacramento. Bring your mother, sister, daughter or friend and spend a Sunday evening listening to stories of motherhood. It’s certain that one of the stories presented by these women, who are professional writers or bloggers, artists, homemakers, teachers or office workers, is sure to tickle your funny bone and perhaps moisten your eyes, while each will certainly celebrate the complexities of motherhood. Since

The local arts community recently discovered that the public artwork 'Sojourner' on 13th and K Street had been vandalized. The sculpture was found pushed off its pedestal on January 6, 2013. The sculpture, a 7ft. Mexican limestone work of art by Master Artist Elizabeth Catlett Mora, was broken into several pieces. Unfortunately the artist cannot repair this treasured work. Catlett died last year on April 2, 2012. The breaking news originally appeared on the blog "Sacramento Pedestrian Art." At the time, there was very little additional information provided on the developing story. And, by the time this article is published The Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission (SMAC) is expected to

It's the time of year to honor your Mom and celebrate all she does for you. What better way to do so than to take her out for a fun day on the town? We've compiled some suggestions for you below, but you can always find even more in Sacramento365.com's Holiday Events section. Treat her to eats: Mother's Day Brunch at the Hyatt: Hyatt Regency Sacramento; Sun 9:30am-3pm: Treat your mother to a scrumptious buffet featuring omelets made-to-order, a carving station, fresh seafood, and a bountiful dessert selection. Mother's Day Brunch with Sacramento RiverTrain: Sacramento RiverTrain - West Sacramento; Sun 10am-1pm: Bring Mom, Grandma, Aunt, and friends aboard the RiverTrain for a three-co

"Today the people of California pay tribute to 12 men whose names will be engraved on the California Peace Officers' Memorial," said Master of Ceremonies Attorney General Kamala Harris of the State of California. "Their service and ultimate sacrifice will never be forgotten." "To the honored families who are here today there are no words to match the depth of your loss," Harris said. "But I do want to say 'thank you' on behalf of the people of Save California for supporting our fallen heroes." Since California became a state, 1500 men and women who gave their lives will always have their names on this memorial. Officers from all over California came to pay their respect. In 2012 two of

600 specimens of brawny, hairy men (well, some were) donned high heels to walk a mile around the Capitol Mall today. They did it with grace and pain. Some did it fast, some slow. They did it. They did it to raise awareness about sexual assault against women and raised funds for WEAVE to provide 24-hour services  for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. Here's some photos from the event: Award winners will be posted when information is received. Editor’s note: The “News Digest” goes out every Tuesday morning and highlights our best stories, photos and videos from the week prior. Sign me up.

The Sacramento Ballet returned to the Mondavi Center at UC Davis on Thursday to star in one of only a handful of "events" in the inaugural season of the Vanderhoef Studio Theatre's Studio Dance Series. The program, "An Evening of Solos, Duets and Trios," will be repeated at 8 tonight (Friday) and Saturday. Co-artistic directors Ron Cunningham and Carinne Binda have assembled a program of 10 dances representative of the company's breadth and depth. They chose four dances choreographed by the brilliant George Balanchine (from among 18 in the company's repertory); one by former company member Nicole Haskins, currently dancing with the Washington Ballet and recently selected for the prestigi

Iron Man 3 Directed by Shane Black Malcolm Maclachlan: It’s often that I’ll think more of a flick the day after I see it than when I’m actually watching it. In this case, I like it less. “Iron Man 3” starts out with some compelling ideas and snappy dialogue, but ends up as a typical overstuffed…well, let’s just say towards the end when Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow argue about which one of them is more of a “hot mess,” my answer is “you’re both soaking in it.” Tony Sheppard: I think we had opposite reactions, or at least opposite post-reaction reactions. I had gone into the film with some fairly specific concerns regarding the storyline and enjoyed the film more than I had expect

The cover of this month’s issue of Comstock’s asks, “Are anti-tattoo policies prejudice?” Perhaps the implied questions is, “Are anti-tattoo policies wrong?” I should say that I do not have any tattoos – not as a result of any particular social stance; only because I am terribly fickle. These days, I often wonder if I’m not in the minority. A number of my friends sport ink, many of them able to talk at length about the stories behind their art and the life experiences their tattoos represent. Clearly this is something meaningful. On the other end of the spectrum are the friends with tattooed eyebrows and eyeliner. Not really an emotional connection there, but I suppose it does blend in