Camille Gavin: Beautiful dance moves; daring play at Empty
| Wednesday, Sep 16 2009 05:13 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Sep 16 2009 05:15 PM
'Noche de Gala'
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: CSUB's Doré Theatre, 9001 Stockdale Highway.
Admission: $14, $10 students, seniors, children 12 and under. Purchased in advance: $12 and $8
Information: 397-3154
'The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told'
When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: The Empty Space, 706 Oak St.
Admission: Free, donations welcomed
Information: 327-PLAY
Two local groups with similar goals have linked hands to present "Noche de Gala," a one-night dance performance on Saturday at Cal State Bakersfield's Dore Theatre.
SoLuna Ballet and Theta Sigma Chi, a Latina sorority at CSUB, are the two organizations involved.
Each promotes education and cross-cultural awareness, so it's a natural pairing, said Dulce Hernandez, a Chevron facilities engineer, who is a member of both groups.
Hernandez, 26, attended CSUB for two years before transferring to Fresno State to complete her degree in mechanical engineering. She started taking dance lessons at age 6 and has been a member of SoLuna for about five years. A South High graduate, Hernandez is a native of Bakersfield. Her parents, she said, came from the Zapotecan region near Oaxaca. The dances were choreographed by twin brothers Manuel and Dario Fonseca, founders of SoLuna.
"We use all the original footwork of the Mexican dances and combine them with ballet techniques," Hernandez said. "For the show, we're doing dances from Chihuahua, Guerrero and Michoacan."
The colorful costumes worn by the 12 performers are based on traditional styles but are embellished to make them more theatrical. Some are purchased from providers in Los Angeles; others are made by Guillermo Fonseca, a professional tailor and the father of SoLuna's founders.
"Even with the costumes we buy," Hernandez added, "Mr. Fonseca has to tweak them so they look like they should for SoLuna dancers."
Also scheduled to perform is SoLunita, a small group of dancers age 12 and younger.
Proceeds from "Noche de Gala" will be used to fund scholarships for students attending CSUB. The sorority was founded in 1993, said Maria Delgado, an education professor and the group's advisor.
'Fabulous Story' at The Empty Space
Be forewarned that "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told," currently on stage at The Empty Space, is not for everyone. And, because of language, semi-nudity and other elements it definitely isn't suitable for children.
Kristina Saldana, the director, agrees that it's controversial but says the script is an amazing mixture of humor, compassion, wit and love.
"It provokes and offends everyone equally to allow all points of view of mockery and equal acceptance," Saldana said. "I hope people will see the play and be able to take something from it -- good, bad, and everything in between."
The play, by Paul Rudnick, begins in the biblical Garden of Eden and centers on the lives of two couples -- Adam and Steve, who are gay, and Jane and Mabel, who are lesbians -- as they struggle with their beliefs. They pass through century after century and eventually wind up in the Chelsea section of New York City.
Lead roles are played by Caroline Clark, Roscoe Myrick, Corey Skaggs, Sarah Purdy and Alyssa Bonanno. Also in the cast are Megan Calvillo, Kayleigh Peaker, Angela Hanawalt, Michael Pawloski, Brian Brennan and Justin Brooks. Thomas Robinson is assistant director.
Final performances are 8 p.m. Sept. 25 and 26.
Portraits in pencil
David Vanderpool's "Pencil Drawings," which was published earlier this year, is now available at Russo's and the Bakersfield Museum of Art.
The 164-page book includes 26 black-and-white drawings that are sensitive and finely detailed. Many have a dramatic quality that brings the viewer back for a longer look. For example, I was drawn to a portrait of an old woman titled "Nonna," I felt as if her life history was etched into the weathered lines on her face. Also part of the book are more than 350 illustrations that show step by step how the artist developed each completed drawing. He also recounts, using a journal format, what was going on in his mind as he pursued his craft.
Vanderpool, who works at The Californian as a graphic artist, said graphite pencil is his favorite medium but regrets that it is becoming a lost art.
"Art today has been taken over by splashes of color or the formation of junk and calling it art," he said. Instead, he prefers the work of the old masters, particularly the drawings of Michelangelo.
He is working on two smaller pencil drawing books. One will focus on portraits, the other on male figures. He hopes to publish them in 2010.
