Popped! Contemporary Dance at Highways Wake Up With the Waves Through the Eyes of the Sculptor California Heritage Museum — Free For All! NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ALL ROADS FILM FESTIVAL ANIMATED PROGRAM Six Degrees of Separation at Morgan Wixson Theatre
This weekend, we’ve got a terrific new dance performance at Highways showcasing new work developed at UCLA’s second annual Hothouse Program, opening weekend of Santa Monica Theatre Guild’s production of a contemporary classic, more music on the Pier, a free day at the California Heritage and animated folk tales at the Aero. There really is something for everyone. You’ll find me at the Aero on Sunday, where I hope to discover just why it is that elephants can’t fly.
If you’re a fan of contemporary dance, Highways is definitely the place to be this weekend when Casebolt and Smith, LA’s newest contemporary dance company, premieres Popped! This performance, which ruptures the boundaries of friendship, collaboration and personal space, plays tonight through Sunday.
POPPED! Casebolt and Smith Highways Performance Space http://www.highwaysperformance.org/ 1651 18th Street at the 18th Street Arts Center Thur - Sat 8:30 p.m. $20/$15 Sun 2:30 p.m. $15 Start your day off with the fishies and the kiddies on Saturday morning when the Pier’s third Wake Up With the Waves concert presents Mariachis Para Sus Ninos. It’s the totally cool thing to do for the mini-bailadores and their adults.
Wake Up With the Waves Mariachis para sus Niños 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. Saturday Santa Monica Pier http://www.santamonicapier.org/ The Santa Monica Main Library presents a free screening of “Through the Eyes of the Sculptor” on Saturday at 3 p.m. This film follows sculptor Emmanuel Fillion on his search for the perfect marble block. The audience is afforded an upclose look as Fillion’s work is conceived in clay and then immortalized in marble. After the film, director/writer/narrator Gina Minervini will lead a discussion.
Santa Monica Main Library http://www.smpl.org/ Martin Luther King, Jr. Auditorium 601 Santa Monica Boulevard (310) 458-8600 This Sunday, before you pick up your fresh produce at the Main Street Farmers Market, be sure to swing through the California Heritage Museum for the second annual Museums Free-For-All day. Heritage, along with many other museums in the LA region, are throwing open the doors and laying out the welcome mat. Currently, the museum is showing an incredible array of art quilts by California quiltmakers and their gift shop sells beautiful tiles, mahjong tile bracelets and books on past museum exhibitions.
The California Heritage Museum http://www.californiaheritagemuseum.org/ 2612 Main Street (310) 392-8537 And just in case you absolutely insist on leaving Santa Monica this weekend to visit some other museum, here’s the LA Museums web site where you can find a list of all the museums participating in the Museums Free For All (http://www.museumsla.org/).
After the market, drop off your goodies and get on over to the Aero Theatre for the animated program of the National Geographic All Roads Film Festival (http://www.nationalgeographic.com/allroads). Traditional tales from Africa, the Pacific Northwest, Mexico, India and other cultures come alive in animated form. I’m particularly intrigued by the Canadian film “The Raven and the Sea Wolf,” in which the first man is dismayed to find he has no skill as a fisherman and that his skills as an artisan are unappreciated and seeks help from a mythical sea monster. I’m also dying to know how the elephant lost his wings as depicted in the Muria Gond’s tale of the conflict between the first elephant and man. Ever since Dumbo, I’ve been fascinated by flying elephants! 3:00 p.m. Sunday, October 1 Aero Theatre 1328 Montana Avenue http://www.americancinematheque.com And finally, the Santa Monica Theatre Guild presents “Six Degrees of Separation,” John Guare’s brilliantly compelling story of two New York art dealers whose lives are changed forever after they encounter a charismatic young man who’s both more, and less, than who he claims to be. “Six Degrees of Separation” opens Friday, Sept. 29 at the Morgan-Wixson Theatre and continues through Saturday, Oct. 28, with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $18 for general admission, $15 for seniors and students with group discounts available. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Theatre Box Office at 310-828-7519.
Morgan Wixson Theatre http://www.morgan-wixson.org/ 2627 Pico Boulevard 310/828-6209 Well, that wraps it up for this week’s Palette. Santa Monica’s Cultural Affairs Division is still working away on the development of a new map for the future of the arts and culture in our city. Thanks to everyone who has participated in workshops and surveys so far. Please check our web site for news about the plan and to learn ways that you can participate in drafting this important document. If you have any comments or suggestions for the Palette, please send them along to
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Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 29, 2006. Read the original PDF.