• June 19 and 20 - Grand Opening Concert weekend for the Pasadena Pops 2009 Season at Descanso Gardens. Concerts begin at 7:30 pm.
• June 21 - Make Music Pasadena. 11 am to 10 pm on sidewalks, in parks, courtyards, alleys, museums and other unconventional performance spaces primarily in Old Pasadena, including Armory Center for the Arts, the Pasadena main library, Alliance Francaise and many more.

When:         Saturday, May 9, 4pm – 10pm
Where:        Multiple stages along Mission Street, South Pasadena
Cost:           Free of charge
Media Info:  Kat Kittredge, 626-484-4429 kkpr@live.com
Public Info:  South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, 626-441-2339,
www.southpaschamber.com

The South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with the South Pasadena Music Center and Conservatory, presents the first annual South Pasadena Eclectic Music Festival and Art Walk on Saturday, May 9, from 4pm to 10pm.  The festival features 17 bands and musicians performing on three outdoor stages along Mission Street, and an Art Walk with work by local artists displayed in 9 galleries and open studios.

“For a city of its size, South Pasadena has an especially vibrant arts community.  In the last few years we’ve opened a music conservatory and performance venue, art galleries and studios and welcomed two resident theater companies,” explains Scott Feldmann, president and CEO of the city’s Chamber of Commerce, “The festival allows us to showcase this vibrancy and present it to a larger audience from the L.A. area.”

Three outdoor stages will feature jazz, Americana/folk-inspired and otherwise genre defying eclectic artists.  The Eclectic Stage will be adjacent to South Pasadena Music Center and Conservatory, located at 1509 Mission Street, and will feature distinctive singer/songwriter Stan Ridgway.  Described as “a mad scientist of sound and vision,” Ridgway has been a singular voice in contemporary song, from his early days with Wall of Voodoo, to film soundtracks and many acclaimed solo recordings.  The Eclectic Stage will also include I See Hawks in L.A., the area’s premier folk-rock/country/psychedelic band; Don Preston a founding member of Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention and life-long new music avatar, twang and throb masters Double Naught Spy Car and master percussionist Zach Harmon.  Please see the following performance schedule for a complete list of performers’ performance times.

The Americana Stage, located at 913 Meridian Avenue (by the Metro Gold Line stop at Mission Street), will feature American folk and country inspired artists Severin Browne, Debra McColl, Son Ark and others.

The Jazz Stage, located at Burke/Triolo Studios 538 Mission Street will offer a diverse lineup of jazz, world beat and vocal artists including Elliot Caine, Eric Patterson, Cynthia Speer and blues group the Average Johnsons.

Food and beverages from many of South Pasadena’s best restaurants will be available for purchase at each of the music stages.  Select and premium wines from the San Antonio Winery, WineStyles and Bristol Farms, as well as hand-crafted beer from nearby Angel City Brewery, will also be sold at the event.

Media Sponsors KPCC and Pasadena Magazine

For public information please visit www.southpaschamber.com or call 626.441.2339.

April 19, 7:00 p.m.
915 S. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena 91105
Web site: www.rosecityballroom.com
Phone: 818.321.0539
FREE EVENT
Open to the public

Please attend our grand opening party. Special guests Kym Johnson and Tony Dovolani from Dancing with the Stars will be there to celebrate our opening. Owner Christian Perry, a regular choreographer on Dancing with the Stars, and his dance partner of eight years, Annette Nicole, will provide professional dance demonstrations to live music. Reception will be followed by a group dance lesson and community dance.

All attendees will receive two free dance lessons. Rose City Ballroom Dance Studio will specialize in private instruction in Ballroom, Tango, Latin and Salsa dance styles. Individual and group lessons are available.

For Video clips of our dancers in action, please click on the links below:
Gap Commercial: On You Tube

On Dancing with the Stars: On YouTube

You can also call 626-449-5320 to sign up for one of the buses. Visit the Vroman’s Bookstore Blog for more information.

Pasadena, CA – (February 2009) The Playhouse District Association and Boston Court Performing Arts Center present ARTTalk showcasing the best in spoken word, music, theatre, dance, film, and literary arts on Saturday, March 14, 2009 from 11 am until 5 pm. ARTTalk is a free all-ages event.

The six-hour performance marathon will take place at the Boston Court Performing Arts Center at 70 N. Mentor Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91106. ARTTalk features some of Los Angeles most established and emerging performers.

“Boston Court Performing Arts Center is thrilled to co-present ARTTalk with its broad range of acts performing on our stage, allowing us to engage with a truly diverse audience,” says Boston Court Performing Arts Center Executive Director Michael Seel.

Dubbed as one of San Gabriel Valley’s largest spoken word events, ARTTalk is sure to rattle the literary senses. The diverse line up includes the hilarious and witty Michele Serros, a Chicana author, poet and screenwriter. Award winning poet, and author Jervey Tervalon who will be doing selected readings from some of his published works. The screening of “City of Angels 2008: An Echo Park Film Center Youth Documentary Project.”  City of Angels 2008 focuses on the unique strengths, concerns and experiences that come together in 21st century Los Angeles. The films are unique examinations through the eyes of 13 and 19-year-olds that provide viewers with a glimpse of the celebrations of life in the City of Angels.

Also on the bill are Pasadena’s leading contemporary dance company, Lineage dance, Ina Buckner-Barnette, The Sunshine Storyteller who will share her African American historic stories, folktales, poetry and songs. In addition to these great performers attendees will also get to enjoy Japanese style drumming from the Taiko Center of Los Angeles and award winning flamenco dancing from Mojacar Flamenco among other performers.

In all, attendees will experience a day filled with diverse and top-notch programming that is accessible to all.

For more information on ARTTalk contact Josie Mora at 626.744.0340 ext. 13 or jmora@playhousedistrict.org

A complete performance schedule is below:

11:00am- Z. Clark Branson
Clark Branson, “Raconteur of Song and Story,” will kick-off ARTTalk with a celebration of words and music in a traditional storytelling style.

11:30am - Ina Buckner-Barnette, The Sunshine Storyteller
African and African American historical stories, folktales, poetry, and songs.

12:00pm- Taiko Center of Los Angeles
Performers from the Taiko Center of Los Angeles will share both traditional and contemporary Japanese pieces.

12:30 - Jervey Tervalon
Los Angeles Times bestselling author,  award-winning poet, screenwriter, and dramatist will read stories from his celebrated books.

1:00pm- Nevenka
Los Angeles-based women’s folk chorus will be performing songs from Eastern Europe.

1:30pm- Jasmine Orpilla
The Life and Death of a Voice, a solo performance piece dedicated to the sensitivities of the human voice and the evolving language to which the voice constantly adapts.

2:00pm- Wicked Lit
Halloween Theatre readings focused on the adaptations of classic literary thrillers from readings to include The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs, The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe and Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne

2:30pm- Mojácar Flamenco
Award winning Flamenco Group performs their energetic and rhythmic piece, Jaleo.

3:00pm- Michelle Serros
Michelle Serros will read selected experts from her best selling books Chicana Falsa, How to be a Chicana Role Model, Honey Blonde Chica and, her newest Young Adult novel, !Scandalosa! as well as share her experiences as a staff writer for the ABC sitcom, The George Lopez Show.

Michele Serros

3:30pm- Lineage Dance - Healing Blue
Healing Blue tells the story of women in their courageous triumph over cancer. The piece deals with the reality of facing cancer in yourself, cancer in a loved one and the use of love and humor to cope and grow throughout the experience.

4-5pm- Echo Park Film Center
“Echo Park Film Center (EPFC) presents selections from City of Angels 2008: An EPFC Youth Documentary Project”

For Echo Park Film Center’s 20th free youth filmmaking class, 23 students between the ages of 13 and 19 embarked on individual documentary journeys exploring personal, family and community stories. The films are unique examinations and celebrations of life in the City of Angels.