Dance

  Perhaps it was the meta nature of the story — a musical about the lives of dancers auditioning for a musical — but A Chorus Line became a true Broadway sensation. The 1975 production with a book by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante, lyrics by Edward Kleban and music by Marvin Hamlisch swept […]

  In the Veteran’s Hall in Arcata on a crisp September night, feet were skipping, sliding, stamping and turning. They moved swiftly in cowboy and cowgirl boots, work boots, an occasional Ugg or Keen, sandals, running shoes and the wayward pair of flip-flops. All kinds of feet were promenading all over the place at the […]

As Rex Atienza prepares to settle on a bench in the courtyard of Redwood Raks to talk before one of his free breakdancing classes, he asks if his crew, the Humboldt Rockers, might join him. Atienza wants them with him since it’s the Rockers we’re talking about. This opening gesture speaks volumes about the soft-spoken […]

This is the show you have to see this summer. No excuses. Get on the phone. Go online. Get out the debit card. Reserve three or four tickets. You will have friends who will want to see it, too, but aren’t on it like you are. They’ll love you for it. I’m talking about Mary […]

Springtime! Baseball for some. Dance recitals for others. (With no chance of being rained out.) In local studios all over the county a host of teachers are diligently rehearsing, readying their students to be on-stage. Producing shows takes a tremendous amount of planning and labor, add kids to the mix and whoa — there’s an […]

The Humboldt Folk Dancers are gearing up to present the 13th Arcata International Folk Dance Festival the weekend of April 13-15. This biennial event (as in every two years), started in 1995 as an annual affair until it “grew too big for our little community” to put together every year, explained Craig Kurumada, one of […]

Before the modern age of nuclear families, human beings lived in closely knit groups of tribes and villages. The seriously committed extended family was a part of everyday life. Today, not so much. It can get lonely. So, we do stuff together. The pursuits we follow bring us into instant pockets of intentional communities. We […]

Don’t be surprised if you see an uptick in bowler hats, vests, fringed dresses and Mardi Gras beads around Eureka this weekend. It’s jazz time once again as Redwood Coast Music Festivals presents the 22nd Annual Redwood Coast Jazz Festival starting Thursday, March 22, and running through Sunday. By the numbers, the RCJ Festival features […]

Bring Your Own Seat Series presents, Short Stories: 23 Dances / 23 Minutes, at the Pan Arts Studio in Arcata, which is fast becoming the home base for modern dance classes in the area. Director Bonnie Hossack has laid out a unique structure in this show by limiting her group of invited choreographers to one […]

Mystery, romance, glamour. Pull out the feather boas and garter belts; it’s time to shimmy the night away in you slinkiest garb with your favorite Valentine or, maybe, the Valentine you’re destined to meet. The Beat Vixens, who you read about in these pages not long ago, present Cupid’s Coquettes, a Valentine’s burlesque event at […]

If you’ve never been to the splendidly refurbished Winema Theater in Scotia, Saturday night is your chance. That’s when the Ferndale Dance Academy presents its third annual Winter Concert, Second 2 None. Deep in the heart of the Eel River Valley, in a hamlet known for its staunch support of the gridiron, hoops and soccer, […]

If you’re livin’ right, during this past weekend’s New Year’s Eve you enthusiastically fulfilled your annual dance-the-night-away duties, effectively ushering in 2012 with your feet. Can you still feel it? If you did it right, those puppies should still be whimpering. However, that being the case, you’re totally exempt from having to get down this […]