Photos courtesy of UCLA Performing Arts White Oak Dance
Project, composed of the finest dancers in the United States, will
perform at Royce Hall Oct. 25 – 28.
By Howard Ho
Daily Bruin Contributor
Coming back to school means more classes and more homework, but
it also means another season of football, basketball, and top-notch
entertainment at Royce Hall.
The UCLA Performing Arts calendar is filled with acts ranging
from the avant garde to the mainstream. Dancers, musicians, TV
personalities, actors, singers, and storytellers all grace the
stage. While Westwood might be showing the latest films, one need
not go off-campus for a good show.
For dance-lovers, the White Oak Project will be performing at
Royce from October 25-28. Among their troupe is co-founder and
artistic director Mikhail Baryshnikov. They will lend their bodies
to the works of the Judson Dance Theatre, a center for young
dancers in the ’60s and ’70s.
“It was a time when we were breaking away from tradition.
We were young and in contact with poets, painters, and
musicians,” said Simone Forti, choreographer for the White
Oak Dance Project.
 White Oak Dance Project includes artistic director
Mikhail Baryshnikov, and will be performing at UCLA’s Royce
Hall. The White Oak Project will perform some of Forti’s
works, some of which offer a new definition of dance. Her 1961
piece “Huddle,” for example, consists of nine dancers
in a pile, which she calls a “dance mountain,” where
they are constantly scaling each other.
“I was interested in the movement of climbing,”
Forti said. “”˜Huddle’ is a dance construction,
like a sculpture. There will be a camera person walking around it
and looking at its details. That way the audience will get a sense
of walking around the huddle.”
Stepping in for the now-defunct Martha Graham Dance Company, the
Parsons Dance Project will be performing on October 6 and 7. David
Parsons has over a decade of history performing at UCLA along with
Paul Taylor, who worked with the Martha Graham Dance Company.
“Royce is a dig.” Parsons said. “It’s
one of the theaters in the U.S. for contemporary dance.”
Music lovers will also have no shortage of great performances to
attend, with concerts in Royce and also in Ostin Hall. Among the
musicians lined up are Bobby McFerrin, Evgeny Kissin, the Kronos
Quartet, Alan Bergman, Regina Carter, Audra McDonald, Menahem
Pressler, Young Uck Kim and Shirley Horn.
“The sound will be great, and the lighting will be
sensational,” said Bill Henderson, who is appearing with the
Shirley Horn Trio and Charlie Haden on September 21.
Those who are interested in classical music can attend
Kim’s recital of the Beethoven violin sonata cycle or
McFerrin’s conducting of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra in
pieces by Bizet and Vivaldi, while those looking for something more
modern can see the Kronos Quartet, playing music by Steve Reich and
Terry Riley. Those in for something funky can see violinist Carter,
who has collaborated with Lauryn Hill and Wynton Marsalis, among
others.
In addition to the great variety of performers, UCLA also
features CenterStage, a pre-performance meeting with the artists
one hour before showtime. Past artists have included Yo-Yo Ma,
Philip Glass, and Midori. For example, if you have a question about
Baryshnikov, why not ask him yourself?
This year’s season will also feature many television
personalities and celebrities. John Lithgow, of “Third Rock
from the Sun” fame, will appear on October 15 with a symphony
orchestra, singing children’s songs and performing his new
children’s book, “The Remarkable Farkle McBride,”
a child’s guide to the orchestra. “Simpsons”
creator Matt Groening will talk about his travails on November 30.
Bill Maher will host a mock performance of “Politically
Incorrect” on March 3. Pulitzer prize-winning author Frank
McCourt will talk about his life on November 5. James Carville,
President Clinton’s campaign chief who was featured in the
documentary “The War Room,” will give his unique take
on politics and the presidential race on October 15.
UCLA Performing Arts is divided chiefly among three theaters.
Royce Hall, perhaps the most ubiquitous symbol of UCLA, is also the
most frequent one for large scale performances as well as intimate
pieces. The newly renovated Ostin Hall in the Schoenberg music
building will house mainly chamber music and choral performances.
The Freud Playhouse will feature plays and storytelling.
Many events will sell out. Last year, over half of them did.
With such a wide variety of great performances, it’s not hard
to see why.
MUSIC: For tickets or information about the Performing Arts,
call the Central Ticket Office at (310) 825-2101 or check out their
Web site at www.sca.ucla.edu.