Events Around the Bay

By Lina Broydo

“Take Five”: Smuin Dancers Jazz Up in Tribute to Dave Brubeck

Wednesday, May 27 – Friday, May 29

Enjoy the free streaming of Rex Wheeler’s Dave Brubeck tribute to “Take Five” as the next installment of its Hump Day Ballets series, which aims to brighten your mid-week spirits with its impressive collection from the company’s archives.

An exuberant choreography offers a charming and colorful set of surprising movements to match the irrepressible and iconic jazz tunes. Outfitted in neon brights costumes by Kaori Higashiyama, Smuin’s athletic artists prance playfully under vivid lighting by Michael Oesch to the Brubeck classics “Take Five,” “I’m in a Dancing Mood,” “Camptown Races,” “Unsquare Dance,” and “Blue Rondo à la Turk.”

This delightfully witty work, set to the jazzy beat of Dave Brubeck, made its mainstage premiere last fall just in time for the celebrated musician’s centennial in 2020. Missed seeing it last fall at the theatre, watch it at your private theatre at home.

Born in London, Wheeler trained at The Royal Ballet School and Elmhurst School for Dance. As a student, he performed with Birmingham Royal Ballet and, on several occasions, for the Royal Family. Wheeler later joined Slovak National Ballet in 2009 followed by the Sacramento Ballet in 2010.

As a choreographer, he has created works for organizations across the country, including the Sacramento Ballet, Richmond Ballet, Utah Regional Ballet, Crooked Tree Arts Center, and Ballet Academy East. Wheeler joined Smuin as a dancer in 2015 and has presented several original works during his time with the Smuin Company, including festive pieces for Smuin’s annual The Christmas Ballet program, and Sinfonietta, which premiered in Smuin’s 2018-19 season.

Information

smuinballet.org

Photos courtesy of Smuin Ballet

“The de Young Open” Exhibition to Support Local Artists

Your art work can be exhibited and sold at the world renowned Fine Arts Museum in San Francisco!

In celebration of the de Young museum’s 125th anniversary, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco announced today The de Young Open, a juried community art exhibition welcoming submissions relating to the theme “On the Edge,” by artists from the nine Bay Area counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma. Timothy Anglin Burgard, Distinguished Senior Curator and Ednah Root Curator in Charge of American Art, will head a curatorial jury that includes Claudia Schmuckli, Curator of Contemporary Art and Programming, and Karin Breuer, Curator in Charge of the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

The exhibition will be on view in the de Young museum’s Herbst Exhibition Galleries. Visual artists with diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, comprising the de Young in Golden Gate Park and the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, are the largest public arts institutions in San Francisco.

The de Young originated from the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition in Golden Gate Park and was established as the Memorial Museum in 1895. It was later renamed in honor of Michael H. de Young, who spearheaded its creation. Get your brushes and start painting!

Information

Visit deyoung.famsf.org/exhibitions/de-young-open for more information regarding submission guidelines and rules.

Photo courtesy of de Youmg Museum

In the Fields of the North/En los Campos del Norte

May 29

Nothing stops the world of art… And this show will go on as the Los Altos History Museum goes virtual for the latest exhibition due to the coronavirus pandemic hit. The museum is pleased to announce that portions of this exhibit, which chronicles the lives of contemporary migrant farm workers, will now be available for viewing online through the museum’s website.

Featuring the photographs of photojournalist David Bacon, the exhibition is based upon the book of the same name, published by University of California Press, and gives viewers a reality check on the food they eat and the lives of the people who harvest it. Join the Zoom discussion and hear contemporary stories about life in the fields.

A program titled “Essential Stories” will feature Stanford historian Dr. Ignacio Ornelas Rodriguez interviewing David Bacon about his experience. Bacon spent over three decades documenting essential workers in the agricultural industry.

“The Essential Stories” program is slated for June 3, Noon to 1:30p.m. and reservations are required through the Museum’s website.

Information

losaltoshistory.org/IntheFields

Photo courtesy of Los Altos History Museum

Photograph by David Bacon

Virtual Wine Tastings in Northern California

Chateau Montelena does it with class as winemaker Matt Crafton hosts Instagram Live sessions at 2 p.m. Tuesdays, where he leads virtual tastings, cellar tours and vineyard visits.

Book an exclusive one-on-one virtual Chateau Montelena tasting by e-mailing to: wineclubs@montelena.com requesting a desired date, time and Chateau Montelena wines you plan to enjoy.

Make it a romantic evening with your significant other and forget about the Convid 19 for a short while.