Take Five: Smuin Dancers Jazz Up in Tribute to Dave Brubeck
May 27–29

Stream Rex Wheeler’s Dave Brubeck tribute for free, as this installment of Smuin’s Hump Day Ballets series offers exuberant choreography and charming and colorful movements to match the irrepressible and iconic jazz tunes. Outfitted in bright neon costumes by Kaori Higashiyama, Smuin’s athletic artists prance playfully 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 made its mainstage premiere last fall just in time for the celebrated musician’s centennial in 2020. If you missed seeing it last fall at the theater, watch it at your private theater 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 joined the 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 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 The de Young Open, a juried community art exhibition welcoming submissions relating to the theme “On the Edge,” by artists from 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

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 due to the coronavirus pandemic. 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 1:30 p.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 on Tuesdays at 2 p.m., where he leads virtual tastings, cellar tours, and vineyard visits. Book an exclusive one-on-one virtual Chateau Montelena tasting by e-mailing wineclubs@montelena.com requesting a desired date, time and the Chateau Montelena wines you plan to enjoy. Make it a romantic evening with your significant other and forget about the COVID-19 for a short while. Cheers!

Information
www.Montelena.com

Photo courtesy of Chateau Montelena

Lina Broydo immigrated from Russia, then the Soviet Union, to Israel where she was educated and got married. After working at the University in Birmingham, England, she and her husband immigrated to the United States. She lives in Los Altos Hills, CA and writes about travel, art, style, entertainment, and sports. She hardly cooks or bakes, with no borsch or piroshky on her home cooking menu. Therefore, she makes reservations and enjoys dining out, mostly sushi.