tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66529257023980215432010-03-08T15:54:53.652-08:00mcblogadminnoreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652925702398021543.post-14814273565437444132009-04-29T15:06:00.001-07:002009-04-29T16:30:55.878-07:00

First of all, I am embarrassed. I missed half of the Cirque Eloize show last Thursday night because I arrived at the theater at 8pm, the usual start time for performances at the Mondavi Center, only to find out that the show started at 7pm. Lesson: check your tickets before going to the theater, even if you're a regular.I was really looking forward to this show too! As a former circus performer,

Christine Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17976273596548355372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652925702398021543.post-76267134658288097122009-02-21T19:36:00.000-08:002009-02-21T19:38:48.028-08:00

Last week I took in Tango Fire and Philip Glass at Jackson Hall. The shows, which couldn’t be more different, both drew full houses and earned deserved standing ovations from the appreciative crowds.In Tango Fire, five pairs of dancers, a singer and an orchestra recreate a smoky Argentine dance club. The performers slink, strut and twirl their way into and out of relationships in a rough

Christine Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17976273596548355372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652925702398021543.post-82764544271736072792009-02-21T16:33:00.000-08:002009-03-05T16:36:32.185-08:00

This Friday, I joined dozens of princess-clad little girls at the Mondavi Center for the State Ballet Theatre of Russia's production of Cinderella. As a special treat, the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of Michael Morgan, brought Prokofiev's score to life. The house was filled to capacity, with a line of people outside waiting for cancellations.The company's dancers seemed

mcblogadminnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652925702398021543.post-26589398170409752702008-12-23T07:27:00.000-08:002008-12-23T07:44:51.728-08:00

...and the rest of the Springfield residents rounding out the cast of MacHomer!On December 11, I checked out MacHomer at Jackson Hall. As I entered the theater (mid-way through my finals for the quarter) I realized that I recalled very little of the Shakespearian tragedy other than the few iconic lines that have made their way into the collective consciousness of our culture (“Double double boil

Christine Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17976273596548355372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652925702398021543.post-48755273768235914492008-11-07T23:36:00.000-08:002008-11-08T01:02:44.189-08:00

Tonight, New York City-based American Ballet Theatre II (ABII) treated the Mondavi Center audience to some of the most legendary ballet choreography in existence. ABII is a classical company of young dancers (age 16-19) handpicked from around the world. It serves as the training ground for the full ABT company, which has been home to ballet superstars like Mikhail Baryshnikov, Gelsey Kirkland,

Christine Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17976273596548355372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652925702398021543.post-6064232903999444982008-10-26T22:49:00.000-07:002008-10-26T22:54:50.958-07:00

The 2008-2009 Mondavi Center season is officially under way, and I'm thrilled to be back, blogging about the wonderful programs offered this year. Today I took in "Momix: The Best of Momix" along with an appreciative and packed audience at Jackson Hall. Momix, the brain child of Moses Pendleton, is basically a spin-off of "Pilobolus Dance Theater," another acrobatic, inventive and illusion-based

Christine Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17976273596548355372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652925702398021543.post-51678620745761396532008-04-28T12:08:00.000-07:002008-04-28T12:16:41.195-07:00

The Merce Cunningham Dance Company capped its extensive week-long residency at the Mondavi Center with two nights of rich, historical, stunning work last weekend.At 89, Merce Cunningham is truly a living legend of modern dance. In the 60s Cunningham was a pioneer in shifting the intent of modern dance from meaning to movement. In other words, he wanted to do away with the trappings of symbolic

Christine Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17976273596548355372noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652925702398021543.post-80723198205923720582008-03-19T15:15:00.000-07:002008-03-19T15:19:14.206-07:00

Last Friday, the renowned Shen Wei Dance Arts, under the direction of Shen Wei, presented two richly textured and emotive pieces at Jackson Hall. Re- (Part One), a quartet created in 2006, was co-commissioned by the Mondavi Center, while Folding, a more epic production, was originally created in 2000 for the Guandong Modern Dance Company.Re- (Part One) features hauntingly stark lighting by the

Christine Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17976273596548355372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652925702398021543.post-17536180209799211632008-03-03T02:00:00.000-08:002008-03-07T13:47:33.838-08:00

ShadowLight: a concert of new dance-theatre works by Marija Krotolica and Randee Paufve closed last Sunday at the Studio Theatre of the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts. The concert, presented by the UC Davis Department of Theatre and Dance, represented Krotolica and Paufve’s final projects in fulfillment of their Masters of Fine Arts degrees. In the interest of full disclosure, I use to

Christine Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17976273596548355372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652925702398021543.post-11674080801150330462008-02-19T13:47:00.000-08:002008-02-19T13:55:52.552-08:00

The Mondavi Center was packed on Friday night for the St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre’s presentation of “Russian Seasons”. The company opened with “Chopiniana,” choreographed by Mikhail Fokine, which first premiered in St. Petersburg in 1908. At first, it took me awhile to adjust my eye to the pace of the romantic ballet and to the style of the company in general, as I have become accustomed to

Christine Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17976273596548355372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652925702398021543.post-60266541559711531342008-01-24T19:31:00.000-08:002008-01-29T00:08:14.871-08:00

Nigger, Wetback, Chink. How does it feel to see these words in print? To hear them spoken? To say them yourselves? They are three of the most offensive, racially charged, incendiary terms in our language. We wince at them because we know they are used to hurt, oppress, demean and devalue.In Speak Theater Arts' show, "N*W*C*" at the Mondavi Center last week, writer/performers Miles Gregley, Rafael

Christine Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17976273596548355372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652925702398021543.post-87859234846938686022008-01-14T08:24:00.000-08:002008-01-19T18:37:53.517-08:00

As I entered the Studio Theater at the Mondavi Center last Sunday to experience the Empyrean Ensemble, I felt as if I were entering a cafe/cabaret. Seating was set up around small round tables where the audience was welcome to enjoy their food and drinks during the show (Amen!). Since we were invited to join any table with a free chair, there was a wonderful co-mingling of patrons, which might

Christine Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17976273596548355372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652925702398021543.post-15196528821336708732007-11-17T23:43:00.000-08:002007-11-18T01:07:56.184-08:00

One afternoon a few years ago, I performed on the David Letterman show. After finishing, I hopped in a cab downtown, and an hour later was performing with Meredith Monk. It was the ultimate juxtaposition of pop culture entertainment and high brow art, and it was one of the coolest, most surreal days of my life. Today was another one of those days:Earlier this afternoon, I was screaming my head

Christine Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17976273596548355372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652925702398021543.post-49019333210652575442007-11-06T14:12:00.000-08:002007-11-10T08:51:24.014-08:00

Sideshow Physical Theater’s “Collapse (suddenly falling down)” kicked off the Mondavi Center’s Creativity Project on Thursday October 25 and ran through this Sunday November 4. In the spirit of the project, which is meant to explore how artists create work (and, by doing so, to make contemporary art more accessible to audiences), I thought I’d use this space to reveal my experiences as a dancer/

Christine Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17976273596548355372noreply@blogger.com0